Microbiological and genomic surveillance of critical priority bacterial pathogens in urinary tract infections of hospital and community origin

• Grant number: 24/21733-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Nilton Erbet Lincopan Huenuman
• Grantee: Gabrielle Rocha Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The emergence and spread of pathogens resistant to multiple antimicrobials is a global public health problem, not restricted to the hospital environment, and is one of the demands of One Health. This project aims to investigate the presence of critical priority bacterial pathogens, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as species of clinical importance that produce extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and/or carbapenemases (KPC, NDM), in urine cultures of patients diagnosed with nosocomial urinary tract infection, in the state of São Paulo. In this project, we will work with Gram-negative bacterial isolates (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) recovered from patients with nosocomial urinary tract infection (UTI). The isolates will be forwarded by partner institutions. Established protocols for isolation and storage will be used. Bacterial isolates will be identified by MALDI-TOF, and the sensitivity profile will be obtained through qualitative (disc diffusion) and/or quantitative (MIC) antibiogram, as standardized by CLSI and BrCAST. Genomic data of clinical and epidemiological interest (resistome, mobilome, viruloma, MLST) will be obtained after sequencing of the strains of interest using the Illumina NextSeq2000 platform. All information will be publicly available on the OneBR platform (http://www.onehealthbr.com/). The results of this study will contribute to epidemiological surveillance data for the management, treatment, and development of strategies to control the spread of clinically important antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens in the human interface, and to the scientific training of the candidate.