Browsing by Author "Nunez, Andrea"

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    Antimicrobial Resistance and Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Genes in Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter Isolates from the Uterus of Healthy Mares
    (2023) Thomson, Pamela; Garcia, Patricia; del Rio, Camila; Castro, Rodrigo; Nunez, Andrea; Miranda, Carolina
    Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing concern for human and animal health. The objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. isolates from the uterus of healthy mares. For this purpose, 21 mares were swabbed for samples, which were later seeded on blood agar and MacConkey agar. The isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF and the antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using the Kirby-Bauer technique. To characterize the resistance genes, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) scheme was performed. Of the isolates identified as Gram-negative, 68.8% were Enterobacterales, represented by E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Citrobacter spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae; 28.1% belonged to the genus Acinetobacter spp.; and 3.1% to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A 9.3% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), presenting resistance to antibiotics from three different classes, while 18.8% presented resistance to two or more classes of different antibiotics. The diversity of three genes that code for ESBL (bla(TEM), bla(CTX-M) and bla(SHV)) was detected in 12.5% of the strains. The most frequent was bla(SHV), while bla(TEM) and bla(CTX-M) were present in Citrobacter spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These results are an alarm call for veterinarians and their environment and suggest taking measures to prevent the spread of these microorganisms.
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    Characterization of microbial communities and predicted metabolic pathways in the uterus of healthy mares
    (2022) Thomson, Pamela; Pareja, Josefina; Nunez, Andrea; Santibanez, Rodrigo; Castro, Rodrigo
    Background: Culture-independent techniques have made it possible to expand the knowledge about the composition of bacterial communities present in the healthy uterus and their role in health and disease, mainly in humans. However, in animals like mares, there is a dearth of information regarding this area.
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    Isolation and Identification of Staphylococcus Species Obtained from Healthy Companion Animals and Humans
    (2022) Thomson, Pamela; Garcia, Patricia; Miles, Jorge; Isla, David; Yanez, Camilo; Santibanez, Rodrigo; Nunez, Andrea; Flores-Yanez, Carla; del Rio, Camila; Cuadra, Francoise
    The close contact between people and their pets has generated the exchange of skin microbiota, accompanied by bacteria that present resistance to antibiotics. Staphylococcus spp., opportunistic pathogens present in the skin and mucosa of mammals, have had their importance recognized in human and veterinary medicine. The objectives of this study were to identify Staphylococcus spp. present in isolates from the nostrils of healthy humans, dogs and cats as well as to determine their phenotype of resistance to methicillin. Strain identification was performed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using a disk diffusion assay for 12 antibiotics. Sixty humans (veterinary and technicians), sixty dogs and sixty cats were sampled; of them, 61.6%, 56.6% and 46.6%, respectively, carried Staphylococcus spp. in their nostrils, and only two people carried two different species of Staphylococcus in the only anatomical site sampled. A methicillin-resistant phenotype was present in 48.7% of the humans, 26.5% of the dogs and 57.1% of the cats, and sampled. These results demonstrate the presence of Staphylococcus spp. strains resistant to methicillin in personnel who work in contact with animals, as well as in dogs and cats that entered the same hospital or veterinary clinic, which alerts us to the potential transfer of these strains to or between people, dogs and/or cats.