Biology subjects

Solymosi, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Solymosi, N..

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

A survey on antimicrobial resistance genes of frequently used bacteria in kefir and yoghurt

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the foremost threats facing the treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. Recent studies have highlighted the potential for antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in fermented foods to contribute to AMR via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The focus of our study was investigating the ARG content (resistome) and mobility potential of the ARGs (mobilome) of bacterial strains commonly used in probiotic products, namely yoghurt and kefir. We performed metagenomic analyses on freely available data sets (n=584) originating from various kefir and yoghurt strains using next generation sequencing (NGS) in order to gain an insight into the ARG diversity, frequency and mobility. Our study shows that kefir and yoghurt products carry diverse and significant amounts of ARGs and that these genes may often be associated with iMGEs or plasmids, conferring mobility. Certain bacteria species such as Bifidobacterium animalis and Streptococcus thermophilus were found to have higher ARG content. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that ARGs are present in fermented foods, namely yoghurt and kefir, and have the potential to contribute to AMR.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Antimicrobial resistance determinants in silage

Animal products may play a role in developing and spreading antimicrobial resistance in several ways. On the one hand, residues of antibiotics not adequately used in animal farming can enter the human body via food. But resistant bacteria may also be present in animal products, which can transfer the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) to the bacteria in the consumers body by horizontal gene transfer. As previous studies have shown that fermented foods have a meaningful ARG content, it is indicated that such genes may also be present in silage used as mass feed in the cattle sector. In our study, we aspired to answer what ARGs occur in silage and what mobility characteristics they have? For this purpose, we have analyzed bioinformatically 52 freely available deep sequenced silage samples from shotgun metagenome next-generation sequencing. A total of 17 perfect matched ARGs occurred 55 times in the samples. More than half of these ARGs are mobile because they can be linked to integrative mobile genetic elements, prophages or plasmids. Our results point to a neglected but substantial ARG source in the food chain.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Ecdysteroids as natural doping substances in the blood of insectivorous bats

Bats have deserved much scientific attention due to their biological-ecological properties and increasingly recognized epidemiological significance. Ecdysteroids are insect-molting hormones that (under experimental conditions) have stimulating and anabolic effects in mammals, including humans. Therefore, these biologically active compounds are currently under consideration by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to become doping-controlled substances. Previously we demonstrated that low to high concentrations of ecdysteroids appear in the blood of insectivorous passerine birds. Since passerine birds and echolocating bats share several adaptive mechanisms in connection with flying, and insectivorism is also among their common traits, we hypothesized that ecdysteroids might also be present in the blood of insectivorous bats. To test this hypothesis, blood samples of eight insectivorous bat species were collected and analyzed for the presence of ecdysteroids with highly sensitive targeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry method (UHPLC-HRMS). The results supported our hypothesis, because nine ecdysteroids were detected in bat blood. The spectrum of these ecdysteroids was similar in those bat species which have their most preferred food items from the same insect order, supporting insects as the most likely source of these hormones. It was also shown that the spectrum of blood-borne ecdysteroids was broader in the autumn than in the summer, and higher concentrations of 20-hydroxyecdysone were measured in samples of large size bat species in comparison with small size ones. Based on the known physiologic effects of ecdysteroids, we postulate that these results might have implications on the metabolic rate and parasite burdens of insectivorous bats.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Mobile antimicrobial resistance genes in probiotics

Even though people around the world tend to consume probiotic products for their beneficial health effects on a daily basis, recently, concerns were outlined regarding the uptake and potential intestinal colonisation of the bacteria that they transfer. These bacteria are capable of executing horizontal gene transfer (HGT) which facilitates the movement of various genes, including antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), among the donor and recipient bacterial populations. Within our study, 47 shotgun sequencing datasets deriving from various probiotic samples (isolated strains and metagenomes) were bioinformatically analysed. We detected more than 70 ARGs, out of which rpoB mutants conferring resistance to rifampicin, tet(W/N/W) and potentially extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) coding TEM-116 were the most common. Numerous ARGs were associated with integrated mobile genetic elements, plasmids or phages promoting the HGT. Our findings raise clinical and public health concerns as the consumption of probiotic products may lead to the transfer of ARGs to human gut bacteria.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

The cryptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal system of human basal ganglia

Human reproduction is controlled by [~]2,000 hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Here we report the discovery and characterization of additional 150-200,000 GnRH-synthesizing cells in the human basal ganglia and basal forebrain. Extrahypothalamic GnRH neurons were cholinergic. Though undetectable in adult rodents, the GnRH-GFP transgene was expressed transiently by caudate-putamen cholinergic interneurons in newborn transgenic mice. In slice electrophysiological studies, GnRH inhibited these interneurons via GnRHR1 autoreceptors. Whole-transcriptome analysis of cholinergic interneurons and medium spiny projection neurons laser-microdissected from the human putamen confirmed selective expression of GNRH1 and GNRHR1 autoreceptors in cholinergic cells and uncovered the detailed transcriptome profile and molecular connectome of these two cell types. Higher- order non-reproductive functions regulated by GnRH under physiological conditions in the human basal ganglia and basal forebrain require clarification. GnRH/GnRHR1 signaling as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders affecting cholinergic neurocircuitries, including Parkinsons and Alzheimers diseases, needs to be explored.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Associations of weather fronts with pig reproduction and mortality

Farmers and practising veterinarians have long suspected the impact of weather fronts on production and animal health. A common impression is that sows will farrow earlier in connection with a cold front. There might be a correlation between daily mortality and the occurrence of a strong atmospheric front. Population-based quantitative studies on weather fronts effects on animal health and production are very sparse in the scientific literature. In this study, the associations between the weather fronts and daily farrowing incidence, the pregnancy length and the daily death incidence were analysed. The results show that cold front increased the odds of more than daily six farrowings on the day of the front (with at least 3{degrees}C cooling OR: 4.79, 95%CI: 1.08-21.21, p=0.039). On the day of the front, with at least 3{degrees}C temperature change both the cold and the warm front increased the odds of the farrowing on the day [≥] 118th day of the gestation (OR: 3.10, 95%CI: 1.04-9.30, p=0.43 and OR: 4.39, 95%CI: 1.73-11.15, p=0.002, respectively). On the day after the day of front, the odds of farrowing on the [≤] 113th day of gestation are increased, if the temperature decrease was at least 2{degrees}C the OR: 2.30 (95%CI: 1.04-5.06, p=0.039). On the day after the warm front with at least 1{degrees}C temperature increase the odds of more than daily three deaths is increased (OR: 5.44, 95%CI: 1.23-24.05, p=0.025).

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Natural diversity of honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut bacteriome in various climatic and seasonal states

As pollinators and producers of numerous human consumed products, honey bees have great ecological, economic and health importance. The composition of their bacteriota, for which the available knowledge is limited, is essential for their bodys functioning. Based on our survey, we performed a metagenomic analysis of samples collected by repeated sampling. We used geolocations that represent the climatic types of the study area over two nutritionally extreme periods (March and May) of the collection season. In bacteriome composition, significant (p=0.002) difference was found between the samples from March and May. The samples bacteriome from March showed a significant (p=0.02) composition difference between cooler and the warmer regions. However, there were no significant bacteriome composition differences among the climatic classes of samples taken in May. Based on our results, one may conclude that the composition of healthy core bacteriome in honey bees varies depending on the climatic and seasonal conditions. This is likely due to climatic factors and vegetation states determining the availability and nutrient content of flowering plants. The results of our study prove that in order to gain a thorough understanding of a microbiomes natural diversity, we need to obtain the necessary information from extreme ranges within the hosts health state.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

A glimpse of antimicrobial resistance gene diversity in kefir and yoghurt

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat gaining more and more practical significance every year. The protection of bacteria against antimicrobials based on antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) developed in evolution. One of the essential clinical questions is the origin of ARGs of pathogen bacteria. Since the bacteria can share genetic components by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), all even non-pathogen bacteria may provide ARG to any pathogens when they became close physically. The bacteria of the human gut may make contact with bacteria entered into the body by food. The fermented food contains bacteria in high amount by its nature. Here we studied the diversity of ARG content by a unified metagenomic approach in various kefir and yoghurt products, in grain and isolated bacterial strains. We found numerous ARGs of commonly used fermenting bacteria with diversity characteristics in kefir and yoghurt samples. Even with the strictest filter restrictions we identified ARGs undermining the efficacy of aminocoumarin, aminoglycoside, carbapenem, cephalosporin, cephamycin, diaminopyrimidine, elfamycin, fluoroquinolone, fosfomycin, glycylcycline, lincosamides, macrolide, monobactam, nitrofuran, nitroimidazole, penam, penem, peptide, phenicol, rifamycin, tetracycline and triclosan. In the case of gene lmrD, we detected genetic environment providing mobility of this ARG. Our findings support that theory during the fermentation process the food ARG content can grow by the bacteria multiplication. Results presented suggest that starting culture strains of fermented food should be monitored and selected to decrease the ARG amount intake by nutrition.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Multiple SARS-CoV-2 introductions shaped the early outbreak in Central Eastern Europe: comparing Hungarian data to a worldwide sequence data-matrix

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 is the third highly pathogenic human coronavirus in history. Since the emergence in Hubei province, China, during late 2019 the situation evolved to pandemic level. Following China, Europe was the second epicenter of the pandemic. To better comprehend the detailed founder mechanisms of the epidemic evolution in Central-Eastern Europe, particularly in Hungary, we determined the full-length SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 32 clinical samples collected from laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patients over the first month of disease in Hungary. We applied a haplotype network analysis on all available complete genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from GISAID database as of the 21th of April, 2020. We performed additional phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses to achieve the recognition of multiple and parallel introductory events into our region. Here we present a publicly available network imaging of the worldwide haplotype relations of SARS-CoV-2 sequences and conclude the founder mechanisms of the outbreak in Central-Eastern Europe.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Semiautomated Detection Of Pseudomonas aeruginosa From Diverse Water Samples Using Highly Selective Z-Broth And Redoxpotential Monitor

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a facultative bacterial pathogen with increasing public health risk potential. Contaminated water in hospital environments is a growing cause of multidrug-resistent P. aeruginosa nosocomial infections that are life-threatening and are costly to treat. P. aeruginosa is common in natural water bodies, but it is not unusual in drinking water and has been detected in bottled water, also. Suppliers in Europe must eliminate live forms of the bacterium in drinking water to meet human consumption requirements. Laboratory testing for the presence of viable P. aeruginosa is mostly done manually using culture media but conductance/impedimetry measurements for detection are also available. In order to improve expedience and cost efficiency as well as to automate the detection and the data registration, we applied the highly selective Z-broth culture media and redox potential monitoring to detect P. aeruginosa from water. The Z-broth is based on only a few, stable chemicals that provide consistency of quality and long shelf life. It limits growth to P. aeruginosa and, thus, eliminates the need for subsequent microbiological identification steps of the European Standard procedure defined in ISO 16 266:2006 (2018). A redox potential monitor was used in this work, that simultaneously recorded 64 sample curves and automatically marked positive samples reliably within 24 hours after sample initialization. In comparison, the standard method requires additional tests that prolongs identification to some days. Practical applicability and reliability of the method in this paper was demonstrated by testing a total of 739 water samples of which 222 were tap water, 342 well water and 145 had been taken from swimming pools. It is considered this method is well suited to process large numbers of samples for purposes of detecting P. aeruginosa contamination with relative ease, little cost in shortened time. Using Z-broth in combination with redox potential monitoring can be recommended for central laboratories for routine testing of drinking water for live P. aeruginosa presence. As well, using this method for testing of fluids and surfaces for P. aeruginosa contamination would be advantageous in such environments as the hospital industry, swimming pools and spas, where cleaning routines and P. aeruginosa transmission prevention protocols could be made much more resultful and cost-effective due to ease and speed of processing both spot check and water samples. HighlightsO_LIA method was applied for detection of viable Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 739 water samples. C_LIO_LIRedox potential monitoring of Z-broth cultures exclusively registered growth of P. aeruginosa. C_LIO_LIThe method is highly selective, reliable and partly automated, with lower labor costs. C_LIO_LIThe method is suited for testing of water and hospital environments for P. aeruginosa. C_LI

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Raw milk for human consumption may carry antimicrobial resistance genes

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant threat to global health. The widespread use of antibiotics is increasingly shortening the time it takes for resistant strains to develop. More and more multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains cause life-threatening infections and the death of tens of thousands of people each year. Beyond disease control animals are often given antibiotics for growth promotion or increased feed efficiency, which further increase the chance of the development of multi-resistant strains. After the consumption of unprocessed animal products, these strains may meet the human bacteriota. Among the foodborne and the human populations, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) may be shared by horizontal gene transfer. This study aims to test the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes in milk metagenome, investigate their genetic position and their linkage to mobile genetic elements. ResultsWe have analyzed raw milk samples from public markets sold for human consumption. The milk samples contained genetic material from various bacterial species and the detailed analysis uncovered the presence of several antimicrobial resistance genes. The samples contained complete ARGs influencing the effectiveness of acridine dye, cephalosporin, cephamycin, fluoroquinolone, penam, peptide antibiotics and tetracycline. One of the ARGs, PC1 beta-lactamase may also be a mobile element that facilitates the transfer of resistance genes to other bacteria, e.g. to the ones living in the human gut. ConclusionBesides the animal products antibiotic residuals, their potentially transmissible antimicrobial resistance gene content may also contribute to the development of human pathogenic bacterias antimicrobial resistance.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Family aggregation analysis reveals a heritable background of equine grass sickness (dysautonomia)

Equine grass sickness (also known as dysautonomia) is a life-threatening polyneuropathic disease affecting horses with approx. 80% mortality. Since its first description over a hundred years ago, several factors including phenotypic, environmental, management, climate, and intestinal microbiome) have been associated with increased risk of dysautonomia. But despite the extensive research on dysautonomia, its causative factors have yet been identified. A retrospective pedigree and phenotype based genetic epidemiological study was performed to analyze the associations of disease occurrence and the kinship in a Hungarian large scale stud. The pedigree data set containing 1233 horses with 49 affected animals was used in the analysis. The first finding was that among the descendants of some stallions the proportion of affected animals are unexpectedly high, with a maximum of 25% of a stallions descendants affected. Animals with affected siblings have higher odds to be a case (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.01-1.57, p=0.033). Among males in the affected population the odds of dysautonomia is higher than in females (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 0.95-3.29, p=0.057). Significant familial clustering was observed among the affected animals (GIF p=0.001). Further subgroups were identified with significant (p<0.001) aggregation among close relatives using kinship-based methods. Our analysis of the data and the observed higher disease frequency in males suggests that dysautonomia may have X-linked recessive inheritance as a causal factor. This is the first study providing ancestry data and suggesting a genetic contribution to the likely multifactorial causes of the disease.

genetics↗