Publications by authors named "Rita Stinnett"
Article Synopsis
- Pediatric pneumonia can lead to severe complications like empyema, and a study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for detecting pathogens in children hospitalized with this condition.
- The study involved collecting various samples (plasma, endotracheal, nasopharyngeal, and pleural fluid) from young patients at different times during their hospital stay to evaluate NGS's diagnostic capabilities.
- Results showed that NGS reliably identified the same bacterial pathogens as traditional methods did, but was more effective overall, indicating it could improve non-invasive pathogen detection and antibiotic treatment strategies in the future.
Article Synopsis
- The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the importance of accessible specimen collection methods for better testing and reduced exposure risks for health workers.
- The study analyzed nasal swab collection by participants at home versus trained staff, finding that self-collection by adults for themselves and their children was feasible.
- Results showed high agreement in viral detection between self-collected and staff-collected samples, indicating that self-collection is a viable option for expanding testing capabilities during pandemics.
Background: Osteoarticular infections (OAIs) are frequently encountered in children. Treatment may be guided by isolation of a pathogen; however, operative cultures are often negative. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) allows for broad and sensitive pathogen detection that is culture-independent.
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- Pediatric CNS infections can be life-threatening, making it crucial to identify pathogens for proper treatment and prognosis.
- The study used metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to analyze cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in children with suspected CNS infections, after standard testing was performed.
- The findings showed mNGS identified pathogens in 28.6% of cases, with results available within 38 hours, highlighting its effectiveness for rapid pathogen detection.
Article Synopsis
- Routine molecular surveillance from 2015 to 2017 in the U.S. found multiple mumps viruses with mutations in the small hydrophobic (SH) gene, including unique hypermutations and changes leading to premature stop codons.
- The SH protein is believed to play a role in the virus's virulence by inhibiting cell death and immune signaling, and variants of the SH protein were studied to assess their impact on the virus’s behavior and ability to evade immune responses.
- The findings emphasize the importance of ongoing molecular surveillance for tracking mumps virus diversity and understanding the implications of genetic variants on infectivity and disease severity, even with high vaccination rates.
Article Synopsis
- Public Health Laboratories (PHLs) in Puerto Rico suffered significant damage from Hurricane Maria, becoming inoperable immediately after the storm.
- A quality management system (QMS) approach was adopted, starting in October 2017 and concluding in May 2018, successfully restoring 92% of the original laboratory testing capacity.
- The lessons learned from this recovery effort are shared as valuable resources for other jurisdictions to improve their public health emergency preparedness.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, causing major damage to infrastructure and severely limiting access to potable water, electric power, transportation, and communications. Public services that were affected included operations of the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH), which provides critical laboratory testing and surveillance for diseases and other health hazards. PRDOH requested assistance from CDC for the restoration of laboratory infrastructure, surveillance capacity, and diagnostic testing for selected priority diseases, including influenza, rabies, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis.
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