Comparison of saliva with oral and nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 detection on various commercial and laboratory-developed assays.

The accurate laboratory detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a crucial element in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing on combined oral and nasopharyngeal swab (ONPS) suffers from several limitations, including the need for qualified personnel, the discomfort caused by invasive nasopharyngeal sample collection, and the possibility of swab and transport media shortage. Testing on saliva would represent an advancement.

Comparison of PCR and culture for screening of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci: highly disparate results for vanA and vanB.

We compared PCR to conventional culture for the detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in 30,835 rectal samples over a 3-year period. The positive and negative predictive values of vanB PCR were 1.42% and 99.

Influence of multidrug resistance on tuberculosis treatment outcomes with standardized regimens.

Rationale: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) poses a major challenge to global TB control. We analyzed the association between estimated prevalence of initial or acquired MDR-TB, and treatment outcomes reported nationally.

Objectives: We analyzed the estimated prevalence of initial or acquired MDR-TB and treatment outcomes reported nationally.

Mycobacterium haemophilum epididymal abscess in a renal transplant patient.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is an established cause of cutaneous lesions in immunocompromised hosts. We report the first known case of epididymal abscess, which highlights the need to work up all specimens that are acid-fast bacillus-positive for M. haemophilum from immunocompromised hosts, regardless of body site.