Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGut Microbiota Predict Enterococcus Expansion but Not Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus AcquisitionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that VRE causes an estimated 54,000 infections and 539 million dollars in attributable health care costs annually. Despite improvements in hand washing, environmental cleaning, and antibiotic use, VRE is still prevalent in many hospitals. There is a pressing need to better understand the processes by which patients acquire VRE. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that intestinal...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyFunctional Characterization of Circulating Mumps Viruses with Stop Codon Mutations in the Small Hydrophobic ProteinMumps virus (MuV) outbreaks occur in the United States despite high coverage with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Routine genotyping of laboratory-confirmed mumps cases has been practiced in the United States since 2006 to enhance mumps surveillance. This study reports the detection of unusual mutations in the small hydrophobic (SH) protein of contemporary laboratory-confirmed mumps cases and is the first to describe the impact...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDaily Viral Kinetics and Innate and Adaptive Immune Response Assessment in COVID-19: a Case SeriesThis work is particularly important because it simultaneously assessed the virology, immunology, and clinical presentation of the same subjects, whereas other studies assess these separately. We describe the detailed viral and immune profiles of the first five patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 and quarantined in Geneva, Switzerland. Viral loads peaked at the very beginning of the disease, and infectious virus was shed only during the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyA Genome Epidemiological Study of SARS-CoV-2 Introduction into JapanThis study aimed to evaluate the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome sequences from COVID-19 cases and to characterize their genealogical networks to demonstrate possible routes of spread in Japan. We found that there were at least two distinct SARS-CoV-2 introductions into Japan, initially from China and subsequently from other countries, including Europe. Our findings can help understand how SARS-CoV-2...
Author Reply | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyReply to Bourgeois et al., “Incompletely Reported Important Methodological Details and Inaccurate Description of the Formulation That the Control Arms Received in a Gardasil Vaccine Trial”
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDissemination and Stability of the blaNDM-5-Carrying IncX3-Type Plasmid among Multiclonal Klebsiella pneumoniae IsolatesThe emergence and spread of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been a serious challenge to public health, and NDM-5 shows increased resistance to carbapenems compared with other variants. NDM-5 has been identified mostly in E. coli but has rarely been described in...
Letter to the Editor | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyIncompletely Reported Important Methodological Details and Inaccurate Description of the Formulation That the Control Arms Received in a Gardasil Vaccine Trial
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGenetic Determinants of Resistance to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin and Fluoroquinolone in Escherichia coli Isolated from Diseased Pigs in the United StatesUnderstanding the genetic mechanisms conferring resistance is critical to design informed control and preventive measures, particularly when involving critically important antimicrobial classes such as extended-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. The genetic determinants of extended-spectrum cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone resistance were highly diverse, with multiple plasmids, insertion sequences, and genes playing key...
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...