Bacterial Zoonoses and Multi-Drug Resistance Revisited from a One Health Perspective

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 12893

Special Issue Editors

Friedrich Loeffler-Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
Interests: staphylococci; pathogens; microbiota; epidemiology; multi-drug resistance; one health aspects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resource and Environment, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou 3500002, China
Interests: Klebsiella; metal-microbe interactions; co-selection; virulence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to invite you to participate in this Special Issue focused on revisiting bacterial zoonoses through multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) from the One-Health perspective. Of course, the manifold interrelationships between humans, animals, and the environment do not exclude the microbial world. However, we are only just now beginning to realize the actual dimension of the exchange between microorganisms and resistance-encoding mobile genetic elements, as well as between the different habitats that are now being addressed in an integrated approach designated as the “One-Health” concept. MDRO infections increasingly threaten the achievements of both modern human and veterinary medicine, and have dramatic socioeconomic implications. Bacterial zoonoses through MDROs cause additional morbidity and mortality in both humans and animal populations, and, furthermore, lead to productivity losses in livestock farming.

This multidisciplinary Special Issue of Microorganisms aims to present a collection of articles that contributes to the development of knowledge in areas including epidemiology, ecology, diagnosis, clinical management, public health, and the prevention of bacterial zoonoses particularly due to MDROs. Moreover, studies evaluating the monetary and non-monetary burden of zoonotic diseases on human health, agriculture, and society are invited. In addition, submissions reflecting aspects of the resistance mechanisms of bacterial zoonotic pathogens will also be considered. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Karsten Becker
Prof. Dr. Christopher Rensing
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 3528 KiB  
Article
Farming Practice Influences Antimicrobial Resistance Burden of Non-Aureus Staphylococci in Pig Husbandries
by Manonmani Soundararajan, Gabriella Marincola, Olivia Liong, Tessa Marciniak, Freya D. R. Wencker, Franka Hofmann, Hannah Schollenbruch, Iris Kobusch, Sabrina Linnemann, Silver A. Wolf, Mustafa Helal, Torsten Semmler, Birgit Walther, Christoph Schoen, Justin Nyasinga, Gunturu Revathi, Marc Boelhauve and Wilma Ziebuhr
Microorganisms 2023, 11(1), 31; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11010031 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2107
Abstract
Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are ubiquitous bacteria in livestock-associated environments where they may act as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes for pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we tested whether housing conditions in pig farms could influence the overall AMR-NAS burden. Two [...] Read more.
Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are ubiquitous bacteria in livestock-associated environments where they may act as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes for pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we tested whether housing conditions in pig farms could influence the overall AMR-NAS burden. Two hundred and forty porcine commensal and environmental NAS isolates from three different farm types (conventional, alternative, and organic) were tested for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility and subjected to whole genome sequencing. Genomic data were analysed regarding species identity and AMR gene carriage. Seventeen different NAS species were identified across all farm types. In contrast to conventional farms, no AMR genes were detectable towards methicillin, aminoglycosides, and phenicols in organic farms. Additionally, AMR genes to macrolides and tetracycline were rare among NAS in organic farms, while such genes were common in conventional husbandries. No differences in AMR detection existed between farm types regarding fosfomycin, lincosamides, fusidic acid, and heavy metal resistance gene presence. The combined data show that husbandry conditions influence the occurrence of resistant and multidrug-resistant bacteria in livestock, suggesting that changing husbandry practices may be an appropriate means of limiting the spread of AMR bacteria on farms. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1994 KiB  
Article
Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in Conventional and Organic Pig Fattening Farms
by Katharina Meissner, Carola Sauter-Louis, Stefan E. Heiden, Katharina Schaufler, Herbert Tomaso, Franz J. Conraths and Timo Homeier-Bachmann
Microorganisms 2022, 10(3), 603; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10030603 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1938
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global problem and complicates successful treatments of bacterial infections in animals and humans. We conducted a longitudinal study in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to compare the occurrence of ESBL-producing Escherichia (E.) coli in three conventional and four organic pig [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global problem and complicates successful treatments of bacterial infections in animals and humans. We conducted a longitudinal study in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to compare the occurrence of ESBL-producing Escherichia (E.) coli in three conventional and four organic pig farms. ESBL-positive E. coli, especially of the CTX-M type, were found in all fattening farms, confirming that antimicrobial resistance is widespread in pig fattening and affects both conventional and organic farms. The percentage of ESBL-positive pens was significantly higher on conventional (55.2%) than on organic farms (44.8%) with similar proportions of ESBL-positive pens on conventional farms (54.3–61.9%) and a wide variation (7.7–84.2%) on organic farms. Metadata suggest that the farms of origin, from which weaner pigs were purchased, had a major influence on the occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli in the fattening farms. Resistance screening showed that the proportion of pens with multidrug-resistant E. coli was similar on conventional (28.6%) and organic (31.5%) farms. The study shows that ESBL-positive E. coli play a major role in pig production and that urgent action is needed to prevent their spread. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 3904 KiB  
Review
Human Colonization and Infection by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius: An Emerging and Underestimated Zoonotic Pathogen
by Ikechukwu Benjamin Moses, Fernanda Fernandes Santos and Ana Cristina Gales
Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 581; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11030581 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4897
Abstract
S. pseudintermedius is a known resident of the skin and mucous membranes and a constituent of the normal microbiota of dogs. It has also been recognized as an opportunistic and zoonotic pathogen that is able to colonize humans and cause severe diseases, [...] Read more.
S. pseudintermedius is a known resident of the skin and mucous membranes and a constituent of the normal microbiota of dogs. It has also been recognized as an opportunistic and zoonotic pathogen that is able to colonize humans and cause severe diseases, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Most importantly, methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP), which is intrinsically multidrug-resistant, has emerged with serious public health consequences. The epidemiological situation is further exacerbated with reports of its zoonotic transmission and human infections which have been mostly attributed to the increasing frequency of dog ownership and close contact between dogs and humans. Evidence on the zoonotic transmission of MRSP from pet dogs to humans (such as dog owners, small-animal veterinarians, and other people in close proximity to dogs) is limited, especially due to the misidentification of S. pseudintermedius as S. aureus. Despite this fact, reports on the increasing emergence and spread of MRSP in humans have been increasing steadily over the years since its first documented report in 2006 in Belgium. The emergence of MRSP strains has further compromised treatment outcomes in both veterinary and human medicine as these strains are resistant to beta-lactam antimicrobials usually prescribed as first line treatment. Frustratingly, the limited awareness and surveillance of the zoonotic transmission of S. pseudintermedius have underestimated their extent of transmission, prevalence, epidemiology, and public health significance. In order to fill this gap of information, this review focused on detailed reports on zoonotic transmission, human colonization, and infections by S. pseudintermedius, their pathogenic features, antimicrobial resistance profiles, epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment. In writing this review, we searched Web of Science, PubMed, and SCOPUS databases using the keyword “Staphylococcus pseudintermedius AND humans”. A phylogenetic tree to determine the genetic relatedness/diversity of publicly available genomes of S. pseudintermedius was also constructed. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1632 KiB  
Review
Staphylococcus schweitzeri—An Emerging One Health Pathogen?
by Chantal Akoua-Koffi, Adèle Kacou N’Douba, Joseph Allico Djaman, Mathias Herrmann, Frieder Schaumburg and Silke Niemann
Microorganisms 2022, 10(4), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040770 - 02 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3135
Abstract
The Staphylococcus aureus-related complex is formed by the Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus schweitzeri, Staphylococcus argenteus, Staphylococcus roterodami and Staphylococcus singaporensis. Within this complex, S. schweitzeri is the only species mainly found in African wildlife, but it is rarely detected [...] Read more.
The Staphylococcus aureus-related complex is formed by the Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus schweitzeri, Staphylococcus argenteus, Staphylococcus roterodami and Staphylococcus singaporensis. Within this complex, S. schweitzeri is the only species mainly found in African wildlife, but it is rarely detected as a colonizer in humans or as a contaminant of fomites. The few detections in humans are most likely spillover events after contact with wildlife. However, since S. schweitzeri can be misidentified as S. aureus using culture-based routine techniques, it is likely that S. schweitzeri is under-reported in humans. The low number of isolates in humans, though, is consistent with the fact that the pathogen has typical animal adaptation characteristics (e.g., growth kinetics, lack of immune evasion cluster and antimicrobial resistance); however, evidence from selected in vitro assays (e.g., host cell invasion, cell activation, cytotoxicity) indicate that S. schweitzeri might be as virulent as S. aureus. In this case, contact with animals colonized with S. schweitzeri could constitute a risk for zoonotic infections. With respect to antimicrobial resistance, all described isolates were found to be susceptible to all antibiotics tested, and so far no data on the development of spontaneous resistance or the acquisition of resistance genes such the mecA/mecC cassette are available. In summary, general knowledge about this pathogen, specifically on the potential threat it may incur to human and animal health, is still very poor. In this review article, we compile the present state of scientific research, and identify the knowledge gaps that need to be filled in order to reliably assess S. schweitzeri as an organism with global One Health implications. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop