Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyA Race against Time: Reduced Azithromycin Susceptibility in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi in PakistanThe emergence of XDR Salmonella Typhi in Pakistan has left azithromycin as the only viable oral treatment option. Here, we report the detection of an azithromycin resistance-associated mutation in one S. Typhi isolate. This finding is important because any possible spread of azithromycin resistance in S. Typhi isolates would make it nearly impossible to treat in outpatient settings due to the need of...
Perspective | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyHuman Infection Challenge Studies: a Test for the Social Value Criterion of Research EthicsHuman infection challenge studies involving the intentional infection of research participants with a disease-causing agent have recently been suggested as a means to speed up the search for a vaccine for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Calls for challenge studies, however, rely on the expected social value of these studies. This value represents more than the simple possibility that a successful study will...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologySystematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Prevalence of Group A Streptococcal emm Clusters in Africa To Inform Vaccine DevelopmentLow vaccine coverage is of grave public health concern, particularly in developing countries where epidemiological data are often absent. To inform vaccine development for group A Streptococcus (GAS), we report on the epidemiology of the M protein emm clusters from GAS infections in Africa, where GAS-related illnesses and their sequelae, including rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, are of a high burden. This...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPhylogenetic Characterization Reveals Prevalent Shigella flexneri ST100 Clone in Beijing, China, 2005 to 2018Beijing is the largest transportation hub in China, with a highly mobile population. Shigella flexneri is a major cause of bacillary dysentery in Beijing. However, little is known about the genetic features and population structure of locally circulating S. flexneri clones. Whole-genome sequencing...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyHorizontal Plasmid Transfer among Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Is the Key Factor for Dissemination of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases among Children in TanzaniaHorizontal spread of plasmids carrying multiple resistance genes is considered an important mechanism behind the global health problem caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nevertheless, knowledge about spread of plasmids in a community is limited. Our detailed molecular analyses of K. pneumoniae isolated from hospitalized and healthy children in Tanzania disclosed...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyClinical Characteristics and Immune Injury Mechanisms in 71 Patients with COVID-19The dysregulation of CD3+ CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD16+ CD56+ NK cells, C1q as well as IL-6, along with bacterial coinfection, were important causes of exacerbation of the patients’ condition and death.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMicroRNAs Regulated by the LPS/TLR2 Immune Axis as Bona Fide Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Acute LeptospirosisHere, we used miRNAs that are differentially regulated by the LPS/TLR2 immune axis to devise a miRNA-based diagnosis for leptospirosis. The study established the role of the circulating stable miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-144-3p, and miR-let-7b-5p) as an early diagnostic marker for leptospirosis. These miRNAs can be used to diagnose acute leptospirosis and also to differentiate leptospiral infection from other bacterial and spirochetal...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyIMP-38-Producing High-Risk Sequence Type 307 Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains from a Neonatal Unit in ChinaWe described the genome and resistome characterization of a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 strain carrying blaIMP-38 in China. This report highlights that the high-risk ST307 clone continues to acquire different antimicrobial resistance genes, posing significant challenges to clinical practice, and should be closely monitored....
Editor's Pick Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEvolution and Population Dynamics of Clonal Complex 152 Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusUnderstanding the evolution of CA-MRSA is important in light of the increasing importance of this reservoir in the dissemination of MRSA. Here, we highlight the story of the CA-MRSA CC152 lineage using whole-genome sequencing on an international collection of CC152. We show that the evolution of this lineage is novel and that antibiotic usage may have the potential to select for the phage-encoded Panton-Valentine leukocidin. The...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPhylogeographical Analyses and Antibiotic Resistance Genes of Acinetobacter johnsonii Highlight Its Clinical RelevanceAcinetobacter johnsonii has been severely understudied and its population structure and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are very much uncertain. Our phylogeographical analysis shows that intercontinental transmission has occurred frequently and that different lineages are circulating within single countries; notably, clinical and nonclinical strains...