Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Dis Aquat Organ 2021 May 6;144:159-174. Epub 2021 May 6.

Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.

Mycobacteriosis occurs with high prevalence in the wild striped bass Morone saxatilis of Chesapeake Bay, USA. Etiologic agents of mycobacteriosis in this system are dominated by Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii and Mycobacterium shottsii, both members of the M. ulcerans/M. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 19;12:632304. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Facultad de Educación y Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Logroño, Spain.

Cross-reactive vaccines recognize common molecular patterns in pathogens and are able to confer broad spectrum protection against different infections. Antigens common to pathogenic bacteria that induce broad immune responses, such as the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) of the genera , or , whose sequences present more than 95% homology at the N-terminal GAPDH peptide, are putative candidates for universal vaccines. Here, we explore vaccine formulations based on dendritic cells (DC) loaded with two molecular forms of GAPDH (LM-GAPDH), such as mRNA carriers or recombinant proteins, and compare them with the same molecular forms of three other antigens used in experimental vaccines, listeriolysin O of , Ag85A of , and pneumolysin of . Read More

mSphere 2021 May 5;6(3). Epub 2021 May 5.

Electron Microscopy Centre Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centre AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

infections claim more than a million lives each year, and better treatments or vaccines are required. A crucial pathogenicity factor is translocation from phagolysosomes to the cytosol upon phagocytosis by macrophages. Translocation from the phagolysosome to the cytosol is an ESX-1-dependent process, as previously shown Here, we show that , mycobacteria also translocate to the cytosol but mainly when host immunity is compromised. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021 13;11:629836. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Center for Infection and Immunity, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China.

Genome scale mutagenesis identifies many genes required for mycobacterial infectivity and survival, but their contributions and mechanisms of action within the host are poorly understood. Using CRISPR interference, we created a knockdown of gene in (), which reduced the resistance to acid medium. To further explore the function of PPE31, the mutant strain was generated in and (), respectively. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2021 Apr 3;10(4). Epub 2021 Apr 3.

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.

Infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasing worldwide, resulting in a new global health concern. NTM treatment is complex and requires combinations of several drugs for lengthy periods. In spite of this, NTM disease is often associated with poor treatment outcomes. Read More

IDCases 2021 31;24:e01102. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Division of Infectious Disease, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.

Int J Infect Dis 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Tourcoing Hospital, France.

Background: Mycobacterium marinum disseminated infections rarely affected immunocompromised patients. Treatment with prolonged multi-drug regimen, exposed them to frequent drug-drug interactions and side effects.

Case Report: We reported a new case of Mycobacterium marinum disseminated infection in a 54-year-old renal transplant HIV-infected woman. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Texas State University, Department of Biology, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA.

Head-starting of the federally endangered Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis), that is, the release of egg strands, tadpoles, and metamorphic juveniles produced in captivity into the original breeding ponds, requires assessment of potential threats for the transmission of pathogens from captive to free-ranging toads. We used Illumina-based 16S rRNA V3 amplicon sequencing to investigate the community structure of bacteria from skin lesions of captive Houston toad and habitat (pond) samples. Proteobacteria, alone or together with Actinobacteria and, in some samples, Cyanobacteria represented virtually all reads in tissue lesion samples, whereas pond samples were much more diverse, with Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia present with little variation between samples. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021 Apr;118(16)

CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200032, China;

Host-derived fatty acids are an important carbon source for pathogenic mycobacteria during infection. How mycobacterial cells regulate the catabolism of fatty acids to serve the pathogenicity, however, remains unknown. Here, we identified a TetR-family transcriptional factor, FdmR, as the key regulator of fatty acid catabolism in the pathogen by combining use of transcriptomics, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing, dynamic C-based flux analysis, metabolomics, and lipidomics. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Mycobacteria/Nocardia Laboratory, 11937 U.S. Hwy. 271, Tyler Texas 75708.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are increasing globally. complex (MAC) and complex are the most commonly reported NTM. Oral treatment options are limited, especially for the We tested delafloxacin, a new oral fluoroquinolone, against 131 isolates of NTM. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2021 Apr 7;17(4):e1009186. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Tuberculosis Research Program at the Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.

Pathogenic mycobacteria actively dysregulate protective host immune signalling pathways during infection to drive the formation of permissive granuloma microenvironments. Dynamic regulation of host microRNA (miRNA) expression is a conserved feature of mycobacterial infections across host-pathogen pairings. Here we examine the role of miR-206 in the zebrafish model of Mycobacterium marinum infection, which allows investigation of the early stages of granuloma formation. Read More

BMC Genomics 2021 Apr 6;22(1):235. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.

Background: Hypoxic stress plays a critical role in the persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, but the mechanisms underlying this adaptive response remain ill defined.

Material And Methods: In this study, using M. marinum as a surrogate, we analyzed hypoxic responses at the transcriptional level by Cappable-seq and regular RNA-seq analyses. Read More

Pathogens 2021 Mar 13;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 13.

Allhadini Mishra Zebrafish Facility, Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, L V Prasad Eye Institute (MTC Campus), Bhubaneswar 751024, India.

Intraocular inflammation following mycobacterial dissemination to the eye is common in tuberculosis (TB)-endemic countries. However, the early host-pathogen interactions during ocular dissemination are unknown. In this study, we investigated the early events during mycobacterial invasion of the blood-retinal barriers (BRBs) with fluorescent-tagged (), host macrophages, and retinal vasculature in a zebrafish model of ocular TB. Read More

Vaccines (Basel) 2021 Mar 17;9(3). Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Facultad de Educación y Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Avda. La Paz 137, 26006 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.

Universal vaccines can be prepared with antigens common to different pathogens. In this regard, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a common virulence factor among pathogenic bacteria of the genera Listeria, Mycobacterium and Streptococcus. Their N-terminal 22 amino acid peptides, GAPDH-L1 (), GAPDH-M1 () and GAPDH-S1 (), share 95-98. Read More

Cell 2021 Apr 23;184(7):1757-1774.e14. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Electronic address:

The central pathogen-immune interface in tuberculosis is the granuloma, a complex host immune structure that dictates infection trajectory and physiology. Granuloma macrophages undergo a dramatic transition in which entire epithelial modules are induced and define granuloma architecture. In tuberculosis, relatively little is known about the host signals that trigger this transition. Read More

ERJ Open Res 2021 Jan 15;7(1). Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Dept of Infectious Disease, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan.

https://bit.ly/3jkzBeq. Read More

N Engl J Med 2021 03;384(11):e41

Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing, China

Cureus 2021 Feb 6;13(2):e13170. Epub 2021 Feb 6.

Infectious Diseases, Aster Medcity, Kochi, IND.

Bacterial infections following aquatic exposure occur frequently and most commonly present as skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). Aquatic SSTI bacterial infections are usually caused by a limited number of organisms. Here we present three cases from the same geographical region, caused by three different organisms in patients who had exposure to an aquatic environment: Mycobacterium marinum, Shewanella algae, and Vibrio vulnificus. Read More

Acta Derm Venereol 2021 03 11;101(3):adv00414. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Center for Infectious Diseases, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, BE-1120 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail:

mBio 2021 03 2;12(2). Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

CpnT, a NAD glycohydrolase, is the only known toxin that is secreted by CpnT is composed of two domains; the C-terminal domain is the toxin, whereas the N-terminal domain is required for secretion. CpnT shows characteristics of type VII secretion (T7S) substrates, including a predicted helix-turn-helix domain followed by a secretion motif (YxxxE). Disruption of this motif indeed abolished CpnT secretion. Read More

mBio 2021 03 2;12(2). Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA

Functional characterization of bacterial proteins lags far behind the identification of new protein families. This is especially true for bacterial species that are more difficult to grow and genetically manipulate than model systems such as and To facilitate functional characterization of mycobacterial proteins, we have established a Mycobacterial Systems Resource (MSR) using the model organism This resource focuses specifically on 1,153 highly conserved core genes that are common to many mycobacterial species, including , in order to provide the most relevant information and resources for the mycobacterial research community. The MSR includes both biological and bioinformatic resources. Read More

Ann Ig 2021 Mar-Apr;33(2):189-197

Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria are pervasive microorganisms and are often present as saprophytes in humans, animals, and the environment. Today, these bacteria are known as the most important environmental opportunists and, in the last decades, infections by nontuberculous mycobacteria have multiplied, due to increased immunodeficiency (cancer, transplant recipients, HIV).

Study Design: This study aimed to investigate the infections by nontuberculous mycobacteria in transplanted patients. Read More

Virchows Arch 2021 Feb 9. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most prevalent bacterial infectious disease in the world, caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In this study, we have used Mycobacterium marinum (Mm) infection in zebrafish larvae as an animal model for this disease to study the role of the myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88), the key adapter protein of Toll-like receptors. Previously, Myd88 has been shown to enhance innate immune responses against bacterial infections, and in the present study, we have investigated the effect of Myd88 deficiency on the granuloma morphology and the intracellular distribution of bacteria during Mm infection. Read More

mBio 2021 02 2;12(1). Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Macrophages use diverse strategies to restrict intracellular pathogens, including either depriving the bacteria of (micro)nutrients such as transition metals or intoxicating them via metal accumulation. Little is known about the chemical warfare between , a close relative of (Mtb), and its hosts. We use the professional phagocyte to investigate the role of Zn during infection. Read More

Case Reports Immunol 2021 12;2021:8820720. Epub 2021 Jan 12.

Department of Otolaryngology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan.

is a free-living nontuberculous mycobacterium that is widely distributed in freshwater and seawater around the world. Granulomatous skin infection from in people who are exposed to fish or aquatic environments is a rare condition known as fish tank granuloma. The granuloma mainly occurs on the skin of the upper limb, in a few cases on the face, and rarely in the nasal cavity. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021 03 18;65(4). Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Screening strategies for antituberculosis compounds using are time consuming and require biosafety level 3 (BSL3) facilities, which makes the development of high-throughput assays difficult and expensive. , a close genetic relative of , possesses several advantages as a suitable model for tuberculosis drug screening. However, despite the high genetic similarity, there are some obvious differences in susceptibility to some tuberculosis drugs between these two species, especially for the prodrugs ethionamide and isoniazid. Read More

J Comp Pathol 2021 Jan 8;182:22-26. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

Laboratório de Diagnóstico Patológico Veterinário, Universidade de Brasília, Brasilia. Electronic address:

A 2-year-old female African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) with a cutaneous nodular lesion on the dorsal surface of the right forelimb was presented for clinical examination. Histopathological findings included granulomatous dermatitis with extensive necrosis. Long and slender acid-fast bacilli were seen within the cytoplasm of macrophages and in extracellular spaces. Read More

Arch Rheumatol 2020 Sep 7;35(3):454-455. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

Department of Infectious Diseases, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

Virulence 2021 12;12(1):312-328

Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso, Texas, USA.

Current genetic studies (e.g. gene knockout) have suggested that EsxA and EsxB function as secreted virulence factors that are essential for (Mtb) intracellular survival, specifically in mediating phagosome rupture and translocation of Mtb to the cytosol of host cells, which further facilitates Mtb intracellular replicating and cell-to-cell spreading. Read More

Ann Agric Environ Med 2020 Dec 9;27(4):535-539. Epub 2019 Dec 9.

Department of Fish Diseases and Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland.

Introduction And Objective: Fish mycobacteriosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by several species of bacteria from the genus , described as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The most important species causing fish mycobacterioses are , and . Mycobacteria infecting fish also include zoonotic pathogens. Read More