Browsing by Author "Moreno-Switt A.I."

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    Antimicrobial Resistance in Water in Latin America and the Caribbean: Available Research and Gaps
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2020) Moreno-Switt A.I.; Rivera D.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Adell A.D.; Rivera D.; Caipo M.L.; Nowell D.C.; Adell A.D.
    Copyright © 2020 Moreno-Switt, Rivera, Caipo, Nowell and Adell.Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health concern that has gained increasing global awareness, and it is estimated that there will be 10 million deaths annually by 2050. The importance of the role of the environment in disseminating clinically relevant AMR is a concern. Although research on AMR in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has been conducted, these data have not been analyzed together to better understand which areas in AMR have been more studied, and which require more attention. Objective: Determine the state of knowledge and identify the information gaps for AMR in water in LAC through an exploratory review that identifies the scientific articles that have addressed the topic. Method: The process of selecting scientific articles from databases consisted of the four phases of an exploratory review focusing on eight themes of interest. Results: The selection process identified 289 studies that were published between 1973 and October 2017, and these studies were included in the analysis. Most of the research was performed from 2008 to 2017. Brazil was the main contributor to the study of AMR in the region while no research was identified in AMR in water in eight of 18 of LAC countries. The most researched topics in water are phenotypic detection of AMR (theme VIII), detection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) (theme V), and degradation of AMR (theme III). Limited research was identified on insects, agricultural products, aquatic organisms, livestock, and wastewater other than hospital wastewater. Research on emerging pests and diseases with a potential impact on the production of AMR (theme VII), impact of the use of antimicrobials on agricultural production (theme IV), and negative effects of AMR on wildlife (theme II) was scarce. Conclusions: We suggest to focus research efforts and resources to study themes I, II, IV, VI, and VII, for which there is little research in LAC, without hindering the valuable research conducted on themes III, V, and VIII. The AMR environmental situation is mainly driven by a few countries that are not representative of the LAC region, and therefore, research is needed in other LAC countries besides Brazil.
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    Antimicrobial resistance in wildlife and in the built environment in a wildlife rehabilitation center
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Baros Jorquera C.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Munita J.M.; González-Rocha G.; Singer R.S.; Sallaberry-Pincheira N.; Flores Navarro C.; Tardone R.; Munita J.M.; González-Rocha G.; Singer R.S.; Bueno I.
    © 2021Injured and orphaned wildlife are often brought to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers (WRC) to be cared for by professionals to ultimately be released back to their natural habitats. In these centers, animals may spend months and frequently receive prolonged antibiotic therapy. Therefore, WRC may play a role in the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The goal of this study was to investigate the presence and antibiotic resistance profiles of Gram-negative bacteria with reduced susceptibility to cephalosporins in both the wildlife admitted to a WRC and in the WRC built environment in Chile. A cross-sectional study was conducted sampling animals undergoing rehabilitation (n = 64) and the WRC environment (n = 160). Isolated bacterial species were identified with MALDI-TOF, and antimicrobial susceptibility determined using the disk diffusion method. Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were the dominant bacterial families among the environmental (n = 78) and animal (n = 31) isolates. For Enterobacteriaceae, isolates of the most abundant species (E. coli) were classified into 20 antibiotic resistance profiles, with eight of those isolates being resistant to more than nine antibiotics, including imipenem. Isolates of the Pseudomonadaceae family identified 11 isolates with resistance to antibiotics such as carbapenems and quinolones. Even though a cluster analysis based on antibiotic resistance patterns did not show a clear overlap between environmental and animal isolates, it is important to highlight the identification of isolates resistant to carbapenems, which is very relevant from a public health perspective. Further, numerous antibiotic resistance profiles were observed in different bacterial species, indicating not only environmental contamination with a wide diversity of bacteria, but also a wide diversity of resistant bacteria in animals at the WRC. The approach taken by sampling animals and their hospital environment can be useful in understanding AMR dynamics in wildlife rehabilitation settings, as well as the potential dissemination of AMR into the natural environment.
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    Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Coevolution
    (2024) Alvarez-Espejo D.M.; Rivera D.; Moreno-Switt A.I.
    © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Bacteriophages are the most abundant entity on the planet and play very relevant roles in the diversity and abundance of their bacterial hosts. These interactions are subject to several factors, such as the first encounter of the phage with its host bacterium, in which molecular interactions are fundamental. Along with this, these interactions depend on the environment and other communities present. This chapter focuses on these phage-bacteria interactions, reviewing the knowledge of the early stage (receptor-binding proteins), host responses (resistance and counter-resistance), and ecological and evolutionary models described to date. In general, knowledge has focused on a few phage-bacteria models and has been deepened by sequencing and metagenomics. The study of phage-bacteria interactions is an essential step for the development of therapies and other applications of phages in the clinical and productive environment.
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    Diversity of non-o157 shiga toxin-producing escherichia coli isolated from cattle from central and southern chile
    (MDPI AG, 2021) Díaz L.; Gutierrez S.; Navarrete P.; Reyes-Jara A.; Toro M.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Hervé L.P.; Hamilton-West C.; Hervé L.P.; Padola N.L.; Navarrete P.; Meng J.; González-Escalona N.
    © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Cattle are the main reservoir of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), one of the world’s most important foodborne pathogens. The pathogen causes severe human diseases and outbreaks. This study aimed to identify and characterize non-O157 STEC isolated from cattle feces from central and southern Chile. We analyzed 446 cattle fecal samples and isolated non-O157 STEC from 12.6% (56/446); a total of 93 different isolates were recovered. Most isolates displayed β-glucuronidase activity (96.8%; 90/93) and fermented sorbitol (86.0%; 80/93), whereas only 39.8% (37/93) were resistant to tellurite. A subgroup of 30 representative non-O157 STEC isolates was selected for whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. In silico analysis showed that they grouped into 16 different sequence types and 17 serotypes; the serotypes most frequently identified were O116:H21 and O168:H8 (13% each). A single isolate of serotype O26:H11 was recovered. One isolate was resistant to tetracycline and carried resistance genes tet(A) and tet(R); no other isolate displayed antimicrobial resistance or carried antimicrobial resistance genes. The intimin gene (eae) was identified in 13.3% (4/30) of the genomes and 90% (27/30) carried the stx2 gene. A phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrated that the isolates clustered based on serotypes, independent of geographical origin. These results indicate that cattle in Chile carry a wide diversity of STEC potentially pathogenic for humans based on the presence of critical virulence genes.
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    ECOPHAGE: Combating Antimicrobial Resistance Using Bacteriophages for Eco-Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Garcia P.; Tabla R.; Anany H.; Bastias R.; Brondsted L.; Casado S.; Cifuentes P.; Deaton J.; Denes T.G.; Islam M.A.; Lavigne R.; Moreno-Switt A.I.; Nakayama N.; Munoz Madero C.; Sulakvelidze A.; Svircev A.M.; Wagemans J.; Biosca E.G.; Rivera D.
    © 2023 by the authors.The focus of this meeting was to discuss the suitability of using bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobials in the agrifood sector. Following a One Health approach, the workshop explored the possibilities of implementing phage application strategies in the agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and food production sectors. Therefore, the meeting had gathered phage researchers, representatives of the agrifood industry, and policymakers to debate the advantages and potential shortcomings of using bacteriophages as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials and chemical pesticides. Industry delegates showed the latest objectives and demands from consumers. Representatives of regulatory agencies (European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS)) presented an update of new regulatory aspects that will impact and support the approval and implementation of phage application strategies across the different sectors.