Long-term impact of molecular epidemiology shifts of methicillin-resistant on severity and mortality of bloodstream infection.

A 2019 nationwide study in Japan revealed the predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) types in bloodstream infections (BSIs) to be sequence type (ST)8-carrying SCC type IV (ST8-MRSA-IV) and clonal complex 1-carrying SCC type IV (CC1-MRSA-IV). However, detailed patient characteristics and how these MRSA types evolve over time remain largely unknown. In this long-term single-center study, MRSA strains isolated from blood cultures at Nagasaki University Hospital from 2012 to 2019 were sequenced and analyzed.

mutation in decreases manogepix susceptibility owing to increased expression.

is an emerging pathogenic fungus that is highly resistant to existing antifungal drugs. Manogepix is a novel antifungal agent that exerts antifungal activity by inhibiting glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis. Although the mechanisms of resistance of species to manogepix have been reported previously, those of are yet to be studied.

Immune complexome analysis reveals an autoimmune signature predictive of COVID-19 severity.

Background: The factors contributing to the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain unclear. Although the presence of immune complexes (ICs), formed between antibodies and their antigens, has been linked to COVID-19 severity, their role requires further investigation, and the antigens within these ICs are yet to be characterized.

Method: Here, a C1q enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay and immune complexome analysis were used to determine IC concentrations and characterize IC antigens, respectively, in the sera of 64 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled at seven participating centers in 2020.

Impact of Education on Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescription for Respiratory Tract Infection Based on Physicians' Justifications: A Web-Based Survey in Japan.

: Antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed for respiratory tract infections for various reasons. The differences of the effects of education based on these reasons has not been fully elucidated. This study assessed the impact of an educational film on antibiotic prescription patterns according to physicians' prescribing justifications.

Neglected Pulmonary Infection Caused by Exophiala dermatitidis Misidentified as Rhodotorula spp.

Exophiala dermatitidis is an emerging black fungus that causes pulmonary infections that may be underestimated by conventional culture methods. We encountered one case that initially appeared to be yeast and was misidentified as Rhodotorula spp. using a commercial identification kit.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia sputorum Identified via 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing: A Case Report.

, a novel species discovered in Japan in 2023, has not been reported to infect humans. Here, we report a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a 70-year-old immunocompetent woman infected with . The patient presented to the hospital with a chief complaint of weight loss.

Pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of a surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS) antigen test for detecting SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: The diagnostic tools of nucleic acid amplification tests and antigen tests have been extensively employed for the detection of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT)-PCR test has high sensitivity and specificity, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. On the other hand, antigen tests are simple and prompt, however, their low sensitivity and potential for false positives have been identified as limitations.

Development of a score model to predict long-term prognosis after community-onset pneumonia in older patients.

Background And Objective: The identification of factors associated with long-term prognosis after community-onset pneumonia in elderly patients should be considered when initiating advance care planning (ACP). We aimed to identify these factors and develop a prediction score model.

Methods: Patients aged 65 years and older, who were hospitalized for pneumonia at nine collaborating institutions, were included.

Clinical phenotype of anaerobic bacteremia unaccompanied by detectable abscess lesion: a 10-year retrospective, multicenter, observational-cohort study.

Purpose: Despite the importance of abscess lesions in clinical decisions regarding anaerobic bacteremia (AB), their impact on clinical characteristics remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the clinical factors associated with AB that were unaccompanied by detectable abscess lesions during the initial phase of infection.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective observational study involving patients with culture-proven AB at six tertiary hospitals in Japan between January 2012 and March 2022.

Period prevalence of uveitis in human T-lymphotropic virus 1 carriers versus noncarriers in a highly endemic area: The Nagasaki Islands Study.

The magnitude of the effect of human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) infection on uveitis remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a highly endemic area of HTLV-1 in Japan. The study included 4265 residents (men, 39.

Evaluation of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry coupled with ClinProTools as a rapid tool for toxin-producing Clostridioides difficile.

Introduction: The performance of MALDI-TOF MS combined with analysis platform for identification of toxin-producing Clostridiodes difficile is yet to be known.

Methods: Between August 2018 and September 2020, 61 isolates from stool specimens of patients with C. difficile-associated diarrhea were analyzed using the MALDI Biotyper system.

Lipoprotein signal peptidase-deficient Streptococcus pneumoniae exhibits impaired Toll-like receptor 2-stimulatory activity.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia. Upon pneumococcal infection, innate immune cells recognize pneumococcal lipoproteins via Toll-like receptor 2 and induce inflammation. Here, we generated a strain of S.

Efficacy and safety of lascufloxacin for nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia: A single-arm, open-label clinical trial.

Background: Nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) constitutes most of the pneumonia in elderly patients including aspiration pneumonia in Japan. Lascufloxacin (LSFX) possesses broad antibacterial activity against respiratory pathogens, such as Streptococcus spp. And anaerobes inside the oral cavity.

Rapid increase in salivary IgA and broad recognition of spike protein following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

Saliva is a key component of mucosal immunity, which protects the oral cavity from viral infections. However, salivary immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in terms of immunoglobulin dynamics and recognition, have not been investigated sufficiently. In this study, saliva samples were collected from individuals that received SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA against whole spike protein and S1 protein were measured.

The evaluation of a rapid microfluidic immunofluorescence antigen test in detecting the infectiousness of COVID-19 patients.

Background: A test-based strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the measures to assess the need for isolation and prevention of infection. However, testing with high sensitivity methods, such as quantitative RT-PCR, leads to unnecessary isolation, whereas the lateral flow antigen test shows low sensitivity and false negative results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag test (Lumira Ag), a rapid microfluidic immunofluorescence method, in assessing infectivity.