Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEffectiveness of Face Masks in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2Airborne simulation experiments showed that cotton masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks provide some protection from the transmission of infective SARS-CoV-2 droplets/aerosols; however, medical masks (surgical masks and even N95 masks) could not completely block the transmission of virus droplets/aerosols even when sealed.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMolecular and Epidemiological Characteristics of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates in JapanCarbapenems serve as a last resort for the clinical treatment of multidrug-resistant infections. Therefore, the rapid spread of carbapenemase-producing strains represents a serious public health threat, further limiting antibiotic choices. The current findings of hypervirulent carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates in Japan demonstrate the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGram-Negative Taxa and Antimicrobial Susceptibility after Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Recurrent Clostridioides difficile InfectionFecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which is highly efficacious in treating recurrent C. difficile infection (RCDI), has a promising application in decolonization of multidrug-resistant organisms, reduction of antibiotic resistance gene abundance, and restoration of healthy intestinal microbiota. However, data representing clinical microbiology results after FMT...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyClinical and Molecular Description of a High-Copy IncQ1 KPC-2 Plasmid Harbored by the International ST15 Klebsiella pneumoniae CloneIn many parts of the world, carbapenem resistance is a serious public health concern. In Brazil, carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales is mostly driven by the dissemination of KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae clones. Despite being endemic in this country, only a few reports providing both clinical and genomic data are available in Brazil, which limit the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPhylogenetic and Evolutionary Analysis Reveals the Recent Dominance of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Shigella sonnei and Local Persistence of S. flexneri Clones in IndiaShigella is the second leading cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide. This has been categorized as a priority pathogen among enteric bacteria by the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Recently, S. sonnei seems to be replacing S....
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDescriptive, Retrospective Study of the Clinical Characteristics of Asymptomatic COVID-19 PatientsAsymptomatic transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a potential problem for pandemic control through public health strategies. Our results demonstrate that asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have better outcomes than symptomatic patients. This may have been due to more active cellular immune responses and normal liver function. Since asymptomatic patients have no clinical symptoms which can easily...
Editor's Pick Commentary | Clinical Science and EpidemiologymSphere of Influence: That’s Racist—COVID-19, Biological Determinism, and the Limits of HypothesesKishana Taylor works in the field of virology. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on the personal impact of “Racial health disparities and COVID-19 – caution and context” by Merlin Chowkwanyun and Adolph L. Reed, Jr. (N Engl J Med 383:201–203, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2012910) and “A hypothesis is a liability” by Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher (Genome Biol 21:...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEducational Attainment and Staphylococcus aureus Colonization in a Hispanic Border Community: Testing Fundamental Cause TheoryUnlike some types of S. aureus infections, S. aureus colonization is not associated with ethnicity or educational attainment and thus may be outside the influence of socioeconomic status-based resources typically mobilized to avoid or mitigate preventable health risks. This assessment of a...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyNorth American Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) Harbor an Exogenous DeltaretrovirusBats host a large numbers of viruses, many of which are zoonotic. In the United States, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is widely distributed and lives in small colonies that roost in cavities, often in human dwellings, leading to frequent human interaction. Viral metagenomic sequencing of samples from an...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAntibodies to Variable Domain 4 Linear Epitopes of the Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein Are Not Associated with Chlamydia Resolution or Reinfection in WomenC. trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection, and infection in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. No licensed vaccine exists to prevent C. trachomatis infection, and investigations of the natural immune response may inform the design of targeted vaccines for C. trachomatis. Our study fills a gap in knowledge regarding the epitope specificity...