Publications by authors named "K N Weghorn"
Proinflammatory cytokine levels and host genetic makeup are key determinants of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) outcomes. We previously reported that blocking the inflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) ameliorates CDI. Here, we determined kinetics of MIF production and its association with a common genetic variant in leptin receptor (LEPR) using blood from patients with CDI.
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- Rapid identification of pathogens in normally sterile body fluids (NSBF) is crucial for effective patient management and timely antimicrobial therapy, due to limitations in traditional culture methods.
- This study evaluated the performance of the GenMark Dx ePlex Blood Culture Identification (BCID) Panels on 88 positive body fluids, comparing it to regular culture results, and found a high agreement rate for pathogen detection.
- The findings suggest that multiplex PCR could be a valuable supplement to routine culture, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and timeliness in identifying life-threatening infections from NSBF in blood culture bottles.
Unlabelled: Neutrophils are key first responders to infection (CDI). Excessive tissue and blood neutrophils are associated with worse histopathology and adverse outcomes, however their functional role during CDI remains poorly defined. Utilizing intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-neutrophil co-cultures and a pre-clinical animal model of CDI, we show that neutrophils exacerbate -induced IEC injury.
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