Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEnhanced Molecular Surveillance of Chikungunya VirusThe life cycle of arboviruses relies on efficient infection of and transmission by arthropod vectors. Adaptation to new vectors can thus dramatically increase the geographic range of an arbovirus. Several adaptive mutations enhance chikungunya virus (CHIKV) transmissibility by different mosquito species. The appearance of those adaptive mutations has led to large-scale CHIKV outbreaks in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Molecular surveillance...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyRetrospective Analysis of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection and Monochloramine Disinfection of Municipal Drinking Water in MichiganInfections by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) result in significant morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. NTM are primarily acquired from environmental sources, including exposure to municipally treated drinking water. Higher levels of NTM have been reported in drinking water disinfected with monochloramine than in drinking water disinfected with chlorine. Our results suggest that municipal drinking water disinfection with...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAssignment of Serotype-Specific IgG1, IgG2, and IgA Weight-Based Antibody Units to the Human Pneumococcal Standard Reference Serum, 007spA well-characterized antibody standard is an indispensable reagent for use in assays designed to measure antibodies with precision and where assays between laboratories need to be comparable. The human pneumococcal standard reference serum, lot 89SF, greatly facilitated the standardization of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methodologies during a critical period when the first pneumococcal polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines were being...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEmergence of Azithromycin Resistance Mediated by Phosphotransferase-Encoding mph(A) in Diarrheagenic Vibrio fluvialisThe progressive rise in antibiotic resistance among enteric pathogens in developing countries is becoming a big concern. India is one of the largest consumers of antibiotics, and their use is not well regulated. V. fluvialis is increasingly recognized as an emerging diarrheal pathogen of public health importance. Here we report the emergence of azithromycin resistance...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDetection of VIM-1-Producing Enterobacter cloacae and Salmonella enterica Serovars Infantis and Goldcoast at a Breeding Pig Farm in Germany in 2017 and Their Molecular Relationship to Former VIM-1-Producing S. Infantis Isolates in German Livestock ProductionCarbapenems are considered one of few remaining treatment options against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens in human clinical settings. The occurrence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in livestock and food is a major public health concern. Particularly the occurrence of VIM-1-producing Salmonella Infantis in livestock farms is worrisome...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyJet-Setting Koalas Spread Cryptococcus gattii VGII in AustraliaCryptococcus gattii molecular type VGII is one of the causes of cryptococcosis, a severe fungal disease that is acquired from the environment and affects many host species (including humans and koalas). In Australia, disease caused by C. gattii VGII is largely confined to western and central...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyTransition of Bacterial Diversity and Composition in Tongue Microbiota during the First Two Years of LifeEvaluating the development of oral microbiota during infancy is important for understanding the subsequent colonization of bacterial species and the process of formation of mature microbiota in the oral cavity. We examined tongue microbiota longitudinally collected from 8 infants and found that drastic compositional shifts in tongue microbiota occur before the age of 1 year, and then bacterial diversity and overall bacterial composition...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComplete Assembly of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Genomes Using Long Reads Demonstrates Antibiotic Resistance Gene Variation within Diverse Plasmid and Chromosomal ContextsDrug-resistant bacteria are a major cause of illness worldwide, and a specific subtype called Escherichia coli ST131 causes a significant number of these infections. ST131 bacteria become resistant to treatments by modifying their DNA and by transferring genes among one another via large packages of genes called plasmids, like a game of pass-the-parcel. Tackling...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyLinear B Cell Epitopes Derived from the Multifunctional Surface Lipoprotein BBK32 as Targets for the Serodiagnosis of Lyme DiseaseLyme disease is an infectious disease that has the potential to cause significant morbidity with damage to nervous and musculoskeletal systems if left untreated. Appropriate antibiotic treatment during early infection prevents disease progression. Unfortunately, currently available diagnostics are suboptimal in the detection of early disease. The inability to confirm ...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDevelopment and Standardization of a High-Throughput Multiplex Immunoassay for the Simultaneous Quantification of Specific Antibodies to Five Respiratory Syncytial Virus ProteinsIn view of vaccine and monoclonal development to reduce hospitalization and death due to lower respiratory tract infection caused by RSV, assessment of antibody levels against RSV is essential. This newly developed multiplex immunoassay is able to measure antibody levels against five RSV proteins simultaneously. This can provide valuable insight into the dynamics of (maternal) antibody levels and RSV infection in infants and toddlers...