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Abstract Background The breast milk bank is a professional organization that collects donor human milk (DHM) for special medical needs by recruiting qualified breast milk donors. Such organizations are also responsible for the disinfection, processing, testing, storage, distribution, and use of breast milk. As DHM is a biological product, it may get contaminated. Microbiological testing is the final step to determine microbial contamination of DHM. However, a universal method for the microbiological analysis of DHM in breast milk banks globally is lacking.DHM without strict screening may become a potential carrier of pathogens and seriously threaten the health of infants. Clostridium perfringens, a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, is capable of causing wound infections, including gas gangrene, enteritis/enterocolitis, and enterotoxemia. Here, the first case of C. perfringens detected in DHM has been reported to facilitate the identification of such contamination in breast milk banks. Case presentation A breastfeeding mother donated 3000 mL of milk to the breast milk bank of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University(over 2900 beds and patient receiving capacity of over 132,000), Chongqing, China. The milk sample was subjected to microbiological screening using liquid enrichment, followed by anaerobic and aerobic culturing. The results revealed the growth of C. perfringens in the anaerobic culture medium, but no bacteria or yeast-like fungi were observed in the aerobic culture medium. The donor did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, and her routine blood results and body temperature were normal. However, the infant fed with her milk had recurrent bloody stools. Breast milk bank infection control emergency handling as well as environmental sampling and investigation revealed that the cause was contamination of the donor’s home-use breast pump with C. perfringens. The infant no longer experienced bloody stool once the donor changed the breast pump. Conclusions C. perfringens can enter breast milk from contaminated pumping environments or devices, thus causing illness in infants. The microbiological testing of DHM in breast milk banks can be accomplished using liquid enrichment, along with anaerobic and aerobic culture, which is of immense significance in improving the standards for microbiological screening, DHM safety, and infant health. …

Abstract Background Approximately 10% of patients experience prolonged symptoms after Lyme disease. PTLDS (post treatment Lyme disease syndrome) is a controversial topic. It has been described as a source of overdiagnosis and off-label treatment. This review aims to describe the diagnostic errors and adverse events associated with the diagnosis and treatment of PTLDS. Methods systematic review of the literature in the Medline and Cochrane Library databases, according to PRISMA criteria, including randomized clinical trials (RCT), observational studies, and case reports addressing diagnostic errors and adverse events published between January 2010 and November 2020 in English or French. Selection used a quadruple reading process on the basis of the titles and abstracts of the different articles, followed by a full reading. Results 17 studies were included: 1 RCT, 6 observational studies and 10 case reports. In the 6 observational studies, overdiagnosis rates were very high, ranging from 80 to 100%. The new diagnoses were often psychiatric, rheumatological and neurological. Disorders with somatic symptoms were often cited. Diagnostic delays were identified for cancers and frontoparietal dementia. In the RCT and observational studies, prolonged anti-infective treatments were also responsible for adverse events, with emergency room visits and/or hospitalization. The most common adverse events were diarrhea, sometimes with Clostridium difficile colitis, electrolyte abnormalities, sepsis, bacterial and fungal infections, and anaphylactic reactions. Conclusion This review highlights the risks of prolonged anti-infective treatments that have not been proven to be beneficial in PTLDS. It emphasizes the ethical imperative of the “primum non nocere” principle, which underscores the importance of not causing harm to patients. Physicians should exercise caution in diagnosing PTLDS and consider the potential risks associated with off-label treatments. …

Science Advances, Volume 9, Issue 39, September 2023.

by Difei Yao, Wei He, Yangmin Hu, Ying Yuan, Huimin Xu, Juan Wang, Haibin Dai Probiotics have become increasingly popular among cancer patients. However, there is limited data from a real-world setting. This study aims to conduct a retrospective analysis to understand the trend of probiotic prescriptions in Chinese colorectal cancer patients. The Mann-Kendall and Cochran-Armitage trend test was applied to estimate the trend significance. Gephi software identified the combination of probiotic strains. The binary logistic regression investigated influence factors, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient calculated correlations between probiotics and antitumor drug usage. The probiotic prescription percentage increased from 3.3% in 2015 to 4.2% in 2021 (Z = 12.77, p < 0.001). Although 48.3% of probiotic prescriptions had no indication-related diagnosis, diarrhea (OR 10.91, 95% CI 10.57–11.26) and dyspepsia (3.97, 3.82–4.12) included prescriptions most likely to contain probiotics. Prescriptions from the tertiary hospital (1.43,1.36–1.50), clinics (1.30, 1.28–1.33), and senior patients (1.018 per year, 1.017–1.019) were more likely to contain probiotics. Most probiotic prescriptions (95.0%) contained one probiotic product but multiple strains (69.3%). Enterococcus faecalis (49.7%), Lactobacillus acidophilus (39.4%), and Clostridium butyricum (27.9%) were the most prescribed strains. The probiotics co-prescribed with antitumor agents increased rapidly from 6.6% to 13.8% in seven years (Z = 15.31, p < 0.001). Oral fluorouracil agents (2.35, 2.14–2.59), regorafenib (1.70,1.27–2.26), and irinotecan (1.27,1.15–1.41) had a higher probability to co-prescribed with probiotics. There was no correlation between probiotic strain selection and specific antitumor drug use. The increasing prescription of probiotics in colorectal cancer patients in China may be related to treating the gastrointestinal toxicity of anti-cancer drugs. With unapproved indications and a lack of strain selectivity, evidence-based guidelines are urgently needed to improve probiotic use in this population.

by Jia Ouyang, Qinghua Miao, Dong Wei, Xinxin Zhang, Erming Luo, Chunying Li, Li Wei The treatment efficiency of Chromium (Cr)-containing Printed Circuit Board (PCB) wastewater is significantly hampered by the limited physiological activity of microorganisms when activated sludge is applied. In this study, the biodegradation and electron transfer based on sulfur metabolism in the integrated (BESI®) process use sulfur as the electron acceptor to achieve sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation, leading to efficient removal of Cr. The concentrations of total Cr and Cr(VI) in the effluent were reduced to 0.5 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L, respectively, from an initial range of 25–32 mg/L in the influent. The removal of Cr (ΔC(Cr(VI))) mainly occurred in the Sulfate Reduction (SR) reactor, which was significantly correlated with the generation of sulphide (ΔC(S2−)) (R2 = 0.9987). Meantime, analysis of the microbial community showed that Cr (VI) stress increased the diversity of the bacterial community in sludge. The presence of Clostridium (52.54% and 47.78%) in SR & Sulfide Oxidation (SO) reactor, along with the Synergistaceae (31.90%) and Trichococcus (26.59%) in aerobic reactor, might contribute to the gradient degradation of COD, resulting in a removal efficiency exceeding 80% when treating an influent with a concentration of 1000 mg/L. In addition, the main precipitation components in the SR reactor were identified by scanning electron microscope, indicating that Cr has been removed from wastewater as Cr(OH)3 precipitation. This study sheds light on the potential of using the BESI® process for the real PCB wastewater treatment.

Purpose of review The aim of this study was to review recently published diagnostic stewardship studies of common clinical infectious syndromes and the impact on antibiotic prescribing. Recent findings Diagnostic stewardship can be implemented within healthcare systems and tailored to infectious syndromes, including urinary tract, gastrointestinal, respiratory and bloodstream infections. In urinary syndromes, diagnostic stewardship can decrease unnecessary urine culturing and associated antibiotic prescribing. Diagnostic stewardship of Clostridium difficile testing can decrease antibiotics and test ordering with a reduction in healthcare-associated C. difficile infections. Respiratory syndrome multiplex arrays can decrease time to results and increase detection of clinically relevant pathogens but may not decrease antibiotics use, or worse, could increase over-prescribing if diagnostic stewardship of ordering practices is not exercised. Lastly, blood culturing practices can be improved by clinical decision support to safely decrease collection and broad-spectrum antibiotic use. Summary Diagnostic stewardship decreases unnecessary antibiotic use in a way that is different from and complementary to antibiotic stewardship. Further studies are needed to quantify the full impact on antibiotic use and resistance. Future considerations should be to institutionalize diagnostic stewardship in patient care activities to leverage integration into systems-based interventions.

AbstractBackgroundDespite intensive prophylactic and pre-emptive measures, infections remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Disruption of the gut microbiota has been linked to clinical outcomes after adult allo-HCT. This study evaluated whether these or differing microbiota disruptions or signatures were associated with risk of infection in pediatric allo-HCT.MethodsIn a prospective observational study, fecal samples from 74 children were collected prior to conditioning and at the time of neutrophil recovery and profiled by means of 16S ribosomal rRNA sequencing. The associations between microbiome signatures and infections or acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) were examined using Cox proportional-hazards analysis.ResultsPreviously associated indices of microbiome disruption in adults, including diversity and butyrate producer frequency, did not predict infection risk in pediatric allo-HCT. Unique microbiota signatures were associated with different infections or aGVHD. A ratio of strict and facultative anaerobes (e.g. Lachnoclostridium, Parabacteroides, Clostridium spp.) prior to conditioning predicted likelihood of bacteremia (cox hazards ratio 3.89) in first year post HCT. A distinct ratio of oral (e.g. Rothia, Veillonella spp.) to colonic anaerobes (e.g. Anaerobutyricum, Dorea, Romboutsia spp.) at neutrophil recovery predicted likelihood of bacterial infections (cox hazards ratio 1.81) and viral enterocolitis (cox hazards ratio 1.96) through first year post transplant.ConclusionsInteractions between medical interventions, pediatric hosts and microbial communities may be responsible for these consistent microbiota signatures that predict infections. A future multi-center investigation will be needed to demonstrate whether these ratios can be generalized to other pediatric cohorts.

Infection and Immunity, Ahead of Print.

Objective: To investigate temporal trends and outcomes associated with early antibiotic prescribing in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Design: Retrospective propensity-matched cohort study using the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) database. Setting: Sixty-six health systems throughout the United States that were contributing to the N3C database. Centers that had fewer than 500 admissions in their dataset were excluded. Patients: Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were included. Patients were defined to have early antibiotic use if they received at least 3 calendar days of intravenous antibiotics within the first 5 days of admission. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Of 322,867 qualifying first hospitalizations, 43,089 patients received early empiric antibiotics. Antibiotic use declined across all centers in the data collection period, from March 2020 (23%) to June 2022 (9.6%). Average rates of early empiric antibiotic use (EEAU) also varied significantly between centers (deviance explained 7.33% vs 20.0%, p < 0.001). Antibiotic use decreased slightly by day 2 of hospitalization and was significantly reduced by day 5. Mechanical ventilation before day 2 (odds ratio [OR] 3.57; 95% CI, 3.42–3.72), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before day 2 (OR 2.14; 95% CI, 1.75–2.61), and early vasopressor use (OR 1.85; 95% CI, 1.78–1.93) but not region of residence was associated with EEAU. After propensity matching, EEAU was associated with an increased risk for in-hospital mortality (OR 1.27; 95% CI, 1.23–1.33), prolonged mechanical ventilation (OR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.50–1.82), late broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure (OR 3.24; 95% CI, 2.99–3.52), and late Clostridium difficile infection (OR 1.60; 95% CI, 1.37–1.87). Conclusions: Although treatment of COVID-19 patients with empiric antibiotics has declined during the pandemic, the frequency of use remains high. There is significant inter-center variation in antibiotic prescribing practices and evidence of potential harm. Our findings are hypothesis-generating and future work should prospectively compare outcomes and adverse events.

Abstract Background Disseminated Clostridium septicum infection is an uncommon complication associated with malignancies, particular colonic adenocarcinoma. The organism appears to preferentially colonize large masses in rare individuals and subsequently seed the blood via mucosal ulceration. This has rarely been reported to lead to central nervous system infection and, in several cases, rapidly progressive pneumocephalus. In the few cases reported, this was a universally fatal condition. The current case adds to the reports of this extremely rare complication and provides a unique and complete clinicopathologic characterization with autopsy examination, microscopy, and molecular testing. Case Presentation A 60-year-old man with no known past medical history was discovered having seizure-like activity and stroke-like symptoms. Blood cultures turned positive after six hours. Imaging revealed a large, irregular cecal mass as well as 1.4 cm collection of air in the left parietal lobe that progressed to over 7 cm within 8 h. By the following morning, the patient had lost all neurologic reflexes and died. Post-mortem examination revealed brain tissue with multiple grossly evident cystic spaces and intraparenchymal hemorrhage, while microscopic exam showed diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury and gram-positive rods. Clostridium septicum was identified on blood cultures and was confirmed in paraffin embedded tissue from the brain by 16 S ribosomal sequencing and from the colon by C. septicum specific PCR. Conclusions C. septicum is an anaerobic, gram-positive rod that can become invasive and is strongly associated with gastrointestinal pathology including colonic adenocarcinomas. Central nervous system infection with rapidly progressive pneumocephalus is a rarely reported and universally fatal complication of disseminated C. septicum infection. …

Purpose of review The aim of this review is to discuss the latest evidence of the epidemiology, microbiology, risk factors, diagnosis and management of community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in people who inject drug (PWID).Recent findings SSTIs are common complications in PWID and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Infections can range from uncomplicated cellulitis, to abscesses, deep tissue necrosis and necrotizing fasciitis. They are predominantly caused by Gram-positive pathogens in particular Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species; however, toxin-producing organisms such as Clostridium botulism or Clostridium tetani should be considered. The pathogenesis of SSTI in the setting of intravenous drug use (IDU) is different from non-IDU related SSTI, and management often requires surgical interventions in addition to adjunctive antibiotics. Harm reduction strategies and education about safe practices should be implemented to prevent morbidity and mortality as well as healthcare burden of SSTI in PWID.Summary Prompt diagnosis and proper medical and surgical management of SSTI will improve outcomes in PWID.

by Elizabeth A. Holzhausen, Kristen C. Malecki, Ajay K. Sethi, Ronald Gangnon, Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, Courtney L. Deblois, Garret Suen, Nasia Safdar, Paul E. Peppard

The gut microbiome is an important factor in human health and disease. While preliminary studies have found some evidence that physical activity is associated with gut microbiome richness, diversity, and composition, this relationship is not fully understood and has not been previously characterized in a large, population-based cohort. In this study, we estimated the association between several measures of physical activity and the gut microbiota in a cohort of 720 Wisconsin residents. Our sample had a mean age of 55 years (range: 18, 94), was 42% male, and 83% of participants self-identified as White. Gut microbial composition was assessed using gene sequencing of the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA extracted from stool. We found that an increase of one standard deviation in weekly minutes spent in active transportation was associated with an increase in alpha diversity, particularly in Chao1’s richness (7.57, 95% CI: 2.55, 12.59) and Shannon’s diversity (0.04, 95% CI: 0.0008, 0.09). We identified interactions in the association between Inverse Simpson’s diversity and physical activity, wherein active transportation for individuals living in a rural environment was associated with additional increases in diversity (4.69, 95% CI: 1.64, 7.73). We also conducted several permutational ANOVAs (PERMANOVA) and negative binomial regression analyses to estimate the relationship between physical activity and microbiome composition. We found that being physically active and increased physical activity time were associated with increased abundance of bacteria in the family Erysipelotrichaceae. Active transportation was associated with increased abundance of bacteria in the genus Phascolarctobacterium, and decreased abundance of Clostridium. Minutes in active transportation was associated with a decreased abundance of the family Clostridiaceae.

by Giovana S. Slanzon, Benjamin J. Ridenhour, Lindsay M. Parrish, Sophie C. Trombetta, Dale A. Moore, William M. Sischo, Craig S. McConnel

Gastrointestinal disease (GI) is the most common illness in pre-weaned dairy calves. Therefore, effective strategies to manipulate the microbiome of dairy calves under commercial dairy operations are of great importance to improve animal health and reduce antimicrobial usage. The objective of this study was to develop a farm-specific FMT product and to investigate its effects on clinical outcomes and fecal microbial composition of dairy calves. The FMT product was derived from feces from healthy donors (5–24 days of age) raised in the same calf ranch facility as the FMT recipients. Healthy and diarrheic calves were randomly enrolled to a control (n = 115) or FMT (n = 112) treatment group (~36 g of processed fecal matter once daily for 3 days). Fecal samples were collected at enrollment and again 9 days later after the first FMT dose. Although the FMT product was rich in organisms typically known for their beneficial probiotic properties, the FMT therapy did not prevent or ameliorate GI disease in dairy calves. In fact, calves that received FMT were less likely to recover from GI disease, and more likely to die due to GI disease complications. Fecal microbial community analysis revealed an increase in the alpha-diversity in FMT calves; however, no major differences across treatment groups were observed in the beta-diversity analysis. Calves that received FMT had higher relative abundance of an uncultured organism of the genus Lactobacillus and Lactobacillus reuteri on day 10. Moreover, FMT calves had lower relative abundance of Clostridium nexile and Bacteroides vulgatus on day 10. Our results indicate the need to have an established protocol when developing FMT products, based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of FMT donors free of potential pathogens, no history of disease or antibiotic treatment.

by Tae-Hwan Jung, Hyo-Jeong Hwang, Kyoung-Sik Han

We investigated the impact of dietary patterns on the gut microbiota and concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the feces of Korean elementary school students. The dietary intake and ADHD assessment of 40 Korean elementary school students were analyzed using a dish-based semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids composition were performed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction, metagenomics, and gas chromatography methods. The dietary patterns of participants were divided into four groups: healthy, processed food, fish and shellfish, and meat. The participants were also divided into two groups according to their ADHD scores: 0–30, control group; over 30, ADHD group. The ADHD score of the processed food group was significantly higher than that of the healthy group. The processed food and ADHD groups showed significantly higher abundance of harmful bacteria, such as the Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium strains, and markedly lower abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as the Bifidobacterium and Ruminococcus strains, than the control group. The heat maps of metagenomics indicated that each group was separated into distinct clusters, and the processed food and ADHD groups showed significantly lower α-diversity of gut microbiota than the control group. In these groups, the concentration of acetate or butyrate in the feces was significantly lower than that in the control group. These results may indicate that imbalanced diets can disturb the colonic microbial balance and are likely to become a potential risk factor for the prevalence of ADHD.

by Hai Liu, Qing Zhao, Yanhua Cheng

Ageratina adenophora originating from central America has flooded forests, pastures, and farmland in more than 40 tropical and subtropical countries, causing huge ecological disasters and economic losses. In this paper, we intended to use a complex inoculum composed of Pseudomonas putita and Clostridium thermocellum to in-situ compost A. adenophora debris and then to compare the phytotoxicity of extracts from uncomposted and composted A. adenophora (UCA and CA respectively) to barley seed germination and young seedling growth. A field experiment was finally conducted to reveal the effects of UCA and CA on barley nutrients uptake, yield, grain quality, soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass and biodiversity. In-situ composting sharply decreased 4,7-dimethyl-1-(propan-2-ylidene)-1,4,4a,8a-tetrahydronaphthalene- 2,6(1H,7H)-dione(DTD) and 6-hydroxy-5-isopropyl-3,8-dimethyl-4a,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydronaphthal en-2(1 H)-one(HHO) from 2096.3 and 743.7 mg kg-1 in uncomposted A. adenophora to 194.4 and 68.19 mg kg-1 in composted A. adenophora. UCAE showed negative influences on seed germination performances (except lower rates on germination percentage). The mechanism may be the inhibition of bio-macromolecules hydrolysis (including proteins, starch, and phytin) in endosperms and their hydrolysates for forming new plants. CAE promoted seed germination and seedling growth, increased chlorophyll levels in leaves, and stimulated dehydrogenase and nitrate reductase activities in plants, while UCAE got opposite performance. Compared with chemical fertilizers, application of CA in combination with chemical fertilizers significantly improved plant nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), yield, grain quality, quantity of 16S rDNA sequences, richness and diversity of bacterial communities in contrast to UCA which behaved otherwise. Taken together, the use of the microbial agent to in-situ compost A. adenophora may be an effective approach for agricultural use of A. adenophora debris as a plant-friendly organic fertilizer, being undoubtedly worth advocating.

Aronoff DM, Marrazzo JM. Infections caused by Clostridium perfringens and Paeniclostridium sordellii after unsafe abortion. Lancet Infect Dis 2022; published online Sept 22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00590-4—In this Review, a change has been made as follows. Piperacillin or tazobactam has been changed to piperacillin–tazobactam. This correction has been made as of Sept 28, 2022, and will be made to the printed version.

After the legalisation of abortion in the USA in 1973, the risk of infectious morbidity and mortality from this procedure notably decreased. With increasingly restrictive legislation targeting access to safe abortion services, reviewing infectious complications of unsafe pregnancy termination is crucial, particularly the diagnosis and management of life-threatening clostridial (and related anaerobic bacterial) infections that can complicate unsafe abortion. This Review deals with two especially devastating infections that are well-documented causes of septic abortion: the anaerobic, spore-forming pathogens Clostridium perfringens and Paeniclostridium sordellii.

Journal Name: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneVolume: 107Issue: 3Pages: 517-526

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by Nicole L. Laia, Patrick C. Barko, Drew R. Sullivan, Maureen A. McMichael, David A. Williams, Jennifer M. Reinhart

There have been numerous studies in humans and rodents substantiating the role of the gastrointestinal microbiome in the pathogenesis and progression of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a common endocrinopathy in dogs; however, little is known about the composition of the gut microbiome during the development and treatment of diabetes in this species. The objective of this pilot study was to characterize the gastrointestinal microbiome of dogs with diabetes mellitus at the time of diagnosis and over the first 12 weeks of insulin therapy and identify associations with glycemic control. Rectal swabs and serum for fructosamine measurement were collected from 6 newly diagnosed diabetic dogs at 2-week intervals for 12 weeks. Rectal samples were sequenced using 16S, ITS, and archaeal primers. Measures of alpha and beta diversity were assessed for changes over time; associations between absolute sequence variant (ASV) relative abundances and time and fructosamine concentration were identified using a microbiome-specific, multivariate linear effects model. No statistically significant changes over time were noted in alpha diversity and samples significantly grouped by dog rather than by time in the beta diversity analysis. However, multiple ASVs were negatively (Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Romboutsia, Collinsella) and positively (Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Ruminococcus gauveauii, Peptoclostridium) associated with time and two ASVs were positively associated with fructosamine (Enterococcus, Escherichia-Shigella). These changes in gastrointestinal microbial composition warrant further investigation of how they may relate to diabetes mellitus progression or control in dogs.

by Khethiwe Mtshali, Zamantungwa Thobeka Happiness Khumalo, Stanford Kwenda, Ismail Arshad, Oriel Matlahane Molifi Thekisoe

Cattle by-products like faeces, milk and blood have many uses among rural communities; aiding to facilitate everyday household activities and occasional rituals. Ecologically, the body sites from which they are derived consist of distinct microbial communities forming a complex ecosystem of niches. We aimed to explore and compare the faecal, milk and blood microbiota of cows through 16S rRNA sequencing. All downstream analyses were performed using applications in R Studio (v3.6.1). Alpha-diversity metrics showed significant differences between faeces and blood; faeces and milk; but non-significant between blood and milk using Kruskal-Wallis test, P < 0,05. The beta-diversity metrics on Principal Coordinate Analysis and Non-Metric Dimensional Scaling significantly clustered samples by type (PERMANOVA test, P < 0,05). The overall analysis revealed a total of 30 phyla, 74 classes, 156 orders, 243 families and 408 genera. Firmicutes, Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla overall. A total of 58 genus-level taxa occurred concurrently between the body sites. The important taxa could be categorized into four potentially pathogenic clusters i.e. arthropod-borne; food-borne and zoonotic; mastitogenic; and metritic and abortigenic. A number of taxa were significantly differentially abundant (DA) between sites based on the Wald test implemented in DESeq2 package. Majority of the DA taxa (i.e. Romboutsia, Paeniclostridium, Monoglobus, Akkermansia, Turicibacter, Bacteroides, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, UCG-005 and Prevotellaceae_UCG-004) were significantly enriched in faeces in comparison to milk and blood, except for Anaplasma which was greatly enriched in blood and was in turn the largest microbial genus in the entire analysis. This study provides insights into the microbial community composition of the sampled body sites and its extent of overlapping. It further highlights the potential risk of disease occurrence and transmission between the animals and the community of Waaihoek in KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa pertaining to their unsanitary practices associated with the use of cattle by-products.

Abstract

Background

Liposuction has become one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in China. However, few studies have discussed infectious shock caused by C. perfringens as one of the causes of death after liposuction.

Case presentation

A 24-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department (ED) of Guangzhou Chinese Overseas Hospital for treatment. The patient had undergone liposuction in her bilateral lower limbs two days prior. At the ED, the patient was unconscious, and had bilateral equal-sized (diameter, 6 mm) round pupils, no light reflex, a blood pressure (BP) of 71/33 mmHg, a heart rate of 133 bpm, and an SpO2 of 70%. She had bilateral limb swelling, extensive ecchymoses in her lower abdomen and bilateral thighs, local crepitus, blisters, weak pulses on her femoral artery and dorsalis pedis, high skin tension, and hemoglobin of 32 g/L. The patient was diagnosed with Clostridium perfringens infection, and she underwent debridement surgery and supportive treatment. But the patient’s BP could not improve. At 8:28 pm on the day of admission, the patient was declared clinically dead after the electrocardiograph showed a horizontal line and spontaneous respiration ceased.

Conclusions

Failure to meet surgical disinfection and environmental standards may be the cause of infection of C. perfringens through wounds. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the environmental disinfection of the operating room, and standardize the sterile conditions of the operation staff and patients before and during operation. Liposuction surgery necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but fatal complications, especially if diagnosis delay, therefore it is critical for early diagnosis and treatment of gas gangrene.

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