Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025
06:04
Modeling Persistent Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Wounded Zebrafish Larvae
Published on: June 13, 2025
159
Elizabethkingia anophelis outbreak in France
B Guerpillon1, M S Fangous2, E Le Breton3
1Centre Hospitalier de Cornouaille, Service de maladies infectieuses, 14, avenue Yves Thépot, Quimper, France.
Infectious Diseases Now
|June 1, 2022
Summary
An outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis infections occurred in France, causing severe illness and nine deaths. This multidrug-resistant bacterium requires clinical awareness, with cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin recommended for treatment.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Elizabethkingia anophelis is an emerging pathogen.
- This is the first reported outbreak in Europe.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the first European outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis infections.
- To characterize the clinical, microbiological, and epidemiological features of the outbreak.
Main Methods:
- Case definition: E. anophelis-positive microbiological sample.
- Clinical, environmental, and microbiological investigations including MALDI-TOF, PCR, and E-test.
- Phylogenetic analysis to determine transmission patterns.
Main Results:
- Twenty cases reported between September 2020 and September 2021.
- Predominantly community-acquired infections leading to nine deaths.
- Clonal origin identified, excluding nosocomial spread; no environmental source found.
- All isolates exhibited high resistance to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and imipenem.
Conclusions:
- Elizabethkingia anophelis is a multidrug-resistant bacterium causing severe infections.
- Cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin demonstrated the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations.
- These antibiotics are recommended for empirical therapy against E. anophelis.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
221
In the ever-evolving field of public health, statistical analysis serves as a cornerstone for understanding and managing disease outbreaks. By leveraging various statistical tools, health professionals can predict potential outbreaks, analyze ongoing situations, and devise effective responses to mitigate impact. For that to happen, there are a few possible stages of the analysis:
221
00:43Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
63.5K
In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
63.5K
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
100
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
100
01:30Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
72.3K
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
72.3K