Parasite Infection as a Treatment for Crohn's Disease

A new paper suggests that patients with intestinal disorders, such as Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), would gain from infection with intestinal parasites.Julius Lukes, one of the co-authors of the paper, and other scientists in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Integrated Microbial Biodiversity program have begun to focus on eukaryotes which live within the human body in recent years - what they are calling the "eukaryome". Lukes asserts that most parasites are not harmful to otherwise healthy patients with low parasite loads. To prove his point, he ingested several eggs of Diphyllobothrium latum (picture below), a tapeworm commonly acquired by eating under-cooked fish. After a year, the parasites are estimated to be 12 feet in length, and Julius reports he is feeling fine.

The theory behind the deliberate infection of these patients with parasites is an extension of the "Old Friends Hypothesis", which is based on the idea that they evolved with us and have been inside humans for most of our history. These parasites, which include hookworms, tapeworms, and Blastocystis species, are thought to "distract" the immune system and prevent it from overreacting to normal stress and reducing inflammation in the intestines. These parasites are commonly thought to cause vitamin deficiency, anemia, and diarrhea, but Lukes says that a critical review of the evidence shows "no negative impact in well-nourished people with low overall parasite loads". The hypothesis is still in the early stages of testing, but similar strategies have worked for viral infections.

Sources

Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/280085.php

Picture: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/images/diphyllobothrium/home_page_image_diphyllobothrium.jpg

Cryptococcus gattii in the Pacific Northwest

Cryptococcus gattii is a tropical fungus which causes severe neurological disease in those it infects. In 1999, C. gattii was isolated on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In Canada, the fungus evolved into a virulent pulmonary form which has caused dozens of deaths. Since 1999, C. gattii has spread to mainland Canada, Washington state, and Oregon. In Oregon, a new strain of C. gattii was discovered which has increased lethality. This strain has spread through the Pacific Northwest.

These new strains of C. gattii  have been investigated by a team from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), led by David Engelthaler, Director of Programs and Operations. This team contained 24 researched from 13 institutions in 7 nations. They sequenced 115C. gattii genomes from 15 countries. Their results, published in the journal mBio, identify "several genes that may make the outbreak strains more capable of surviving colder environments and that make it more harmful in the lungs". These genes are also possible targets for new diagnostic tests, therapeutic drugs, or preventative vaccines. This study also "provide[s] evidence that the Pacific Northwest strains originated from South America", most likely originating from Brazil.

The study, "Cryptococcus gattii in North American Pacific Northwest: whole population genome analysis provides insights into species evolution and dispersal", warns that the virus is easily adaptable to new environments and warrants public heath vigilance, even in areas where C. gattii is not thought to be endemic.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/279696.php
Image: http://www.cdc.gov/fungal/images/cryptococcus-gattii-lifecycle.jpg

A New Rapid Test for Detecting Multi-Drug Resistance

One of the major complications of treating bacterial infections is the potential for multi-drug resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), or pan-drug-resistant (PDR) organisms. Multi-drug resistance is defined as "non-susceptibility to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories", XDR is defined as "non-susceptibility to at least one agent in two or fewer categories", and PDR is defined as non-susceptibility to all agents in all antimicrobial categories" (1). Fortunately, XDR and PDR organisms are much fewer in number than MDR organisms. However, antimicrobial resistance has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, particularly in regards to gram-negative rods, and broad-spectrum antibiotics such as cephalosporins and carbapenems (which used to be last-resort options) are now losing their efficacy.

A new rapid test, CarbAcineto NP, has been developed by Patrice Nordmann and Laurent Poirel which detects the presence of carbapenemase in Acinetobacter baumanii. This test detects "the acidification properties generated by the enzymatic hydrolysis of a carbapenem, imipenem, when it is cleaved by a carbapenemase". The acid produced by the breakdown of imipenem causes a pH indicator to turn from red to yellow. Either isolated bacteria or swabs of a site infection can be used in the test, which produces results in less than 2 hours, much faster than the 24-72 hours required for current methods. This new rapid test allows treatment decisions to be made much more quickly and effectively, as well as allowing for the identification of potential MDR organisms as a screening tool.

Article Sources
(1): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793988
Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140626095705.htm
Image: http://bacteriasactuaciencia.blogspot.com/2013/10/esperanza-en-la-lucha-contra.html

Biofilms and Catheters

Biofilms are formed by many bacteria, some that are harmful and some that are not. These films are slimy coatings that protect bacteria against antibiotics, our immune systems, cleaning agents, and other environmental dangers. In hospitals, biofilms that form inside catheters or around implanted medical devices can lead to infections, especially from Staphylococcus aureus. 

Researchers at Princeton University were able to observe how biofilms form within small tubes such as catheters. Typically, biofilms build up into thick layers on surfaces. In flowing liquids, biofilms for string-like filaments that float within the fluid. The researchers were first able to observe filament formation in a solution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Filaments formed by P. aeruginosa took around 50 hours to clog the tubing. When researchers repeated the experiment with S. aureus, the tubes clogged within a few hours. They then coated the tubes with plasma to imitate how the organism would act within an intravenous catheter. These tubes were clogged in a few minutes.

Howard Stone, a Princeton researcher, says he is unsure how the organism is able to form these filaments so quickly, but the knowledge will assist with designing medicals tools and devices that are more resistant to colonization. Stone also pointed out that the concentrations of bacteria used in the experiments was much higher than those typically found inside medical devices. Breaking up the biofilms and preventing them from forming could be the next step in treatment of these organisms.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06/27/325502998/sticky-streamers-of-staph-bacteria-may-clog-up-medical-devices