Publications by authors named "Christopher McIver"

Infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are common. Real-time PCR assays targeting vanA and vanB facilitate screening of patients in healthcare settings to limit the risk of dissemination, especially amongst those at high-risk of infection or with limited treatment options. Such assays are commonly performed as reflex testing procedures where they augment phenotypic techniques and shorten turnaround time to benefit timely clinical management.

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Background: A marked genotype shift among vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) from vanB to vanA in Australia between 2011 and 2015 is a well-known phenomenon. It is hypothesized that this was caused by multiple independent clones emerging simultaneously in different settings and/or regions.

Objectives: To gain insights into the circumstances surrounding the shift from vanB to vanA VREfm in one Australian hospital.

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Screening patients for carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is commonly undertaken in hospital laboratories using phenotypic methods. This work is labour-intensive, costly and may take several days to complete. We report on the validation of a novel rapid screening approach for direct testing of Amies gel swabs for MRSA.

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The dermatophytoses are the most common superficial fungal infections worldwide. Clinical diagnosis is not reliable as there are many differentials, and laboratory diagnosis is required to gain access to treatment in more severe disease. Traditional diagnostic methods are limited by suboptimal sensitivity, specificity and prolonged turnaround times.

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After many years in the family Vibrionaceae, the genus Plesiomonas, represented by a single species, P. shigelloides, currently resides in the family Enterobacteriaceae, although its most appropriate phylogenetic position may yet to be determined. Common environmental reservoirs for plesiomonads include freshwater ecosystems and estuaries and inhabitants of these aquatic environs.

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The aim of this study was to assemble and assess a non-competitive internal amplification control (IAC) system targeting the Escherichia coli alanine racemase (alr) gene to include in a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for Neisseria meningitidis. Primers and hybridisation probes specific for the IAC were designed and assessed for specificity. Amplification efficiency and limit of detection for the assembled assay was extrapolated using standard curves constructed with serial dilutions of N.

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Aim: Premature neonates represent a population highly vulnerable to infection. This study aims to profile viral colonisation of gut and the associated clinical manifestations among premature neonates admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Australia.

Methods: In a cohort of 75 premature neonates born at less than 32 weeks gestation, who were followed for 4 weeks following admission to a NICU in Sydney, Australia, multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays were used to determine viral presence in stool, and clinical data were examined.

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Background: Over the last decade, four epidemics of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis have been reported in Australia. These epidemics were characterized by numerous outbreaks in institutional settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, as well as increases in requests for NoV testing in diagnostic centers. During 2007 and 2008, widespread outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis were once again seen across Australia, peaking during the winter months.

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Objectives: Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) has a low profile in urban sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in many developed countries. The objective of this study was to determine the true prevalence of TV in an Australian urban sexual health setting using sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques.

Methods: A cross-sectional study investigating the aetiology of cervicitis in women attending two urban sexual health clinics in Sydney, Australia, enrolled 356 consecutive eligible women from 2006 to 2008.

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Knowing the prevalence of potential etiologic agents of nongonococcal and nonchlamydial cervicitis is important for improving the efficacy of empirical treatments for this commonly encountered condition. We describe four multiplex PCRs (mPCRs), designated VDL05, VDL06, VDL07, and VDL09, which facilitate the detection of a wide range of agents either known to be or putatively associated with cervicitis, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), enterovirus (EV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) (VDL05); Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Mycoplasma hominis (VDL06); Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Treponema pallidum, and group B streptococci (VDL07); and adenovirus species A to E (VDL09). The mPCRs were used to test 233 cervical swabs from 175 women attending a sexual-health clinic in Sydney, Australia, during 2006 and 2007.

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Norovirus genogroup II excretion during an outbreak of gastroenteritis was investigated in an aged-care facility. Viral shedding peaked in the acute stage of illness and continued for an average of 28.7 days.

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Objective: The prevalence of lactose malabsorption (LM) is increased in the elderly, although the mechanisms responsible are still a matter of speculation. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible roles of reduced functional small intestinal absorptive area, lactase deficiency and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Material And Methods: Twenty Caucasian (Anglo-Celtic), asymptomatic, well-nourished, elderly volunteers (median age 79 years, range 70-94 years) with no clinically apparent predisposition to SIBO underwent a 50 g lactose breath hydrogen test (LBHT) and mannitol absorption test, the latter as an index of functional small intestinal absorptive area.

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Background: Acute gastroenteritis is commonly associated with norovirus genogroup II (GII) infection. Norovirus GII has 17 classified genotypes (GII.1-GII.

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Recent studies have demonstrated a wide geographic circulation of isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that fail to produce prolyliminopeptidase (PIP). Tests based on the production of this enzyme are important elements of a number of identification systems for gonococci. We documented the appearance, expansion, and contraction of subtypes of 165 PIP-negative gonococci detected in an extended and systematic sample of the 3,926 N.

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Sapovirus was detected in 7 of 95 stool specimens from children with gastroenteritis of unknown etiology in Sydney, Australia, from August 2001 to August 2002 and from February 2004 to August 2004, by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis of the N-terminal capsid region showed all human sapovirus genogroups.

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Norovirus (NoV) is highly infectious and is the major cause of outbreak gastroenteritis in adults, with pandemic spread of the virus being reported in 1995 and 2002. The NoV genome is genetically diverse, which has hampered development of sensitive molecular biology-based methods. In this study we report on a nested reverse transcriptase PCR (nRT-PCR) that was designed to amplify the highly conserved 3' end of the polymerase region and the 5' end of the capsid gene of NoV genogroup II (GII).

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Integrons were detected in 37 (72.5%) of 51 Klebsiella spp. producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases by PCR with primers that targeted integrase genes and cassette regions.

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