Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
3.3
Journals
Pathogens
Special Issues
Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control
share announcement

Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 15586

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anna Maria Spagnolo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze della salute (DISSAL), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16126 Genova, GE, Italy
Interests: healthcare environment; emerging pathogens; healthcare-associated infections; antimicrobial resistance; infection prevention and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Severe bacterial infections are characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates so that the appropriateness of therapy can have a profound clinical impact.

Owing to the widespread emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, (e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii), the therapeutic benefits of antibiotics have been reduced. Active agents against Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) are limited despite an increase in the availability of novel antibiotics in recent years.

MDROs are continuing to develop and spread in healthcare settings so healthcare-associated infections (HAI) pose one of the most severe threats to patients' health and remain a major challenge for healthcare providers globally.

Infection surveillance is one of the cornerstones of infection prevention and control. HAI surveillance, measured most frequently as the standardized infection ratio, is a form of quality monitoring to detect problems and to deploy rapid interventions.

Furthermore, it is used as a measure of hospital quality and for comparing facilities.

This Special Issue seeks research papers on various aspects related to the problem of the spread of pathogens in healthcare setting and environment, the antimicrobial resistance, the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections, including waterborne infections.

Especially we encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research. We welcome original research papers using different study designs as well as literature review, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Dr. Anna Maria Spagnolo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • infections
  • healthcare-associated infections
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • healthcare environment
  • infection prevention and control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review, Other

4 pages, 161 KiB  
Editorial
Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control
by Anna Maria Spagnolo
Pathogens 2024, 13(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13020181 - 17 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2457
Abstract
Bacteria play a vital role in maintaining human health, but they may also be responsible for many different serious infections and diseases [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review, Other

17 pages, 1820 KiB  
Article
An Overview of a Re-Emerging Disease in Italy: Bovine Tuberculosis Outbreaks in Cattle from MTBC-Free Territories
by Alice Giusti, Lorenzo Carbonetta, Filippo Fratini, Gabriele Spatola, Fiorenza Panerai, Stefano Pardini, Luca Cianti and Andrea Armani
Pathogens 2024, 13(11), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13110962 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 631
Abstract
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease with consequences for public health as well as the economy. In the EU, compulsory eradication programmes have been applied, and most territories in Italy have been reported as disease-free (FTs). However, outbreaks (OBs), i.e., an officially [...] Read more.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease with consequences for public health as well as the economy. In the EU, compulsory eradication programmes have been applied, and most territories in Italy have been reported as disease-free (FTs). However, outbreaks (OBs), i.e., an officially confirmed occurrence of bTB in one or more animals in an establishment, have continued to be reported. In this study we provide an overview of bTB in terms of OB numbers in cattle from Italian FTs. Legislative sources were collected to find the FTs, the relevant declaration of free status year (FSY), and regional control and surveillance plans. Then, descriptive and statistical analyses were applied to the collected OBs. A total of 12 regions and 19 provinces were declared FTs in the 20 years from 2003 to 2023. Differences in regional plans were observed with respect to the percentages of herds that were annually controlled (control frequency). Overall, 370 OBs were recorded. A non-statistically significant decrease in the OB incidence rate after the FSY was declared. However, a notable increase in OBs detected at slaughterhouses after the FSY suggests that control systems (serological tests) at the herd level are not completely effective. Differences in the herds’ control frequencies among FTs seem to not have had a significant influence on the observed OB number. The Tuscany region was the most affected FT based on the OB numbers after the FSY (especially in the last year). Epidemiologically relevant primary determinants seem to be the farming system (semi-extensive and adjacent herds) and the cattle movements from positive incidence areas (trade and animal fairs). The role of wild boars in the disease maintenance cannot be excluded. The results of this study stress the need to revise bTB eradication and surveillance plans based on risk analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1077 KiB  
Article
Molecular Properties of Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Causing Clinically Critical Infections
by Eric Monroy-Pérez, Jennefer Paloma Herrera-Gabriel, Elizabeth Olvera-Navarro, Lorena Ugalde-Tecillo, Luis Rey García-Cortés, Moisés Moreno-Noguez, Héctor Martínez-Gregorio, Felipe Vaca-Paniagua and Gloria Luz Paniagua-Contreras
Pathogens 2024, 13(10), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13100868 - 3 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1020
Abstract
The increase in the number of hospital strains of hypervirulent and multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major health problem that reduces medical treatment options and increases mortality. The molecular profiles of virulence and multidrug resistance of P. aeruginosa-associated hospital and [...] Read more.
The increase in the number of hospital strains of hypervirulent and multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major health problem that reduces medical treatment options and increases mortality. The molecular profiles of virulence and multidrug resistance of P. aeruginosa-associated hospital and community infections in Mexico have been poorly studied. In this study, we analyzed the different molecular profiles associated with the virulence genotypes related to multidrug resistance and the genotypes of multidrug efflux pumps (mex) in P. aeruginosa causing clinically critical infections isolated from Mexican patients with community- and hospital-acquired infections. Susceptibility to 12 antibiotics was determined using the Kirby–Bauer method. The identification of P. aeruginosa and the detection of virulence and efflux pump system genes were performed using conventional PCR. All strains isolated from patients with hospital-acquired (n = 67) and community-acquired infections (n = 57) were multidrug resistant, mainly to beta-lactams (ampicillin [96.7%], carbenicillin [98.3%], cefalotin [97.5%], and cefotaxime [87%]), quinolones (norfloxacin [78.2%]), phenicols (chloramphenicol [91.9%]), nitrofurans (nitrofurantoin [70.9%]), aminoglycosides (gentamicin [75%]), and sulfonamide/trimethoprim (96.7%). Most strains (95.5%) isolated from patients with hospital- and community-acquired infections carried the adhesion (pilA) and biofilm formation (ndvB) genes. Outer membrane proteins (oprI and oprL) were present in 100% of cases, elastases (lasA and lasB) in 100% and 98.3%, respectively, alkaline protease (apr) and alginate (algD) in 99.1% and 97.5%, respectively, and chaperone (groEL) and epoxide hydrolase (cif) in 100% and 97.5%, respectively. Overall, 99.1% of the strains isolated from patients with hospital- and community-acquired infections carried the efflux pump system genes mexB and mexY, while 98.3% of the strains carried mexF and mexZ. These findings show a wide distribution of the virulome related to the genotypic and phenotypic profiles of antibiotic resistance and the origin of the strains isolated from patients with hospital- and community-acquired infections, demonstrating that these molecular mechanisms may play an important role in high-pathogenicity infections caused by P. aeruginosa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
Brucellosis Seropositivity Using Three Serological Tests and Associated Risk Factors in Abattoir Workers in Gauteng Province, South Africa
by Francis B. Kolo, Abiodun A. Adesiyun, Folorunso O. Fasina, Bernice N. Harris, Jennifer Rossouw, Charles Byaruhanga, Hermanus De Wet Geyer, Lucille Blumberg, John Frean and Henriette van Heerden
Pathogens 2024, 13(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010064 - 9 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2799
Abstract
Abattoir workers are liable to zoonotic infections from animals and animal products, primarily to diseases with asymptomatic and chronic clinical manifestations in animals, such as brucellosis. No published reports exist on the seroprevalence of brucellosis in abattoir workers in South Africa. Therefore, this [...] Read more.
Abattoir workers are liable to zoonotic infections from animals and animal products, primarily to diseases with asymptomatic and chronic clinical manifestations in animals, such as brucellosis. No published reports exist on the seroprevalence of brucellosis in abattoir workers in South Africa. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the occurrence and risk factors for Brucella exposure in abattoir workers in Gauteng Province. A total of 103 abattoir workers and managers from 6 abattoirs, where brucellosis-positive slaughtered cattle and sheep were previously detected, were interviewed and tested with serological assays using the Rose Bengal test (RBT), BrucellaCapt, and IgG-ELISA. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to consenting respondents to obtain information on risk factors for brucellosis. Of the 103 respondents tested, the distribution of female and male workers was 16 (15.5%) and 87 (84.5%), respectively. The seroprevalence for exposure to brucellosis was 21/103 (20.4%, 95%CI: 13.1–29.5) using a combination of RBT, BrucellaCapt, or IgG-ELISA. For test-specific results, seroprevalences by RBT, BrucellaCapt, and IgG-ELISA were 13/103 (12.6%, 95%CI: 6.9–20.6), 9/103 (8.74%, 95%CI: 4.1–15.9), and 18/103 (17.5%, 95%CI: 10.7–26.2), respectively. Low-throughput abattoirs were identified as associated risks, as 29.3% of workers were seropositive compared with 12.7% of workers in high-throughput abattoirs, which highlights that direct contact at abattoirs poses higher risk to workers than indirect and direct contact outside abattoirs. This study confirms the occurrence of Brucella spp. antibodies among abattoir workers in South Africa, possibly due to occupational exposure to Brucella spp., and highlights the occupational hazard to workers. Furthermore, findings underscore that abattoir facilities can serve as points for active and passive surveillance for indicators of diseases of public health importance. We recommend periodic implementation of brucellosis testing of abattoir workers country-wide to establish baseline data for informing appropriate preventive practices and reducing the potential burden of infection rates among these high-risk workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research, Other

10 pages, 462 KiB  
Review
The Spread of Mycobacterium chimaera from Heater–Cooler Units and Infection Risk in Heart Surgery: Lessons from the Global Outbreak?
by Anna Maria Spagnolo, Osvalda De Giglio, Giuseppina Caggiano, Francesco D’Agostini, Mariano Martini, Davide Orsini and Sebastiano La Maestra
Pathogens 2024, 13(9), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13090781 - 10 Sep 2024
Viewed by 918
Abstract
Mycobacterium chimaera (MC), a member of the Mycobacterium avium complex, can cause infections in patients after open-heart surgery due to contaminated heater–cooler units (HCUs). The transmission route of HCU-related MC infection is non-inhalational, and infection can occur in patients without previously known immune [...] Read more.
Mycobacterium chimaera (MC), a member of the Mycobacterium avium complex, can cause infections in patients after open-heart surgery due to contaminated heater–cooler units (HCUs). The transmission route of HCU-related MC infection is non-inhalational, and infection can occur in patients without previously known immune deficiency. Patients may develop endocarditis of the prosthetic valve, infection of the vascular graft, and/or manifestations of disseminated mycobacterial infection (splenomegaly, arthritis, hepatitis, nephritis, myocarditis, etc.). MC infections have serious outcomes (30–50% recurrence rate, 20–67% mortality rate). In 2015, an international outbreak of M. chimaera infections among patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgeries was associated with exposure to contaminated LivaNova 3T HCUs (formerly Stöckert 3T heater–cooler system, London, United Kingdom). In response to the global outbreak, many international agencies have issued directives and recommendations in order to reduce the risk of MC infection in cardiac surgery. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technology can be used to describe the global spread and dynamics of MC infections, to characterize local outbreaks, and also to identify sources of infection in hospital settings. In order to minimize the risk of contamination of HCUs and reduce the risk of patient infection, it is imperative that healthcare facilities establish a program of regular cleaning and disinfection maintenance procedures as well as monitoring of the water used and the air in the operating room, in accordance with the manufacturer’s procedure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 271 KiB  
Review
Pasteurella Multocida Infection in Humans
by Marcin Piorunek, Beata Brajer-Luftmann and Jarosław Walkowiak
Pathogens 2023, 12(10), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12101210 - 1 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5291
Abstract
Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is an immobile, anaerobic, Gram-negative coccobacillus fermenting bacterium. This pathogen is commonly prevalent in the upper airways of healthy pets, such as cats and dogs, but was also confirmed in domestic cattle, rabbits, pigs, birds, and various [...] Read more.
Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is an immobile, anaerobic, Gram-negative coccobacillus fermenting bacterium. This pathogen is commonly prevalent in the upper airways of healthy pets, such as cats and dogs, but was also confirmed in domestic cattle, rabbits, pigs, birds, and various wild animals. Infection in humans occurs as a result of biting, scratching, or licking by animals and contact with nasopharyngeal secretions. Inflammation at the site of infection develops within the first day from the injury. It is usually confined to the skin and subcutaneous tissue but, in particular situations, may spread to other organs and manifest as a severe systemic infection. Careful history-taking and microbiological confirmation of the infection enable diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Any wound resulting from an animal bite should be disinfected. The preferred and highly effective treatment against local P. multocida infection is penicillin or its derivatives. The prognosis for P. multocida infections depends on the infected site and the patient’s comorbidities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)

Other

6 pages, 185 KiB  
Case Report
Brucellar Endocarditis of the Tricuspid Valve: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
by Evangelo Boumis, Pierangelo Chinello, Vincenzo Galati, Simone Topino, Francesca Gavaruzzi and Stefania Cicalini
Pathogens 2024, 13(3), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13030239 - 8 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1524
Abstract
Brucellar endocarditis is a rare entity commonly described as a severe disease associated with high mortality and generally requiring valve surgery for cure. Right-sided endocarditis, a very uncommon presentation of brucellosis, may be associated with a better prognosis. We describe the case of [...] Read more.
Brucellar endocarditis is a rare entity commonly described as a severe disease associated with high mortality and generally requiring valve surgery for cure. Right-sided endocarditis, a very uncommon presentation of brucellosis, may be associated with a better prognosis. We describe the case of a 72-year-old woman admitted to our institution with a persistent fever and multiple pulmonary infiltrates. Transthoracic echocardiography and serologic tests led to the diagnosis of brucellar tricuspid endocarditis. The patient responded favorably to antibiotic treatment alone and did not need surgery. Prolonged antibiotic therapy with a combination of drugs active on intracellular microorganisms in the absence of surgical treatment could be effective in brucellar tricuspid endocarditis when the valve is not severely damaged. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infections: Surveillance, Prevention and Control)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop