Does social distancing impact pediatric upper airway infections? An observational controlled study and a brief literature review.

Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has reduced social interaction even among children. The objective of the study was to assess the role of social distancing in the course of common pediatric upper airway recurrent diseases.

Materials And Methods: Patients aged ≤14 years with at least one ENT-related clinical condition were retrospectively recruited.

Transcontinental Dissemination of the L2b/D-Da Recombinant Chlamydia trachomatis Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) Strain: Need of Broad Multi-Country Molecular Surveillance.

Previously, we identified a Chlamydia trachomatis lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) recombinant strain possessing a non-LGV ompA genotype. Here, culture-independent genome sequencing confirms its circulation in Europe, Middle East, and North America, and unveils emergence of antibiotic resistance. Broad surveillance is needed.

High-resolution multilocus sequence typing for Chlamydia trachomatis: improved results for clinical samples with low amounts of C. trachomatis DNA.

Background: Several Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) schemes have been developed for Chlamydia trachomatis. Bom's MLST scheme for MLST is based on nested PCR amplification and sequencing of five hypervariable genes and ompA. In contrast to other Chlamydia MLST schemes, Bom's MLST scheme gives higher resolution and phylogenetic trees that are comparable to those from whole genome sequencing.

Delayed diagnosis of colorectal sexually transmitted diseases due to their resemblance to inflammatory bowel diseases.

Objective: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), mainly lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), induce colorectal symptoms that may be misdiagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study describes patients who presented with STDs masquerading as IBD in order to improve understanding of missed diagnosis of colorectal STDs and their association with LGV in Israel.

Methods: This retrospective, descriptive study characterized the clinical, endoscopic, and pathological findings of 16 patients who were diagnosed with a colorectal STD after erroneously being diagnosed with IBD.

Microbial Source Tracking in Adjacent Karst Springs.

Modern man-made environments, including urban, agricultural, and industrial environments, have complex ecological interactions among themselves and with the natural surroundings. Microbial source tracking (MST) offers advanced tools to resolve the host source of fecal contamination beyond indicator monitoring. This study was intended to assess karst spring susceptibilities to different fecal sources using MST quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting human, bovine, and swine markers.