Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionComparative Genome Analysis of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Strains from Nepal and JapanThe global spread of ESBL-E. coli has been driven in large part by pandemic sequence type 131 (ST131). A recent study suggested that, within E. coli ST131, certain sublineages have disseminated worldwide with little association with their geographical origin, highlighting the complexity of the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhenotypic Screens Identify Parasite Genetic Factors Associated with Malarial Fever Response in Plasmodium falciparumpiggyBac MutantsThough the P. falciparum genome sequence has been available for many years, ~40% of its genes do not have informative annotations, as they show no detectable homology to those of studied organisms. More still have not been evaluated via genetic methods. Scalable forward-genetic approaches that allow interrogation of gene function without any pre-existing knowledge are...
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...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNorovirus Polymerase Fidelity Contributes to Viral Transmission In VivoVirus replication fidelity and hence the intrahost genetic diversity of viral populations are known to be intricately linked to viral pathogenesis and tropism as well as to immune and antiviral escape during infection. In this study, we investigated whether changes in replication fidelity can impact the ability of a virus to transmit between susceptible hosts by the use of a mouse model for norovirus. We show that a variant encoding a...
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...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceShewanella baltica Ecotypes Have Wide Transcriptional Variation under the Same Growth ConditionsEukaryotic studies have shown considerable transcriptional variation among individuals from the same population. It has been suggested that natural variation in eukaryotic gene expression may have significant evolutionary consequences and may explain large-scale phenotypic divergence of closely related species, such as humans and chimpanzees (M.-C. King and A. C. Wilson, Science 188:107–116, 1975,...
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 | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Spl Serine Proteases Modulate Staphylococcus aureus Protein Production and Virulence in a Rabbit Model of PneumoniaStaphylococcus aureus is a versatile human pathogen that produces an array of virulence factors, including several proteases. Of these, six proteases called the Spls are the least characterized. Previous evidence suggests that the Spls are expressed during human infection; however, their function is unknown. Our study shows that the Spls are required for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInfluence of Plasmid Type on the Replication of Rhodococcus equi in Host MacrophagesThis work greatly advances our understanding of the opportunistic pathogen Rhodococcus equi, a disease agent of animals and immunocompromised people. Clinical isolates from diseased foals carry a conjugative virulence plasmid, pVAPA1037, that expresses Vap proteins, including VapA, essential for intramacrophage replication and virulence in vivo. The...
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...