Diagnostic Host Gene Expression Analysis by Quantitative Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification to Discriminate between Bacterial and Viral Infections.

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of acute infections can help minimize the overprescription of antibiotics and improve patient outcomes. Discrimination between bacterial and viral etiologies in acute infection based on changes in host gene expression has been described. Unfortunately, established technologies used for gene expression profiling are typically expensive and slow, confounding integration into clinical workflows.

Predicting Lyme Disease From Patients' Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Profiled With RNA-Sequencing.

Although widely prevalent, Lyme disease is still under-diagnosed and misunderstood. Here we followed 73 acute Lyme disease patients and uninfected controls over a period of a year. At each visit, RNA-sequencing was applied to profile patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells in addition to extensive clinical phenotyping.

Molecular Microbiological and Immune Characterization of a Cohort of Patients Diagnosed with Early Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by the bacteria Current diagnosis of early Lyme disease relies heavily on clinical criteria, including the presence of an erythema migrans rash. The sensitivity of current gold-standard diagnostic tests relies upon antibody formation, which is typically delayed and thus of limited utility in early infection. We conducted a study of blood and skin biopsy specimens from 57 patients with a clinical diagnosis of erythema migrans.

Molecular Testing of Serial Blood Specimens from Patients with Early Lyme Disease during Treatment Reveals Changing Coinfection with Mixtures of Borrelia burgdorferi Genotypes.

is the etiological agent of Lyme disease. In the current study, we used direct-detection PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to monitor and genotype isolates from serially collected whole-blood specimens from patients clinically diagnosed with early Lyme disease before and during 21 days of antibiotic therapy. isolates were detected up to 3 weeks after the initiation of antibiotic treatment, with ratios of coinfecting genotypes changing over time.

Method for Low Nanomolar Concentration Analyte Sensing Using Electrochemical Enzymatic Biosensors.

We introduce a new electrochemical measurement method compatible with an enzymatic biosensor that is capable of analyte sensing down to the low nanomolar concentration regime. This method is termed accumulation mode sensing and utilizes an immobilized redox polymer mediator wired to an oxidoreductase enzyme to store charge during a premeasurement charge concentration step, followed by a measurement step in which this accumulated charge is quantified. We demonstrate this new method using a model glucose sensor and show how the sensitivity of a sensor can be modified simply by adjusting the time duration of the charge concentration step.