Publications by authors named "Samantha E Nicolau"

Background: Bacterial persistence is a phenomenon whereby a subpopulation of bacteria survive high concentrations of an active antibiotic in the absence of phenotypic alterations. Persisters are associated with chronic and recurrent infections for pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Understanding persister profiles of newer antibiotics such as cefiderocol and ceftolozane/tazobactam against P.

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Background: Patients infected with difficult-to-treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa are likely to receive meropenem (MEM) empirically before escalation to ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T). We assessed whether pre-exposure to MEM affected C/T resistance development on C/T exposure.

Materials And Methods: Nine clinical P.

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Persisters represent a small subpopulation of cells that are tolerant of killing by antibiotics and are implicated in the recalcitrance of chronic infections to antibiotic therapy. One general theme has emerged regarding persisters formed by different bacterial species, namely, a state of relative dormancy characterized by diminished activity of antibiotic targets. Within this framework, a number of studies have linked persister formation to stochastic decreases in energy-generating components, leading to low ATP and target activity.

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When biodegradable polyester devices, like sutures and screws, are implanted into the body, it is very challenging to image them in deep tissue, monitor their degradation, and detect defects. We report our recent findings on non-invasive deep tissue imaging of polyester degradation, stability and integrity using an iodinated-polycaprolactone (i-P(CLcoOPD)) X-ray imaging contrast agent. The results of experiments performed with i-P(CLcoOPD) demonstrate the feasibility to quantify in-situ polyester degradation in vitro and in vivo using rats.

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