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Biology subjects

Pitcher, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Pitcher, M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Ion exchange biomaterials to capture daptomycin and prevent resistance evolution in off-target bacterial populations

Daptomycin (DAP), a cyclic anionic lipopeptide antibiotic, is among the last resorts to treat multidrug resistant (vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) Gram-positive bacterial infections. DAP is administered intravenously and biliary excretion results in the introduction of DAP ([~]5-10 % of the intravenous DAP dose) arriving in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract where it drives resistance evolution in off-target populations of Enterococcus faecium bacteria. Previously, we have shown that the oral administration of cholestyramine, an ion exchange biomaterial (IXB) sorbent, prevents DAP treatment from enriching DAP-resistance in populations of E. faecium shed from mice. Here, we engineer the biomaterial-DAP interfacial interactions to uncover the antibiotic removal mechanisms. The IXB-mediated DAP capture from aqueous media was measured in both controlled pH/electrolyte solutions and in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) to uncover the molecular and colloidal mechanisms of DAP removal from the GI tract. Our findings show that the IXB electrostatically adsorbs the anionic antibiotic via a time-dependent diffusion-controlled process. Unsteady-state diffusion-adsorption mass balance describes the dynamics of adsorption well, and the maximum removal capacity is beyond the electric charge stoichiometric ratio because of DAP self-assembly. This study may open new opportunities for optimizing cholestyramine adjuvant therapy to prevent DAP resistance, as well as designing novel biomaterials to remove off-target antibiotics from the GI tract. TOC O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=137 SRC="FIGDIR/small/495716v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (48K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ec034eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@cd1106org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@118dbcborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@106287c_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

bioengineering↗

Disrupted Peyer's patch microanatomy in COVID-19 including germinal centre atrophy independent of local virus

Confirmed SARS-coronavirus-2 infection with gastrointestinal symptoms and changes in microbiota associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity have been previously reported, but the disease impact on the architecture and cellularity of ileal Peyers patches (PP) remains unknown. Here we analysed post-mortem tissues from throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of patients who died with COVID-19. When virus was detected by PCR in the GI tract, immunohistochemistry identified virus in epithelium and lamina propria macrophages, but not in lymphoid tissues. Immunohistochemistry and imaging mass cytometry (IMC) analysis of ileal PP revealed depletion of germinal centres (GC), disruption of B cell/T cell zonation and decreased potential B and T cell interaction and lower nuclear density in COVID-19 patients. This occurred independent of the local viral levels. The changes in PP demonstrate that the ability to mount an intestinal immune response is compromised in severe COVID-19, which could contribute to observed dysbiosis.

immunology↗