Publications by authors named "John Cartee"

Article Synopsis
  • The emergence of the FC428 clone of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) has led to concerns about antimicrobial resistance, with ceftriaxone being the last remaining effective treatment option due to the development of high-level resistance associated with a newly identified allele.
  • Analysis of 2,104 genomes showed that three isolates with high-level ceftriaxone resistance grouped in a lineage that includes strains primarily from North America and Southeast Asia, indicating significant global spread and interconnectedness of resistant strains.
  • The study identifies potential recombination events that could contribute to the evolution of resistant strains, highlighting the complex nature of antimicrobial resistance and the need for ongoing surveillance and research.
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Article Synopsis
  • Ng (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) is a major cause of gonorrhea, infecting 87 million people yearly and showing increasing drug resistance, while Nm (Neisseria meningitidis), common in the oropharynx, can lead to bacterial meningitis with about 1.2 million cases globally.*
  • Both pathogens can occupy the same anatomical spaces, allowing for potential horizontal gene transfer (HGT), complicating their detection and treatment.*
  • A study in Milwaukee found isolates that were initially misidentified as Nm but were confirmed as Ng through whole-genome sequencing, showing evidence of HGT from Nm that affected a gene used in differentiating the two species.*
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Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) is a rare complication caused by the systemic dissemination of to normally sterile anatomical sites. Little is known about the genetic diversity of DGI gonococcal strains and how they relate to other gonococcal strains causing uncomplicated mucosal infections. We used whole genome sequencing to characterize DGI isolates (n = 30) collected from a surveillance system in Georgia, United States, during 2017-2020 to understand phylogenetic clustering among DGI as well as uncomplicated uro- and extragenital gonococcal infection (UGI) isolates (n = 110) collected in Fulton County, Georgia, during 2017-2019.

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Neisseria gonorrhoeae multilocus sequence type (ST) 9363 core-genogroup isolates have been associated with reduced azithromycin susceptibility (AZMrs) and show evidence of clonal expansion in the United States. Here, we analyze a global collection of ST-9363 core-genogroup genomes to shed light on the emergence and dissemination of this strain. The global population structure of ST-9363 core-genogroup falls into three lineages: Basal, European, and North American; with 32 clades within all lineages.

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The recent emergence of strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae associated with treatment failures to ceftriaxone, the foundation of current treatment options, has raised concerns over a future of untreatable gonorrhea. Current global data on gonococcal strains suggest that several lineages, predominately characterized by mosaic penA alleles, are associated with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). Here we report on whole genome sequences of 813 N.

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, an obligately intracellular bacterium, is the most prevalent cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. Numbers of U.S.

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Contaminants such as heavy metals may contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by enriching resistance gene determinants via co-selection mechanisms. In the present study, a survey was performed on soils collected from four areas at the Savannah River Site (SRS), South Carolina, USA, with varying contaminant profiles: relatively pristine (Upper Three Runs), heavy metals (Ash Basins), radionuclides (Pond B) and heavy metal and radionuclides (Tim's Branch). Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we explored the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities.

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In 2016, the proportion of isolates with reduced susceptibility to azithromycin rose to 3.6%. A phylogenetic analysis of 334 isolates collected in 2016 revealed a single, geographically diverse lineage of isolates with MICs of 2 to 16 μg/ml that carried a mosaic-like locus, whereas the majority of isolates with MICs of ≥16 μg/ml appeared sporadically and carried 23S rRNA mutations.

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