Characterisation, dissemination and persistence of gentamicin resistant Escherichia coli from a Danish university hospital to the waste water environment

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential spread of gentamicin resistant (GEN(R)) Escherichia coli isolates or GEN(R) determinants from a Danish university hospital to the waste water environment. Waste water samples were collected monthly from the outlets of the hospital bed wards and the inlet of the related waste water treatment plant (WWTP) from October 2002 to August 2003. Waste water samples were also collected monthly from a residential area in the same period to be able to compare the prevalence of GEN(R)E. coli isolates from hospital related and residential waste water. The waste water isolates were compared to GEN(R)E. coli isolates obtained consecutively from September 2002 to September 2003 from patients mainly with urinary tract infections at the hospital with respect to Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles. All isolates were investigated for GEN(R) mechanisms (aac(3)-II, aac(3)-IV, ant(2')-I, armA), phenotypic resistance pattern, and virulence genes (hlyA, chuA, sfaS, fogG, malX, traT, iutA, fyuA, iroN, cnf1) to investigate if the hospital and waste water could be reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance and virulence. The ability for GEN(R) determinants to transfer horizontally was investigated by mating experiments. A total of 38, 15, 21, and two GEN(R)E. coli were isolated from patients, the hospital outlets, the inlet of the WWTP, and the residential area, respectively. GEN(R)E. coli were more prevalent in waste water from the hospital and the WWTP than in waste water from the residential area. PFGE profiling revealed no spread of specific patient isolates to the waste water. The aac(3)-II gene was detected both in patient and waste water isolates. Furthermore horizontal transfer of the aac(3)-II gene of patient origin to a recipient was shown in vitro, indicating a potential spread of the gene from patient isolates to waste water isolates. Regardless of origin, most isolates exhibited multi-resistance and contained several virulence genes. In conclusion, our study showed a possible spread of aac(3)-II from the hospital to the waste water. Most of the GEN(R)E. coli isolates from both patients and waste water had a multi-resistant phenotype and contained virulence genes and should therefore be considered reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes.     

Das Potenzial genetisch modifizierter und gentechnisch konstruierter Organismen in der wirkungsbezogenen Analytik

Using the example of the specific toxicological endpoint genotoxicity the potential of bio-analytical instruments as tools in effect-directed analysis is demonstrated. Genotoxic potentials of sediments from different river basins such as the Rhine, Elbe, Danube and Oder were analyzed with the Ames-fluctuation test in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In sediment pore waters of the investigated rivers a low mutagenic potential could be measured occasionally when standard test strains were used. However, the fractionation of sediment extracts showed that particle bound genotoxic substances are detectable especially in the medium polar fractions. PAH, including several that are listed as priority hazardous compounds in Annex X of the EU WFD, contribute significantly to the mutagenic potential. Nevertheless, many compounds that were previously not defined as priority hazardous substances play an important role. As an example Dibenzopyrene isomers were identified, some of which have a high genotoxic (and carcinogenic) potential. The extention of the test battery to metabolically competent test strains which express enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism pathways, broadened significantly the range of detectable genotoxins in direction of medium polar to polar compounds. These test strains also showed mutagenicity in pore waters of fresh sediments. In a contaminated site in the Elbe catchment area, many heterocyclic and N-substituted compounds were detected, possibly determining the high mutagenic potential of the site.     

Der Einsatz von Pflanzentests bei der Sedimentbewertung

Background and aim Aquatic organisms of the three trophic levels (producers, consumers, reducers) have been used for a long time for ecotoxicological assessments of water quality (HABAB 2000; HABAK 1999). In biotest systems that have become established standards, algae, daphnia, and luminescent bacteria as test organisms are often used so far. However, comparative studies have shown that algae are not sufficiently sensitive to all phytotoxic agents and thus cannot be the exclusive indicator organism of any toxic effects on autotrophic life. Moreover, the EU Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD 2000) sets macrobenthos, fish, phytoplankton, and macrophytes equally side by side as indicators of the status of waters. Nevertheless, biotest systems relying on higher plants have been rarely used in assessments of aquatic sediments so far. Against this background, the aquatic duckweed test (DIN EN ISO 20079) was developed and standardized, and a sediment contact test was developed with Myriophyllum aquaticum (Feiler et al. 2004). The latter was subject of a joint research project of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF-Verbundprojekt “SeKT”) that examined and compared several sediment contact tests (Feiler et al. 2005). Compared to tests with algae, a biotest using macrophytes has the advantage to be more representative of higher plants, since target organism and test organism are closer related in terms of evolutionary history. The present study demonstrates that the application of biotests with higher plants in analyses of contaminated sediments yields valuable results that may contribute to a concept for the integrative assessment of water quality.     

Coordinated gene expression for pheromone biosynthesis in the pine engraver beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ips pini</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

In several pine bark beetle species, phloem feeding induces aggregation pheromone production to coordinate a mass attack on the host tree. Male pine engraver beetles, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), produce the monoterpenoid pheromone component ipsdienol de novo via the mevalonate pathway in the anterior midgut upon feeding. To understand how pheromone production is regulated in this tissue, we used quantitative real-time PCR to examine feeding-induced changes in gene expression of seven mevalonate pathway genes: acetoacetyl-coenzyme A thiolase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, mevalonate 5-diphosphate decarboxylase, isopentenyl-diphosphate isomerase, geranyl-diphosphate synthase (GPPS), and farnesyl-diphosphate synthase (FPPS). In males, expression of all these genes significantly increased upon feeding. In females, the expression of the early mevalonate pathway genes (up to and including the isomerase) increased significantly, but the expression of the later genes (GPPS and FPPS) was unaffected or decreased upon feeding. Thus, feeding coordinately regulates expression of the mevalonate pathway genes necessary for pheromone biosynthesis in male, but not female, midguts. Furthermore, basal mRNA levels were 5- to 41-fold more abundant in male midguts compared to female midguts. This is the first report of coordinated regulation of mevalonate pathway genes in an invertebrate model consistent with their sex-specific role in de novo pheromone biosynthesis.Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at .     

Establishing principal soil quality parameters influencing earthworms in urban soils using bioassays

Potential contamination at ex-industrial sites means that, prior to change of use, it will be necessary to quantify the extent of risks to potential receptors. To assess ecological hazards, it is often suggested to use biological assessment to augment chemical analyses. Here we investigate the potential of a commonly recommended bioassay, the earthworm reproduction test, to assess the status of urban contaminated soils. Sample points at all study sites had contaminant concentrations above the Dutch soil criteria Target Values. In some cases, the relevant Intervention Values were exceeded. Earthworm survival at most points was high, but reproduction differed significantly in soil from separate patches on the same site. When the interrelationships between soil parameters and reproduction were studied, it was not possible to create a good model of site soil toxicity based on single or even multiple chemical measurements of the soils. We thus conclude that chemical analysis alone is not sufficient to characterize soil quality and confirms the value of biological assays for risk assessment of potentially contaminated soils.     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">Chronodisruption and cancer</Emphasis>

Research into health effects of chronodisruption (CD), a relevant disturbance of the circadian organization of physiology, endocrinology, metabolism and behaviour, is evolving at a rapid pace. With regard to malignancies, our synthesis of key experiments indicates that CD can play a causal role for cancer growth and tumor progression in animals. Moreover, our meta-analyses of 30 epidemiological studies evince that flight personnel and shift workers exposed to chronodisruption may have increased breast and prostate cancer risks: summary relative risks (RRs) for investigations of flight personnel and of shift workers suggested a 70 and 40% increase in the risk of breast cancer, respectively, and excess relative risks of prostate cancer in nine studies in flight personnel (40%) and in two studies in male shift workers. There was a remarkable indication of homogeneity of results from the individual studies that contribute to the average statistics. However, in view of doubts about whether the differing assessments of CD can really be regarded as valid reflections of the same causative phenomenon and the lack of control of covariates in the majority of studies, it is premature to conclude that the risk observations reflect a real, rather than spurious, association with CD. The challenge for future epidemiological investigations of the biologically plausible links between chronodisruption and human cancers is to conduct studies which appreciate details of transmeridian travelling, of shift work and of covariates for the development of the diseases.     

基于水经济价值的长江口环境流量探讨

适宜的环境流量对于维持河口生态系统稳定以及保障区域社会经济用水需求有着重要意义。论文以探讨水资源优化配置条件下长江口适宜环境流量为目的,基于水经济价值分析构建了长江中下游水资源优化配置模型,分析了区域缺水量以及环境流量约束的影子成本随长江口环境流量约束的变化。结果表明：当环境流量约束超过临界值后,区域缺水量不断增加,且环境流量约束产生非零影子成本;通过区域供水目标和环境流量约束的影子成本图确定长江口适宜环境流量的上限和下限,得到20%、50%、75%及95%水资源保证率下,长江口适宜环境流量分别为27.10×10⁹~29.65×10⁹、25.50×10⁹~27.12×10⁹、23.08×10⁹~24.62×10⁹及17.72×10⁹~19.65×10⁹ m³/月;该环境流量标准可以满足一定目标下长江口的生态需求。     

REACh im praxistest

In October 2003, the EU Commission presented the proposal for a new Chemicals Regulation. In late autumn 2005, Parliament and Council were working on finding their position on the Commission’s proposal. From November 2004 to April 2005, a simulation was carried out at EU level aiming to test the workability of registration under REACh. Based on a strategic partnership, the European Chemical Industry Council together with other industry associations, the EU Commission and a number of Member States had launched this project. 53 manufacturers or users of chemicals and competent authorities of 13 EU Member States took part in the simulation: eight registration cases were dealt with in parallel. The participants had to conduct the registration of a substance (including preparatory work) and the dossier evaluation by the authorities. The simulation was performed in a ’free-flow mode’, which means, that the participants worked without any guidance on how to practically implement the duties and tasks as laid down in the draft regulation. In the final phase of the project, the three strategic parners worked towards a common understanding on potential workability problems and suitable options for solutions. This process resulted in a report including a set of agreed recommendations on 12 identified workability issues The recommendations are mostly related to the co-operation between registrants, the sharing of responsibilities and communication between manufactures and down-stream users as well as technical and scientific aspects of dossier compilation., In addition, the recommendations address the need to develop a common understanding across Europe regarding the role of authorities in evaluating the registration dossiers and developing suitable tools for the evaluation. In addition to the set of practical recommendations, SPORT has demonstrated that useful insights in the workability of a new piece of legislation can be gained from simulating the key processes in practise already during the legislative process. Such pilot trials could be seen as a contribution toBetter Regulation, one of the strategic goals of the EU Commission.