Shiga-Toxin-Producing Strains of O104:H4 and a Strain of O157:H7, Which Can Cause Human Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Differ in Biofilm Formation in the Presence of CO and in Their Ability to Grow in a Novel Cell Culture Medium.

One pathogen that commonly causes gastrointestinal illnesses from the consumption of contaminated food is O157:H7. In 2011 in Germany, however, there was a prominent outbreak of bloody diarrhea with a high incidence of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by an atypical, more virulent O104:H4 strain. To facilitate the identification of this lesser-known, atypical O104:H4 strain, we wanted to identify phenotypic differences between it and a strain of O157:H7 in different media and culture conditions.

Optimization of Oxford Nanopore Technology Sequencing Workflow for Detection of Amplicons in Real Time Using ONT-DART Tool.

An optimized, well-tested and validated targeted genomic sequencing-based high-throughput assay is currently not available ready for routine biodefense and biosurveillance applications. Earlier, we addressed this gap by developing and establishing baseline comparisons of a multiplex end-point Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay followed by Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) based amplicon sequencing to real time PCR and customized data processing. Here, we expand upon this effort by identifying the optimal ONT library preparation method for integration into a novel software platform ONT-DART (ONT-Detection of Amplicons in Real-Time).

Development, Phenotypic Characterization and Genomic Analysis of a Panel for Tularemia Vaccine Testing.

is one of several biothreat agents for which a licensed vaccine is needed to protect against this pathogen. To aid in the development of a vaccine protective against pneumonic tularemia, we generated and characterized a panel of isolates that can be used as challenge strains to assess vaccine efficacy. Our panel consists of both historical and contemporary isolates derived from clinical and environmental sources, including human, tick, and rabbit isolates.

A novel selective medium for the isolation of Burkholderia mallei from equine specimens.

Background: Burkholderia mallei is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes glanders, a zoonotic disease, especially in equine populations (e.g. horses, donkeys, and mules).