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Aim. Synthesis and characterization of styrylcyanine dye as a potential fluorescent probe for the detection in vitro of pathological amyloid fibrils and functional amyloid in S. aureus biofilm. Methods. Chemical synthesis, fluorescence spectroscopy, irradiation with a visible light source, confocal laser scanning microscopy, fluorescence microscopy. Results. Styrylcyanine dye is low fluorescent when free, but in the presence of amyloid fibrils in vitro shows an increase in the emission intensity up to 214 times depending on the amyloidogenic protein structure; the most pronounced enhancement was observed for fibrils of beta-lactoglobulin. Photostability of the dye in the free state is low, but binding to amyloid fibrils results in a strong increase of dye photostability. Upon staining S. aureus biofilm, the dye stains extracellular components of the biofilm matrix and does not penetrate the cell. Conclusion. This dye is suggested to visualize the functional amyloids of S. aureus biofilm with a red emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deschampsia antarctica and Colobantus quitensis are the only two vascular plants colonized on the Antarctic continent, which is usually exposed to extreme environments. Endophytic bacteria residing within plant tissues can exhibit diverse adaptations that contribute to their ecological success and potential benefits for their plant hosts. This study aimed to characterize 12 endophytic bacterial strains isolated from these plants, focusing on their ecological adaptations and functional roles like plant growth promotion, antifungal activities, tolerance to salt and low-carbon environments, wide temperature range, and biofilm formation. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we identified several strains, including novel species like Hafnia and Agreia. Many strains exhibited nitrogen-fixing ability, phosphate solubilization, ammonia, and IAA production, potentially benefiting their hosts. Additionally, halotolerance and carbon oligotrophy were also shown by studied bacteria. While some Antarctic bacteria remain strictly psychrophilic, others demonstrate a remarkable ability to tolerate a wider range of temperatures, suggesting that they have acquired mechanisms to cope with fluctuations in environmental temperature and developed adaptations to survive in intermediate hosts like mammals and/or birds. Such adaptations and high plasticity of metabolism of Antarctic endophytic bacteria provide a foundation for research and development of new promising products or mechanisms for use in agriculture and technology.

Severe burns are a major component of conflict-related injuries and can result in high rates of mortality. Conflict and disaster-related severe burn injuries present unique challenges in logistic, diagnostic and treatment options, while wider conflict is associated with driving local antimicrobial resistance. We present a targeted review of available literature over the last 10 years on the use of systemic antimicrobial antibiotics in this setting and, given limited available data, provide an expert consensus discussion. While international guidelines do not tend to recommend routine use of prophylactic systemic antibiotics, the challenges of conflict settings and potential for polytrauma are likely to have ongoing impacts on antimicrobial decision-making and use. Efforts must be made to develop a suitable evidence base in this unique setting. In the interim, a pragmatic approach to balancing selective pressures of antimicrobial use with realistic access is possible., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest LSPM has consulted for or received speaker fees from bioMerieux (2013–2024), Eumedica (2016–2022), Pfizer (2018–2024), Sumitovant (2021–2023), Shionogi (2021–2024), Qiagen (2023), and Gilead (2024) and received research grants from the National Institute for Health Research (2013–2024), CW+ Charity (2018–2024), North West London Pathology (2022–2024), LifeArc (2020–2022), Shionogi (2024), and the Healthcare Infection Society (2024). SJCP has received research grants from the Hospital Infection Society, John Muir Trust and the Drummond Foundation not in connection with this work. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Periodontal diseases are known to be associated with polymicrobial biofilms and inflammasome activation. A deeper understanding of the subgingival cytological (micro) landscape, the role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) during periodontitis, and contribution of the host immune eDNA to inflammasome persistence, may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlaying severe forms of periodontitis., Methods: In this work, subgingival biolfilms developing on biologically neutral polyethylene terephthalate films placed in gingival cavities of patients with chronic periodontitis were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). This allowed examination of realistic cytological landscapes and visualization of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) including amyloids, total proteins, carbohydrates and eDNA, as well as comparison with several single-strain in vitro model biofilms produced by oral pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus gordonii , S. sanguinis and S. mitis . Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was also used to identify eDNA derived from eubacteria, streptococci and members of the Bacteroides-Porphyromonas-Prevotella (BPP) group associated with periodontitis., Results: Analysis of subgingival biofilm EPS revealed low levels of amyloids and high levels of eDNA which appears to be the main matrix component. However, bacterial eDNA contributed less than a third of the total eDNA observed, suggesting that host-derived eDNA released in neutrophil extracellular traps may be of more importance in the development of biofilms causing periodontitis., Discussion: eDNA derived from host immunocompetent cells activated at the onset of periodontitis may therefore be a major driver of bacterial persistence and pathogenesis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Slobodianyk-Kolomoiets, Khlebas, Mazur, Rudnieva, Potochilova, Iungin, Kamyshnyi, Kamyshna, Potters, Spiers and Moshynets.)

Metal-based nanoparticles (MNPs) are promoted as effective compounds in the treatment of bacterial infections and as possible alternatives to antibiotics. These MNPs are known to affect a broad spectrum of microorganisms using a multitude of strategies, including the induction of reactive oxygen species and interaction with the inner structures of the bacterial cells. The aim of this review was to summarise the latest studies about the effect of metal-based nanoparticles on pathogenic bacterial biofilm formed in wounds, using the examples of Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa , as well as provide an overview of possible clinical applications.

Biofilm formation, or microfouling, is a basic strategy of bacteria to colonise a surface and may happen on surfaces of any nature whenever bacteria are present. Biofilms are hard to eradicate due to the matrix in which the bacteria reside, consisting of strong, adhesive and adaptive self-produced polymers such as eDNA and functional amyloids. Targeting a biofilm matrix may be a promising strategy to prevent biofilm formation. Here, femtosecond laser irradiation was used to modify the stainless steel surface in order to introduce either conical spike or conical groove textures. The resulting topography consists of hierarchical nano-microstructures which substantially increase roughness. The biofilms of two model bacterial strains, P. aeruginosa PA01 and S. aureus ATCC29423, formed on such nanotextured metal surfaces, were considerably modified due to a substantial reduction in amyloid production and due to changes in eDNA surface adhesion, leading to significant reduction in biofilm biomass. Altering the topography of the metal surface, therefore, radically diminishes biofilm development solely by altering biofilm architecture. At the same time, growth and colonisation of the surface by eukaryotic adipose tissue-derived stem cells were apparently enhanced, leading to possible further advantages in controlling eukaryotic growth while suppressing prokaryotic contamination. The obtained results are important for developing anti-bacterial surfaces for numerous applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Antimicrobial resistance recognised as a major global health problem and it poses a significant challenge in conflict zones, such as the Russia-Ukraine war. This case study focuses on a 32-year-old soldier who sustained combat-related injuries, including extensive wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant and pan-resistant bacteria and was successfully treated with azithromycin-meropenem combination therapy. The emergence of pan-resistant bacteria, particularly a pandrug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , highlights the severity of the problem and the limited treatment options available. Additionally, the financial burden posed by reserve antibiotics further complicates the management of these infections. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness of including azithromycin-meropenem combination therapy in the treatment regimen, which resulted in improvements in the patient's condition and the eradication of the resistant strains. The findings underscore the need for effective antimicrobial stewardship, infection control measures, and alternative treatment strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance in conflict zones., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Kryzhevskyi, Strokous, Lifshyts, Rybianets, Oberniak, Krikunov, Iungin, Potochilova, Rudnieva, Petakh, Kamyshnyi and Moshynets.)

Despite several targeted antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 currently being available, the application of type I interferons (IFNs) still deserves attention as an alternative antiviral strategy. This study aimed to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of IFN-α in hospitalized patients with COVID-19-associated pneumonia. The prospective cohort study included 130 adult patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A dose of 80,000 IU of IFN-α2b was administered daily intranasally for 10 days. Adding IFN-α2b to standard therapy reduces the length of the hospital stay by 3 days ( p < 0.001). The level of CT-diagnosed lung injuries was reduced from 35% to 15% ( p = 0.011) and CT injuries decreased from 50% to 15% ( p = 0.017) by discharge. In the group of patients receiving IFN-α2b, the SpO2 index before and after treatment increased from 94 (92-96, Q 1 -Q 3 ) to 96 (96-98, Q 1 -Q 3 ) ( p < 0.001), while the percentage of patients with normal saturation increased (from 33.9% to 74.6%, p < 0.05), but the level of SpO2 decreased in the low (from 52.5% to 16.9%) and very low (from 13.6% to 8.5%) categories. The addition of IFN-α2b to standard therapy has a positive effect on the course of severe COVID-19.

Introduction: IFN-α intervention may block SARS-CoV-2 replication and normalize the deregulated innate immunity of COVID-19., Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of interferon IFN-α-containing regimens when treating patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19., Material and Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to 15 January 2022. A systematic literature search was conducted by applying relevant terms for 'COVID-19' and 'interferon-α'. The primary outcome enclosed the all-cause hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes constituted the length of hospital stay; hospital discharge; nucleic acid negative conversion., Results: Eleven studies are enclosed in the meta-analysis. No significant difference in the all-cause mortality rate was found between the study and control groups (OR 0.2; 95% CI 0.05-1.2; I 2 = 96%). The implementation of interferon did not influence such outcomes as the length of hospital stay (OR 0.9; 95% CІ, 0.3-2.6; I 2 = 91%), nucleic acid negative conversion (OR 0.8; 95% CI, 0.04-17.2; I 2 = 94%). Nevertheless, IFN-α treatment resulted in a higher number of patients discharged from the hospital (OR 26.6; 95% CІ, 2.7-254.3; I 2 = 95%)., Conclusions: Thus, IFN-α does not benefit the survival of hospitalized COVID-19 patients but may increase the number of patients discharged from the hospital., Systematic Review Registration: www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier (CRD42022374589)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Buchynskyi, Kamyshna, Lyubomirskaya, Moshynets, Kobyliak, Oksenych and Kamyshnyi.)

Collagen and its derivates are typically obtained by extracting them from fresh animal tissues. Lately, however, there has been an increased interest in obtaining collagen from other sources, such as waste material, because of the growing trend to replace synthetic materials with sustainable, natural counterparts in various industries, as well as to ensure a rational waste revalorization. In this paper, collagen was obtained from non-tanned waste of leather production, taken at different stages of the production process: limed pelt, delimed pelt, and fleshings. A stepwise extraction through acid hydrolysis in 0.5 M acetic acid and subsequent precipitation with NaCl lead to collagen-containing protein extracts. The highest collagen yield was achieved in extracts based on delimed pelt (2.3% m/m after a first extraction round, and an additional 1.4% m/m after the second round). Hyp/Hyl molar ratios of 10.91 in these extracts suggest the presence of type I collagen. Moreover, gels based on these collagen extracts promote adhesion and spreading of HEK293 cells, with cells grown on collagen from delimed pelt showing a larger nuclear and cell expansion than cells grown on traditional bovine tendon atelocollagen. This suggests that these collagen gels are promising natural biomedical carriers and could be used in a wide range of medical and cosmetic applications.

Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) is a causative agent of many hospital- and community-acquired infections with the tendency to develop resistance to all known antibiotics. Therefore, the development of novel antistaphylococcal agents is of urgent need. Sortase A is considered a promising molecular target for the development of antistaphylococcal agents. The main aim of this study was to identify novel sortase A inhibitors. In order to find novel antistaphylococcal agents, we performed phenotypic screening of a library containing 15512 compounds against S. aureus ATCC43300. The molecular docking of hits was performed using the DOCK program and 10 compounds were selected for in vitro enzymatic activity inhibition assay. Two inhibitors were identified, N,N-diethyl-N'-(5-nitro-2-(quinazolin-2-yl)phenyl)propane-1,3-diamine ( 1 ) and acridin-9-yl-(1 H -benzoimidazol-5-yl)-amine ( 2 ), which decrease sortase A activity with IC 50 values of 160.3 µM and 207.01 µM, respectively. It was found that compounds 1 and 2 possess antibacterial activity toward 29 tested multidrug resistant S. aureus strains with MIC values ranging from 78.12 to 312.5 mg/L. These compounds can be used for further structural optimization and biological research.

Green-emitting water-soluble amino-ketoenole dye AmyGreen is proposed as an efficient fluorescent stain for visualization of bacterial amyloids in biofilms and the detection of pathological amyloids in vitro. This dye is almost non-fluorescent in solution, displays strong green emission in the presence of amyloid fibril of proteins. AmyGreen is also weakly fluorescent in presence to biomolecules that are components of cells, extracellular matrix or medium: nucleic acids, polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins. Thus, the luminescence turn-on behavior of AmyGreen can be utilized for visualization of amyloid components of bacterial biofilm extracellular matrix. Herein we report the application of AmyGreen for fluorescent staining of a number of amyloid-contained bacteria biofilms produced by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bordetella avium, and Staphylococcus aureus. The effectiveness of AmyGreen was compared to traditional amyloid sensitive dye Thioflavine T. The main advantage of AmyGreen (concentration 10 -5 M) is a higher sensitivity in the visualization of amyloid biofilm components over Thioflavine T (10 -4 M) as it was revealed when staining E. coli and K. pneumoniae bacterial biofilms. Besides, AmyGreen displays lower cross-selectivity to nucleic acids as demonstrated both in in-solution experiments and upon staining of eukaryotic human mesenchymal stem cells used as amyloid-free negative control over amyloid-rich bacterial biofilms. The results point to a lower risk of false-positive response upon determination of amyloid components of bacterial biofilm using AmyGreen. Co-staining of biofilm by AmyGreen and cellulose sensitive dye Calcofluor White show difference in their staining patterns and localization, indicating separation of polysaccharide-rich and amyloid-rich regions of investigated biofilms. Thus, we suggest the new AmyGreen stain for visualization and differentiation of amyloid fibrils in bacterial biofilms to be used solely and in combination with other stains for confocal and fluorescence microscopy analysis.

In May 2019, the Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research ( W CAIR) at the University of Dundee, UK, held an international conference with the aim of discussing some key questions around discovering new medicines for infectious diseases and a particular focus on diseases affecting Low and Middle Income Countries. There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat most infectious diseases. We were keen to see if there were lessons that we could learn across different disease areas and between the preclinical and clinical phases with the aim of exploring how we can improve and speed up the drug discovery, translational, and clinical development processes. We started with an introductory session on the current situation and then worked backward from clinical development to combination therapy, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies, drug discovery pathways, and new starting points and targets. This Viewpoint aims to capture some of the learnings.

The choice of efficient antimicrobial additives for polyamide resins is very difficult because of their high processing temperatures of up to 300 °C. In this study, a new, thermally stable polymeric biocide, polyhexamethylene guanidine 2-naphtalenesulfonate (PHMG-NS), was synthesised. According to thermogravimetric analysis, PHMG-NS has a thermal degradation point of 357 °C, confirming its potential use in joint melt processing with polyamide resins. Polyamide 11 (PA-11) films containing 5, 7 and 10 wt% of PHMG-NS were prepared by compression molding and subsequently characterised by FTIR spectroscopy. The surface properties were evaluated both by contact angle, and contactless induction. The incorporation of 10 wt% of PHMG-NS into PA-11 films was found to increase the positive surface charge density by almost two orders of magnitude. PA-11/PHMG-NS composites were found to have a thermal decomposition point at about 400 °C. Mechanical testing showed no change of the tensile strength of polyamide films containing PHMG-NS up to 7 wt%. Antibiofilm activity against the opportunistic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was demonstrated for films containing 7 or 10 wt% of PHMG-NS, through a local biocide effect possibly based on an influence on the bacterial eDNA. The biocide hardly leached from the PA-11 matrix into water, at a rate of less than 1% from its total content for 21 days.

Combined experimental evolutionary and molecular biology approaches have been used to investigate the adaptive radiation of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 in static microcosms leading to the colonisation of the air-liquid interface by biofilm-forming mutants such as the Wrinkly Spreader (WS). In these microcosms, the ecosystem engineering of the early wild-type colonists establishes the niche space for subsequent WS evolution and colonisation. Random WS mutations occurring in the developing population that deregulate diguanylate cyclases and c-di-GMP homeostasis result in cellulose-based biofilms at the air-liquid interface. These structures allow Wrinkly Spreaders to intercept O2 diffusing into the liquid column and limit the growth of competitors lower down. As the biofilm matures, competition increasingly occurs between WS lineages, and niche divergence within the biofilm may support further diversification before system failure when the structure finally sinks. A combination of pleiotropic and epistasis effects, as well as secondary mutations, may explain variations in WS phenotype and fitness. Understanding how mutations subvert regulatory networks to express intrinsic genome potential and key innovations providing a selective advantage in novel environments is key to understanding the versatility of bacteria, and how selection and ecological opportunity can rapidly lead to substantive changes in phenotype and in community structure and function., (© FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Although bacterial cellulose synthase (bcs) operons are widespread within the Proteobacteria phylum, subunits required for the partial-acetylation of the polymer appear to be restricted to a few γ-group soil, plant-associated and phytopathogenic pseudomonads, including Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 and several Pseudomonas syringae pathovars. However, a bcs operon with acetylation subunits has also been annotated in the unrelated β-group respiratory pathogen, Bordetella avium 197N. Our comparison of subunit protein sequences and GC content analyses confirms the close similarity between the B. avium 197N and pseudomonad operons and suggests that, in both cases, the cellulose synthase and acetylation subunits were acquired as a single unit. Using static liquid microcosms, we can confirm that B. avium 197N expresses low levels of cellulose in air-liquid interface biofilms and that biofilm strength and attachment levels could be increased by elevating c-di-GMP levels like the pseudomonads, but cellulose was not required for biofilm formation itself. The finding that B. avium 197N is capable of producing cellulose from a highly-conserved, but relatively uncommon bcs operon raises the question of what functional role this modified polymer plays during the infection of the upper respiratory tract or survival between hosts, and what environmental signals control its production., (Copyright © 2017 Institut Pasteur. All rights reserved.)

The ability to colonise the surface of liquids has obvious advantages for bacteria and biofilm formation at the meniscus and air-liquid (A-L) interface is common amongst environmental pseudomonads. Bacteria from this genus also colonise raw meat and in this work the ability of these to produce biofilms was assessed. Sixty isolates were recovered from vacuum-packed venison, phenotypically characterised and shown by hierarchical cluster analysis to represent a diverse collection of psychrotrophic spoilt venison-associated pseudomonads. Of these, 12 % were found to produce biofilms limited to the meniscus region of the microcosm walls, 31 % produced attached biofilms with significant extensions across the A-L interface and 45 % produced unattached 'floating' biofilms. A combined statistical analysis of growth, biofilm strength and attachment levels revealed that growth affected strength but not attachment, and that there was a significant relationship between attachment and strength. Some environmental pseudomonads are known to utilise cellulose as a biofilm matrix component and here 28 % of the SVP isolates were found to express cellulose by epifluorescent microscopy. This survey suggests that biofilm formation may be more common in psychrotrophic meat-associated isolates than amongst the wider pseudomonad community from which spoilage bacteria might be recruited. This may reflect a selective advantage of bacterial aggregations such as biofilms in environments subject to high levels of physical disturbance. Aggregations may be more resistant to competition and dehydration stress than individual bacteria, whilst fragments of these aggregations may prove more effective in the colonisation of new habitats.

Qualitative composition of the dominating forms of microorganisms isolated from radionuclide contaminated soils has been studied. The ability to accumulate 137Cs by freshly isolated species and collection cultures that were not adapted to the presence of the radionuclide has been analyzed. It is shown that among the analyzed microorganisms the greatest ability to accumulate the radionuclide is inherent in the collection culture Bacillus megaterium UKMV-5724.

The evolutionary success of the novel Wrinkly Spreader (WS) genotypes in diversifying Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 populations in static liquid microcosms has been attributed to the greater availability of O(2) at the air-liquid (A-L) interface where the WS produces a physically cohesive-class biofilm. However, the importance of O(2) gradients in SBW25 adaptation has never been examined. We have explicitly tested the role of O(2) in evolving populations using microsensor profiling and experiments conducted under high and low O(2) conditions. Initial colonists of static microcosms were found to establish O(2) gradients before significant population growth had occurred, converting a previously homogenous environment into one containing a resource continuum with high and low O(2) regions. These gradients were found to persist for long periods by which time significant numbers of WS had appeared colonising the high O(2) niches. Growth was O(2) limited in static microcosms, but high O(2) conditions like those found near the A-L interface supported greater growth and favoured the emergence of WS-like genotypes. A fitness advantage to biofilm formation was seen under high but not low O(2) conditions, suggesting that the cost of biofilm production could only be offset when O(2) levels above the A-L interface were high. Profiling of mature WS biofilms showed that they also contained high and low O(2) regions. Niches within these may support further diversification and succession of the developing biofilm population. O(2) availability has been found to be a major factor underlying the evolutionary success of the WS genotype in static microcosms and illustrates the importance of this resource continuum in microbial diversification and adaptation.