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Topic Review
Genetic Evolution and Global Spread of Clostridioides difficile
Clostridioides difficile is an obligate anaerobic pathogen among the most common causes of healthcare-associated infections. It poses a global threat due to the clinical outcomes of infection and resistance to antibiotics recommended by international guidelines for its eradication. In particular, C. difficile infection can lead to fulminant colitis associated with shock, hypotension, megacolon, and, in severe cases, death.
  • 753
  • 14 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Phytochemicals as a Source of Antimicrobial Compounds
Many microorganisms develop resistance to drugs through different mechanisms, and this process is called antimicrobial resistance. It is highly essential to discover new antimicrobials to kill pathogenic microbes that have developed antimicrobial resistance. Natural sources, including plants, have been serving as a great source of medicinally important compounds for the past several decades.
  • 752
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci
Staphylococcus aureus, in particular methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), can cause a variety of infections from superficial skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening septicaemia. S. aureus represents a serious public health problem in hospital and community settings, as well as an economic and animal welfare problem.
  • 750
  • 17 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Detection of persistent virus-DNA in Formalin Fixed samples
The DNA damage and cross-linking induced by formalin fixation can hinder nucleic acid screening. This is of particular concern in the detection of low-abundance targets, such as persistent DNA viruses, present only as a part per million of the total DNA in a sample. We evaluated the analytical sensitivity of the detection of persistent viruses in tissue specimens fixed in formalin for up to 10 days. To this end, we used short amplicon qPCRs and targeted enrichment plus Next-generation sequencing.
  • 749
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Pathogenic Bacteria and Fresh Produce
The consumer demand for fresh produce (vegetables and fruits) has considerably increased since the 1980s for more nutritious foods and healthier life practices, particularly in developed countries. Several foodborne outbreaks have been linked to fresh produce. The global rise in fresh produce associated with human infections may be due to the use of wastewater or any contaminated water for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, the firm attachment of the foodborne pathogens on the plant surface, and the internalization of these agents deep inside the tissue of the plant, poor disinfection practices and human consumption of raw fresh produce.
  • 749
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Virology of Phages and Phage-Resistance in Therapy
Bacteriophages, also known simply as phages, are prokaryotic viruses that exclusively infect and kill bacteria. Phage therapy has been overshadowed in the past by the widespread use of antibiotics in Western countries. However, it has been revitalized as a powerful approach due to the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Although bacterial resistance to phages has been reported in clinical cases, studies on the fitness trade-offs between phage and antibiotic resistance have revealed new avenues in the field of phage therapy.
  • 748
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Gut Microbial Characterization of Melon-Headed Whales
Although gut microbes are regarded as a significant component of many mammals and play a very important role, there is a paucity of knowledge around marine mammal gut microbes, which may be due to sampling difficulties. Moreover, to date, there are very few, if any, reports on the gut microbes of melon-headed whales.
  • 747
  • 14 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Head and Neck SCC
Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy selectively infects tumor cells with a low-pathogenic virus, lyses tumor cells by the cytopathic effects of the virus, and induces anti-tumor immunity to destroy tumors by the action of immune cells. In OV therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), viruses, such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), vaccinia virus, adenovirus, reovirus, measles virus, and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), are mainly used. As the combined use of mutant HSV-1 and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was successful for the treatment of melanoma, studies are underway to combine OV therapy with radiation, chemotherapy, and other types of immunotherapy. In such therapy, it is important for the virus to selectively replicate in tumor cells, and to express the viral gene and the introduced foreign gene in the tumor cells. In OV therapy for HNSCC, it may be useful to combine systemic and local treatments that improve the delivery and replication of the inoculated oncolytic virus in the tumor cells.
  • 746
  • 01 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Metal Nanoparticles as An Alternative to Antimycotics
Fungi were initially included as a part of Kingdom Plantae but in 1969 were grouped into Kingdom Fungi, which comprises diverse groups with different morphologies, such as unicellular yeasts and multicellular organisms. The rate of antifungal resistance development has been called “unprecedented”. This is because immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk of fungal infections than healthy individuals. Moreover, medical advancements over the past few decades and the HIV epidemic have increased the number of immunocompromised people, which has, in turn, shifted fungal infections from being an infrequent cause of disease to being an important contributor to human morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are six antifungal drug classes, and this scarcity, combined with the increasing resistance, has led to the need for novel treatments. The appearance of resistant species of fungi to the existent antimycotics is challenging for the scientific community. One emergent technology is the application of nanotechnology to develop novel antifungal agents. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) have shown promising results as an alternative to classical antimycotics.
  • 743
  • 23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Function of Methylcitrate Cycle in Pathogenic Fungi
In fungi, the methylcitrate cycle converts cytotoxic propionyl-coenzyme A (CoA) to pyruvate, which enters gluconeogenesis. The glyoxylate cycle converts acetyl-CoA to succinate, which enters gluconeogenesis. The tricarboxylic acid cycle is a central carbon metabolic pathway that connects the methylcitrate cycle, the glyoxylate cycle, and other metabolisms for lipids, carbohydrates, and amino acids. Fungal citrate synthase and 2-methylcitrate synthase as well as isocitrate lyase and 2-methylisocitrate lyase, each evolved from a common ancestral protein. Impairment of the methylcitrate cycle leads to the accumulation of toxic intermediates such as propionyl-CoA, 2-methylcitrate, and 2-methylisocitrate in fungal cells, which in turn inhibits the activity of many enzymes such as dehydrogenases and remodels cellular carbon metabolic processes. The methylcitrate cycle and the glyoxylate cycle synergistically regulate carbon source utilization as well as fungal growth, development, and pathogenic process in pathogenic fungi.
  • 742
  • 19 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Pathogenic, Commensal, or Beneficial Role of Intestinal Protozoa
The human gastrointestinal microbiota contains a diverse consortium of microbes, including bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and fungi. Through millennia of co-evolution, the host–microbiota interactions have shaped the immune system to both tolerate and maintain the symbiotic relationship with commensal microbiota, while exerting protective responses against invading pathogens. Microbiome research is dominated by studies describing the impact of prokaryotic bacteria on gut immunity with a limited understanding of their relationship with other integral microbiota constituents. However, converging evidence shows that eukaryotic organisms, such as commensal protozoa, can play an important role in modulating intestinal immune responses as well as influencing the overall health of the host. The presence of several protozoa species has recently been shown to be a common occurrence in healthy populations worldwide, suggesting that many of these are commensals rather than invading pathogens. 
  • 741
  • 01 Mar 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Probiotics as Antibiotic Alternatives for Human and Animal Applications
Probiotics are live microorganisms recognized as natural candidates to substitute antibiotic substances, usually used to treat bacterial infections responsible for numerous human and animal diseases. Antibiotics are mostly prescribed for treating infections caused by bacteria. However, their excessive and inappropriate use has resulted in the increase of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and host microbiota imbalance or dysbiosis phenomena. Even though antibiotics are the most well-known lifesaving substances, the AMR within the bacterial community has become a growing threat to global health, with the potential to cause millions of deaths each year in the future. Faced with these worldwide issues, it is high time to discover and develop antibiotic alternatives. There exists some evidence of probiotic roles in antagonizing pathogens, modulating immune systems, and maintaining general host health by restoring the gut microbiota balance. The multi-antimicrobial action mechanisms of such beneficial living microorganisms are one approach to practicing the “prevention is better than cure” concept to avoid antibiotics. The current review proposes a comprehensive description of antibiotic-related AMR issues and the potential of probiotics as antibiotic alternatives, while discussing pros and cons, as well as some evidence of beneficial uses of probiotics for human and animal health protection through recent results of experimental models and clinical trials.
  • 741
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
PPARs and Mycobacterial Infection
The mycobacterial cell wall is composed of large amounts of lipids with varying moieties. Some mycobacteria species hijack host cells and promote lipid droplet accumulation to build the cellular environment essential for their intracellular survival. Thus, lipids are thought to be important for mycobacteria survival as well as for the invasion, parasitization, and proliferation within host cells. However, their physiological roles have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies have revealed that mycobacteria modulate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling and utilize host-derived triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesterol as both nutrient sources and evasion from the host immune system.
  • 739
  • 30 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Enterocin DD14
Enterocin DD14 (EntDD14) is a two-peptide leaderless bacteriocin (LLB) produced by Enterococcus faecalis 14, a human strain isolated from meconium. Studies performed on EntDD14 enabled it to show its activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus.
  • 738
  • 25 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Role of the Microbiota in Skin Neoplasms
The skin and the gut are regularly colonized by a variety of microorganisms capable of interacting with the immune system through their metabolites and influencing the balance between immune tolerance and inflammation. Alterations in the composition and diversity of the skin microbiota have been described in various cutaneous diseases, including skin cancer, and the actual function of the human microbiota in skin carcinogenesis, such as in progression and metastasis, is currently an active area of research. 
  • 735
  • 13 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota and Clostridiodes difficile
Clostridiodes difficile can lead to a range of situations from the absence of symptoms (colonization) to severe diarrhea (infection). Disruption of gut microbiota provides an ideal environment for infection to occur. Comparison of gut microbiota of infected and colonized subjects could provide relevant information on susceptible groups or protectors to the development of infection, since the presence of certain genera could be related to the inhibition of transition from a state of colonization to infection.
  • 732
  • 14 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Intestinal Microorganisms Enhence Utilization of Sulforaphane
Sulforaphane (SFN) was generated by the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin under the action of myrosinase. However, due to the instability of SFN, the bioavailability of SFN was limited. Meanwhile, the gut flora obtained the ability to synthesize myrosinase and glucoraphanin, which could be converted into SFN in the intestine. However, the ability of microorganisms to synthesize myrosinase in the gut was limited. Therefore, microorganisms with myrosinase synthesis ability need to be supplemented. With the development of research, microorganisms with high levels of myrosinase synthesis could be obtained by artificial selection and gene modification. 
  • 731
  • 06 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Clones
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) belonging to several clonal complexes are widely distributed throughout the world. MRSA poses a serious threat to public health worldwide, due to the rapid spread and diversification of pandemic MRSA clones with increasing virulence and antimicrobial resistance.
  • 728
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Biofilm of Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori is a gastric pathogen that infects nearly half of the global population and is recognized as a group 1 carcinogen by the Word Health Organization. The global rise in antibiotic resistance has increased clinical challenges in treating H. pylori infections. Biofilm growth has been proposed to contribute to H. pylori’s chronic colonization of the host stomach, treatment failures, and the eventual development of gastric diseases. Several components of H. pylori have been identified to promote biofilm growth, and several of these may also facilitate antibiotic tolerance, including the extracellular matrix, outer membrane proteins, shifted morphology, modulated metabolism, efflux pumps, and virulence factors.
  • 726
  • 18 Aug 2023
Topic Review
BipD of Burkholderia pseudomallei
Melioidosis is a severe disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei), a Gram-negative environmental bacterium. It is endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, but it is underreported in many other countries. The laboratory diagnosis of melioidosis is challenging due to its non-specific clinical manifestations, which mimic other severe infections. The culture method is considered an imperfect gold standard for the diagnosis of melioidosis due to its low sensitivity. Both antibody and antigen detection assays have been tested for the diagnosis of melioidosis; however it presents certain limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity.
  • 725
  • 13 Apr 2021
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