Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria are a major source of concern in modern-day nosocomial settings, leading to possible further drug resistance or spread to those who cannot fight off the infection. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) secretes an antimicrobial protein that has been shown to inhibit the growth of many species of bacteria that contain AMR properties in the Enterobacteriaceae family, a major contributor to nosocomial AMR. Klebsiella spent media is able to inhibit the growth of Citrobacter freundii (CF), Enterobacter aerogenes (EA), and Enterobacter cloacae (ECL) through an anti-microbial protein (AMP). This AMP has been shown to reduce the density and growth of CF, EA, and ECL in both biofilm and planktonic forms. To determine the genetic elements involved in AMP production, we introduced a transposon (Tn5) into the genome of Klebsiella to provide resistant selection and to create a mutant knockout to find the exact location of the gene. Upon transposon mutagenesis, the resulting genome was electroporated into Rec- E. coli. The E. coli was now able to produce the antimicrobial protein, with the zones of inhibition for CF, EA, and ECL. Upon confirmation that the plasmid mediates the AMP, the plasmid was sent for sequencing to further characterize the gene responsible for coding the AMP. This newly identified AMP may prove to be a valuable treatment for AMR bacteria once characterized.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-01-21T17:43:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagocesarnascimento.pdf: 3494952 bytes, checksum: 3356415ad599be16280e8e70cee1950d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-01-25T18:47:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagocesarnascimento.pdf: 3494952 bytes, checksum: 3356415ad599be16280e8e70cee1950d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T18:47:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagocesarnascimento.pdf: 3494952 bytes, checksum: 3356415ad599be16280e8e70cee1950d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-24 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Staphylococcus aureus é uma das principais causas de infecções associadas à saúde em todo o mundo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características epidemiológicas, fisiológicas e moleculares de S. aureus resistente à oxacilina (ORSA), isolados de infecções em um hospital terciário universitário e avaliar sua susceptibilidade a novas moléculas síntéticas. Foram avaliadas um total de 103 amostras de ORSA quanto a dados clínicos e epidemiológicos relacionados aos pacientes, perfil de susceptibilidade a drogas antimicrobianas, avaliação da produção de biofilme e da capacidade hemolítica e confirmação da identidade genética, detecção do gene mecA e caracterização do SCCmec, por PCR. Para 45 amostras oriundas do CTI, também foram realizadas a análise do perfil de fragmentação do DNA cromossômico por PFGE e caracterização do CC, por PCR. Para 21 amostras foi avaliada a susceptibilidade a aminas aromáticas alquiladas (aminoálcoois). Considerando-se as amostras clínicas, a maioria das amostras foi isolada no sexo masculino (71%) a partir de secreção traqueal (26,2%) e sangue (23,3%) seguido de swab de sítio cirúrgico e ponta do cateter (15,5%), exsudados (14,6%) e urina (4,9%), associados à infecção do sistema respiratório (34%) e bacteremia (20,4%), em unidade de terapia intensiva (43,7%). No geral, uma alta frequência de resistência foi observada contra clindamicina (100%), eritromicina (100%), azitromicina (99%), levofloxacina (93,2%), gentamicina (84,5%), sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim (75,7%), tetraciclina (77,6%), cloranfenicol (59,3%) e rifampicina (50,5%). Os aminoálcoois também apresentaram atividade antibacteriana contra a maioria dos isolados de ORSA. Tipos de SCCmec III (66,7%) , II (17,8%) , IV (4,4% ), I (2,2%) foram encontrados. A maioria (66,7%) dos isolados foram relacionados ao clone epidemico brasileiro (CEB)/CC8/SCCmec III , que prevaleceu entre 2005 e 2008 , enquanto que a linhagem USA100/CC5/SCCmec II surgiu em 2007 e foi mais frequente em 2009 e 2010, na UTI. Os isolados que transportam o tipo de SCCmec IV (USA400/CC1 e USA800/CC5 linhagens) e I (USA500/CC5) também foram detectadas. Nossos dados são altamente relevantes para os sistemas de vigilância permitiu mapear em maior escala a circulação dinâmica de ORSA e levantar discussões sobre estratégias de contenção e uso racional da quimioterapia empírica. / Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of health care associated infections worldwide. The aim of this work was to evaluate epidemiological, physiological and molecular characteristics of aureus oxacillin resistant S. aureus (ORSA) isolated from infections in a tertiary university hospital and evaluated their susceptibility to new synthetic molecules. A total of 103 samples of ORSA for clinical and epidemiological data related to patients susceptibility profile to antimicrobial drugs, assessment of biofilm production and hemolytic capacity and confirmation of genetic identity, detection of the mecA gene and characterization of SCCmec were evaluated, PCR. For 45 samples from CTI, also the profile of DNA analysis by PFGE and characterization of the CC, PCR were performed. For 21 samples susceptibility to alkylated aromatic amines was evaluated. Considering the clinical samples, most samples contained in males (71%) from tracheal secretion (26.2%) and blood (23.3%) followed by surgical site and swab tip of the catheter (15.5%), exudates (14.6 %) and urine (4.9%), associated with infection of the respiratory system (34%) and bacteremia (20.4%) in the intensive care unit (43.7%). Overall, a high frequency of resistance was observed against clindamycin and erythromycin (100%), azithromycin (99%), levofloxacin (93.2%), gentamicin (84.5%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (75.7%), tetracycline (77.6%), chloramphenicol (59.3%) and rifampicin (50.5%). The amino alcohols also showed antibacterial activity against most isolates of ORSA. SCCmec type III (66.7%), II (17.8%), IV (4.4%) and I (2.2%) were found. The majority (66.7%) isolates were related to the brazilian epidemic clone (CEB)/CC8/SCCmec III, which prevailed between 2005 and 2008, while the USA100/CC5/SCCmec lineage II emerged in 2007 and was more frequent in 2009 and 2010 in the ICU. The strains carrying the SCCmec type IV (USA400/CC1 and USA800/CC5 lineages) and I (USA500/CC5) were also detected. Our data are highly relevant to surveillance systems enabled map on a larger scale the dynamic movement of ORSA and raise discussions on containment strategies and rational use of empirical chemotherapy.

Les infections associées aux soins représentent un enjeu majeur de santé publique dans le monde. Les bactéries multirésistantes (BMR) sont responsables d’une grande partie de ces infections. Mieux comprendre leur dissémination dans les établissements de soins est indispensable pour élaborer des mesures de contrôle et de prévention.L’objectif de cette thèse est d’utiliser des données détaillées sur les réseaux de contacts interindividuels, couplées à des méthodes de modélisation mathématique, pour étudier la dissémination des BMR à l’hôpital afin d’améliorer leur contrôle. Pour répondre à cette problématique, les données de l’étude i-Bird ont été analysées. Cette étude prospective longitudinale a eu lieu dans l’hôpital maritime de Berck-sur-Mer durant 4 mois en 2009. Pendant cette période, les interactions de proximités entre tous les individus de l’hôpital ont été enregistrées chaque jour grâce à des capteurs RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) et des prélèvements microbiologiques ont été récoltés chaque semaineDans un premier temps, la structure des contacts interindividuels au sein de et entre les différentes catégories d’individus (patient, aide-soignant, infirmier, …) a été analysée. Cette première étude a souligné l’importance des contacts patient-patient en établissement de longue durée. De plus, certaines catégories de personnel hospitalier ont été identifiées comme de potentiels super-propagateurs, tel que les brancardiers et les médecins.Dans un deuxième temps, le rôle du réseau de contacts dans la dissémination de deux espèces (E. coli et K. pneumoniae) d’entérobactéries résistantes aux béta-lactamines à spectre étendue (BLSE) a été étudié. Cette étude a montré que le réseau d’interactions de proximités était suffisant pour expliquer la propagation des KP-BLSE. En revanche, il n’était pas suffisant pour retracer la dissémination des EC-BLSE.La dernière partie de la thèse a été consacrée au développement d’un modèle individu-centré de transmission de BMR à l’hôpital modélisant explicitement les contacts interindividuels. Ce modèle permet d’évaluer l’effet de mesures de contrôle ciblant la structure du réseau de contacts. A titre d’application, les données de l’étude i-Bird ont été utilisées pour simuler la transmission de Staphylococcus aureus résistant à la méticilline (SARM) durant les 4 mois de l’étude. La simulation de procédures de cohorting du personnel dans l’hôpital de Berck-sur-Mer suggère que la mise en place de telles mesures permet de réduire l’acquisition de SARM chez les patients.Cette thèse combine analyse de réseaux, épidémiologie des maladies infectieuses et modélisation dynamique. Elle apporte une meilleure compréhension de la diffusion et du contrôle des BMR dans les hôpitaux de longue durée. De plus, elle apporte un outil innovant, visant à être développé, pour la compréhension et le contrôle de la dissémination des BMR à travers les contacts en milieu hospitalier. / Healthcare-associated infections represent a huge public health issue worldwide. Multidrug resistant bacteria (MDR) are a major cause of these infections. Hence, better understanding their transmission routes in hospital settings is crucial to design efficient control measures.The purpose of this thesis is to use detailed data on interindividual contact networks, associated with mathematical modelling methods, to study MDR spread in hospitals and improve their control. To this end, data collected during the i-Bird study was used. This longitudinal prospective study took place at the Berck-sur-Mer hospital during 4 months in 2009. Close proximity interactions were recorded by the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) sensors everyday. Meanwhile, microbiological swabs were collected weekly.In a first part, interindividual contact patterns within and between each individual categories (patients, nurses, hospital porters, etc.) were analyzed. This first study notably underlined the importance of patient-to-patient contacts in long-term care facilities (LTCF). Moreover, some hospital staff categories, such as hospital porters and physicians, were identified as potential superspreaders based on their contact patterns.In a second part, we investigated the impact of the contact network on the spread of two species of Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) Enterobacteriaceae (E. coli and K. pneumoniae). This work showed that the contact network was an important driver of ESBL-K. pneumoniae dynamics, but not of ESBL-E. coli dynamics over the i-Bird study.The last part of the thesis was dedicated to the development of an agent-based model of MDR spread in hospital settings that explicitly formalizes detailed interindividual contacts. This model allows to assess control measures focused on contact patterns. The model was applied to the i-Bird data; we simulated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission during the 4-month study over the reported contact network. Using our simations, we evaluated measures associated with hospital staff cohorting and showed it can lead to reduce the MRSA acquisition=.This thesis combines network analysis, epidemiology of infectious diseases and dynamic modeling. It allows a better understanding of MDR spread and control in LTCF. Moreover, it brings an innovative tool, intended to be developed, to understand and control BMR spread through contact networks in hospital settings.