Maternal and neonatal IgG against Klebsiella pneumoniae are associated with lower risk of neonatal sepsis: A case-control study of hospitalized neonates in Botswana.

Sepsis is the leading postnatal cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. Globally Klebsiella pneumoniae is the leading cause of sepsis in hospitalized neonates. This study reports the development and evaluation of an ELISA for anti-Klebsiella IgG using dried blood spot (DBS) samples and evaluates the association of anti-Klebsiella IgG (anti-Kleb IgG) antibodies in maternal and neonatal samples with the risk of neonatal sepsis.

Rapid SARS-CoV-2 surveillance using clinical, pooled, or wastewater sequence as a sensor for population change.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of genomic surveillance for guiding policy and control. Timeliness is key, but sequence alignment and phylogeny slow most surveillance techniques. Millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been assembled.

A two-variant model of SARS-COV-2 transmission: estimating the characteristics of a newly emerging strain.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has been characterized by the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants, each with distinct properties influencing transmission dynamics, immune escape, and virulence, which, in turn, influence their impact on local populations. Swift analysis of the properties of newly emerged variants is essential in the initial days and weeks to enhance readiness and facilitate the scaling of clinical and public health system responses.

Methods: This paper introduces a two-variant metapopulation compartmental model of disease transmission to simulate the dynamics of disease transmission during a period of transition to a newly dominant strain.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Pediatric and Adult Patients Hospitalized for Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Comparison Across Age Strata.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause hospitalizations and severe disease in children and adults.

Methods: This study compared the risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes of children and adults hospitalized for COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2023 across age strata at 5 US sites participating in the Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence consortium. Eligible patients had an upper respiratory swab that tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by nucleic acid amplification.

Multiple sclerosis patient-derived spontaneous B cells have distinct EBV and host gene expression profiles in active disease.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an aetiologic risk factor for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the role of EBV-infected B cells in the immunopathology of MS is not well understood. Here we characterized spontaneous lymphoblastoid cell lines (SLCLs) isolated from MS patients and healthy controls (HC) ex vivo to study EBV and host gene expression in the context of an individual's endogenous EBV.

RdJ detection tests to identify a unique MRSA clone of ST105-SCCII lineage and its variants disseminated in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.

Hospital bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is frequently related to invasive procedures and medically complex patients. An important feature of MRSA is the clonal structure of its population. Specific MRSA clones may differ in their pathogenic, epidemiological, and antimicrobial resistance profiles.

Lineage ST62/87: The International Spread of This Potentially Invasive Lineage.

is known to be associated with a variety of infections, from pharyngitis to necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease). of the ST62/87 lineage is recognized as one of the most frequently isolated lineages of invasive infections caused by this bacterium, which may be involved in hospital outbreaks and cluster infections. Despite this, comparative genomic and phylogenomic studies have not yet been carried out for this lineage.

Phylogenomic analysis of the understudied species reveals a poly- and paraphyletic genus.

Understanding the evolutionary relationships between the species in the family has been a persistent challenge in bacterial systematics due to high recombination rates in these species. Previous studies of this family have focused on and . However, previously understudied species are gaining new attention, with now recognized as a common human pathogen and with and being unique in the bacterial world as multicellular organisms.

Variable staphyloxanthin production by Staphylococcus aureus drives strain-dependent effects on diabetic wound-healing outcomes.

Strain-level variation in Staphylococcus aureus is a factor that contributes to disease burden and clinical outcomes in skin disorders and chronic wounds. However, the microbial mechanisms that drive these variable host responses are poorly understood. To identify mechanisms underlying strain-specific outcomes, we perform high-throughput phenotyping screens on S.

Parallel evolution of linezolid-resistant in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Linezolid is an antibiotic used to treat serious infections. Resistance to linezolid is considered rare but could emerge with repeated dosing. We recently reported widespread prescription of linezolid for a cohort of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of the rtx toxin system and the emergence of virulence in Kingella.

The bacterial genus Kingella includes two pathogenic species, namely Kingella kingae and Kingella negevensis, as well as strictly commensal species. Both K. kingae and K.

Dynamics of the MRSA Population in a Chilean Hospital: a Phylogenomic Analysis (2000-2016).

The global dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is associated with the emergence and establishment of clones in specific geographic areas. The Chilean-Cordobes clone (ChC) (ST5-SCCI) has been the predominant MRSA clone in Chile since its first description in 1998, despite the report of other emerging MRSA clones in recent years. Here, we characterize the evolutionary history of MRSA from 2000 to 2016 in a Chilean tertiary health care center using phylogenomic analyses.

Heavy Metal Pollution From a Major Earthquake and Tsunami in Chile Is Associated With Geographic Divergence of Clinical Isolates of Methicillin-Resistant in Latin America.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a priority pathogen listed by the World Health Organization. The global spread of MRSA is characterized by successive waves of epidemic clones that predominate in specific geographical regions. The acquisition of genes encoding resistance to heavy-metals is thought to be a key feature in the divergence and geographical spread of MRSA.

Parallel Evolution of Linezolid Resistant in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

Background: Linezolid is an antibiotic used to treat serious infections. Resistance to linezolid is considered rare but could emerge with repeated dosing. We recently reported widespread prescription of linezolid for a cohort of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Draft Genome Sequences of Four Enterococcus cecorum Strains Isolated from American Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) and Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We report the draft genome sequences of four Enterococcus cecorum strains obtained from cloacal swab specimens collected from three healthy captive wild birds (two Coragyps atratus and one Parabuteo unicinctus) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The genome sizes ranged from 2.38 to 2.

Arresting microbiome development limits immune system maturation and resistance to infection in mice.

Disruptions to the intestinal microbiome during weaning lead to negative effects on host immune function. However, the critical host-microbe interactions during weaning that are required for immune system development remain poorly understood. We find that restricting microbiome maturation during weaning stunts immune system development and increases susceptibility to enteric infection.

Phylogenomics of nontuberculous mycobacteria respiratory infections in people with cystic fibrosis.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can cause severe pulmonary disease in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). These infections present unique challenges for diagnosis and treatment, prompting a recent interest in understanding NTM transmission and pathogenesis during chronic infection. Major gaps remain in our knowledge regarding basic pathogenesis, immune evasion strategies, population dynamics, recombination potential, and the evolutionary implications of host and antibiotic pressures of long-term NTM infections in pwCF.

Pre-epidemic evolution of the MRSA USA300 clade and a molecular key for classification.

Introduction: USA300 has remained the dominant community and healthcare associated methicillin-resistant (MRSA) clone in the United States and in northern South America for at least the past 20 years. In this time, it has experienced epidemic spread in both of these locations. However, its pre-epidemic evolutionary history and origins are incompletely understood.

High frequency of increased triclosan MIC among CC5 MRSA and risk of misclassification of the SCCmec into types.

Background: Typing of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements is commonly used for studies on the molecular epidemiology of MRSA.

Objectives: To perform an investigation centred on uncovering the reasons for misclassification of MRSA clonal complex 5 (CC5) SCCmec type II clinical isolates in our laboratory.

Methods: MRSA isolates from CC5 were subjected to WGS and SCCmec typing.

Adaptation and Evolution of Pathogens in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung.

As opposed to acute respiratory infections, the persistent bacterial infections of the lung that characterize cystic fibrosis (CF) provide ample time for bacteria to evolve and adapt. The process of adaptation is recorded in mutations that accumulate over time in the genomes of the infecting bacteria. Some of these mutations lead to obvious phenotypic differences such as antibiotic resistance or the well-known mucoid phenotype of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.