Pre-pandemic preventable hospitalization is associated with increased telemedicine use in safety-net settings.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a major expansion in telemedicine use. The continued use of telemedicine post-pandemic has the potential to enhance healthcare use for people at risk for sub-optimal healthcare access and utilization, such as patients with previous preventable hospitalization. This study analyzed the association between pre-pandemic preventable hospitalizations (PPHs) and telemedicine use during the pandemic.

Pediatric urinary tract infections caused by poultry-associated .

is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children and adults. The gastrointestinal tract is the primary reservoir of uropathogenic , which can be acquired from a variety of environmental exposures, including retail meat. In the current study, we used a novel statistical-genomic approach to estimate the proportion of pediatric UTIs caused by foodborne zoonotic strains.

Influenza Virus Genomic Surveillance, Arizona, USA, 2023-2024.

Influenza viruses are constantly evolving and are therefore monitored worldwide in the hope to reduce the burden of disease by annual updates to vaccine recommendations. We conducted genomic sequencing of 110 influenza A and 30 influenza B viruses from specimens collected between October 2023 and February 2024 in Arizona, USA. We identified mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) antigenic sites as well as the neuraminidase (NA) gene in our samples.

Telemedicine Reduces Missed Appointments but Disparities Persist.

Introduction: Missed appointments also known as no-shows adversely affect clinical outcomes, clinic efficiency, and quality of care and have been attributed to barriers such as work schedule conflicts and lack of transportation. The widespread telemedicine implementation and adoption that has occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to address these barriers and improve missed appointment rates. This study aims to analyze the relationship between telemedicine and missed appointments.

Baseline Sequencing Surveillance of Public Clinical Testing, Hospitals, and Community Wastewater Reveals Rapid Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant of Concern in Arizona, USA.

The adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants is driven by selection for increased viral fitness in transmissibility and immune evasion. Understanding the dynamics of how an emergent variant sweeps across populations can better inform public health response preparedness for future variants. Here, we investigated the state-level genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 through baseline genomic sequencing surveillance of 27,071 public testing specimens and 1,125 hospital inpatient specimens diagnosed between November 1, 2021, and January 31, 2022, in Arizona.

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli from retail poultry meat with different antibiotic use claims.

Background: We sought to determine if the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli differed across retail poultry products and among major production categories, including organic, "raised without antibiotics", and conventional.

Results: We collected all available brands of retail chicken and turkey-including conventional, "raised without antibiotic", and organic products-every two weeks from January to December 2012. In total, E.

Escherichia coli ST131-22 as a Foodborne Uropathogen.

sequence type 131 (ST131) has emerged rapidly to become the most prevalent extraintestinal pathogenic clones in circulation today. Previous investigations appeared to exonerate retail meat as a source of human exposure to ST131; however, these studies focused mainly on extensively multidrug-resistant ST131 strains, which typically carry allele 30 of the type 1 fimbrial adhesin gene (ST131-30). To estimate the frequency of extraintestinal human infections arising from foodborne ST131 strains without bias toward particular sublineages or phenotypes, we conducted a 1-year prospective study of from meat products and clinical cultures in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Intermingled Klebsiella pneumoniae Populations Between Retail Meats and Human Urinary Tract Infections.

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract of humans, companion animals, and livestock. To better understand potential contributions of foodborne K. pneumoniae to human clinical infections, we compared K.

Impact of saline irrigation and topical corticosteroids on the postsurgical sinonasal microbiota.

Background: Topical treatments with nasal saline irrigation, topical steroid sprays, or corticosteroid rinses can improve sinonasal symptoms in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, the impact of these therapies on commensals (Corynebacterium) and on biofilm pathogens associated with CRS (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas) is not well characterized.

Methods: Paired nasal and sinus swabs were collected endoscopically from 28 controls and 14 CRS patients with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) who had not received systemic antibiotics or corticosteroids in the previous 8 weeks.

The epidemic of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli ST131 is driven by a single highly pathogenic subclone, H30-Rx.

Unlabelled: The Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) clone is notorious for extraintestinal infections, fluoroquinolone resistance, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, attributable to a CTX-M-15-encoding mobile element. Here, we applied pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the ST131 clone. PFGE-based cluster analyses suggested that both fluoroquinolone resistance and ESBL production had been acquired by multiple ST131 sublineages through independent genetic events.

The role of the human microbiome in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery: a contemporary review.

Objectives/hypothesis: The human microbiome represents the collective genomes and gene products of microbes living within and on humans. The objective of this review is to provide a summary of the current microbiome literature pertaining to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

Data Source: Ovid MEDLINE.

Medical therapy reduces microbiota diversity and evenness in surgically recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a highly prevalent and heterogeneous condition frequently treated with antibiotics and corticosteroid therapy. However, the effect of medical therapy on sinus microbiota remains unknown.

Methods: We enrolled CRS patients (n = 6) with patent maxillary antrostomies and active mucosal inflammation, who had not received antibiotics or corticosteroids in the previous 8 weeks.

Foodborne urinary tract infections: a new paradigm for antimicrobial-resistant foodborne illness.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide. Disproportionately affecting women, UTIs exact a substantial public burden each year in terms of direct medical expenses, decreased quality of life, and lost productivity. Increasing antimicrobial resistance among strains of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli challenges successful treatment of UTIs.