Background A carbapenem-resistant hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate was recovered from human sputum. Methods Whole genome sequencing of this isolate was carried out to reveal its clonal background, antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence factors. Virulence assays were performed using wax moth larvae. The transfer of bla NDM-5 between bacterial strains was tested using conjugation. 59 genome assemblies of ST29 K. pneumoniae and 230 IncX3 plasmids regardless of the carriage of resistance gene were employed for phylogenetic analysis, respectively. Results The strain carried a virulence plasmid pVir-SCNJ1 bearing the virulence gene rmpA and exhibited a high virulence in wax moth. This hypervirulent strain belongs to sequence type 29 and carries bla NDM-5 , which is located on a conjugative plasmid, designated pNDM5-SCNJ1, belonging to type IncX3. pNDM5-SCNJ1 was fully sequenced and shows high similarity with pNDM_MGR194, except some deletion inside the IS Aba125 region. Phylogenetic analysis of IncX3 plasmids revealed that although bla NDM-5 can be evolved from bla NDM-1 via point mutations within some IncX3 plasmids, most of bla NDM-5 -carrying IncX3 plasmids probably have acquired bla NDM-5 in multiple events. Conclusions In this study, we characterized a bla NDM-5 -positive hypervirulent K. pneumoniae of sequence type 29 in China. Our results highlight the need for active surveillance on this lineage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae . Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-019-0596-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive pathogen, causes many human infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is the most common drug-resistance bacteria. Nearly all MRSA bacteria are resistant to several drugs. Specific antibodies are the main components of the host’s humoral immunity, and play a significant role in the process of the host’s resistance to bacterial infection.ResultsA single-chain variable fragment (scFv) library was constructed using mRNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of S. aureus infected volunteers. After the scFv library DNA was transformed into Escherichia coli TG1, ~1.7 × 107 independent clones with full-length scFv inserts. The scFv library was screened by phage display for three rounds using S. aureus as an antigen. The single clones were chosen at random and the scFvs were expressed for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assessment. Approximately 50 % of the clones were positive with good binding activity to S. aureus. To improve the stability of scFvs, scFv-fragment crystallizable regions (-Fcs) were constructed and expressed in E. coli DH5α. The expressed scFv-Fcs were purified and identified by western blot. These antibodies were further characterized and analyzed for bioactivity. The results showed that the expression level and folding of scFv-Fcs induced at 25 °C without isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) were higher than that induced at 32 °C with 1.0 mmol/L IPTG. scFv-Fcs had good bioactivity and could specifically bind with S. aureus.ConclusionscFv-Fcs against S. aureus were successfully constructed and are good candidates for the development of future adjunctive therapy for severe S. aureus infections.

Bronchial asthma is divided into Th2 high, Th2 low and mixed types. The Th2 high type is dominated by eosinophils while the Th2 low type is divided into neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic types. Eosinophilic asthma has gained increased attention recently, and its pathogenesis and treatment are well understood. However, severe neutrophilic asthma requires more in‐depth research because its pathogenesis is not well understood, and no effective treatment exists. This review looks at the advances made in asthma research, the pathogenesis of neutrophilic asthma, the mechanisms of progression to severe asthma, risk factors for asthma exacerbations, and biomarkers and treatment of neutrophilic asthma. The pathogenesis of neutrophilic asthma is further discussed from four aspects: Th17‐type inflammatory response, inflammasomes, exosomes and microRNAs. This review provides direction for the mechanistic study, diagnosis and treatment of neutrophilic asthma. The treatment of neutrophilic asthma remains a significant challenge for clinical therapists and is an important area of future clinical research.

Wheat dwarf bunt, one of the important international quarantine diseases, is caused by Tilletia controversa. Tilletia caries is a close relative species of T. controversa and the teliospore morphology and genomic structure of T. caries are very similar to those of T. controversa. In order to distinguish between them, a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primer-mediated asymmetric-PCR (RM-PCR) was developed to screen differential sequences between the two pathogens. By RM-PCR, a 1,322 bp DNA fragment (PR32) was selected from 18 T. controversa and 29 T. caries strains. The PR32 genes were specific for T. controversa and almost had no homology to T. caries or other fungi in the present database. With primers designed from PR32, all 18 T. controversa strains were amplified, but no bands appeared in 29 T. caries strains by classical PCR. To identify T. controversa rapidly and accurately, SYBR Green I and TaqMan probe real-time PCR were established based on PR32. With TaqMan Real-Time PCR, different T. controversa strains and T. caries strains were detected. The results showed that all T. controversa strains were amplified with Ct from 19-29 and amplified curves were obtained. In contrast, the amplification of all T. caries strains did not show any signals, without Ct and amplified curves. Moreover, the developed TaqMan real-time PCR was used to detect T. controversa from asymptomatic wheat tissues successfully.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a common, highly malignant, and aggressive gastrointestinal tumor. The conventional treatment of PAAD shows poor results, and patients have poor prognosis. The synthesis and degradation of proteins are essential for the occurrence and development of tumors. Aggrephagy is a type of autophagy that selectively degrades aggregated proteins. It decreases the formation of aggregates by degrading proteins, thus reducing the harm to cells. By breaking down proteins, it decreases the formation of aggregates; thus, minimizing damage to cells. For evaluating the response to immunotherapy and prognosis in PAAD patients, in this study, we developed a reliable signature based on aggrephagy-related genes (ARGs). We obtained 298 AGGLncRNAs. Based on the results of one-way Cox and LASSO analyses, the lncRNA signature was constructed. In the risk model, the prognosis of patients in the low-risk group was noticeably better than that of the patients in the high-risk group. Additionally, the ROC curves and nomograms validated the capacity of the risk model to predict the prognosis of PAAD. The patients in the low-risk and high-risk groups showed considerable variations in functional enrichment and immunological analysis. Regarding drug sensitivity, the low-risk and high-risk groups had different half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50).