Publications by authors named "Ken Waites"

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma species are urogenital mollicutes that can cause serious donor-derived infections in lung transplant recipients. Best practices for mollicute screening remain unknown. We conducted a single-center prospective study analyzing lung transplants performed from October 5, 2020, to September 25, 2021, whereby donor and recipient bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples obtained at time of transplant underwent mollicute screening via culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

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Mycoplasma genitalium is an important sexually transmitted pathogen affecting both men and women. Its extremely slow growth and very demanding culture requirements necessitate the use of molecular-based diagnostic tests for its detection in clinical specimens. The recent availability of U.

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Here, we performed susceptibility testing on 10 Mycoplasma genitalium isolates against omadacycline, minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, and azithromycin. Omadacycline was the most potent agent, with all MICs of ≤0.5 μg/mL.

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, an oral commensal organism, can cause severe invasive infections in immunocompromised individuals. Currently there is no treatment guidance for such infections. We performed antimicrobial susceptibility tests on 39 commensal and invasive isolates and investigated the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.

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Background: Accurate bacteria genome de novo assembly is fundamental to understand the evolution and pathogenesis of new bacteria species. The advent and popularity of Third-Generation Sequencing (TGS) enables assembly of bacteria genomes at an unprecedented speed. However, most current TGS assemblers were specifically designed for human or other species that do not have a circular genome.

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What Is This Summary About?: Bacterial pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by bacteria that is potentially deadly, costly, and affects millions of people worldwide every year. Treatment is becoming more challenging-many current treatments no longer work well because some strains of bacteria that cause pneumonia have become resistant to current antibiotics. Many of the antibiotics that do still work have undesirable side effects.

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Lefamulin was the first systemic pleuromutilin antibiotic approved for intravenous and oral use in adults with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia based on two phase 3 trials (Lefamulin Evaluation Against Pneumonia [LEAP]-1 and LEAP-2). This pooled analysis evaluated lefamulin efficacy and safety in adults with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia caused by atypical pathogens (, , and ). In LEAP-1, participants received intravenous lefamulin 150 mg every 12 h for 5-7 days or moxifloxacin 400 mg every 24 h for 7 days, with optional intravenous-to-oral switch.

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Objectives: Lefamulin, a pleuromutilin antibiotic approved for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), was evaluated for microbiological efficacy in a prespecified pooled analysis of LEAP 1 and 2 phase 3 clinical trial data in patients with CABP.

Methods: In LEAP 1, adults (PORT risk class III‒V) received intravenous (IV) lefamulin 150 mg every 12 h (q12h) for 5‒7 days or moxifloxacin 400 mg every 24 h (q24h) for 7 days, with optional IV-to-oral switch. In LEAP 2, adults (PORT II‒IV) received oral lefamulin 600 mg q12h for 5 days or moxifloxacin 400 mg q24h for 7 days.

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Trichomonas vaginalis is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI). Diagnosis has historically relied on either microscopic analysis or culture, the latter being the previous gold standard. However, these tests are not readily available for male diagnosis, generally only perform well for symptomatic women, and are not as sensitive as nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).

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is a common mycoplasma usually isolated from human oropharynx, particularly from individuals with periodontal disease. It is also among the more common mycoplasmal contaminants of eukaryotic cell cultures. Although has been isolated occasionally from abscesses and other sterile sites, to our knowledge, only three cases of septic arthritis have been documented in the past due to this organism, all in patients with humoral immunodeficiency.

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Article Synopsis
  • Azithromycin treatment in the first week of life was studied to see its effects on long-term outcomes in preterm infants, with and without Ureaplasma respiratory colonization, through a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
  • The study involved 121 participants and assessed respiratory and neurodevelopmental outcomes at various ages, finding no significant differences between infants treated with azithromycin and those given a placebo.
  • Ureaplasma-positive infants did have higher rates of serious respiratory issues by 22-26 months compared to Ureaplasma-negative and non-intubated infants, but overall, the trial did not provide strong evidence for azithromycin's benefits in improving long-term health outcomes.
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We used the Food and Drug Administration-cleared Aptima Mycoplasma genitalium assay to evaluate for M. genitalium infection among young women without urogenital symptoms presenting to a community-based emergency department in Birmingham, Alabama, between August 2016 to August 2019 for evaluation of nongynecological concerns. M.

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We performed susceptibility testing for eravacycline in comparison to 4 other antimicrobials against 10 , 40 , 44 , 20 , and 20 isolates. All eravacycline MICs were ≤0.25 μg/ml, except that for one isolate of , for which the MIC was 2 μg/ml.

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Ureaplasma species (spp.) are common colonizers of the urogenital tract but may cause systemic infection in immunocompromised patients. They release significant amounts of ammonia via urea hydrolysis and have been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of hyperammonemia syndrome after organ transplantation.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most common bacterial causes of pneumonia. Macrolide-resistant M pneumoniae (MRMP) was documented in 7.5% of isolates in the United States.

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We evaluated six commercial molecular tests targeting , namely, the BioFire FilmArray respiratory panel (RP), the Meridian Alethia Mycoplasma Direct, the GenMark ePlex respiratory pathogen panel (RPP), the Luminex NxTAG RPP, the ELITech ELITe InGenius MGB research use only (RUO) PCR, and the SpeeDx MP assays. Laboratory-developed PCR assays at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used as reference standards. Among 428 specimens, 212 were designated confirmed positives for The highest clinical sensitivities were found with the InGenius PCR (99.

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(MG) infections are a growing concern within the field of sexually transmitted infections. However, diagnostic assays for have been limited in the United States. As most infections are asymptomatic, individuals can unknowingly pass the infection on, and the prevalence is likely to be underestimated.

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Objective: To test whether azithromycin eradicates from the respiratory tract in preterm infants.

Design: Prospective, phase IIb randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting: Seven level III-IV US, academic, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

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We evaluated the prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium coinfection in 302 chlamydia-infected women seen at a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Birmingham, AL. M genitalium coinfection was detected in 22 (7.3%).

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pneumonia is prevalent in children and can be followed by upper airway carriage for months. Treatment of pneumonia with macrolides is widespread and can lead to the development of macrolide resistance. The clinical consequences of chronic carriage are unknown.

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Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) infection is a sexually transmitted infection that causes up to 25% of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). MG strains carrying genetic markers of antimicrobial resistance that may affect treatment outcomes are increasingly recognized as a public health concern. We present two cases of persistent MG NGU with strains carrying both macrolide and quinolone resistance-associated mutations that were eradicated successfully by an extended course of minocycline.

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is the leading cause of bacterial community-acquired pneumonia in persons of all ages. Due to the fastidious nature of this bacterium and the necessary specialized growth media, nucleic acid amplification testing is currently the most reliable means for patient diagnostics. Analytical sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and clinical performance of the ELITe InGenius automated PCR platform with its MGB Alert real-time PCR research use only reagents (ELITechGroup, Inc.

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Colloidal silver (Ag) nanoparticles (AgNP) have been widely used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. We report a simple, rapid and effective method to prepare AgNP colloids for SERS using the classic organic chemistry Ag mirror reaction with Tollens' reagent. The AgNP colloid prepared with this process was characterized using SEM, and the reaction conditions further optimized using SERS measurements.

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Objective: To explore whether the effect of azithromycin (AZI) on postcesarean infections varied by the presence/absence of genital mycoplasmataceae placental colonization.

Study Design: This was a single-center substudy of multicenter double-blind C/SOAP (Cesarean Section Optimal Antibiotic Prophylaxis) trial of women randomized to AZI or placebo (+cefazolin) antibiotic prophylaxis at cesarean. Chorioamnion/placenta specimens were tested for genital mycoplasmataceae colonization by polymerase chain reaction.

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Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae, an atypical human pathogen, has been associated with asthma initiation and exacerbation. Asthmatic patients have been reported to have higher carriage rates of M pneumoniae compared with nonasthmatic subjects and are at greater risk for invasive respiratory infections.

Objective: We sought to study whether prior allergen sensitization affects the host response to chronic bacterial infection.

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