Browsing by Autor "Antonia Mantella"

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Carriage of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli Among Healthy Children and Home-Raised Chickens: A Household Study in a Resource-Limited Setting
(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2011) Eleonora Riccobono; Lucia Pallecchi; Antonia Mantella; Filippo Bartalesi; Ignacio Chavez Zeballos; Christian Trigoso; Ana Liz Villagrán; Alessandro Bartoloni; Gian María Rossolini
We have previously observed high rates of acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli from healthy children living in urban areas of Bolivia and Peru, including resistance to tetracycline and quinolones, which are not routinely used in childhood. In this work we investigated acquired resistance in commensal E. coli from healthy children and home-raised chickens in 12 households from one of the previously surveyed urban area in Bolivia, to ascertain the possibility of human-animal exchange of resistant strains in similar settings. The resistance rates to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and trimethoprim-sulphametoxazole were overall high (≥50%) and comparable between children and chickens, whereas those to quinolones were significantly higher in chickens (81% vs. 29% for nalidixic acid; 43% vs. 10% for ciprofloxacin). Molecular characterization of tetracycline- and quinolone-resistant isolates (n = 66) from children and chickens of three selected households revealed a remarkable clonal diversity and, in some cases, the presence of the same resistant strains among children or among chickens living in the same household, but not between children and chickens. Several resistance plasmids were characterized, but inter-clonal plasmid dissemination was not detected. Overall, the results from the present study suggested that cross-transmission between children and home-raised chickens could not represent a major spreading mechanism for resistant E. coli in households of resource-limited settings with high human-animal promiscuity.
Evaluation of a rapid screening method for detection of antimicrobial resistance in the commensal microbiota of the gut
(Oxford University Press, 2005) Alessandro Bartoloni; Marta Benedetti; Lucia Pallecchi; Mattias Larsson; Antonia Mantella; Marianne Strohmeyer; Filippo Bartalesi; Connie Fernandez; Elisa Guzmán; Yolanda Vallejos
The assessment of antimicrobial resistance among commensal bacteria is an indicator of the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Rapid screening methods for detection of antimicrobial-resistant faecal Escherichia coli directly on MacConkey plates have been successfully adopted but suffer from lack of standardisation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a direct plating method (DPM) for detection of antimicrobial-resistant faecal E. coli and to compare it with a conventional method. Faecal samples were collected from 71 healthy children from Peru and Bolivia. In the DPM, a faecal swab was directly plated onto a MacConkey agar plate and antimicrobial disks were applied onto the seeded plate. Raw data were obtained by direct reading of the plate and were subjected to confirmatory analysis. Good concordance between the DPM and a conventional method was observed in detecting carriage of resistant E. coli, with a higher sensitivity for the DPM. Analysis of the results allowed interpretive criteria to be defined for DPM raw data. The DPM showed good sensitivity and specificity at very low cost (ten times cheaper than the conventional method) to investigate the faecal carriage of drug-resistant E. coli. It may represent a useful tool to conduct large-scale resistance surveillance studies and to monitor resistance control programmes cost effectively, particularly in low-resource countries.
High Prevalence of Acquired Antimicrobial Resistance Unrelated to Heavy Antimicrobial Consumption
(Oxford University Press, 2004) Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Antonia Mantella; Emanuela Dell’Amico; Mimmo Roselli; Marianne Strohmeyer; Herlan Gamboa Barahona; Virgilio Prieto Barrón; Franco Paradisi; Gian María Rossolini
In a very remote rural Bolivian community where the use of antimicrobials has been minimal and where exchanges with the exterior are very limited, 67% of subjects were found to be carriers of fecal Escherichia coli with acquired resistance to >/=1 antimicrobial agent(s); the highest rates were observed for tetracycline (64%), ampicillin (58%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (50%), and chloramphenicol (41%). The most relevant implication of these findings is that, in certain settings, the spread and maintenance of antimicrobial resistance can occur, regardless of whether selective pressure generated by the use of antimicrobials is present.
High prevalence of carriage of mcr-1-positive enteric bacteria among healthy children from rural communities in the Chaco region, Bolivia, September to October 2016
(European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2018) Tommaso Giani; Samanta Sennati; Alberto Antonelli; Vincenzo Di Pilato; Tiziana Di Maggio; Antonia Mantella; Claudia Niccolai; Michele Spinicci; Joaquín Monasterio; Paul Castellanos
BackgroundThe mcr-1 gene is a transferable resistance determinant against colistin, a last-resort antimicrobial for infections caused by multi-resistant Gram-negatives.AimTo study carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in healthy school children as part of a helminth control and antimicrobial resistance survey in the Bolivian Chaco region.MethodsFrom September to October 2016 we collected faecal samples from healthy children in eight rural villages. Samples were screened for mcr-1- and mcr-2 genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed, and a subset of 18 isolates representative of individuals from different villages was analysed by whole genome sequencing (WGS).ResultsWe included 337 children (mean age: 9.2 years, range: 7-11; 53% females). The proportion of mcr-1 carriers was high (38.3%) and present in all villages; only four children had previous antibiotic exposure. One or more mcr-1-positive isolates were recovered from 129 positive samples, yielding a total of 173 isolates (171 Escherichia coli, 1 Citrobacter europaeus, 1 Enterobacter hormaechei). No mcr-2 was detected. Co-resistance to other antimicrobials varied in mcr-positive E. coli. All 171 isolates were susceptible to carbapenems and tigecycline; 41 (24.0%) were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers and most of them (37/41) carried blaCTX-M-type genes. WGS revealed heterogeneity of clonal lineages and mcr-genetic supports.ConclusionThis high prevalence of mcr-1-like carriage, in absence of professional exposure, is unexpected. Its extent at the national level should be investigated with priority. Possible causes should be studied; they may include unrestricted use of colistin in veterinary medicine and animal breeding, and importation of mcr-1-positive bacteria via food and animals.
Increasing Resistance in CommensalEscherichia coli, Bolivia and Peru
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008) Alessandro Bartoloni; Lucia Pallecchi; Costanza Fiorelli; Tiziana Di Maggio; Connie Fernandez; Ana Liz Villagrán; Antonia Mantella; Filippo Bartalesi; Marianne Strohmeyer; Angela Bechini
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Low prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in urban and rural community settings in Bolivia and Peru
(Elsevier BV, 2012) Alessandro Bartoloni; Lucia Pallecchi; Connie Fernandez; Antonia Mantella; Eleonora Riccobono; Donata Magnelli; Dario Mannini; Marianne Strohmeyer; Filippo Bartalesi; Higinio Segundo
This study provides an insight into the epidemiology of MRSA in community settings of Bolivia and Peru. Reliable, time-saving, and low-cost methods should be implemented to encourage continued surveillance of MRSA dissemination in resource-limited countries.
Multidrug-resistant CommensalEscherichia coliin Children, Peru and Bolivia
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006) Alessandro Bartoloni; Lucia Pallecchi; Marta Benedetti; Connie Fernandez; Yolanda Vallejos; Elisa Guzmán; Ana Liz Villagrán; Antonia Mantella; Chiara Lucchetti; Filippo Bartalesi
Using a rapid screening method, we investigated the prevalence of fecal carriage of antimicrobial drug-resistant Escherichia coli in 3,174 healthy children from 4 urban settings in Peru and Bolivia. High resistance rates were observed for ampicillin (95%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (94%), tetracycline (93%), streptomycin (82%), and chloramphenicol (70%). Lower resistance rates were observed for nalidixic acid (35%), kanamycin (28%), gentamicin (21%), and ciprofloxacin (18%); resistance to ceftriaxone and amikacin was uncommon (<0.5%). In a random sample of 1,080 resistant E. coli isolates, 90% exhibited a multidrug-resistance (MDR) phenotype. The 2 most common MDR phenotypes (ampicillin/tetracycline/trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin/tetracycline/trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole/chloramphenicol) could be transferred en bloc in conjugation experiments. The most common acquired resistance genes were blaTEM, tet(A), tet(B), drfA8, sul1, sul2, and catI. These findings underscore the magnitude of the problem of antimicrobial drug resistance in low-resource settings and the urgent need for surveillance and control of this phenomenon.
Population Structure and Resistance Genes in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from a Remote Community with Minimal Antibiotic Exposure
(American Society for Microbiology, 2007) Lucia Pallecchi; Chiara Lucchetti; Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Antonia Mantella; Herlan Gamboa; Alessandra Carattoli; Franco Paradisi; Gian María Rossolini
In a previous study, we detected unexpectedly high levels of acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from a remote Guaraní Indian (Bolivia) community with very low levels of antibiotic exposure and limited exchanges with the exterior. Here we analyzed the structure of the resistant E. coli population from that community and the resistance mechanisms. The E. coli population (113 isolates from 72 inhabitants) showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, as evidenced by phylogenetic grouping (77% group A, 10% group B1, 8% group D, 5% group B2) and genotyping by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis (44 different RAPD types). The acquired resistance genes were always of the same types as those found in antibiotic-exposed settings [blaTEM, blaPSE-1, catI, cmlA6, tet(A), tet(B), dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA8, dfrA17, sul1, sul2, aphA1, aadA1, aadA2, aadA5, aadB, and sat-1]. Class 1 and class 2 integrons were found in 12% and 4% of the isolates, respectively, and harbored arrays of gene cassettes similar to those already described. The cotransferability of multiple-resistance traits was observed from selected isolates and was found to be associated with resistance conjugative plasmids of the F, P, and N types. Overall, these data suggest that the resistance observed in this remote community is likely the consequence of the dissemination of resistant bacteria and resistance genes from antibiotic-exposed settings (rather than of an independent in situ selection) which involved both the clonal expansion of resistant strains and the horizontal transfer/recombination of mobile genetic elements harboring resistance genes.
Relentless increase of resistance to fluoroquinolones and expanded-spectrum cephalosporins in Escherichia coli: 20 years of surveillance in resource-limited settings from Latin America
(Elsevier BV, 2012) Alessandro Bartoloni; Lucia Pallecchi; Eleonora Riccobono; Antonia Mantella; Donata Magnelli; T. Di Maggio; A.L. Villagran; Yosleidys Rivero Lara; Carlos Saavedra; M. Strohmeyer
Relevant increase of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli carriage in school-aged children from rural areas of the Bolivian Chaco in a three-year period
(Elsevier BV, 2022) Selene Rebecca Boncompagni; Maria Micieli; Tiziana Di Maggio; Antonia Mantella; Anna Liz Villagrán; Tatiana Briggesth Miranda; Carmen Revollo; Veronica Poma; Herlan Gamboa; Michele Spinicci
Seroepidemiological trend of strongyloidiasis in the Bolivian Chaco (1987–2013) in the absence of disease‐specific control measures
(Wiley, 2017) Michele Spinicci; Fabio Macchioni; Antonia Mantella; Simona Gabrielli; Mimmo Roselli; David Rojo Mayaregua; Joaquín Monasterio Pinckert; Herlan Gamboa Barahona; Grover Adolfo Paredes; Percy Halkyer
The significant reduction in S. stercoralis seroprevalence in Bolivian Chaco cannot be explained by preventive chemotherapy or improved social-sanitary conditions. As the drop is seen in younger generations, it is consistent with little transmission occurring. However, the risk of transmission still exists, as prevalence is persistently high in older individuals, who present a potential reservoir due to the lifelong nature of S. stercoralis infections.
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus, and Helicobacter pylori in Rural Communities of the Bolivian Chaco, 2013
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2018) Irene Campolmi; Michele Spinicci; David Rojo Mayaregua; Herlan Gamboa Barahona; Antonia Mantella; Yunni Lara; Mimmo Roselli; Marianne Strohmeyer; Giampaolo Corti; Francesco Tolari
In the Bolivian Chaco, south-east of Bolivia, studies conducted over the past three decades reported hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Helicobacter pylori seroprevalences above 90% and 60%, respectively. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) prevalence was previously found to be 6-7% but is probably an underestimate because of the poor sensitivity of the assays used. In November 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 263 healthy volunteers from two rural communities of the Bolivian Chaco, aiming to reassess HAV, HEV, and H. pylori seroprevalence 10-20 years following the previous surveys. Hepatitis A virus seroprevalence was 95%, with universal exposure after the first decade of life; HEV seroprevalence was considerably higher (31-35%) than that previously reported; H. pylori seroprevalence was 59%, with an age-dependent distribution. The high prevalence of these infections suggests that major efforts are still needed to reduce fecal-oral transmission and to improve human health in the Bolivian Chaco.
Seroprevalence of varicella zoster and rubella antibodies among rural populations of the Chaco region, south‐eastern Bolivia
(Wiley, 2002) Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Mimmo Roselli; Antonia Mantella; Francesca Dini; Esteban Salazar Carballo; Virgilio Prieto Barrón; Franco Paradisi
OBJECTIVE To determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against varicella zoster virus (VZV) and rubella virus among the population of two rural areas, Camiri and Villa Montes, Chaco region, south‐eastern Bolivia. METHODS In a cross‐sectional study, serum samples from randomly selected subjects were screened for VZV‐ and rubella antibodies using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS The prevalence of VZV antibodies was 80% (391 of 489). No significant differences were observed between genders and study areas. The prevalence increased with age with a seropositivity rate of 21.2% in the 1–4‐year‐old children, 56.9% in the 5–9 age group and 83.7% in the 10–14 age group, and reached 98.2% in over 45‐year olds. The prevalence of rubella virus antibodies was 76.9% (377 of 490), without significant differences between genders and study areas. Similar to the trend observed for VZV antibodies, the seroprevalence increased with age with a seropositivity rate of 18.1% in the 1–4‐year‐old children, 53.9% in the 5–9 age group and 78.4% in the 10–14 age group, and reached 94.7% in over 45‐year‐old subjects. Among the 95 women of childbearing age (15–44 years) the susceptibility rate was 11.6%. CONCLUSIONS A common seroimmunological profile was evidenced for the two infections. The age‐specific profile of VZV seropositivity differs from that reported for other tropical countries where higher median age of seroconversion and lower seroprevalence among adults are observed. Data concerning the prevalence of immunity to rubella may be useful to evaluate the impact of the recently introduced rubella immunization programme.
Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the human population of the Bolivian Chaco: four serosurveys over a 26-year period (1987-2013)
(Open Learning on Enteric Pathogens, 2020) Michele Spinicci; Simona Gabrielli; David Rojo; Herlan Gamboa; Fabio Macchioni; Antonia Mantella; Yunni Lara; Ana Liz Villagrán; Mimmo Roselli; Marianne Strohmeyer
T. cruzi transmission is still active and CD remains a concern throughout the Bolivian Chaco. More efforts are needed in order to achieve a sustainable interruption of vector-borne CD transmission in this area.