Publications by authors named "Rebecca Drucker"

There has been no prior application of matched metagenomics and metatranscriptomics in infection (CDI) evaluating the role of fungi in CDI or identifying community functions that contribute to the development of this disease. We collected diarrheal stools from 49 inpatients (18 of whom tested positive for CDI) under stringent inclusion criteria. We utilized a tiered sequencing approach to identify enriched bacterial and fungal taxa, using 16S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, with matched metagenomics and metatranscriptomics performed on a subset of the population.

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Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing extraction procedures have become increasingly present in Pennsylvania where the Marcellus Shale play is largely located. The potential for long-term environmental impacts to nearby headwater stream ecosystems and aquatic bacterial assemblages is still incompletely understood. Here, we perform high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial community structure of water, sediment, and other environmental samples (n = 189) from 31 headwater stream sites exhibiting different histories of fracking activity in northwestern Pennsylvania over five years (2012-2016).

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infection (CDI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States, being associated with high recurrence and persistence rates. Though the relationship between intestinal dysbiosis and CDI is well known, it is unclear whether different forms of dysbiosis may potentially affect the course of CDI. How this is further influenced by -directed antibiotics is virtually uninvestigated.

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Diverticular disease is commonly associated with the older population in the United States. As individual's age, diverticulae, or herniation of the mucosa through the colonic wall, develop. In 10-25% of individuals, the diverticulae become inflamed, resulting in diverticulitis.

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