COVID-19 Compared to Other Pandemic Diseases.

In December 2019, the first cases of a new contagious disease were diagnosed in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China. Within a short period of time the outbreak developed exponentially into a pandemic that infected millions of people, with a global death toll of more than 500,000 during its first 6 months. Eventually, the novel disease was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the new virus was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

How holobionts get sick-toward a unifying scheme of disease.

All humans, animals, and plants are holobionts. Holobionts comprise the host and a myriad of interacting microorganisms-the microbiota. The hologenome encompasses the genome of the host plus the composite of all microbial genomes (the microbiome).

The correlation between Clostridium-difficile infection and human gut concentrations of Bacteroidetes phylum and clostridial species.

We aimed to assess differences in bacterial intensities of Bacteroidetes phylum and different clostridial species in the human intestines with respect to C. difficile infection. Patients with a stool assay for C.

Unusual "flesh-eating" strains of Escherichia coli.

Monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis (type II) is typically caused by group A streptococcus alone or in combination with Staphylococcus aureus. Escherichia coli has been isolated from polymicrobial or Fournier's gangrene but has rarely been reported in monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of seven cases of monomicrobial E.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the diagnosis of endocarditis in patients with pulmonic stented valve/pulmonic stent.

Percutaneous pulmonic valve and pulmonic stent implantation have become a well-established treatment for recurrent pulmonic stenosis or insufficiency in patients with repaired congenital heart disease. Late endocarditis is seldom reported, but its diagnosis might be challenging due to the limited visualization of the stented valve or stent by transesophageal echocardiography. We present 2 young patients who were hospitalized for suspected endocarditis and in whom the diagnosis was made with the aid of positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan.