Benchmarking of two bioinformatic workflows for the analysis of whole-genome sequenced Staphylococcus aureus collected from patients with suspected sepsis.

Background: The rapidly growing area of sequencing technologies, and more specifically bacterial whole-genome sequencing, could offer applications in clinical microbiology, including species identification of bacteria, prediction of genetic antibiotic susceptibility and virulence genes simultaneously. To accomplish the aforementioned points, the commercial cloud-based platform, 1928 platform (1928 Diagnostics, Gothenburg, Sweden) was benchmarked against an in-house developed bioinformatic pipeline as well as to reference methods in the clinical laboratory.

Methods: Whole-genome sequencing data retrieved from 264 Staphylococcus aureus isolates using the Illumina HiSeq X next-generation sequencing technology was used.

Sequence-based genotyping of extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates from patients with suspected community-onset sepsis, Sweden.

Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains are responsible for a large number of human infections globally. The management of infections caused by ExPEC has been complicated by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, most importantly the increasing recognition of isolates producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL). Herein, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on ExPEC isolates for a comprehensive genotypic characterization.

Crisis of Authority: The Truth of Post-Truth.

This article is a critique of the notion of post-truth. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, I argue that the epistemological crisis suggested by the notion of post-truth is epiphenomenal to a more general crisis of authority, a crisis that is poorly understood in the literature. I also argue that revisiting Arendt's account of authority can help us elucidate the vexed dynamics of authority in modern society, as well as the dynamics behind its current crisis.

Genotypic Characterization of Clinical spp. Isolates Collected From Patients With Suspected Community-Onset Sepsis, Sweden.

is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria known to be opportunistic pathogens that may cause a variety of infections in humans. Highly drug-resistant species, especially , have emerged rapidly and are becoming a major concern in clinical management. Although is considered the most important pathogen within the genus, the true clinical significance of the other species is likely underrecognized due to the inability of conventional microbiological methods to distinguish between the species leading to high rates of misidentification.

Evaluation of QuickFISH and maldi Sepsityper for identification of bacteria in bloodstream infection.

Background: Early detection of bacteria and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns are critical to guide therapeutic decision-making for optimal care of septic patients. The current gold standard, blood culturing followed by subculture on agar plates for subsequent identification, is too slow leading to excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotic with harmful consequences for the patient and, in the long run, the public health. The aim of the present study was to assess the performance of two commercial assays, QuickFISH® (OpGen) and Maldi Sepsityper™ (Bruker Daltonics) for early and accurate identification of microorganisms directly from positive blood cultures.