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Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Children's Hospital, China.

In addition to the typical respiratory response, new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is also associated with very common gastrointestinal symptoms. Cases with gastrointestinal symptoms are more likely to be complicated by liver injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and diarrhea can also lead to electrolyte disturbances, causing nausea and vomiting, headache, fatigue, etc. If not treated in time, coma and circulatory failure may ensue. Read More

EClinicalMedicine 2020 Jul 27;24:100427. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

UCL Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF UK.

Background: Long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) enables people living with HIV (PLW-HIV) to be healthier and live longer; though they remain at greater risk of pneumonia and chronic lung disease than the general population. Lung microbial dysbiosis has been shown to contribute to respiratory disease.

Methods: 16S-rRNA gene sequencing on the Miseq-platform and qPCR for typical respiratory pathogens were performed on sputum samples collected from 64 PLW-HIV (median blood CD4 count 676 cells/μL) and 38 HIV-negative participants. Read More

Acta Vet Scand 2020 Jun 24;62(1):35. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 8146 Dep, 0033, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Respiratory diseases are major health concerns in the pig production sector worldwide, contributing adversely to morbidity and mortality. Over the past years there was a rise in reported incidents of respiratory disease in pigs in Norway, despite population wide freedom from Aujeszky´s disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, porcine respiratory corona virus and enzootic pneumonia. The main objective of this study was to investigate acute outbreaks of respiratory disease in conventional Norwegian fattening pig herds. Read More

PLoS One 2020 16;15(6):e0234044. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.

Being a typical ground-breeding bird of the agricultural landscape in Germany, the pheasant has experienced a strong and persistent population decline with a hitherto unexplained cause. Contributing factors to the ongoing negative trend, such as the effects of pesticides, diseases, predation, increase in traffic and reduced fallow periods, are currently being controversially discussed. In the present study, 62 free-ranging pheasant chicks were caught within a two-year period in three federal states of Germany; Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. Read More

BMC Vet Res 2020 May 25;16(1):160. Epub 2020 May 25.

Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.

Background: Plague caused by Yersinia pestis is a highly infectious and potentially fatal zoonotic disease that can be spread by wild and domestic animals. In endemic areas of the northern hemisphere plague typically cycles from March to October, when flea vectors are active. Clinical forms of disease include bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 May 13;20(1):340. Epub 2020 May 13.

Department of Global Public Health, Health Systems and Policy. Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is an emerging problem caused due to antibiotic use. In countries with high rates of infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance is a frequent cause of mortality. The aim was to analyse antibiotic prescribing practices between 2008 and 2017 in a teaching (TH) and a non-teaching (NTH) hospital, as typical hospitals of low- and middle-income countries, and to compare antibiotic prescribing for severe infectious indications for which empiric antibiotic treatment is recommended. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2020 06 13;145(12):844-849. Epub 2020 May 13.

Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie, Endokrinologie und Infektiologie, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg.

Patient History And Clinical Findings: A 46-year old construction worker presented at the emergency department with two orthostatic syncopes. The patient complained of prolonged fever and coughs for 7 days which had not improved after oral treatment with sultamicillin for 5 days, prescribed by the patient's general practitioner. Physical examination showed high blood pressure due to previously known hypertension. Read More

J Peripher Nerv Syst 2020 06 26;25(2):204-207. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Neurology, Hospital Dierdorf-Selters, Selters, Germany.

Acute demyelinating inflammatory polyneuropathy (AIDP) is the most common type of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Europe, following several viral and bacterial infections. Data on AIDP-patients associated with SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus-2) infection are scarce. We describe the case of a 54-years-old Caucasian female patient with typical clinical and electrophysiological manifestations of AIDP, who was reported positive with PCR for SARS-CoV-2, 3 weeks prior to onset of the neurological symptoms. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2020 May 9:e13318. Epub 2020 May 9.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most common bacterial causes of pneumonia. Macrolide-resistant M pneumoniae (MRMP) was documented in 7.5% of isolates in the United States. Read More

Eur Radiol 2020 Apr 20. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Department Radiology, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.

This document from the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Society of Thoracic Imaging (ESTI) aims to present the main imaging features, and the role of CT scan in the early diagnosis of COVID-19, describing, in particular, the typical findings which make it possible to identify the disease and distinguish it from bacterial causes of infection, and to define which category of patients may benefit from CT imaging. The precautions that must be taken when performing scans to protect radiologists and technologists from infection will be described. The organisational measures that can be taken within radiology departments in order to cope with the influx of patients, while continuing to manage other emergency and time-sensitive activity (e. Read More

Environ Int 2020 Jun 16;139:105721. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine (The Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, CAMS&PUMC), Beijing 100021, China; Key Laboratory of Human Diseases Animal Model, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100021, China. Electronic address:

There is solid evidence that haze pollution threatens human health owing to the abiotic pollutants it contains. However, the characteristics of airborne bacterial communities in indoor and outdoor environments exhibiting haze occurrence are still unknown. Thus, we examined variations in both indoor and outdoor airborne bacterial communities in Beijing from December 9-27, 2016, a period which included three haze events. Read More

BMC Microbiol 2020 Apr 7;20(1):79. Epub 2020 Apr 7.

GIMAP EA 3064 (Groupe Immunité des Muqueuses et Agents Pathogènes), University of Lyon, 42023, Saint-Etienne, France.

Background: Despite vaccination programs, Streptococcus pneumoniae remains among the main microorganisms involved in bacterial pneumonia, notably in terms of severity. The prognosis of pneumococcal infections is conditioned in part by the precocity of the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) targeting cell wall polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae and performed directly in respiratory samples, on the strategy of diagnosis of respiratory pneumococcal infections in children. Read More

Infect Dis (Lond) 2020 06 1;52(6):427-429. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Novel coronavirus or coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can affect all age groups. The clinical course of the disease in children and infants is milder than in adults. It should be noted that, although typical symptoms may be present in children, non-specific symptoms could be noted in the neonate. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2020 Mar 28. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Department of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH.

Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Antimicrobial resistance, including in pathogens that cause CABP, continues to spread at an alarming rate. Because of these factors, the development of new antibiotic classes is urgently needed. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2020 Jun 14;95:326-331. Epub 2020 Mar 14.

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Objectives: The performance of the investigational-use-only version of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (FA-Pneumo), a high-order nested multiplex PCR, was evaluated for the detection of typical respiratory bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in sputa and endotracheal aspirate (ETA) specimens.

Methods: Thirty-one sputa and 69 ETA specimens were analyzed. The diagnostic performance of FA-Pneumo was assessed using routine microbiological methods as the reference standard. Read More

Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi 2020 Mar;43(3):203-208

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.

To analyze the clinical characteristics of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to investigate the correlation between serum inflammatory cytokines and severity of the disease. 29 patients with 2019-ncov admitted to the isolation ward of Tongji hospital affiliated to Tongji medical college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in January 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected and the general information, clinical symptoms, blood test and CT imaging characteristics were analyzed. Read More

FASEB Bioadv 2020 Mar 19;2(3):188-202. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Institute of Molecular Cell Biology Faculty of Biology University of Muenster Muenster Germany.

is a Gram-negative bacterium of the proteobacteria class, and one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. For example, it causes chronic pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients. Patient sputum contains 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline -oxide [HQNO] and quorum sensing molecules such as the quinolone signal [PQS]. Read More

Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi 2020 Feb 6;43(0):E005. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan430030, China.

To analyze the clinical characteristics of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to investigate the correlation between serum inflammatory cytokines and severity of the disease. 29 patients with 2019-ncov admitted to the isolation ward of Tongji hospital affiliated to Tongji medical college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in January 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected and the general information, clinical symptoms, blood test and CT imaging characteristics were analyzed. Read More

Virol J 2020 01 17;17(1). Epub 2020 Jan 17.

Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, D-17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.

Background: Pneumonia and stomatitis represent severe and often fatal diseases in different captive snakes. Apart from bacterial infections, paramyxo-, adeno-, reo- and arenaviruses cause these diseases. In 2014, new viruses emerged as the cause of pneumonia in pythons. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2020 Jul 9;154:1116-1122. Epub 2019 Nov 9.

Graduate School of Fisheries Science and Environmental Studies, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan. Electronic address:

Ascophyllan HS is a commercially available preparation of the edible brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum containing ascophyllan, a sulfated polysaccharide with diverse beneficial biological activities. In this study, the effects of ascophyllan HS were evaluated in a severe intranasal Streptococcus pneumoniae infection mouse model. The control untreated mice started to die on day 7 and 80% had died by day 14 post-infection. Read More

Int J Antimicrob Agents 2019 Oct 9;54(4):410-422. Epub 2019 Aug 9.

Pfizer, 500 Arcola Rd, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is an important aetiological cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Read More

Future Microbiol 2019 07 23;14:927-939. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

Despite the increasing availability of antibiotics with activity against pathogens that cause community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), CAP remains a major cause of morbidity, hospital admissions and re-admissions, and mortality. Lefamulin is a novel pleuromutilin antibiotic with potent activity against both typical and atypical CAP pathogens. In this review of the medical literature, we summarize the available information, including mounting clinical evidence, about lefamulin and its potential value in CAP. Read More

Crit Care 2019 07 19;23(1):258. Epub 2019 Jul 19.

Immunology Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.

Influenza virus affects the respiratory tract by direct viral infection or by damage from the immune system response. In humans, the respiratory epithelium is the only site where the hemagglutinin (HA) molecule is effectively cleaved, generating infectious virus particles. Virus transmission occurs through a susceptible individual's contact with aerosols or respiratory fomites from an infected individual. Read More

J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio) 2019 Jul 20;29(4):431-438. Epub 2019 Jun 20.

Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, UK.

Objective: To describe the clinical presentation, advanced imaging findings, and short- and long-term outcomes in dogs with intracranial empyema.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Client-owned dogs diagnosed with intracranial empyema. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2019 Jul 19;234:34-43. Epub 2019 May 19.

Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address:

Mannheimia haemolytica is an important cause of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). BRD is usually a multifactorial disease with host factors and viral infections influencing pathogenesis. Previous studies that have attempted to experimentally induce pneumonia using aerosolized M. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 09 23;63(9). Epub 2019 Aug 23.

Chelation Partners, Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

is a major cause of nosocomial infections especially hospital-acquired pneumonia. This bacterium readily acquires antibiotic resistance traits and therefore, new treatment alternatives are urgently needed. The virulence of linked to iron acquisition suggests a potential for new anti-infectives that target its iron acquisition. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 08 25;63(8). Epub 2019 Jul 25.

Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Solithromycin (CEM-101) is a novel fluoroketolide antimicrobial agent with activity against typical and atypical pathogens associated with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. Using a neutropenic murine lung infection model, the objectives of this study were to identify the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index most closely associated with efficacy and the magnitude of such indices associated with solithromycin efficacy against Plasma and epithelial lining fluid (ELF) samples for pharmacokinetics (PK) were collected serially over 24 hours from healthy mice administered single doses of solithromycin (0.625 to 40 mg/kg). Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 08 25;63(8). Epub 2019 Jul 25.

Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics, Schenectady, New York, USA

ME1100, an inhalation solution of arbekacin, an aminoglycoside, is being developed for the treatment of hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia. The objective of these analyses was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model to describe the arbekacin concentration-time profile in plasma and epithelial lining fluid (ELF) following ME1100 administration. Data were obtained from a postmarketing study for an intravenous (i. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2010:17-28

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.

Pneumonic plague is a rapidly progressing and highly lethal pneumonia caused by pulmonary infection with Yersinia pestis. Disease is marked by the rapid replication of bacteria in the lungs in the absence of symptoms, followed by the abrupt onset of a highly lethal inflammatory response. A murine intranasal infection model has been key to characterizing the progression of disease. Read More

Eur J Radiol 2019 Jul 1;116:116-127. Epub 2019 May 1.

Institute of Radiology, Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100, Udine, Italy. Electronic address:

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) has emerged as a main issue in non Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) immunocompromised hosts, exposing patients to high mortality rates, especially when the diagnosis is delayed. Since microbiological confirmation is often unfeasible or difficult to obtain, High-resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) represents a main tool for guiding the diagnosis in the appropriate clinical scenario. Nevertheless, radiologists must be aware that PJP at HRCT is a multifaceted process, with a variety of common and less frequent findings, along with a broad spectrum of infectious (e. Read More

Drugs R D 2019 Jun;19(2):177-189

INSERM UMR 1248, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France.

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for meropenem using a retrograde approach, which could serve as a basis for prediction of the systemic and infection-site drug exposures in different populations and indications. We intended this model to be a useful tool to inform (local) pharmacokinetic-based optimal dosing of meropenem in different settings.

Methods: We developed a reduced physiologically based pharmacokinetic model with NONMEM software using a top-down approach. Read More

Adv Exp Med Biol 2019 ;1160:65-71

Department of Basic Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.

This study seeks to determine the pathogens in respiratory specimens and blood serum obtained from children who present with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiological evidence. The study group consisted of 46 hospitalized children aged 1-11 years. The material for research consisted of pharyngeal swabs and samples of blood serum. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Apr 15;19(1):322. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Rúa 12, Vila da Manhiça, 1929, Maputo, CP, Mozambique.

Background: Despite major improvements in child survival rates, the number of deaths due to diarrhea remains unacceptably high. We aimed to describe diarrhea-associated mortality and evaluate risk factors for death among Mozambican children with moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD).

Methods: Between December 2007 and November 2012, children under-five with MSD were enrolled in Manhiça district, as part of the Global Enteric Multicenter study (GEMS). Read More

J Int Med Res 2019 May 21;47(5):2262-2268. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

4 Department of Cardiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.

Tuberculosis is still the leading cause of pericardial disease in developing nations. A definite diagnosis of tuberculosis is usually relatively difficult, especially when its manifestations are not typical. We report a 19-year-old man who presented with chest obstruction, shortness of breath, edema of the lower extremities, and mild fever for 14 days. Read More

BMC Pulm Med 2019 Feb 15;19(1):41. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Pulmonary carcinoids are included in the group of neuroendocrine tumors (NET) and derive from pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. The incidence of these tumors is increasing, but disease awareness remains low among clinicians. The synchronous presentation of lung cancer and mycobacterial infection is well known but the combination of pulmonary carcinoid and mycobacterial infection is rare. Read More

Emerg Med J 2019 Mar 6;36(3):148-153. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: Serious bacterial infections in young infants with bronchiolitis are rare. Febrile infants <1 month old with bronchiolitis often receive a lumbar puncture (LP), despite limited data for this practice and lack of clinical practice guidelines for this population. The primary objective was to investigate practice patterns in performance of LPs in the ED management of febrile infants aged ≤30 days with bronchiolitis. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 04 27;63(4). Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics, Inc., Schenectady, New York, USA.

Plazomicin is an aminoglycoside with activity against multidrug-resistant Plazomicin is dosed on a milligram-per-kilogram-of-body-weight basis and administered by a 30-min intravenous infusion every 24 h, with dose adjustments being made for renal impairment and a body weight (BW) of ≥125% of ideal BW. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to identify patient factors that account for variability in pharmacokinetics and to determine if dose adjustments are warranted based on covariates. The analysis included 143 healthy adults and 421 adults with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI), acute pyelonephritis, bloodstream infection, or hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) from seven studies (phases 1 to 3). Read More

Adv Respir Med 2018 Dec 30. Epub 2018 Dec 30.

DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS. COMPLEJO HOSPITAL DE NAVARRA, C/ IRUNLARREA 3, 31008 PAMPLONA, Spain; INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION SANITARIA DE NAVARRA IdisNa, c Irunlarrea, 31008 pamplona, Spain.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen, especially in children, responsible for community-acquired pneumonia. Although, in most cases, infections caused by this bacterium follow a benign self-limited clinical course, cases of severe respiratory infections have been reported. We present two pediatric cases of necrotizing pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Read More

Microb Pathog 2019 Feb 11;127:267-276. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, PR China. Electronic address:

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were synthesized biologically using leaf extract of Camilla japonica. The typical UV-visible spectral peak of CuO NPs was observed at a wavelength of ∼290 nm, which confirmed their successful synthesis. From scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses, the synthesized CuO NPs were found to possess spherical shape. Read More

Klin Lab Diagn 2018;63(1):51-54

The state budget institution of health care "The clinical center of prevention and struggle with AIDS" of the Minzdrav of the Krasnodar kraii, 350015, Krasnodar, Russia.

The purpose of study is the clinical laboratory characteristic of acquired acute cytomegalovirus infection in nonimmunocompromised adult patients. The sampling included 75 patients with acquired acute cytomegalovirus infection admitted to the specialized clinical infection hospital of the Minzdrav of the Krasnodar kraii. The verifcation of diagnosis was implemented using serological tests and polymerase chain reaction. Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2018 2;11:2141-2150. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.

Background: Effective empirical antibiotic therapy for community acquired pneumonia (CAP), based on frequently updated data about the pattern of bacterial distribution and their antimicrobial susceptibilities, is mandatory.

Aim: To identify the bacterial etiology of CAP in adults and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and to evaluate the response to initial empirical antibiotic therapy in an Egyptian university hospital.

Settings And Design: A cross-sectional hospital-based study. Read More

Front Microbiol 2018 9;9:2428. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.

Bacterial isolate X39 was isolated from a community-acquired pneumonia patient in Beijing, China. A phylogenetic tree based on genes and average nucleotide identity data confirmed that isolate X39 belonged to . The genome of X39 contained one circular chromosome and nine plasmids. Read More

Nano Lett 2018 10 1;18(10):6207-6213. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Key Laboratory of Luminescent and Real-Time Analytical Chemistry (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Southwest University , Chongqing 400715 , P. R. China.

Inspired by the fact that chitosan is a representative constituent of the ectocellular structure of Cryptococcus neoformans and a typical biomaterial for improving drug oral absorption, we designed an elegant and efficient C. neoformans-targeted drug delivery system via oral administration. A chitosan-binding peptide screened by phage display was used as the targeting moiety, followed by conjugation to the surface of poly(lactic- co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles as the drug carrier, which was then incubated with free chitosan. Read More

Acta Vet Scand 2018 Sep 17;60(1):54. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Ulls väg 26), 757 56, Uppsala, Sweden.

Background: One of the most common post-mortem inspection finding of sheep and lambs in Sweden, following routine slaughter is pneumonia and its prevalence is increasing. To our knowledge, the aetiology of pneumonia in lambs is not well-known for Swedish conditions. Chronic bronchopneumonia, also known as "atypical" or chronic non-progressive pneumonia, is a common disease worldwide, affecting lambs up to 12 months old. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018 Oct 28;25(30):30191-30198. Epub 2018 Aug 28.

State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.

The propagation of antibiotic resistance is a challenge for human health worldwide, which has drawn much attention on the reduction of the resistance genes. To understand their occurrence during different treatment processes, in this study, four classes of antibiotics (tetracyclines, sulfonamides, quinolones, and macrolides), eight antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) (tetB, tetW, sul1, sul2, gyrA, qepA, ermB, and ermF), and two mobile elements (int1 and int2) were investigated in a typical pharmaceutical plant. The total concentrations of antibiotics were detected in the range of 2. Read More

Infect Immun 2018 11 25;86(11). Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

Pertussis is a severe respiratory disease caused by The classic symptoms of pertussis include paroxysmal coughing with an inspiratory whoop, posttussive vomiting, cyanosis, and persistent coryzal symptoms. Infants under 2 months of age experience more severe disease, with most deaths occurring in this age group. Most of what is known about the pathology of pertussis in humans is from the evaluation of fatal human infant cases. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2018 Jun;10(6):3609-3621

Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.

Background: Nearly one-third of the population worldwide is estimated to have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which represents a vast reservoir for a constant source of tuberculosis (TB) transmission. It has been suggested that cynomolgus macaques are less susceptible to () infection than rhesus macaques, we examined infection of Chinese cynomolgus macaques.

Methods: Eight Chinese cynomolgus macaques were infected with Erdman strain with a small [25 colony forming unit (CFU)] or large dose (500 CFU) via bronchoscopy. Read More

J Vis Exp 2018 06 28(136). Epub 2018 Jun 28.

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Southern California; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, LAC+USC Medical Center.

Murine infection models are critical for understanding disease pathogenesis and testing the efficacy of novel therapeutics designed to combat causative pathogens. Infectious pneumonia is among the most common infections presented by patients in the clinic and thus warrants an appropriate in vivo model. Typical pneumonia models use intranasal inoculation, which deposits excessive organisms outside the lung, causing off-target complications and symptoms, such as sinusitis, gastritis, enteritis, physical trauma, or microparticle misting to mimic aerosol spread more typical of viral, tuberculous, or fungal pneumonia. Read More