Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen of great clinical concern, showing high levels of resistance to several antimicrobials, including carbapenems. This study aimed to characterize carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii recovered from a tertiary care hospital (Lima, Peru) in January–February 2021 (during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic). Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by VITEK-2, and the presence of carbapenem-resistance genes by PCR. All 40 A . baumannii isolates were extensively drug-resistant, showing full resistance to all antibiotics tested except ampicillin/sulbactam (95% of resistance) and colistin (10%). The bla _OXA-24-like gene was detected in 90% of isolates, and the remaining 10% isolates harbored the bla _OXA-23-like gene. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis classified isolates into three different pulsotypes, grouping 8, 2, and 30 isolates, respectively. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing of two isolates of the main pulsotype revealed that they belonged to ST2 and ST2724 (international clone II) and harbored the bla _TEM-1 , bla _OXA-66 , bla _OXA-72 , and bla _ADC-30 β-lactamase genes; mutations in gyrA and parC , aminoglycoside, tetracycline, and sulfonamide resistance genes; and a class 1 integron (In439) containing aac(6′)-Ib′ , catB8 , and aadA1 located inside the AbGRI3 genomic resistance island. These findings highlight the presence of highly resistant and clonally related ST2 of A. baumannii and their relationship with genomes of ST2 of South America. IMPORTANCE: Acinetobacter baumannii is a critical pathogen known for causing severe infections in hospitalized patients and for its remarkable ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics, including last-line treatments such as carbapenems. In Latin America, data on the genetic background and spread of these resistant strains remain limited. Our study provides a detailed molecular and genomic characterization of extensively drug-resistant A. baumannii isolates collected from a Peruvian hospital during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We identified a predominant clone belonging to international clone II, which carried multiple resistance genes and a complex resistance island. These findings raise public health concerns, as they highlight the silent spread of high-risk clones in regions with limited surveillance capacity. By contributing valuable local genomic data, our study supports global efforts to track antimicrobial resistance and underscores the urgent need to strengthen molecular monitoring of hospital-associated pathogens also in low- and middle-income countries.

Cryopreservation of ovine semen is associated with oxidative stress and structural sperm damage, which may compromise post-thaw sperm quality. Natural antioxidants derived from agro-industrial by-products have emerged as potential alternatives to reduce cryo-induced damage. The present study evaluated the effect of lyophilized coffee grounds extract (LCGE) supplementation on sperm quality during refrigeration and cryopreservation of Dorper and Creole ram semen. Semen samples from ten rams (five per breed) were allocated to three treatments based on LCGE concentration: 0 mg/mL (control), 1.0 mg/mL, and 1.5 mg/mL. Cryopreservation significantly affected all CASA-derived sperm parameters, with breed-dependent responses detected for several kinetic traits. LCGE supplementation had limited effects on CASA-derived sperm motility and kinetic parameters, with a significant dose effect detected only for total motility. In contrast, higher plasma membrane functionality, acrosomal integrity, DNA integrity, and chromatin condensation were observed in cryopreserved semen supplemented with LCGE, particularly at 1.5 mg/mL. LCGE-treated samples also exhibited a lower occurrence of moderate and high oxidative stress categories than cryopreserved control samples. Overall, the findings indicate that LCGE supplementation was associated with higher plasma membrane functionality, acrosomal integrity, DNA integrity, and chromatin condensation in cryopreserved semen. Further studies are required to determine the biological mechanisms involved and to evaluate the effects of LCGE supplementation on fertility under in vivo conditions.

En el Perú se vienen reportando serovares de Salmonella no tifoidea (SNT) en casos humanos que estarían relacionados a los hallados en huevos comerciales, carcasas de broilers y subproductos. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar mediante el porcentaje de similaridad de los perfiles genéticos de los serovares de SNT aislados de humanos y productos aviares mediante la Electroforesis en Gel de Campo Pulsado (PFGE). Se obtuvieron 49 aislados bacterianos de serovares de SNT de casos clínicos humanos y productos aviares (huevos, carcasa de broilers, vísceras, cama de ave), que se analizaron mediante PFGE. Con el programa bioinformático Bionumerics v. 7.0 se generó un dendrograma que muestra la relación XbaI – perfiles PFGE. El análisis de las bandas generadas se realizó mediante el uso del Método de grupo de pares no ponderados con media aritmética (UPGM) para evaluar la diversidad genética de los aislados. Se estableció como valor de corte 90% de similaridad entre los pulsotipos para establecer posibles relaciones. Se encontró que algunos aislados de origen humano y aviar de Salmonella Typhimurium, Kentucky e Infantis poseen pulsotipos idénticos lo que indica que los aislados corresponden a un mismo clon circulando entre humanos y productos aviares.

This study evaluated the short-term response of the fecal microbiota of wild Cavia tschudii during its transition from natural conditions to captivity under a standardized alfalfa-based diet. Fecal samples were collected over a 21-day period and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assess microbial diversity, community structure, and taxonomic composition. Rarefaction analysis indicated sufficient sequencing coverage; however, samples were normalized to 500 reads per sample, and results should be interpreted cautiously. No significant changes were detected in alpha diversity, beta diversity, or dominant taxonomic composition across sampling time points. The microbiota was consistently dominated by Bacteroidota and Firmicutes, accounting for more than 85% of total relative abundance. Minor taxa such as Methanobacteriales and Spirochaetales were present at low and stable abundances. Despite differences between natural forage and the alfalfa-based diet, microbial community structure showed limited temporal variation during the study period. The absence of detectable parasitic infections further supports that observed patterns reflect host–microbiota dynamics under controlled conditions. Functional predictions suggested variation in metabolic pathways but should be interpreted cautiously due to the limitations of 16S rRNA-based inference. Overall, these findings suggest limited temporal variation in the fecal microbiota of Cavia tschudii during the first three weeks of captivity under the conditions evaluated. However, due to the exploratory nature of the study and its methodological limitations, these results should be interpreted with caution. This study provides baseline insights into limited temporal variation in the fecal microbiota of a wild caviid species and contributes to understanding host–microbiome interactions relevant to conservation and potential domestication processes.