Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEmergence and Spread of Carbapenem-Resistant and Aminoglycoside-Panresistant Enterobacter cloacae Complex Isolates Coproducing NDM-Type Metallo-β-Lactamase and 16S rRNA Methylase in MyanmarThe emergence of multidrug-resistant E. cloacae complex has become a public health threat worldwide. E. xiangfangensis is a recently classified species belonging to E. cloacae complex. Here, we report a clonal dissemination of multidrug-resistant E. xiangfangensis ST200 producing...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyCulture-Confirmed Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Canada, 2010 to 2014: Characterization of Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis Strains and Their Predicted Coverage by the 4CMenB VaccineLaboratory surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is important to our understanding of the evolving nature of the Neisseria meningitidis strain types causing the disease and the potential coverage of disease strains by the newly developed vaccines. This study examined the molecular epidemiology of culture-confirmed IMD cases in Canada by examining the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyHigh Prevalence of Colistin-Resistant Escherichia coli with Chromosomally Carried mcr-1 in Healthy Residents in VietnamElucidation of the mechanism of the wide dissemination of colistin-resistant bacteria in communities of developing countries is an urgent public health issue. In this study, we investigated the genetic background of the colistin resistance gene mcr in E. coli isolates from the fecal microbiota of healthy human residents living in a community in Vietnam with a...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyTwo New SGI1-LK Variants Found in Proteus mirabilis and Evolution of the SGI1-HKL Group of Salmonella Genomic IslandsMembers of the SGI1-HKL subgroup of SGI1-type integrative mobilizable elements have a characteristic alteration in their backbone. They are widely distributed among multiply antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica serovars and Proteus mirabilis isolates. The SGI1-K type, found in the globally...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComparison of Methods To Collect Fecal Samples for Microbiome Studies Using Whole-Genome Shotgun Metagenomic SequencingA major direction for future microbiome research is implementation of fecal sample collections in large-scale, prospective epidemiologic studies. Studying microbiome-disease associations likely requires microbial data to be pooled from multiple studies. Our findings suggest collection methods that are most optimal to be used standardly across future WGSS microbiome studies.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyOral and Gut Microbial Diversity and Immune Regulation in Patients with HIV on Antiretroviral TherapyA feedback loop between dysbiotic gut microbiota, increased translocation of microbial products such as lipopolysaccharide, and inflammation has been hypothesized to cause immune system dysfunction in early HIV infection. However, despite evidence of a chronic inflammatory phenotype in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), the role of oral microbiota in systemic immune activation and the relationship between oral and gut bacterial...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyRobustness of Serologic Investigations for Chikungunya and Mayaro Viruses following CoemergenceGeographically overlapping transmission of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Mayaro virus (MAYV) in Latin America challenges serologic diagnostics and epidemiologic surveillance, as antibodies against the antigenically related viruses can be cross-reactive, potentially causing false-positive test results. We examined whether widely used ELISAs and plaque reduction neutralization testing allow specific antibody detection in the scenario of...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyInfluenza A Virus Field Surveillance at a Swine-Human InterfaceSwine are influenza virus reservoirs that have caused outbreaks and pandemics. Genomic characterization of these viruses enables pandemic risk assessment and vaccine comparisons, though this typically occurs after a novel swine virus jumps into humans. The greatest risk occurs where large groups of swine and humans comingle. At a large swine exhibition, we used Nanopore sequencing and on-site analytics to interpret 13 swine influenza...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAntibody-Secreting Cells To Diagnose Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Children in PakistanTuberculosis (TB) in children represents a missed opportunity for diagnosis and preventive therapy. The magnitude or burden of disease in children is not fully understood due to our limitations with respect to exploring sensitive diagnostic algorithms. In a setting of TB endemicity in Pakistan, we carried out a proof-of-concept study to evaluate for the first time the performance of B cell analyses by the use of well-defined diagnostic...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyA Nonfunctional Opsonic Antibody Response Frequently Occurs after Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Is Associated with Invasive DiseaseNumerous reports on the dynamics of antipneumococcal immunity in relation to immunization with pneumococcal vaccines and on the prevalence of naturally acquired immunity in various populations have been published. In contrast, studies on the dynamics of the humoral immune response triggered by pneumococcal infection are scarce. This study provides valuable information that will contribute to fill this knowledge gap. Our main results...