Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDevelopment and Validation of 13-plex Luminex-Based Assay for Measuring Human Serum Antibodies to Streptococcus pneumoniae Capsular PolysaccharidesThe pneumococcal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measures IgG antibodies in human serum, and it is an important assay that supports licensure of pneumococcal vaccines. The immune correlate of protection, 0.35 µg/ml of IgG antibodies, was determined by the ELISA method. Pfizer has developed a new Luminex-based assay platform to replace the ELISA. These papers describe the important work of (i) validating the Luminex-based assay...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyExhaustive TORCH Pathogen Diagnostics Corroborate Zika Virus Etiology of Congenital Malformations in Northeastern BrazilThe Latin American Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak had a major impact on reproductive health worldwide. The reasons for the massively increased reports of neonatal microcephaly in northeastern Brazil are still unclear. Beyond the technical limitations of laboratory diagnostics, unambiguous diagnosis of ZIKV as the cause of congenital malformations is hampered by similar clinical pictures elicited by other pathogens known as TORCH pathogens....
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComprehensive Molecular Serology of Human Chlamydia trachomatis Infections by Peptide Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssaysFor detection of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies by serological assays, use of classical whole-organism chlamydial antigens results in high cross-reactivity. These antigens bind mainly antibodies against the major outer membrane protein (OmpA) and bind antibodies against other immunodominant non-OmpA proteins to a lesser extent, resulting in poor assay...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDiscovery of Human-Specific Immunodominant Chlamydia trachomatis B Cell EpitopesCurrent serological assays for species-specific detection of anti-Chlamydia species antibodies suffer from well-known shortcomings in specificity and ease of use. Due to the high prevalences of both anti-C. trachomatis and anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies in human populations, species-specific...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEscherichia coli Sequence Type 410 Is Causing New International High-Risk ClonesExtraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is the main cause of urinary tract infections and septicemia. Significant attention has been given to the ExPEC sequence type ST131, which has been categorized as a “high-risk” clone. High-risk clones are globally distributed clones associated with various antimicrobial resistance determinants, ease of transmission,...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAsymptomatic Shedding of Respiratory Virus among an Ambulatory Population across SeasonsRespiratory viruses are common in human populations, causing significant levels of morbidity. Understanding the distribution of these viruses is critical for designing control methods. However, most data available are from medical records and thus predominantly represent symptomatic infections. Estimates for asymptomatic prevalence are sparse and span a broad range. In this study, we aimed to measure more precisely the proportion of...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyUltrasensitive Capture of Human Herpes Simplex Virus Genomes Directly from Clinical Samples Reveals Extraordinarily Limited Evolution in Cell CultureHerpes simplex viruses affect more than 4 billion people across the globe, constituting a large burden of disease. Understanding the global diversity of herpes simplex viruses is important for diagnostics and therapeutics as well as cure research and tracking transmission among humans. To date, most HSV genomics has been performed on culture isolates and DNA swabs with high quantities of virus. We describe the development of wet-lab and...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAn Observational Cohort Study of Clostridium difficile Ribotype 027 and Recurrent InfectionCDI is a major public health issue, with over 400,000 cases per year in the United States alone. Recurrent CDI is common, occurring in approximately one in five individuals after a primary episode. Although interventions exist that could reduce the risk of recurrence, deployment in all patients is limited by cost, invasiveness, and/or an undetermined long-term safety profile. Thus, clinicians need risk stratification tools to properly...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEx Vivo Cytokine Release, Determined by a Multiplex Cytokine Assay, in Response to Coccidioidal Antigen Stimulation of Whole Blood among Subjects with Recently Diagnosed Primary Pulmonary CoccidioidomycosisCoccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, is a common pneumonia in the southwestern United States. In this paper, we examined the release of 30 inflammatory proteins in whole-blood samples obtained from persons with coccidioidal pneumonia after the blood samples were incubated with a preparation made from the causative fungus, Coccidioides. We found that six of these proteins, all cytokines, were specifically released...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEvaluation of Dried Blood Spots and Oral Fluids as Alternatives to Serum for Human Papillomavirus Antibody SurveillanceHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of cervical and other anogenital cancers. HPV vaccination, primarily targeted at young girls before the age of sexual debut, is starting to demonstrate population-level declines in HPV infection and early disease associated with vaccine-incorporated genotypes. Monitoring young women for vaccine-specific antibody is important for vaccine surveillance and may be useful as an adjunct test...