Scholarship 24/07650-5 - Bacteremia, COVID-19 - BV FAPESP
Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains isolated mainly in the post-pandemic COVID-19 period in Brazil

Grant number: 24/07650-5
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Master
Start date until: October 01, 2024
End date until: January 31, 2026
Field of knowledge:Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
Principal Investigator:Juliana Pfrimer Falcão
Grantee:Gabriela Caramano de Oliveira
Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Salmonella is the etiological agent of one of the main foodborne diseases, salmonellosis, with foods of animal origin being its main source of transmission. In Brazil, its real incidence is still unknown, but it is known that Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is the second most detected serotype in humans after Salmonella Enteritidis. In addition to gastroenteritis, some strains can enter the bloodstream and cause bacteremia. Concerning this capability, sequence type-313 (ST-313) of S. Typhimurium is the S. enterica variant most associated with systemic infection on the African continent and was recently detected in Brazil. However, there is a scarcity of studies published in Brazil that characterized S. Typhimurium strains isolated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the general objective of this project is to molecularly and phenotypically characterize strains of Salmonella Typhimurium isolated mainly in the post-pandemic period of COVID-19 from different human and animal clinical materials, originating from different states in Brazil from 2020 to 2023. Thirty-eight strains of S. Typhimurium isolated from humans will be studied, 20 coming from blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and biopsy samples, and another 15 from feces, urine, and secretions, collected in the year 2020 (n=2) and in the period from 2022 to 2023 (n=36). The genetic diversity of the strains will be assessed by Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST), and Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR). The phenotypic characterization of these strains will be conducted by analyzing the antimicrobial resistance profile, invasion capacity to CACO-2 epithelial cells, survival in U937 macrophages, tolerance to acid stress, tolerance to oxidative stress, and virulence in Galleria mellonella. Together, the results will enable the characterization of these isolates in terms of their genotypic diversity, antimicrobial resistance profile, pathogenic potential, virulence, and resistance to different stress conditions, which will contribute with relevant information about S. Typhimurium strains isolated from various clinical and local materials in Brazil during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

News published in Agência FAPESP Newsletter about the scholarship:
More itemsLess items
Articles published in other media outlets ( ):
More itemsLess items
VEICULO: TITULO (DATA)
VEICULO: TITULO (DATA)

Please report errors in scientific publications list using this form.