Showing papers by "Simone Simionatto published in 2020"
39 citations
TL;DR: This review synthetizes the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, highlighting resistance mechanisms and underscores the need to develop and implement adequate measures to control and prevent acquisition of nosocomial infections, especially in an intensive care unit setting.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections in hospital settings has rapidly emerged worldwide as a serious health problem. METHODS: This review synthetizes the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, highlighting resistance mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the genetic mechanisms of resistance as well as the associated risk factors is critical to develop and implement adequate measures to control and prevent acquisition of nosocomial infections, especially in an intensive care unit setting.
25 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that mgrB alterations were the most common source of polymyxin-resistance in Brazilian clinical settings, and a novel 78-bp repeat sequence, encoding a MgrB protein with 26 amino acids duplicated in six isolates was identified.
16 citations
TL;DR: CCeo showed antibacterial activity against the studied strains and when associated with polymyxin B, a synergistic effect was able to inhibit bacterial growth rapidly and consistently, making it a potential candidate for the development of an alternative treatment and drug delivery system for carbapenemase-producing strains.
Abstract: Multidrug resistance prompts the search for new sources of antibiotics with new targets at bacteria cell. To investigate the antibacterial activity of Cinnamomum cassia L. essential oil (CCeo) alone and in combination with antibiotics against carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia marcescens. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains was determined by Vitek® 2 and confirmed by MALDI-TOF/TOF. The antibacterial activity of CCeo and its synergism with antibiotics was determined using agar disk diffusion, broth microdilution, time-kill, and checkboard methods. The integrity of the bacterial cell membrane in S. marcescens was monitored by protein leakage assay. CCeo exhibited inhibitory effects with MIC = 281.25 μg.mL-1. The association between CCeo and polymyxin B showed a decrease in terms of viable cell counts on survival curves over time after a 4 hour-treatment with a FIC index value of 0.006. Protein leakage was observed with increasing concentrations for CCeo and CCeo + polymyxin B treatments. CCeo showed antibacterial activity against the studied strains. When associated with polymyxin B, a synergistic effect was able to inhibit bacterial growth rapidly and consistently, making it a potential candidate for the development of an alternative treatment and drug delivery system for carbapenemase-producing strains.
14 citations
TL;DR: The results of this study showed that B. crassifolia extract exerted beneficial effects and appeared safe to use at the studied concentrations, and had synergistic activity promising and groups treated with this extract exhibited no genotoxic or mutagenic activity.
Abstract: The global spread of multidrug-resistant strains has prompted the scientific community to explore novel sources of chemicals with antimicrobial activity. The aim of the study was to examine the antimicrobial activity in vitro of 28 extracts against carbapenem-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, individually and in combination with antibiotics and in vivo toxicological assessment of the most active product. The multi-resistant K. pneumoniae strain was submitted for phenotypic and molecular characterization. The antibacterial activity of 28 plant extracts was evaluated alone and in combination with antibiotics against this strain through the agar disk diffusion. Of these, 16 extracts showed synergism against carbapenem-producing K. pneumoniae, being that B. crassifolia extract exhibited synergism with three antibiotics. Based on this assessment, B. crassifolia-extract-induced toxicity on Swiss male mice was evaluated by administering this extract and subsequently determining apoptosis and splenic phagocytosis using the comet and micronucleus assays. The results of this study showed that B. crassifolia extract had synergistic activity promising and groups treated with B. crassifolia exhibited no genotoxic or mutagenic activity, indicating that B. crassifolia extract exerted beneficial effects and appeared safe to use at the studied concentrations.
10 citations
TL;DR: This work has found that limited access to sanitation and potable water, as well as the localization of some communities close to urban areas, increases the vulnerability of indigenous people to COVID-194-6.
Abstract: It has been widely reported that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) control requires population surveillance systems to allow the development of effective intervention strategies, especially in vulnerable populations such as indigenous people1,2. Brazil has 817,000 indigenous people and most of them live in low socioeconomic conditions3. There are many challenges to reducing the spread of COVID-19, including cultural issues that can make it difficult to implement control measures, such as social isolation4. In addition, limited access to sanitation and potable water, as well as the localization of some communities close to urban areas, increases the vulnerability of indigenous people to COVID-194-6.
9 citations
TL;DR: The results indicate a high prevalence of HBV exposure in prisoners and the occurrence of new cases indicates the need to implement preventive measures.
7 citations
TL;DR: The antibacterial activity of CCeo makes it a potential candidate for treating carbapenem- and polymyxin-resistant K. aerogenes strains, and it is shown that essential oils can serve as novel sources of antibiotics for multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Essential oils can serve as novel sources of antibiotics for multidrug-resistant bacteria. METHODS: The multidrug-resistance profile of a Klebsiella aerogenes strain was assessed by PCR and sequencing. The antibacterial activity of Cinnamomum cassia essential oil (CCeo) against K. aerogenes was assessed by broth microdilution and time-kill methods. RESULTS: K. aerogenes showed high antibiotic resistance. The genes bla KPC-2, ampC, bla CTX-M-15, bla OXA-1, and bla TEM were present. CCeo exhibited an inhibitory effect with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 17.57 μg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: The antibacterial activity of CCeo makes it a potential candidate for treating carbapenem- and polymyxin-resistant K. aerogenes strains.
5 citations
TL;DR: The high mortality rates showed that acquisition of polymyxin-resistance Enterobacteriaceae strains is a predictor for unfavorable outcomes, and the therapy of aminoglycosides/polymyx in might be a better combination to improve patient outcomes.
5 citations
TL;DR: The synergistic effect of essential oil of Nectandra megapotamica flowers with imipenem could be a potential approach to combat multiresistant OXA-23-producing A. baumannii strains, and could be used as a drug delivery system, as an excipient for imIPenem, reducing its dosage.
Abstract: Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a problematic hospital-acquired pathogen. It is vital to search for new sources of antibiotics. Natural plant essential oils have several ...
4 citations
TL;DR: The high prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis found in this population is comparable to highly vulnerable populations, as prisoners, sex workers and women in regions with low socioeconomic levels, moreover, seems to be an underdiagnosis of this infection.
Abstract: There is a scarcity of studies on the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) in indigenous populations of Brazil. We conducted a cross-sectional study between January and December 2018, on indigenous women living nearby an urban center of the Midwest region of Brazil and determined the prevalence of TV. Factors associated with TV infection and a comparison of molecular and direct microscopy diagnoses were determined. 241 indigenous women aged above 18 years participated in the study. Cervical and vaginal brush samples were collected to diagnose TV through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Direct microscopy for detection of TV, and cellular changes was performed. A sociodemographic and behavioral questionnaire was applied at the beginning of the study. All the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The result obtained showed that 27.8% [95% CI: 22.2–33.9] were positive for TV on PCR, while 7.41% [95% CI: 4.1–11] showed positive on direct microscopy. Direct microcopy also found 21 (8.71%) and 8 (3.31%) women infected with Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans, respectively. In addition, 10 women presented atypical squamous cells of unknown significance and 14 lesions suggestive of HPV. Single women, under the age of 30 and who do not use condoms, were found to have a greater chance of getting TV infection. The high prevalence TV found in this population is comparable to highly vulnerable populations, as prisoners, sex workers and women in regions with low socioeconomic levels, moreover, seems to be an underdiagnosis of this infection. Therefore, a routine test program, as well as a review of the diagnostic method used, is encouraged for proper management.
TL;DR: The results showed that the prenatal coverage is not sufficient to prevent neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns of pregnant women with syphilis and inadequate follow-up of sexual partners may favor the vertical transmission of T. pallidum in pregnant Brazilian women.
Abstract: Syphilis is a public health problem, especially in pregnant women, due to the risk of transmission to the fetus and the involvement of the central nervous system, causing neurosyphilis. A case-control study was carried out to analyze the variables associated with neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns of pregnant women with syphilis admitted for childbirth. Newborns were submitted to treponemal and non-treponemal tests, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and long bone radiography. Newborns diagnosed with neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis were defined as cases and controls, respectively. The length of hospitalization and mean cost of neurosyphilis treatment were also evaluated. Twenty-one cases of newborns with neurosyphilis and 42 controls with congenital syphilis were included in the study. Out of 63 pregnant women with syphilis, 95.2% (60/63) received prenatal care, 74.6% (47/63) were diagnosed with syphilis during this period, 31.9% (15/47) underwent treponemic tests, 80.8% (38/47) were treated with penicillin and only 46.8% (22/47) of the partners received the treatment. Clinical complications such as low birth weight were observed in 12.7% (8/63) of the newborns. About 50.8% (32/63) of the newborns were hospitalized due to syphilis complications and each case of neurosyphilis spent at least US$ 881.48 on treatment and hospitalization. The results showed that the prenatal coverage is not sufficient to prevent neurosyphilis. The late diagnosis of syphilis in pregnant women and inadequate follow-up of sexual partners may favor the vertical transmission of T. pallidum in pregnant Brazilian women. Thus, improving the quality of health services is important for a more effective control of neurosyphilis.
TL;DR: Molecular techniques provide a faster and sensitive method to identify fish parasites, and may assist in the development of new management techniques aimed at improving the sanitary conditions contributing to the reduction of mortality rates in these animals.
Abstract: The present study proposes to characterize the parasites isolated during the initial phase of production in fish farms located in Mato Grosso do Sul in the central-western region of Brazil, using histopathology analysis and molecular techniques. A total of 340 hybrid surubim fish ( Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum × P. corruscans ) from four farms were examined during the co-feeding phase. Histopathology analysis showed that 10.9% (n = 37) of the fish were infected with parasites. Branchitis, lifting epithelium, hypertrophy of epithelial cells, lamellar fusion, aneurisms and infection in the bone tissue of the gill filament was observed. The parasite species was determined by amplification of the 18S rRNA gene followed by sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences indicates a close relationship (99.6%) with Henneguya pseudoplatystoma reported to be infecting the hybrid Pseudoplatystoma. This study demonstrates the occurrence of H. pseudoplatystoma in hybrid surubim ( P. reticulatum × P. corruscans ) during the co-feeding phase in fish farms in Mato Grosso do Sul. Also, molecular techniques provide a faster and sensitive method to identify fish parasites, and may assist in the development of new management techniques aimed at improving the sanitary conditions contributing to the reduction of mortality rates in these animals.