While MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) is widely considered as the reference method for the rapid... more While MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) is widely considered as the reference method for the rapid and inexpensive identification of microorganisms in routine laboratories, less attention has been addressed to its ability for detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Recently, some studies assessed its potential application together with machine learning for the detection of AMR in clinical pathogens. The scope of this study was to investigate MALDI-TOF MS protein mass spectra combined with a prediction approach as an AMR screening tool for relevant foodborne pathogens, such as Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni. A One-Health panel of 224 C. jejuni and 116 C. coli strains was phenotypically tested for seven antimicrobial resistances, i.e., ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, tetracycline, gentamycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and ampicillin, independently, and were submitted, after an on- and off-plate protein extraction, to MALDI Biotyper analysis, which yielded one average spec...
Bacteriophages participate in soil life by influencing bacterial community structure and function... more Bacteriophages participate in soil life by influencing bacterial community structure and function, biogeochemical cycling and horizontal gene transfer. Despite their great abundance, diversity, and importance in microbial processes, they remain little explored in environmental studies. The influence of abiotic factors on the persistence of bacteriophages is now recognized; however, it has been mainly studied under experimental conditions. This study aimed to determine whether the abiotic factors well-known to influence bacteriophage persistence also control the natural distribution of the known DNA bacteriophage populations. To this end, soil from eight study sites including forests and grasslands located in the Attert River basin (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) were sampled, covering different soil and land cover characteristics. Shotgun metagenomics, reference-based bioinformatics and statistical analyses allowed characterising the diversity of known DNA bacteriophage and bacterial co...
In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain),epilithic diatom samples... more In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain),epilithic diatom samples were collected and analyzed in 137 stations in August 2004 followingnormalized standard protocols. The floristic particularities of the diatom assemblages in thebasin are discussed. A total of 429 diatom taxa were identified in the basin and 90 taxa (21%)were new for the Iberian Peninsula. Especially noticeable was the presence of Achnanthidiumrivulare, only known until now from North America. Ordination revealed the existence of fivespecies assemblages related to the following environmental factors: 5-Day BiochemicalOxygen Demand (BOD5), [PO43-], and conductivity. Light and scanning electron microscopymicrographs are provided for some common, infrequent or exotic diatom species present in theDuero basin. Three diatom indices (Specific Pollution Index SPI, European Index CEC andBiological Diatom Index BDI) were applied. All of them correlated significantly with waterphysical and chemica...
Conformal epoxy-rich coatings are synthesized by plasma initiated chain-growth polymerization of ... more Conformal epoxy-rich coatings are synthesized by plasma initiated chain-growth polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate via a newly developed Plasma initiated chemical vapor deposition method at atmospheric pressure to provide a functional platform for the immobilization of enzymes degrading antibiotics (laccase and β-lactamase). In addition to enhance the enzymes activity duration and intensity, surface immobilization is also leading to enzyme structure rigidification, allowing them to endure mechanical stresses generated by a laminar water flow of 30 km h−1, and this with no reduction of their enzymatic activity. Self-defensive surface properties against microorganism's adhesion, preventing the enzyme alteration and improving the degradation performances, are obtained via surface saturation with Tween 20. The developed method is scaled up to high specific surface high-density polyethylene biochips commonly used in water treatment, and shows self-defensive abilities and particularly long lasting efficient degradation properties.
Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2014
The detection of low virus concentrations in biological matrices, especially stool samples, is fa... more The detection of low virus concentrations in biological matrices, especially stool samples, is facing significant limitations as far as common diagnostic methods (enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)) are considered. Here the development of a new immuno real-time PCR (iPCR) is described and its performance in the detection of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) in spiked stools is compared with those of ELISA and qPCR assays. For the iPCR, detection of the sandwich formed by the complexation of capture antibody-antigen-detection antibody was performed by qPCR thanks to the substitution of peroxydase by a chimeric DNA. This modification increased the detection sensitivity 200-fold compared to ELISA. The direct qPCR results revealed that only 0.3-9.5% of the spiked HAdV were detectable, resulting from important losses of DNA occurring at the extraction step. This step was not necessary in the iPCR workflow, avoiding this drawback. The losses of viral p...
Surveillance and field investigations of Campylobacter infections require molecular tools with ge... more Surveillance and field investigations of Campylobacter infections require molecular tools with genetic markers appropriate for tracing purposes, i.e. based on the principle that some Campylobacter lineages acquire a host signature under adaptive selection pressure. We developed a sequence-based method targeting the quinolone resistance determining region within the subunit A of DNA gyrase (gyrA). Host specificity was evaluated by characterizing two collections of Campylobacter jejuni (N = 430) and Campylobacter coli (N = 302) originating from surface waters, domestic mammals and poultry. Based on nucleotide identity, a total of 80 gyrA alleles were observed. Thirty nine alleles assigned to C. coli encoding two peptides fell into three clades: two associated with surface waters and one associated with domestic mammals and poultry. The variability in GC content generated by synonymous mutations suggested that surface waters isolates originated from two distinct ecological niches. A to...
Campylobacteriosis has increased markedly in Luxembourg during recent years. We sought to determi... more Campylobacteriosis has increased markedly in Luxembourg during recent years. We sought to determine which Campylobacter genotypes infect humans, where they may originate from and how they may infect humans. Multilocus sequence typing was performed on 1153 Campylobacter jejuni and 136 C. coli human strains to be attributed to three putative animal reservoirs (poultry, ruminants, pigs) and to environmental water using the asymmetric island model. A nationwide case-control study (2010–2013) for domestic campylobacteriosis was also conducted, including 367 C. jejuni and 48 C. coli cases and 624 controls. Risk factors were investigated by Campylobacter species and for strains attributed to different sources using a combined case-control and source attribution analysis. 282 sequence types (STs) were identified: ST-21, ST-48, ST-572, ST-50 and ST-257 were prevailing. Most cases were attributed to poultry (61.2%) and ruminants (33.3%). Consuming chicken outside the home was the dominant ris...
Abstract: Background: The occurrence of faecal pathogens in drinking water resources constitutes ... more Abstract: Background: The occurrence of faecal pathogens in drinking water resources constitutes a threat to the supply of safe drinking water, even in industrialized nations. To efficiently assess and monitor the risk posed by these pathogens, sampling deserves careful design, based on preliminary knowledge on their distribution dynamics in water. For the protozoan pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia, only little is known about their spatial distribution within drinking water supplies, especially at fine scale. Methods: Two-dimensional distribution maps were generated by sampling cross-sections at meter resolution in two different zones of a drinking water reservoir. Samples were analysed for protozoan pathogens as well as for E. coli, turbidity and physico-chemical parameters. Results: Parasites displayed heterogeneous distribution patterns, as reflected by significant (oo)cyst density gradients along reservoir depth. Spatial correlations between parasites and E. coli were obser...
Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques tels que le fluoranthene sont souvent detectes dans l... more Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques tels que le fluoranthene sont souvent detectes dans les cours d'eau. L'impact de ces produits sur les algues benthiques est peu connu, surtout concernant les Diatomees benthiques. Pour etudier l'ecotoxicite du fluoranthene, des communautes de Diatomees benthiques recoltees dans un ruisseau non pollue au Luxembourg ont ete exposees a deux concentrations de fluoranthene en microcosmes dans des conditions de croissance proches de celles rencontrees dans le ruisseau: une concentration moderee de 0,05 μg.l -1 et une concentration forte de 16,46 μg.l -1 . Avec une concentration moderee, le fluoranthene a induit des modifications des assemblages mais aucune deformation des frustules n'a ete observee. Avec une forte concentration de fluoranthene, des modifications des assemblages de Diatomees et des formes teratologiques ont ete observees pour la plupart des taxons. Pour les deux experiences, les taxons sensibles et tolerants au fl...
F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPHs) are commonly used as indicators of faecal and viral conta... more F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPHs) are commonly used as indicators of faecal and viral contamination in waters. Once they enter surface waters, the exact role of suspended solids, sediments and hydro-meteorological factors in their fluvial fate and transport is poorly understood, and long-term studies (e.g., over years) are lacking. In this study, FRNAPH concentrations and genogroup distribution were measured in the Orne River (France) during two years at weekly intervals, and during four storm runoff events. Hydro-meteorological driving factors were investigated at both time scales. FRNAPH concentrations and genogroups at different depths of a riverbank sediment core were also examined to better discriminate the origin of the faecal pollution. During low flows, the FRNAPH and the suspended solid transport were decoupled and the FRNAPH concentrations were mainly correlated with the air and water temperature. During storm runoff events, the FRNAPH concentrations only showed a si...
... From January to June, IR Phyto varied between 66 and 92% of B phyto .day -1 and 310% of Pprim... more ... From January to June, IR Phyto varied between 66 and 92% of B phyto .day -1 and 310% of Pprim , causing a significant drop in B phyto ... Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee InnovOcean site Wandelaarkaai 7 B-8400 OOSTENDE, België Tel: +32 [0]59/34 21 30 Fax: +32 [0]59/34 21 31 ...
The faecal indicator Escherichia coli plays a central role in water quality assessment and monito... more The faecal indicator Escherichia coli plays a central role in water quality assessment and monitoring. It is therefore essential to understand its fate under various environmental constraints such as predation by bacterivorous zooplankton. Whereas most studies have examined how protozooplankton communities (heterotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates) affect the fate of E. coli in water, the capacity of metazooplankton to control the faecal indicator remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how the common filter-feeding cladoceran, Daphnia pulex, affects the fate of E. coli under different experimental conditions. Daphnia ingested E. coli and increased its loss rates in water, but the latter rates decreased from 1.65 d to 0.62 d after a 1,000-fold reduction in E. coli initial concentrations, due to lower probability of encounter between Daphnia and E. coli. The combined use of culture and PMA qPCR (viability-qPCR) demonstrated that exposure to Daphnia did not result ...
In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain), epilithic diatom sample... more In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain), epilithic diatom samples were collected and analyzed in 137 stations in August 2004 following normalized standard protocols. The floristic particularities of the diatom assemblages in the basin are discussed. A total of 429 diatom taxa were identified in the basin and 90 taxa (21%) were new for the Iberian Peninsula. Especially noticeable was the presence of Achnanthidium rivulare, only known until now from North America. Ordination revealed the existence of five species assemblages related to the following environmental factors: 5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), (P043~), and conductivity. Light and scanning electron microscopy micrographs are provided for some common, infrequent or exotic diatom species present in the Duero basin. Three diatom indices (Specific Pollution Index SPI, European Index CEC and Biological Diatom Index BDI) were applied. All of them correlated significantly with water physical ...
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is to... more Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is today the reference method for direct identification of microorganisms in diagnostic laboratories, as it is notably time- and cost-efficient. In the context of increasing cases of enteric diseases with emerging multi-drug resistance patterns, there is an urgent need to adopt an efficient workflow to characterize antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Current approaches, such as antibiograms, are time-consuming and directly impact the “patient-physician” workflow. Through this mini-review, we summarize how the detection of specific patterns by MALDI-TOF MS, as well as bioinformatics, become more and more essential in research, and how these approaches will help diagnostics in the future. Along the same lines, the idea to export more precise biomarker identification steps by MALDI-TOF(/TOF) MS data towards AMR identification pipelines is discussed. The study also critically points out that there is...
Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Crustacea, Volume 4 Part B, 2014
Crustaceans play a considerable ecological role in both marine and freshwater trophic networks. A... more Crustaceans play a considerable ecological role in both marine and freshwater trophic networks. Although the vast majority of crustaceans are theoretically edible by humans, only rather large and common species are generally collected. As a matter of fact, decapods (crabs, shrimps, lobsters) constitute the vast majority of crustaceans eaten by humans. Many crustaceans have been used as remedies since antiquity and are still used in some countries. Some crustaceans are considered pests because of their predation on fish or the impact of their burrowing activities on the stability of dikes. Crustaceans are linked to human health through two aspects: firstly as toxic food items; and secondly as intermediate hosts for pathogenic bacteria or parasites. It is quite understandable that crustaceans, being mostly aquatic, rather inconspicuous animals, have played a lesser role in history, art, or mythology than vertebrates, primarily mammals, birds, and reptiles. Keywords: burrowing activities; crustaceans; decapods; freshwater trophic networks; marine trophic netwrorks; pathogenic bacteria; toxic food items
While MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) is widely considered as the reference method for the rapid... more While MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) is widely considered as the reference method for the rapid and inexpensive identification of microorganisms in routine laboratories, less attention has been addressed to its ability for detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Recently, some studies assessed its potential application together with machine learning for the detection of AMR in clinical pathogens. The scope of this study was to investigate MALDI-TOF MS protein mass spectra combined with a prediction approach as an AMR screening tool for relevant foodborne pathogens, such as Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni. A One-Health panel of 224 C. jejuni and 116 C. coli strains was phenotypically tested for seven antimicrobial resistances, i.e., ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, tetracycline, gentamycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and ampicillin, independently, and were submitted, after an on- and off-plate protein extraction, to MALDI Biotyper analysis, which yielded one average spec...
Bacteriophages participate in soil life by influencing bacterial community structure and function... more Bacteriophages participate in soil life by influencing bacterial community structure and function, biogeochemical cycling and horizontal gene transfer. Despite their great abundance, diversity, and importance in microbial processes, they remain little explored in environmental studies. The influence of abiotic factors on the persistence of bacteriophages is now recognized; however, it has been mainly studied under experimental conditions. This study aimed to determine whether the abiotic factors well-known to influence bacteriophage persistence also control the natural distribution of the known DNA bacteriophage populations. To this end, soil from eight study sites including forests and grasslands located in the Attert River basin (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) were sampled, covering different soil and land cover characteristics. Shotgun metagenomics, reference-based bioinformatics and statistical analyses allowed characterising the diversity of known DNA bacteriophage and bacterial co...
In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain),epilithic diatom samples... more In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain),epilithic diatom samples were collected and analyzed in 137 stations in August 2004 followingnormalized standard protocols. The floristic particularities of the diatom assemblages in thebasin are discussed. A total of 429 diatom taxa were identified in the basin and 90 taxa (21%)were new for the Iberian Peninsula. Especially noticeable was the presence of Achnanthidiumrivulare, only known until now from North America. Ordination revealed the existence of fivespecies assemblages related to the following environmental factors: 5-Day BiochemicalOxygen Demand (BOD5), [PO43-], and conductivity. Light and scanning electron microscopymicrographs are provided for some common, infrequent or exotic diatom species present in theDuero basin. Three diatom indices (Specific Pollution Index SPI, European Index CEC andBiological Diatom Index BDI) were applied. All of them correlated significantly with waterphysical and chemica...
Conformal epoxy-rich coatings are synthesized by plasma initiated chain-growth polymerization of ... more Conformal epoxy-rich coatings are synthesized by plasma initiated chain-growth polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate via a newly developed Plasma initiated chemical vapor deposition method at atmospheric pressure to provide a functional platform for the immobilization of enzymes degrading antibiotics (laccase and β-lactamase). In addition to enhance the enzymes activity duration and intensity, surface immobilization is also leading to enzyme structure rigidification, allowing them to endure mechanical stresses generated by a laminar water flow of 30 km h−1, and this with no reduction of their enzymatic activity. Self-defensive surface properties against microorganism's adhesion, preventing the enzyme alteration and improving the degradation performances, are obtained via surface saturation with Tween 20. The developed method is scaled up to high specific surface high-density polyethylene biochips commonly used in water treatment, and shows self-defensive abilities and particularly long lasting efficient degradation properties.
Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2014
The detection of low virus concentrations in biological matrices, especially stool samples, is fa... more The detection of low virus concentrations in biological matrices, especially stool samples, is facing significant limitations as far as common diagnostic methods (enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)) are considered. Here the development of a new immuno real-time PCR (iPCR) is described and its performance in the detection of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) in spiked stools is compared with those of ELISA and qPCR assays. For the iPCR, detection of the sandwich formed by the complexation of capture antibody-antigen-detection antibody was performed by qPCR thanks to the substitution of peroxydase by a chimeric DNA. This modification increased the detection sensitivity 200-fold compared to ELISA. The direct qPCR results revealed that only 0.3-9.5% of the spiked HAdV were detectable, resulting from important losses of DNA occurring at the extraction step. This step was not necessary in the iPCR workflow, avoiding this drawback. The losses of viral p...
Surveillance and field investigations of Campylobacter infections require molecular tools with ge... more Surveillance and field investigations of Campylobacter infections require molecular tools with genetic markers appropriate for tracing purposes, i.e. based on the principle that some Campylobacter lineages acquire a host signature under adaptive selection pressure. We developed a sequence-based method targeting the quinolone resistance determining region within the subunit A of DNA gyrase (gyrA). Host specificity was evaluated by characterizing two collections of Campylobacter jejuni (N = 430) and Campylobacter coli (N = 302) originating from surface waters, domestic mammals and poultry. Based on nucleotide identity, a total of 80 gyrA alleles were observed. Thirty nine alleles assigned to C. coli encoding two peptides fell into three clades: two associated with surface waters and one associated with domestic mammals and poultry. The variability in GC content generated by synonymous mutations suggested that surface waters isolates originated from two distinct ecological niches. A to...
Campylobacteriosis has increased markedly in Luxembourg during recent years. We sought to determi... more Campylobacteriosis has increased markedly in Luxembourg during recent years. We sought to determine which Campylobacter genotypes infect humans, where they may originate from and how they may infect humans. Multilocus sequence typing was performed on 1153 Campylobacter jejuni and 136 C. coli human strains to be attributed to three putative animal reservoirs (poultry, ruminants, pigs) and to environmental water using the asymmetric island model. A nationwide case-control study (2010–2013) for domestic campylobacteriosis was also conducted, including 367 C. jejuni and 48 C. coli cases and 624 controls. Risk factors were investigated by Campylobacter species and for strains attributed to different sources using a combined case-control and source attribution analysis. 282 sequence types (STs) were identified: ST-21, ST-48, ST-572, ST-50 and ST-257 were prevailing. Most cases were attributed to poultry (61.2%) and ruminants (33.3%). Consuming chicken outside the home was the dominant ris...
Abstract: Background: The occurrence of faecal pathogens in drinking water resources constitutes ... more Abstract: Background: The occurrence of faecal pathogens in drinking water resources constitutes a threat to the supply of safe drinking water, even in industrialized nations. To efficiently assess and monitor the risk posed by these pathogens, sampling deserves careful design, based on preliminary knowledge on their distribution dynamics in water. For the protozoan pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia, only little is known about their spatial distribution within drinking water supplies, especially at fine scale. Methods: Two-dimensional distribution maps were generated by sampling cross-sections at meter resolution in two different zones of a drinking water reservoir. Samples were analysed for protozoan pathogens as well as for E. coli, turbidity and physico-chemical parameters. Results: Parasites displayed heterogeneous distribution patterns, as reflected by significant (oo)cyst density gradients along reservoir depth. Spatial correlations between parasites and E. coli were obser...
Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques tels que le fluoranthene sont souvent detectes dans l... more Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques tels que le fluoranthene sont souvent detectes dans les cours d'eau. L'impact de ces produits sur les algues benthiques est peu connu, surtout concernant les Diatomees benthiques. Pour etudier l'ecotoxicite du fluoranthene, des communautes de Diatomees benthiques recoltees dans un ruisseau non pollue au Luxembourg ont ete exposees a deux concentrations de fluoranthene en microcosmes dans des conditions de croissance proches de celles rencontrees dans le ruisseau: une concentration moderee de 0,05 μg.l -1 et une concentration forte de 16,46 μg.l -1 . Avec une concentration moderee, le fluoranthene a induit des modifications des assemblages mais aucune deformation des frustules n'a ete observee. Avec une forte concentration de fluoranthene, des modifications des assemblages de Diatomees et des formes teratologiques ont ete observees pour la plupart des taxons. Pour les deux experiences, les taxons sensibles et tolerants au fl...
F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPHs) are commonly used as indicators of faecal and viral conta... more F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPHs) are commonly used as indicators of faecal and viral contamination in waters. Once they enter surface waters, the exact role of suspended solids, sediments and hydro-meteorological factors in their fluvial fate and transport is poorly understood, and long-term studies (e.g., over years) are lacking. In this study, FRNAPH concentrations and genogroup distribution were measured in the Orne River (France) during two years at weekly intervals, and during four storm runoff events. Hydro-meteorological driving factors were investigated at both time scales. FRNAPH concentrations and genogroups at different depths of a riverbank sediment core were also examined to better discriminate the origin of the faecal pollution. During low flows, the FRNAPH and the suspended solid transport were decoupled and the FRNAPH concentrations were mainly correlated with the air and water temperature. During storm runoff events, the FRNAPH concentrations only showed a si...
... From January to June, IR Phyto varied between 66 and 92% of B phyto .day -1 and 310% of Pprim... more ... From January to June, IR Phyto varied between 66 and 92% of B phyto .day -1 and 310% of Pprim , causing a significant drop in B phyto ... Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee InnovOcean site Wandelaarkaai 7 B-8400 OOSTENDE, België Tel: +32 [0]59/34 21 30 Fax: +32 [0]59/34 21 31 ...
The faecal indicator Escherichia coli plays a central role in water quality assessment and monito... more The faecal indicator Escherichia coli plays a central role in water quality assessment and monitoring. It is therefore essential to understand its fate under various environmental constraints such as predation by bacterivorous zooplankton. Whereas most studies have examined how protozooplankton communities (heterotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates) affect the fate of E. coli in water, the capacity of metazooplankton to control the faecal indicator remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how the common filter-feeding cladoceran, Daphnia pulex, affects the fate of E. coli under different experimental conditions. Daphnia ingested E. coli and increased its loss rates in water, but the latter rates decreased from 1.65 d to 0.62 d after a 1,000-fold reduction in E. coli initial concentrations, due to lower probability of encounter between Daphnia and E. coli. The combined use of culture and PMA qPCR (viability-qPCR) demonstrated that exposure to Daphnia did not result ...
In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain), epilithic diatom sample... more In order to determine water quality status in the Duero basin (NW Spain), epilithic diatom samples were collected and analyzed in 137 stations in August 2004 following normalized standard protocols. The floristic particularities of the diatom assemblages in the basin are discussed. A total of 429 diatom taxa were identified in the basin and 90 taxa (21%) were new for the Iberian Peninsula. Especially noticeable was the presence of Achnanthidium rivulare, only known until now from North America. Ordination revealed the existence of five species assemblages related to the following environmental factors: 5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), (P043~), and conductivity. Light and scanning electron microscopy micrographs are provided for some common, infrequent or exotic diatom species present in the Duero basin. Three diatom indices (Specific Pollution Index SPI, European Index CEC and Biological Diatom Index BDI) were applied. All of them correlated significantly with water physical ...
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is to... more Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is today the reference method for direct identification of microorganisms in diagnostic laboratories, as it is notably time- and cost-efficient. In the context of increasing cases of enteric diseases with emerging multi-drug resistance patterns, there is an urgent need to adopt an efficient workflow to characterize antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Current approaches, such as antibiograms, are time-consuming and directly impact the “patient-physician” workflow. Through this mini-review, we summarize how the detection of specific patterns by MALDI-TOF MS, as well as bioinformatics, become more and more essential in research, and how these approaches will help diagnostics in the future. Along the same lines, the idea to export more precise biomarker identification steps by MALDI-TOF(/TOF) MS data towards AMR identification pipelines is discussed. The study also critically points out that there is...
Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Crustacea, Volume 4 Part B, 2014
Crustaceans play a considerable ecological role in both marine and freshwater trophic networks. A... more Crustaceans play a considerable ecological role in both marine and freshwater trophic networks. Although the vast majority of crustaceans are theoretically edible by humans, only rather large and common species are generally collected. As a matter of fact, decapods (crabs, shrimps, lobsters) constitute the vast majority of crustaceans eaten by humans. Many crustaceans have been used as remedies since antiquity and are still used in some countries. Some crustaceans are considered pests because of their predation on fish or the impact of their burrowing activities on the stability of dikes. Crustaceans are linked to human health through two aspects: firstly as toxic food items; and secondly as intermediate hosts for pathogenic bacteria or parasites. It is quite understandable that crustaceans, being mostly aquatic, rather inconspicuous animals, have played a lesser role in history, art, or mythology than vertebrates, primarily mammals, birds, and reptiles. Keywords: burrowing activities; crustaceans; decapods; freshwater trophic networks; marine trophic netwrorks; pathogenic bacteria; toxic food items
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Papers by Henry-Michel Cauchie