Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyRecent Outbreaks of Shigellosis in California Caused by Two Distinct Populations of Shigella sonnei with either Increased Virulence or Fluoroquinolone ResistanceShigellosis is an acute diarrheal disease causing nearly half a million infections, 6,000 hospitalizations, and 70 deaths annually in the United States. S. sonnei caused two unusually large outbreaks in 2014 and 2015 in California. We used whole-genome sequencing to understand the pathogenic potential of bacteria involved in these outbreaks. Our results suggest the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyFirst Case of Actinomycetoma in France Due to a Novel Nocardia Species, Nocardia boironii sp. nov.Bacterial mycetoma is an endemic infection in areas with tropical and subtropical climates. Thus, its presence in temperate climate areas remains rare. We report here the first case of autochthonous actinomycetoma in continental France originating from a Nocardia species other than N. brasiliensis, namely, Nocardia boironii. Considering the history...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEscherichia coli Sequence Type 131 H30 Is the Main Driver of Emerging Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing E. coli at a Tertiary Care CenterThe ever-rising prevalence of resistance to first-line antibiotics among clinical Escherichia coli isolates leads to worse clinical outcomes and higher health care costs, thereby creating a need to discover its basis so that effective interventions can be developed. We found that the H30 subset within...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyThe Establishment and Diversification of Epidemic-Associated Serogroup W Meningococcus in the African Meningitis Belt, 1994 to 2012Meningococcal disease (meningitis and bloodstream infections) threatens millions of people across the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa. A vaccine introduced in 2010 protects against Africa’s then-most common cause of meningococcal disease, N. meningitidis serogroup A. However, other serogroups continue to cause epidemics in the region—including serogroup W. The...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyCharacterization of Aspergillus fumigatus Isolates from Air and Surfaces of the International Space StationAs durations of manned space missions increase, it is imperative to understand the long-term consequence of microbial exposure on human health in a closed human habitat. To date, studies aimed at bacterial and fungal contamination of space vessels have highlighted species compositions biased toward hardy, persistent organisms capable of withstanding harsh conditions. In the current study, we assessed traits of two independent...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMolecular Epidemiology of Colonizing and Infecting Isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniaeK. pneumoniae commonly infects hospitalized patients, and these infections are increasingly resistant to carbapenems, the antibiotics of last resort for life-threatening bacterial infections. To prevent and treat these infections, we must better understand how K. pneumoniae causes disease and...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDevelopment of a Nanobody-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Detection of Human NorovirusWe previously identified a Nanobody (termed Nano-85) that bound to a highly conserved region on the norovirus capsid. In this study, the Nanobody was biotinylated and gold conjugated for a lateral flow immunoassay (termed Nano-IC). We showed that the Nano-IC assay was capable of detecting at least four antigenically distinct GII genotypes, including the newly emerging GII.17. In the clinical setting, the Nano-IC assay had sensitivities...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMulti-Body-Site Microbiome and Culture Profiling of Military Trainees Suffering from Skin and Soft Tissue Infections at Fort Benning, GeorgiaWhile it is evident that nasal colonization with S. aureus increases the likelihood of SSTI, there is a significant lack of information regarding the contribution of extranasal colonization to the overall risk of a subsequent SSTI. Furthermore, the impact of S. aureus colonization on bacterial...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyVersatility of Biofilm Matrix Molecules in Staphylococcus epidermidis Clinical Isolates and Importance of Polysaccharide Intercellular Adhesin Expression during High Shear StressStaphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of infections related to biomaterials, mostly due to their ability to form biofilm. Biofilm accumulation mechanisms vary, including those that are dependent on specific proteins, environmental DNA (eDNA), or polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA). We found that those isolates obtained from high-shear environments, such...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEnvironmentally Endemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains with Mutations in lasR Are Associated with Increased Disease Severity in Corneal UlcersThe LasR transcription factor is an important regulator of quorum sensing in P. aeruginosa and positively controls multiple virulence-associated pathways. The emergence of strains with lasR loss-of-function alleles in chronic disease is well described and is thought to represent a specific adaptation to the host environment. However, the prevalence and...