Publications by authors named "Danielle Scales"
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers conducted a genome-wide screen on ECL8, an endemic bacterial strain, to identify essential genes for growth in various environments, including laboratory media and human bodily fluids.
- * They discovered 427 essential genes for growth in lab conditions, along with additional genes critical for survival in human urine and serum, highlighting potential new antimicrobial targets for treating these infections.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has proven to be the gold-standard for SARS-CoV-2 detection in clinical settings. The most common approaches rely on nasopharyngeal specimens obtained from swabs, followed by RNA extraction, reverse transcription and quantitative PCR. Although swab-based PCR is sensitive, swabbing is invasive and unpleasant to administer, reducing patient compliance for regular testing and resulting in an increased risk of improper sampling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince mid-2020 there have been complexities and difficulties in the standardisation and administration of nasopharyngeal swabs. Coupled with the variable and/or poor accuracy of lateral flow devices, this has led to increased societal 'testing fatigue' and reduced confidence in test results. Consequently, asymptomatic individuals have developed reluctance towards repeat testing, which remains the best way to monitor COVID-19 cases in the wider population.
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