Publications by authors named "I M Bowler"
Purpose: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is increasingly being used to detect enteric pathogens and is currently NICE's recommended practice. We wished to evaluate the performance characteristics of PCR for the detection of salmonella in consecutive stool samples in a real-world setting, compared to the gold standard of enrichment culture.
Methodology: We performed a prospective study over 9 months in which the PCR and culture results for salmonella were scrutinized for all stool samples sent to the laboratory.
Article Synopsis
- Lung infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus, a multidrug-resistant mycobacteria, pose a significant threat to individuals with cystic fibrosis as they worsen lung damage and increase health risks.
- Contrary to previous beliefs that these infections are acquired from the environment, recent genomic analysis shows many cases are actually spread through transmission from person to person, possibly via surfaces and aerosols.
- The analysis also identified that dominant circulating clones of M. abscessus are linked to worse health outcomes and higher virulence, indicating an urgent global health challenge.
Delayed wound healing due to infection is a burden on healthcare systems, and the patient and caregiver alike. An emerging factor in infection and delayed healing is the presence development of biofilm in wounds. Biofilm is communities of microorganisms, protected by an extracellular matrix of slime in the wound, which can tolerate host defences and applied antimicrobials such as antibiotics or antimicrobial dressings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 45-year-old man with dilated cardiomyopathy presented with acute leg pain and erythema suggestive of necrotising fasciitis. Initial surgical exploration revealed no necrosis and treatment for a soft tissue infection was started. Blood and tissue cultures unexpectedly grew a Gram-negative bacillus, subsequently identified by an automated broth microdilution phenotyping system as an extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli.
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