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Urrutikoetxea-Gutierrez M, Gual-de-Torrella A, Vidal-García M, Berdonces González P. Usefulness of decentralized sequencing networks on antimicrobial resistance surveillance. ENFERMEDADES INFECCIOSAS Y MICROBIOLOGIA CLINICA (ENGLISH ED.) 2024:S2529-993X(24)00155-2. [PMID: 38902153 DOI: 10.1016/j.eimce.2024.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Mikel Urrutikoetxea-Gutierrez
- Clinical Microbiology Service-Basurto University Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain; Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Bizkaia, Spain.
| | - Ana Gual-de-Torrella
- Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Bizkaia, Spain; Clinical Microbiology Service-Galdakao University Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Matxalen Vidal-García
- Clinical Microbiology Service-Basurto University Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain; Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Pilar Berdonces González
- Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Bizkaia, Spain; Clinical Microbiology Service-Galdakao University Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain
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2
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Ali J, Johansen W, Ahmad R. Short turnaround time of seven to nine hours from sample collection until informed decision for sepsis treatment using nanopore sequencing. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6534. [PMID: 38503770 PMCID: PMC10951244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55635-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Bloodstream infections (BSIs) and sepsis are major health problems, annually claiming millions of lives. Traditional blood culture techniques, employed to identify sepsis-causing pathogens and assess antibiotic susceptibility, usually take 2-4 days. Early and accurate antibiotic prescription is vital in sepsis to mitigate mortality and antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to reduce the wait time for sepsis diagnosis by employing shorter blood culture incubation times for BD BACTEC™ bottles using standard laboratory incubators, followed by real-time nanopore sequencing and data analysis. The method was tested on nine blood samples spiked with clinical isolates from the six most prevalent sepsis-causing pathogens. The results showed that pathogen identification was possible at as low as 102-104 CFU/mL, achieved after just 2 h of incubation and within 40 min of nanopore sequencing. Moreover, all the antimicrobial resistance genes were identified at 103-107 CFU/mL, achieved after incubation for 5 h and only 10 min to 3 h of sequencing. Therefore, the total turnaround time from sample collection to the information required for an informed decision on the right antibiotic treatment was between 7 and 9 h. These results hold significant promise for better clinical management of sepsis compared with current culture-based methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata 22, 2317, Hamar, Norway
| | - Wenche Johansen
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata 22, 2317, Hamar, Norway
| | - Rafi Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata 22, 2317, Hamar, Norway.
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Hansine Hansens Veg 18, 9019, Tromsø, Norway.
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3
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Kuruwa S, Zade A, Shah S, Moidu R, Lad S, Chande C, Joshi A, Hirani N, Nikam C, Bhattacharya S, Poojary A, Kapoor M, Kondabagil K, Chatterjee A. An integrated method for targeted Oxford Nanopore sequencing and automated bioinformatics for the simultaneous detection of bacteria, fungi, and ARG. J Appl Microbiol 2024; 135:lxae037. [PMID: 38346849 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
AIMS The use of metagenomics for pathogen identification in clinical practice has been limited. Here we describe a workflow to encourage the clinical utility and potential of NGS for the screening of bacteria, fungi, and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). METHODS AND RESULTS The method includes target enrichment, long-read sequencing, and automated bioinformatics. Evaluation of several tools and databases was undertaken across standard organisms (n = 12), clinical isolates (n = 114), and blood samples from patients with suspected bloodstream infections (n = 33). The strategy used could offset the presence of host background DNA, error rates of long-read sequencing, and provide accurate and reproducible detection of pathogens. Eleven targets could be successfully tested in a single assay. Organisms could be confidently identified considering ≥60% of best hits of a BLAST-based threshold of e-value 0.001 and a percent identity of >80%. For ARGs, reads with percent identity of >90% and >60% overlap of the complete gene could be confidently annotated. A kappa of 0.83 was observed compared to standard diagnostic methods. Thus, a workflow for the direct-from-sample, on-site sequencing combined with automated genomics was demonstrated to be reproducible. CONCLUSION NGS-based technologies overcome several limitations of current day diagnostics. Highly sensitive and comprehensive methods of pathogen screening are the need of the hour. We developed a framework for reliable, on-site, screening of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjana Kuruwa
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Amrutraj Zade
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Sanchi Shah
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Rameez Moidu
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Shailesh Lad
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Chhaya Chande
- Department of Microbiology, Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai 400008, India
| | - Ameeta Joshi
- Department of Microbiology, Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai 400008, India
| | - Nilma Hirani
- Department of Microbiology, Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai 400008, India
| | - Chaitali Nikam
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
- Thyrocare Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Navi Mumbai 400703, India
| | - Sanjay Bhattacharya
- Department of Microbiology, Tata Medical Center, 14, MAR(E-W), DH Block (Newtown), Action Area I, Newtown, Kolkata, Chakpachuria 700160, India
| | - Aruna Poojary
- Department of Microbiology, Breach Candy Hospital and Research Center, Mumbai 400026, India
| | - Mahua Kapoor
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Kiran Kondabagil
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Anirvan Chatterjee
- HaystackAnalytics Pvt. Ltd, SINE, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
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4
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Vidal-García M, Urrutikoetxea-Gutiérrez M, Forero Niampira JC, Basaras M, Cisterna R, Díaz de Tuesta Del Arco JL. Ultrafast detection of β-lactamase resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae from blood culture by nanopore sequencing. Future Microbiol 2023; 18:1309-1317. [PMID: 37850345 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2023-0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim: This study aimed to assess the ultra-fast method using MinION™ sequencing for rapid identification of β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates from positive blood cultures. Methods: Spiked-blood positive blood cultures were extracted using the ultra-fast method and automated DNA extraction for MinION sequencing. Raw reads were analyzed for β-lactamase resistance genes. Multilocus sequence typing and β-lactamase variant characterization were performed after assembly. Results: The ultra-fast method identified clinically relevant β-lactamase resistance genes in less than 1 h. Multilocus sequence typing and β-lactamase variant characterization required 3-6 h. Sequencing quality showed no direct correlation with pore number or DNA concentration. Conclusion: Nanopore sequencing, specifically the ultra-fast method, is promising for the rapid diagnosis of bloodstream infections, facilitating timely identification of multidrug-resistant bacteria in clinical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matxalen Vidal-García
- Clinical Microbiology Department, Basurto University Hospital, 480132
- Clinical Microbiology & Infection Control, ISS Biocruces Bizkaia, 489033
| | - Mikel Urrutikoetxea-Gutiérrez
- Clinical Microbiology Department, Basurto University Hospital, 480132
- Clinical Microbiology & Infection Control, ISS Biocruces Bizkaia, 489033
| | - Juan C Forero Niampira
- Inmunology, Microbiology & Parasitology Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940
| | - Miren Basaras
- Inmunology, Microbiology & Parasitology Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940
| | - Ramón Cisterna
- Inmunology, Microbiology & Parasitology Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940
| | - José L Díaz de Tuesta Del Arco
- Clinical Microbiology Department, Basurto University Hospital, 480132
- Clinical Microbiology & Infection Control, ISS Biocruces Bizkaia, 489033
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5
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Nabeshima K, Asakura S, Iwata R, Honjo H, Haga A, Goka K, Onuma M. Sequencing methods for HA and NA genes of avian influenza viruses from wild bird feces using Oxford Nanopore sequencing. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 102:102076. [PMID: 37804607 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2023.102076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
We developed a method to determine the sequences of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) from RNA extracted directly from wild bird fecal samples, using Nanopore Flongle. We determined the nucleotide sequences and subtypes of HA and NA in 16 and 15 samples respectively, using Flongle. The results of HA and NA subtyping determined by the conventional method were consistent with their subtypes determined by our method, thereby the applicability of this method in the identification of HA and NA subtypes. In addition, the homology between the HA fragments in this and the Sanger methods ranged from 98.5 % to 100 %. Compared with conventional PCR with the Sanger method, this method can easily determine HA and NA subtypes and sequences directly from the fecal samples. It is easier to implement and has lower running costs (USD100$) than other NGS-based methods, making it a useful tool for avian influenza surveillance in wild birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Nabeshima
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Shingo Asakura
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan; Animal Research Center of Hokkaido Research Organization, 5-39 Shintoku, Hokkaido, 081-0038, Japan
| | - Ritsuko Iwata
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Hisako Honjo
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Atsushi Haga
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Koichi Goka
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Manabu Onuma
- Biodiversity Division, Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan.
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6
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Ring N, Low AS, Wee B, Paterson GK, Nuttall T, Gally D, Mellanby R, Fitzgerald JR. Rapid metagenomic sequencing for diagnosis and antimicrobial sensitivity prediction of canine bacterial infections. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen001066. [PMID: 37471128 PMCID: PMC10438823 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to human and animal health. There is an urgent need to ensure that antimicrobials are used appropriately to limit the emergence and impact of resistance. In the human and veterinary healthcare setting, traditional culture and antimicrobial sensitivity testing typically requires 48-72 h to identify appropriate antibiotics for treatment. In the meantime, broad-spectrum antimicrobials are often used, which may be ineffective or impact non-target commensal bacteria. Here, we present a rapid, culture-free, diagnostics pipeline, involving metagenomic nanopore sequencing directly from clinical urine and skin samples of dogs. We have planned this pipeline to be versatile and easily implementable in a clinical setting, with the potential for future adaptation to different sample types and animals. Using our approach, we can identify the bacterial pathogen present within 5 h, in some cases detecting species which are difficult to culture. For urine samples, we can predict antibiotic sensitivity with up to 95 % accuracy. Skin swabs usually have lower bacterial abundance and higher host DNA, confounding antibiotic sensitivity prediction; an additional host depletion step will likely be required during the processing of these, and other types of samples with high levels of host cell contamination. In summary, our pipeline represents an important step towards the design of individually tailored veterinary treatment plans on the same day as presentation, facilitating the effective use of antibiotics and promoting better antimicrobial stewardship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Ring
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison S. Low
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Bryan Wee
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gavin K. Paterson
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tim Nuttall
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David Gally
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard Mellanby
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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7
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Avershina E, Khezri A, Ahmad R. Clinical Diagnostics of Bacterial Infections and Their Resistance to Antibiotics-Current State and Whole Genome Sequencing Implementation Perspectives. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12040781. [PMID: 37107143 PMCID: PMC10135054 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12040781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), defined as the ability of microorganisms to withstand antimicrobial treatment, is responsible for millions of deaths annually. The rapid spread of AMR across continents warrants systematic changes in healthcare routines and protocols. One of the fundamental issues with AMR spread is the lack of rapid diagnostic tools for pathogen identification and AMR detection. Resistance profile identification often depends on pathogen culturing and thus may last up to several days. This contributes to the misuse of antibiotics for viral infection, the use of inappropriate antibiotics, the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics, or delayed infection treatment. Current DNA sequencing technologies offer the potential to develop rapid infection and AMR diagnostic tools that can provide information in a few hours rather than days. However, these techniques commonly require advanced bioinformatics knowledge and, at present, are not suited for routine lab use. In this review, we give an overview of the AMR burden on healthcare, describe current pathogen identification and AMR screening methods, and provide perspectives on how DNA sequencing may be used for rapid diagnostics. Additionally, we discuss the common steps used for DNA data analysis, currently available pipelines, and tools for analysis. Direct, culture-independent sequencing has the potential to complement current culture-based methods in routine clinical settings. However, there is a need for a minimum set of standards in terms of evaluating the results generated. Additionally, we discuss the use of machine learning algorithms regarding pathogen phenotype detection (resistance/susceptibility to an antibiotic).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Avershina
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata, 222317 Hamar, Norway
| | - Abdolrahman Khezri
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata, 222317 Hamar, Norway
| | - Rafi Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Holsetgata, 222317 Hamar, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Hansine Hansens veg, 189019 Tromsø, Norway
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8
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Butler J, Upton M. What's really down the hospital plughole? J Hosp Infect 2023:S0195-6701(23)00118-4. [PMID: 37080487 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James Butler
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.
| | - Mathew Upton
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
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9
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Ali J, Joshi M, Ahmadi A, Strætkvern KO, Ahmad R. Increased growth temperature and vitamin B12 supplementation reduces the lag time for rapid pathogen identification in BHI agar and blood cultures. F1000Res 2023; 12:131. [PMID: 37122874 PMCID: PMC10133824 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129668.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Rapid diagnostics of pathogens is essential to prescribe appropriate antibiotic therapy. The current methods for pathogen detection require the bacteria to grow in a culture medium, which is time-consuming. This increases the mortality rate and global burden of antimicrobial resistance. Culture-free detection methods are still under development and are not common in the clinical routine. Therefore, decreasing the culture time for accurately detecting infection and resistance is vital for diagnosis. Methods: This study investigated easy-to-implement factors (in a minimal laboratory set-up), including inoculum size, incubation temperature, and additional supplementation (e.g., vitamin B12 and trace metals), that can significantly reduce the bacterial lag time (tlag). These factors were arranged in simple two-level factorial designs using Gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-positive bacilli (Bacillus subtilis), and Gram-negative bacilli (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria, including clinical isolates with known antimicrobial resistance profiles. Blood samples spiked with a clinical isolate of E. coli CCUG 17620 (Culture Collection University of Gothenburg) were also tested to see the effect of elevated incubation temperature on bacterial growth in blood cultures. Results: We observed that increased incubation temperature (42°C) along with vitamin B12 supplementation significantly reduced the tlag (10 – 115 minutes or 4% - 49%) in pure clinical isolates and blood samples spiked with E. coli CCUG17620. In the case of the blood sample, PCR results also detected bacterial DNA after only 3h of incubation and at three times the CFU/mL. Conclusion: Enrichment of bacterial culture media with growth supplements such as vitamin B12 and increased incubation temperature can be a cheap and rapid method for the early detection of pathogens. This proof-of-concept study is restricted to a few bacterial strains and growth conditions. In the future, the effect of other growth conditions and difficult-to-culture bacteria should be explored to shorten the lag phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Mukund Joshi
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Asal Ahmadi
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Knut Olav Strætkvern
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Rafi Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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10
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Ali J, Joshi M, Ahmadi A, Strætkvern KO, Ahmad R. Increased growth temperature and vitamin B12 supplementation reduces the lag time for rapid pathogen identification in BHI agar and blood cultures. F1000Res 2023; 12:131. [PMID: 37122874 PMCID: PMC10133824 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129668.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The rapid diagnostics of pathogens is essential to prescribe appropriate and early antibiotic therapy. The current methods for pathogen detection require the bacteria to grow in a culture medium, which is time-consuming. This increases the mortality rate and the global burden of antimicrobial resistance. Culture-free detection methods are still under development and are not used in the clinical routine. Therefore decreasing the culture time for accurate detection of infection and resistance is vital for diagnosis. Methods: In this study, we wanted to investigate easy-to-implement factors (in a minimal laboratory set-up), including inoculum size, incubation temperature, and additional supplementation (e.g., vitamin B12 and trace metals), that can significantly reduce the lag time (tlag). These factors were arranged in simple two-level factorial designs using Gram-positive (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-negative (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) bacteria, including clinical isolates with known antimicrobial resistance profiles. Blood samples spiked with a clinical isolate of E. coli CCUG17620 were also tested to see the effect of elevated incubation temperature on bacterial growth in blood cultures. Results: We observed that increased incubation temperature (42°C) along with vitamin B12 supplementation significantly reduced the tlag (10 – 115 minutes or 4% - 49%) in pure clinical isolates and blood samples spiked with E. coli CCUG17620. In the case of the blood sample, PCR results also detected bacterial DNA after only 3h of incubation and at three times the CFU/mL. Conclusions: Enrichment of bacterial culture media with growth supplements such as vitamin B12 and increased incubation temperature can be a cheap and rapid method for the early detection of pathogens. This is a proof-of-concept study restricted to a few bacterial strains and growth conditions. In the future, the effect of other growth conditions and difficult-to-culture bacteria should be explored to shorten the lag phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Mukund Joshi
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Asal Ahmadi
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Knut Olav Strætkvern
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Rafi Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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11
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Ahmad A, Hettiarachchi R, Khezri A, Singh Ahluwalia B, Wadduwage DN, Ahmad R. Highly sensitive quantitative phase microscopy and deep learning aided with whole genome sequencing for rapid detection of infection and antimicrobial resistance. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1154620. [PMID: 37125187 PMCID: PMC10130531 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1154620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Current state-of-the-art infection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) diagnostics are based on culture-based methods with a detection time of 48-96 h. Therefore, it is essential to develop novel methods that can do real-time diagnoses. Here, we demonstrate that the complimentary use of label-free optical assay with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can enable rapid diagnosis of infection and AMR. Our assay is based on microscopy methods exploiting label-free, highly sensitive quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) followed by deep convolutional neural networks-based classification. The workflow was benchmarked on 21 clinical isolates from four WHO priority pathogens that were antibiotic susceptibility tested, and their AMR profile was determined by WGS. The proposed optical assay was in good agreement with the WGS characterization. Accurate classification based on the gram staining (100% recall for gram-negative and 83.4% for gram-positive), species (98.6%), and resistant/susceptible type (96.4%), as well as at the individual strain level (100% sensitivity in predicting 19 out of the 21 strains, with an overall accuracy of 95.45%). The results from this initial proof-of-concept study demonstrate the potential of the QPM assay as a rapid and first-stage tool for species, strain-level classification, and the presence or absence of AMR, which WGS can follow up for confirmation. Overall, a combined workflow with QPM and WGS complemented with deep learning data analyses could, in the future, be transformative for detecting and identifying pathogens and characterization of the AMR profile and antibiotic susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azeem Ahmad
- Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ramith Hettiarachchi
- Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
- Center for Advanced Imaging, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Abdolrahman Khezri
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia
- Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Insitute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dushan N. Wadduwage
- Center for Advanced Imaging, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Rafi Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- *Correspondence: Rafi Ahmad,
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12
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Developing New Tools to Fight Human Pathogens: A Journey through the Advances in RNA Technologies. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10112303. [DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A long scientific journey has led to prominent technological advances in the RNA field, and several new types of molecules have been discovered, from non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) to riboswitches, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and CRISPR systems. Such findings, together with the recognition of the advantages of RNA in terms of its functional performance, have attracted the attention of synthetic biologists to create potent RNA-based tools for biotechnological and medical applications. In this review, we have gathered the knowledge on the connection between RNA metabolism and pathogenesis in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We further discuss how RNA techniques have contributed to the building of this knowledge and the development of new tools in synthetic biology for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Infectious diseases are still a world-leading cause of death and morbidity, and RNA-based therapeutics have arisen as an alternative way to achieve success. There are still obstacles to overcome in its application, but much progress has been made in a fast and effective manner, paving the way for the solid establishment of RNA-based therapies in the future.
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Rinaldi L, Krücken J, Martinez-Valladares M, Pepe P, Maurelli MP, de Queiroz C, Castilla Gómez de Agüero V, Wang T, Cringoli G, Charlier J, Gilleard JS, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G. Advances in diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematodes in livestock and companion animals. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2022; 118:85-176. [PMID: 36088084 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2022.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematodes in livestock and companion animals has been neglected for years and there has been an historical underinvestment in the development and improvement of diagnostic tools, undermining the undoubted utility of surveillance and control programmes. However, a new impetus by the scientific community and the quickening pace of technological innovations, are promoting a renaissance of interest in developing diagnostic capacity for nematode infections in veterinary parasitology. A cross-cutting priority for diagnostic tools is the development of pen-side tests and associated decision support tools that rapidly inform on the levels of infection and morbidity. This includes development of scalable, parasite detection using artificial intelligence for automated counting of parasitic elements and research towards establishing biomarkers using innovative molecular and proteomic methods. The aim of this review is to assess the state-of-the-art in the diagnosis of helminth infections in livestock and companion animals and presents the current advances of diagnostic methods for intestinal parasites harnessing (i) automated methods for copromicroscopy based on artificial intelligence, (ii) immunodiagnosis, and (iii) molecular- and proteome-based approaches. Regardless of the method used, multiple factors need to be considered before diagnostics test results can be interpreted in terms of control decisions. Guidelines on how to apply diagnostics and how to interpret test results in different animal species are increasingly requested and some were recently made available in veterinary parasitology for the different domestic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rinaldi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
| | - J Krücken
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Martinez-Valladares
- Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña (CSIC-Universidad de León), Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - P Pepe
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - M P Maurelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - C de Queiroz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3331 Hospital Drive, Host-Parasite Interactions (HPI) Program University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, St Georges University, Grenada
| | - V Castilla Gómez de Agüero
- Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña (CSIC-Universidad de León), Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - T Wang
- Kreavet, Kruibeke, Belgium
| | - Giuseppe Cringoli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | | | - J S Gilleard
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3331 Hospital Drive, Host-Parasite Interactions (HPI) Program University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - G von Samson-Himmelstjerna
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Rapid Amplicon Nanopore Sequencing (RANS) for the Differential Diagnosis of Monkeypox Virus and Other Vesicle-Forming Pathogens. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081817. [PMID: 36016439 PMCID: PMC9416277 DOI: 10.3390/v14081817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As of July 2022, more than 16,000 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox (MPX) cases have been reported worldwide. Until recently, MPX was a rare viral disease seldom detected outside Africa. MPX virus (MPXV) belongs to the Orthopoxvirus (OPV) genus and is a genetically close relative of the Variola virus (the causative agent of smallpox). Following the eradication of smallpox, there was a significant decrease in smallpox-related morbidity and the population’s immunity to other OPV-related diseases such as MPX. In parallel, there was a need for differential diagnosis between the different OPVs’ clinical manifestations and diseases with similar symptoms (i.e., chickenpox, herpes simplex). The current study aimed to provide a rapid genetic-based diagnostic tool for accurate and specific identification of MPXV and additional related vesicle-forming pathogens. We initially assembled a list of 14 relevant viral pathogens, causing infectious diseases associated with vesicles, prone to be misdiagnosed as MPX. Next, we developed an approach that we termed rapid amplicon nanopore sequencing (RANS). The RANS approach uses diagnostic regions that harbor high homology in their boundaries and internal diagnostic SNPs that, when sequenced, aid the discrimination of each pathogen within a group. During a multiplex PCR amplification, a dA tail and a 5′-phosphonate were simultaneously added, thus making the PCR product ligation ready for nanopore sequencing. Following rapid sequencing (a few minutes), the reads were compared to a reference database and the nearest strain was identified. We first tested our approach using samples of known viruses cultured in cell lines. All the samples were identified correctly and swiftly. Next, we examined a variety of clinical samples from the 2022 MPX outbreak. Our RANS approach identified correctly all the PCR-positive MPXV samples and mapped them to strains that were sequenced during the 2022 outbreak. For the subset of samples that were negative for MPXV by PCR, we obtained definite results, identifying other vesicle-forming viruses: Human herpesvirus 3, Human herpesvirus 2, and Molluscum contagiosum virus. This work was a proof-of-concept study, demonstrating the potential of the RANS approach for rapid and discriminatory identification of a panel of closely related pathogens. The simplicity and affordability of our approach makes it straightforward to implement in any genetics lab. Moreover, other differential diagnostics panels might benefit from the implementation of the RANS approach into their diagnostics pipelines.
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Zhang L, Huang W, Zhang S, Li Q, Wang Y, Chen T, Jiang H, Kong D, Lv Q, Zheng Y, Ren Y, Liu P, Jiang Y, Chen Y. Rapid Detection of Bacterial Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Clinical Urine Samples With Urinary Tract Infection by Metagenomic Nanopore Sequencing. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:858777. [PMID: 35655992 PMCID: PMC9152355 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.858777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common acquired bacterial infections in humans. The current gold standard method for identification of uropathogens in clinical laboratories is cultivation. However, culture-based assays have substantial drawbacks, including long turnaround time and limited culturability of many potential pathogens. Nanopore sequencing technology can overcome these limitations and detect pathogens while also providing reliable predictions of drug susceptibility in clinical samples. Here, we optimized a metagenomic nanopore sequencing (mNPS) test for pathogen detection and identification in urine samples of 76 patients with acute uncomplicated UTIs. We first used twenty of these samples to show that library preparation by the PCR Barcoding Kit (PBK) led to the highest agreement of positive results with gold standard clinical culture tests, and enabled antibiotic resistance detection in downstream analyses. We then compared the detection results of mNPS with those of culture-based diagnostics and found that mNPS sensitivity and specificity of detection were 86.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 73.5-94.1%] and 96.8% (95% CI, 82.4-99.9%), respectively, indicating that the mNPS method is a valid approach for rapid and specific detection of UTI pathogens. The mNPS results also performed well at predicting antibiotic susceptibility phenotypes. These results demonstrate that our workflow can accurately diagnose UTI-causative pathogens and enable successful prediction of drug-resistant phenotypes within 6 h of sample receipt. Rapid mNPS testing is thus a promising clinical diagnostic tool for infectious diseases, based on clinical urine samples from UTI patients, and shows considerable potential for application in other clinical infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenhua Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shengwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Decong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qingyu Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuling Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongqiang Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Chen
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, China
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