Publications by authors named "Mark R Schleiss"

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading infectious cause of childhood disability, in particular sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Timeliness of diagnosis is crucial, since the presence of CMV in any compartment (eg, blood, urine, or saliva) after age 21 days can mean postnatal acquisition of infection, particularly in breastfed infants. Given these issues, there is considerable interest in implementation of screening programmes-either universal screening (where all newborns are tested) or targeted screening.

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Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common infectious cause of disability in children, including sensorineural hearing loss. There is interest in developing a pre-conception vaccine that could confer protective immunity on a woman of child-bearing age, hence resulting in a reduced cCMV disease burden. Other populations, including solid organ transplant (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients, could also benefit from CMV vaccination.

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Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common infectious cause of disability in children. The major theme of this National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) workshop, "CMV Vaccine Development-How Close Are We?", was to report progress on the development of a pre-conception vaccine that could confer protective immunity for women of child-bearing age. Such a vaccine could result in a reduced cCMV disease burden, although other populations, including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients, could benefit as well.

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Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus and the leading cause of infectious disease related birth defects worldwide. How the immune response modulates the risk of intrauterine transmission of HCMV after maternal infection remains poorly understood. Maternal T cells likely play a critical role in preventing infection at the maternal-fetal interface and limiting spread across the placenta, but concerns exist that immune responses to infection may also cause placental dysfunction and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

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  • This study reviews literature on the links between cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and spontaneous abortion (SA) or intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), following systematic review guidelines.
  • Out of 21 studies, CMV was found to be a potential factor in about 7.1% of cases for both SA and IUFD, using various specimen types for analysis.
  • Common findings associated with CMV included fetal thrombotic vasculopathy, hydrops fetalis, and chronic villitis, indicating the need for further large studies to better understand the relationship.
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Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common cause of neurodevelopmental sequelae in the United States (US). The most common long-term disability associated with cCMV is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Among children with cCMV-associated SNHL, over 40% will pass their newborn hearing screen (NHS).

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Article Synopsis
  • Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the top infectious cause of hearing loss and developmental issues in children, prompting interest in antiviral treatments for affected mothers and infants.* -
  • Recent studies suggest that screening for cCMV in pregnant women may help prevent fetal infection, and medications like valaciclovir and valganciclovir can manage symptoms in newborns.* -
  • More research is needed to adapt new screening guidelines across regions, as well as to clarify treatment protocols for asymptomatic cases and optimize care for infants with cCMV.*
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This paper describes the hybrid genome assembly of sucrose non-fermenting non-O1/non-O139 isolated from human soft tissue infection. The hybrid assembled genome comprises two circular chromosomes with lengths of 3,001,999 bp and 1,264,051 bp, respectively, with a G + C content of 47.38%.

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Context: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common infectious cause of birth defects and the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss in the United States. Prior national cCMV infection prevalence estimates were based on one multi-site screening study conducted between 2007 and 2012 and were not adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, such as maternal race and ethnicity or age.

Objective: This study sought to estimate national and state-specific prevalence of cCMV infection in the United States, adjusted for maternal race and ethnicity and maternal age group, by pooling estimates from published studies.

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Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate if racial and other demographic disparities exist between patients who enrolled or declined participation in a congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) newborn universal screening research study.

Methods: We examined characteristics for patients approached over a 2-year period to participate in a cCMV newborn screening study. Maternal characteristics included age, race, ethnicity, preferred language, interpreter need, insurance type, and number of living children.

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  • Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be transmitted to infants through breast milk, having potential health impacts, especially on preterm and immunocompromised infants, while effects on healthy term infants are generally considered harmless.
  • A study investigating breast milk from breastfeeding full-term mother-infant pairs revealed that CMV-infected milk showed changes in the metabolome and transcriptome, including the upregulation of a specific metabolic pathway.
  • Findings indicate that CMV-associated changes in breast milk composition might influence infant gut microbiome and growth, with varying effects on infant weight related to components in the milk.
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Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common infectious cause of neurodevelopmental deficits in US children. To inform patient management, it is important to define whether central nervous system (CNS) manifestations are present at birth. This study characterized neuroimaging findings in infants with cCMV identified by a universal screening study in Minnesota during February 2016-December 2022.

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Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) disproportionately impacts black and multiracial infants. While there have been strides made to address this health disparity, strategies to increase awareness and knowledge of cCMV have not been investigated in a Somali community.

Methods: Two survey study strategies (in-person and online), consisting of a pre-survey test, educational intervention, and a post-survey, were designed to gauge knowledge and perceptions about cCMV among Somali women aged 18 to 40 years old.

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Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common congenital viral infection in the United States. Symptomatic infections can cause severe hearing loss and neurological disability, although ~ 90% of cCMV infections are asymptomatic at birth. Despite its prevalence, the long-term neurobehavioral risks of asymptomatic cCMV infections are not fully understood.

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Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and neurodevelopmental disabilities in children worldwide. Some regions in the United States and Canada have implemented universal newborn screening for cCMV, which requires molecular diagnostic technologies for identifying cCMV, such as PCR testing of newborn dried blood spots (DBS). This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) compared to quantitative real-time PCR to detect CMV DNA in newborn DBS.

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections exert a substantial impact on the practice of pediatric infectious diseases. Although most infections in children are minimally symptomatic, several populations are at risk for CMV-associated disease, including immunosuppressed children, children with HIV infection, and, most significantly, children with congenital CMV (cCMV) infection. In spite of the ubiquitous nature of CMV infection, few studies have quantified the impact of CMV-associated care in a pediatric outpatient clinic setting.

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  • * This report details a rare case involving a 12-year-old boy in Minnesota who contracted leptospirosis from his pet dog, marking a noteworthy transmission in an area typically not seen as high risk.
  • * The case is significant for its unusual symptoms, like facial nerve palsy, and emphasizes the need to recognize evolving epidemiological risks and the difficulties in diagnosing this resurgent infection.
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  • Adults with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis frequently have concurrent infections with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and tuberculosis (TB), which can complicate their health outcomes.
  • A study of 497 Ugandan patients revealed that 42% either developed TB or died within a median follow-up of 4.6 months, with a notable risk increase linked to high levels of CMV viremia at diagnosis.
  • Specifically, participants with high CMV viremia (≥1000 IU/mL) were more than twice as likely to experience TB or death compared to those with lower or no detectable CMV levels.
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Objectives: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common cause of nongenetic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children. We examined the longitudinal hearing outcomes of children with cCMV in relation to their newborn hearing screening findings, and their use of antiviral therapy.

Design: The study was based on a retrospective chart review using a database of pediatric patients (N = 445) seen at the University of Minnesota Lions clinic.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be transmitted through breast milk, potentially affecting preterm and immunocompromised infants, while its impact on healthy full-term infants remains unclear.
  • This study investigates the effects of CMV on the composition of human milk and examines the relationship between CMV in milk, the infant gut microbiome, and infant growth in breastfeeding mother-infant pairs.
  • Findings reveal that CMV-positive milk alters the metabolic pathways in breast milk and correlates with changes in infant growth, suggesting a complex relationship between CMV, milk composition, and infant development.
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  • Screening newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is essential for early diagnosis to prevent long-term health issues like hearing loss and developmental delays.
  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of different screening methods, finding that universal screening methods (using saliva and urine or dried blood spots) are more successful in detecting cCMV than targeted approaches.
  • Implementing universal screening is projected to identify significantly more cCMV cases, leading to improved health outcomes for newborns.
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Exclusion of special populations (older adults; pregnant women, children, and adolescents; individuals of lower socioeconomic status and/or who live in rural communities; people from racial and ethnic minority groups; individuals from sexual or gender minority groups; and individuals with disabilities) in research is a pervasive problem, despite efforts and policy changes by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. These populations are adversely impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH) that reduce access and ability to participate in biomedical research. In March 2020, the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute hosted the "Lifespan and Life Course Research: integrating strategies" "Un-Meeting" to discuss barriers and solutions to underrepresentation of special populations in biomedical research.

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