Candida Sepsis Following Transcervical Chorionic Villi Sampling

Background: The use of invasive devices and broad spectrum antibiotics has increased the rate of candidal superinfections.Candida sepsis associated with pregnancy is rare. Candida sepsis following chorionic villi sampling (CVS) has never been reported. Case: A 31-year-old pregnant woman presented with signs of sepsis one day after undergoing transcervical CVS. Blood culture and curettage material yielded C. albicans. She was treated with 400 mg of fluconazole daily for 4 weeks and completely recovered. Conclusion: Candida sepsis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sepsis following CVS

The Chloroplast Envelope Protease FTSH11 – Interaction With CPN60 and Identification of Potential Substrates

FTSH proteases are membrane-bound, ATP-dependent metalloproteases found in bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts. The product of one of the 12 genes encoding FTSH proteases in Arabidopsis, FTSH11, has been previously shown to be essential for acquired thermotolerance. However, the substrates of this protease, as well as the mechanism linking it to thermotolerance are largely unknown. To get insight into these, the FTSH11 knockout mutant was complemented with proteolytically active or inactive variants of this protease, tagged with HA-tag, under the control of the native promoter. Using these plants in thermotolerance assay demonstrated that the proteolytic activity, and not only the ATPase one, is essential for conferring thermotolerance. Immunoblot analyses of leaf extracts, isolated organelles and sub-fractionated chloroplast membranes localized FTSH11 mostly to chloroplast envelopes. Affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry analysis revealed interaction between FTSH11 and different components of the CPN60 chaperonin. In affinity enrichment assays, CPN60s as well as a number of envelope, stroma and thylakoid proteins were found associated with proteolytically inactive FTSH11. Comparative proteomic analysis of WT and knockout plants, grown at 20°C or exposed to 30°C for 6 h, revealed a plethora of upregulated chloroplast proteins in the knockout, some of them might be candidate substrates. Among these stood out TIC40, which was stabilized in the knockout line after recovery from heat stress, and three proteins that were found trapped in the affinity enrichment assay: the nucleotide antiporter PAPST2, the fatty acid binding protein FAP1 and the chaperone HSP70. The consistent behavior of these four proteins in different assays suggest that they are potential FTSH11 substrates

Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a suboptimal humoral response to vaccination. Recently, BNT162b2, an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with a high efficacy of 95% in immunocompetent individuals, was introduced. We investigated the safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients with CLL from nine medical centers in Israel, Overall 400 patients were included, of whom 373 were found to be eligible for the analysis of antibody response. The vaccine appeared to be safe and only grade 1-2 adverse events were seen in 50% of the patients. Following the second dose, an antibody response was detected in 43% of the cohort. Among these CLL patients, 61% of the treatment-na ve patients responded to the vaccine, while responses developed in only 18% of those with ongoing disease, 37% of those previously treated with a BTK inhibitor and 5% of those recently given an anti-CD20 antibody. Among patients treated with BCL2 as monotherapy or in combination with anti-CD20, 62% and 14%, respectively, developed an immune response. There was a high concordance between neutralizing antibodies and positive serological response to spike protein. Based on our findings we developed a simple seven-factor score including timing of any treatment with anti-CD20, age, treatment status, and IgG, IgA, IgM and hemoglobin levels. The sum of all the above parameters can serve as a possible estimate to predict whether a given CLL patient will develop sufficient antibodies. In conclusion, the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was found to be safe in patients with CLL, but its efficacy is limited, particularly in treated patients

2588. Acute Toxoplasmosis among Pregnant Arab Women in Northern Israel: to Screen or Not?

Abstract Background The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among Israeli Arabs is high. Yet, the regulation of the Israeli Ministry of Health suggests not screening pregnant women for toxoplasmosis. During 2017/8 we have seen a surge in cases of acute toxoplasmosis in pregnancy in Northern Israel. We aimed to explore this surge and compare the rates of acute toxoplasmosis in pregnancy in Northern Israel among Jews and Arabs. Methods The database of the lab of Meuhedet HMO (Northern Israel only) was retrospectively screened for all tests for Toxoplasma serology during 2013–2017. We focused on women of childbearing age and compared rates of seropositivity in Jews and Arabs. IgG and IgM were carried out using Abbott Architect, and IgG avidity by Vidas, BioMerieux. Birth rates were retrieved from the central computer of Meuhedet HMO. Results : In 2017, Northern Israel had 1,397,833 citizens of whom 53% were Arabs. Of this population, 13% were insured by Meuhedet HMO, and of these 60% were Arabs (Muslims or Christians). During the 5-year period 16,044 Toxoplasma serology tests have been requested (both sexes), of which 26% returned IgG positive. 88% of the positive ones were of Arab citizens (P &lt; 0.0001). Excluding duplicates, we found 118 women of childbearing age with a positive IgM test (2.8%). Of the latter, 37 had a low/medium avidity test (31.4%). 112 of the women were Arabs, while only 6 were Jews (P &lt; 0.0001). Two-thirds of the women had a positive βHCG test at the same time. During this 5-year period there were 23,074 live births in this HMO (11,512 Arab newborns). Thus, had all these women delivered an infected newborn, the rate of congenital toxoplasmosis in the Arab population (97.2/10,000) was 19-fold higher than among the Jewish (5.2/10,000; P &lt; 0.00001). Interview of 35 acute cases during 2017/8 revealed that most of the women had consumed raw meat called “Kibbe Niyye”—a popular dish unique to Northern Israeli Arabs (Galilee) and served on festive occasions. Conclusion We found that Northern Israeli Arab women are at a high risk to contract toxoplasmosis during pregnancy due to consumption of traditional raw meat. This finding calls for awareness among women as well as doctors. We believe that the regulation not to screen pregnant women in the Arab sector should be reevaluated. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. </jats:sec

Collective Vortex-Like Movement of Bacillus subtilis Facilitates the Generation of Floating Biofilms

Bacteria in nature are usually found in complex multicellular structures, called biofilms. One common form of a biofilm is pellicle—a floating mat of bacteria formed in the water-air interphase. So far, our knowledge on the basic mechanisms underlying the formation of biofilms at air-liquid interfaces is not complete. In particular, the co-occurrence of motile cells and extracellular matrix producers has not been studied. In addition, the potential involvement of chemical communication in pellicle formation remained largely undefined. Our results indicate that vortex-like collective motility by aggregates of motile cells and EPS producers accelerate the formation of floating biofilms. Successful aggregation and migration to the water-air interphase depend on the chemical communication signal autoinducer 2 (AI-2). This ability of bacteria to form a biofilm in a preferable niche ahead of their potential rivals would provide a fitness advantage in the context of inter-species competition