Carbapenems are considered last-line agents for the treatment of serious infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, and this microorganism may exhibit resistance to β-lactam antibiotics due to different mechanisms of resistance. We evaluated 27 isolates of K. pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems recovered from inpatients at the University Hospital of Santa Maria-RS from July 2013 to August 2014. We carried out antimicrobial susceptibility, carbapenemase detection, testing for the presence of efflux pump by broth microdilution and loss of porin by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Genetic similarity was evaluated by ERIC-PCR. High levels of resistance were verified by the minimum inhibitory concentration for the antimicrobials tested. The bla_KPC gene was present in 89% of the clinical isolates. Blue-Carba and combined disk with AFB tests showed 100% concordance, while the combined disk test with EDTA showed a high number of false-positives (48%) compared with the gold-standard genotypic test. Four isolates showed a phenotypic resistance profile consistent with the overexpression of the efflux pump, and all clinical isolates had lost one or both porins. The ERIC-PCR dendrogram demonstrated the presence of nine clusters. The main mechanism of resistance to carbapenems found in the assessed isolates was the presence of the bla_KPC gene.

Antimicrobial resistance is known to be one of the greatest global threats to human health, and is one of the main causes of death worldwide. In this scenario, polymyxins are last-resort antibiotics to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Currently, the reference test to evaluate the susceptibility of isolates to polymyxins is the broth microdilution method; however, this technique has numerous complications and challenges for use in laboratory routines. Several phenotypic methods have been reported as being promising for implementation in routine diagnostics, including the BMD commercial test, rapid polymyxin NP test, polymyxin elution test, culture medium with polymyxins, and the Polymyxin Drop Test, which require materials for use in routines and must be easy to perform. Furthermore, Sensititre^®, molecular tests, MALDI-TOF MS, and Raman spectroscopy present reliable results, but the equipment is not found in most microbiology laboratories. In this context, this review discusses the main laboratory methodologies that allow the detection of resistance to polymyxins, elucidating the challenges and perspectives.

COVID-19 can cause long-term symptoms, such as a post-infection syndrome, known as Long-COVID. Among the symptoms present during this period, the most reported are gastrointestinal symptoms. This study discusses the effects of changes in the gut microbiota of post-COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with significant alterations in gut microbial composition, disturbing its homeostasis and promoting a reduction in the abundance of beneficial symbiotic bacteria and an increase in the abundance of opportunistic pathogens. Furthermore, the composition of the gut microbiota may play a role in the prognosis of patients with post-COVID-19 infection. The microbiota of the intestinal tract and the respiratory tract influence each other; therefore, the gut–lung axis has attracted increasing interest in understanding COVID-19. Moreover, the brain–gut axis has been studied, since there have been reports of anxiety and depression along with post-COVID-19 gastrointestinal symptoms. Treatments options for intestinal dysbiosis in Long-COVID patients include probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation. These treatments may serve as an approach to improve gastrointestinal symptoms during Long-COVID, increasing microbiome diversity, strengthening the integrity of intestinal barrier functions, and consequently influencing the treatment of COVID-19.

Introduction: Dengue has evolved from a sporadic disease to a major public health problem, becoming one of the most widespread mosquito-borne re-emerging diseases worldwide. In this context, the ideals of a system that integrates human health with nature are rescued through the One Health approach, which is a global strategy that highlights the need for a holistic and transdisciplinary approach and incorporates multisectoral expertise to deal with human, animal and ecosystem health. Objective: To describe the proposals based on the One Health concept for coping with dengue globally. Method: Literature review based on the PRISMA model, using PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Results: Most publications report the importance of the participation of authorities, health professionals and the community in the design and implementation of vector prevention and control measures. Other approaches were also found, such as the importance of: collecting epidemiological data for the detection of virus circulation; creating risk maps based on epidemiological data; designing vector control maps based on environmental variables; and using biocontrol tools and pesticides in the fight against arbovirus vectors. Conclusions: Integrating all knowledge and actions to mitigate the advance of dengue is the safest and most effective option. They are sustainable options that depend for the most part on the efforts of the population. In relation to the current scientific scenario, it is possible to observe the growth of the search for sustainable sources of vector control.

Currently, a series of licensing strategies has been investigated to enhance the functional properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Licensing with IFN‐γ is one of the most investigated strategies for enhancing the immunosuppressive potential of such cells. However, it is not yet known whether this licensing strategy could interfere with the ability of MSCs to control bacterial growth, which may be relevant considering their clinical potential. In this study, we compared the antimicrobial potential of IFN‐γ‐licensed and unlicensed MSCs by exposing them to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its quorum‐sensing inducer molecule OdDHL. Our data show that—when challenged with OdDHL—IFN‐γ‐licensed and unlicensed MSCs present increased levels of the antimicrobial HAMP transcript, but that only IFN‐γ‐licensed MSCs undergo modulation of CASP1 and BCL2, entering apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that only IFN‐γ‐licensed MSCs show modulation in genes involved in apoptosis and tend to undergo cell death when cultured with P. aeruginosa. As a consequence, IFN‐γ‐licensed MSCs showed lower capacity to control bacterial growth, compared to unlicensed MSCs. Taken together, our observations reveal an increased susceptibility to apoptosis of IFN‐γ‐licensed MSCs, which compromises their potential to control the bacterial growth in vitro. These findings are relevant to the field of cell therapy, considering the potential applicability of MSCs.