Genome-scale metabolic reconstructions of multiple <i>Salmonella</i> strains reveal serovar-specific metabolic traits

Salmonella serovars colonize a wide range of hosts but the underlying genetic determinants remain poorly understood. Here, Seif et al. use a network-based computational analysis to link specific metabolic capabilities with host range and nutritional niche

Evaluation of a simulation-based hospital pharmacy training package for pharmacy students

© 2018, The Author(s). This study describes the process undertaken to develop, implement and evaluate a simulation-based training package focused on medication management and reconciliation processes for final year pharmacy students about a patient’s hospital journey. A five module training package was developed following a literature review and consultation with stakeholders. The simulation-based package immersed students in a real-life scenario and was delivered to final year pharmacy students over a six-week period in 2016. Data on knowledge, skills and confidence was collected via a survey in the week preceding engagement with the online training package and 1 week post completion of the training. The mean score was compared across four student categories: three categories incorporated students who had not completed a hospital pharmacy placement and one category comprised students who had completed a hospital placement. Qualitative feedback was collected via an online survey at the conclusion of the training program. Of the 79 participants, 44 (55.7%) completed both the pre and post- test surveys that showed the change in score was statistically significant. There was a significant positive change in mean test scores across all four student categories for the domains of skills, knowledge and confidence. Assessment of students’ confidence according to 16 ranking statements also improved markedly post-training. Thirty-one students provided qualitative feedback that was generally positive. The positive outcomes reinforce the rationale to include online simulation-based methodologies as part of pharmacy education programs. The model provides a reproducible framework for online simulated learning activities that could be applied within various professions and educational environments

Resident Microbiome Disruption with Antibiotics Enhances Virulence of a Colonizing Pathogen

Abstract There is growing evidence that symbiotic microbes play key roles in host defense, but less is known about how symbiotic microbes mediate pathogen-induced damage to hosts. Here, we use a natural wildlife disease system, house finches and the conjunctival bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), to experimentally examine the impact of the ocular microbiome on host damage and pathogen virulence factors during infection. We disrupted the ocular bacterial community of healthy finches using an antibiotic that MG is intrinsically resistant to, then inoculated antibiotic- and sham-treated birds with MG. House finches with antibiotic-disrupted ocular microbiomes had more severe MG-induced conjunctival inflammation than birds with unaltered microbiomes, even after accounting for differences in conjunctival MG load. Furthermore, MG cultures from finches with disrupted microbiomes had increased sialidase enzyme and cytadherence activity, traits associated with enhanced virulence in Mycoplasmas, relative to isolates from sham-treated birds. Variation in sialidase activity and cytadherence among isolates was tightly linked with degree of tissue inflammation in hosts, supporting the consideration of these traits as virulence factors in this system. Overall, our results suggest that microbial dysbiosis can result in enhanced virulence of colonizing pathogens, with critical implications for the health of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans