Publications by authors named "Katherine Bowden"

Article Synopsis
  • Ebola virus persistence in survivors' semen may contribute to recent outbreaks in places like Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting this study of 131 male EVD survivors in Liberia.
  • The study aimed to categorize participants as "early clearers" or "late clearers" based on their EBOV detection in semen, while also collecting clinical history and conducting medical examinations.
  • Findings indicated that older age, milder initial symptoms, and specific immune markers (IgG3 levels and HLA-C*03:04 allele) were linked to longer EBOV persistence in semen, suggesting potential connections to other areas in the body where the virus might hide.
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Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) can be differentiated from non-LGV chlamydial infection using Sanger sequencing or molecular assays, including those that are commercially-available internationally. Here, we describe the performance of a rapid real-time PCR (RT-PCR)-based strategy in differentiating Chlamydia trachomatis infections associated with LGV or non-LGV serovars. One hundred three rectal swabs, previously genotyped using Sanger sequencing of the ompA gene as a reference method, were tested in the RT-PCR assays.

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  • The study focuses on a method to improve the detection of antibodies for babesiosis caused by a specific agent in the western U.S.
  • Researchers utilized a proteomics technique to identify proteins that could enhance serological testing, moving away from the need for infected hamsters' blood cells.
  • Two recombinant proteins, AAY83295.1 and AAY83296.1, showed promising results in a multiplex bead assay, with AAY83295.1 having 100% sensitivity and AAY83296.1 showing 96% specificity, making this approach potentially beneficial for diagnosis and blood screening.
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Two plasmid gene protein (Pgp3)-based serological assays, the Pgp3-ELISA and multiplex bead assay (Pgp3-MBA), were compared and used to estimate seropositivity of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) among females 14 to 39 years old participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013-2016. Of the 2,201 specimens tested, 502 (29.5%, 95% CI 27.

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Article Synopsis
  • The exact prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovars L1, L2, or L3 is not well-documented in the U.S.
  • No commercially available diagnostic tests currently exist for LGV; however, researchers developed their own test.
  • Using this lab-developed test, they found serovar L2 in 14% of 132 remaining C. trachomatis-positive rectal swabs.
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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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Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) provides allele-based characterization of bacterial pathogens in a standardized framework. However, classical MLST schemes for , the causative agent of whooping cough, seldom reveal diversity among the small number of gene targets and thereby fail to delineate population structure. To improve the discriminatory power of allele-based molecular typing of , we have developed a whole-genome MLST (wgMLST) scheme from 225 reference-quality genome assemblies.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study during the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey tested urine samples for Mycoplasma genitalium infection among participants aged 14 to 59.
  • The overall prevalence of the infection was found to be 1.7% with a 95% confidence interval of 1.1%-2.7%.
  • Prevalence rates were comparable between males at 1.8% and females at 1.7%.
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Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends specific regimens for chlamydia and dual therapy for gonorrhea to mitigate antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhea in the CDC 2015 sexually transmitted disease treatment guidelines. Only limited studies examining adherence to these recommendations have been conducted at private practices in the United States.

Methods: We used the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a comprehensive, longitudinal data asset with deidentified persons with linked commercial insurance claims and clinical information, to identify persons aged 15 to 60 years who had valid nucleic acid amplification testing results demonstrating urogenital or extragenital gonorrhea or chlamydia in 2016 to 2018.

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Respiratory diphtheria, characterized by a firmly adherent pseudomembrane, is caused by toxin-producing strains of , with similar illness produced occasionally by toxigenic or, rarely, While diphtheria laboratory confirmation requires culture methods to determine toxigenicity, real-time PCR (RT-PCR) provides a faster method to detect the toxin gene (). Nontoxigenic -bearing (NTTB) isolates have been described, but impact of these isolates on the accuracy of molecular diagnostics is not well characterized. Here, we describe a new triplex RT-PCR assay to detect and distinguish from the closely related species and Analytical sensitivity and specificity of the assay were assessed in comparison to culture using 690 previously characterized microbial isolates.

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Background: Antimicrobial resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), a cause of urethritis, is a growing concern. Yet little is known about the geographic distribution of MG resistance in the United States or about its associated clinical outcomes. We evaluated the frequency of MG among men with urethritis, resistance mutations, and posttreatment symptom persistence.

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Orolabial lymphogranuloma venereum was diagnosed for a man in Michigan, USA, who had sex with men, some infected with HIV. High index of suspicion for lymphogranuloma venereum led to accurate diagnosis, successful therapy, and description of an L2b variant with a unique genetic mutation.

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RNase PH, encoded by the gene, is a 3'→5' exoribonuclease that in participates primarily in the 3' maturation of pre-tRNAs and the degradation of rRNA in stationary-phase cells. Interestingly, the routinely used laboratory strains of MG1655 and W3110 have naturally acquired the allele, encoding a truncated catalytically inactive RNase PH protein which is widely assumed to be benign. Contrary to this assumption, we show that the -encoded Rph-1 protein inhibits RNase P-mediated 5'-end maturation of primary pre-tRNAs with leaders of <5 nucleotides in the absence of RppH, an RNA pyrophosphohydrolase.

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Despite high pertussis vaccine coverage, reported cases of whooping cough (pertussis) have increased over the last decade in the United States and other developed countries. Although is well known for its limited gene sequence variation, recent advances in long-read sequencing technology have begun to reveal genomic structural heterogeneity among otherwise indistinguishable isolates, even within geographically or temporally defined epidemics. We have compared rearrangements among complete genome assemblies from 257 isolates to examine the potential evolution of the chromosomal structure in a pathogen with minimal gene nucleotide sequence diversity.

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Species of the genus Bordetella associate with various animal hosts, frequently causing respiratory disease. Bordetella pertussis is the primary agent of whooping cough and other Bordetella species can cause similar cough illness. Here, we report four complete genome sequences from isolates of different Bordetella species recovered from human respiratory infections.

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During 2010 and 2012, California and Vermont, respectively, experienced statewide epidemics of pertussis with differences seen in the demographic affected, case clinical presentation, and molecular epidemiology of the circulating strains. To overcome limitations of the current molecular typing methods for pertussis, we utilized whole-genome sequencing to gain a broader understanding of how current circulating strains are causing large epidemics. Through the use of combined next-generation sequencing technologies, this study compared de novo, single-contig genome assemblies from 31 out of 33 Bordetella pertussis isolates collected during two separate pertussis statewide epidemics and 2 resequenced vaccine strains.

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VEGF-A (VEGF) drives angiogenesis through activation of downstream effectors to promote endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Although VEGF binds both VEGF receptor 1 (R1) and receptor 2 (R2), its proangiogenic effects are attributed to R2. Secreted protein, acidic, rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular glycoprotein thought to inhibit angiogenesis by preventing VEGF from activating R1, but not R2.

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While PCR is the most common method used for detecting Bordetella pertussis in the United States, most laboratories use insertion sequence 481 (IS481), which is not specific for B. pertussis; therefore, the relative contribution of other Bordetella species is not understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the proportion of other Bordetella species misidentified as B.

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Although pertussis disease is vaccine preventable, Washington State experienced a substantial rise in pertussis incidence beginning in 2011. By June 2012, the reported cases reached 2,520 (37.5 cases per 100,000 residents), a 1,300% increase compared with the same period in 2011.

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RNAsnap™ is a simple and novel method that recovers all intracellular RNA quantitatively (>99%), faster (<15 min) and less expensively (∼3 cents/sample) than any of the currently available RNA isolation methods. In fact, none of the bacterial RNA isolation methods, including the commercial kits, are effective in recovering all species of intracellular RNAs (76-5700 nt) with equal efficiency, which can lead to biased results in genome-wide studies involving microarray or RNAseq analysis. The RNAsnap™ procedure yields ∼60 µg of RNA from 10(8) Escherichia coli cells that can be used directly for northern analysis without any further purification.

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