Fungal infection risks associated with the use of cytokine antagonists and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The risk of opportunistic infections due to fungi is relatively less well addressed in patients receiving biologic agents, compared with other opportunistic bacterial and viral infections. There is a lack of consensus guideline on the screening, prophylaxis, and management of fungal infection in patients anticipated to receive or actively receiving biologic therapy. In addition, invasive mycosis in immunocompromised patients is associated with high mortality and morbidity.

Clinical characteristics and molecular epidemiology of hepatitis E in Shenzhen, China: a shift toward foodborne transmission of hepatitis E virus infection.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis in China. Recently, a shift in molecular epidemiology from hepatitis E genotype 1 (HEV-1) to hepatitis E genotype 4 (HEV-4) has been observed in Northern China, marking a switch from human-to-human transmission to zoonosis. However, similar data from cities in Southern China are lacking.

Coronavirus HKU15 in respiratory tract of pigs and first discovery of coronavirus quasispecies in 5'-untranslated region.

Coronavirus HKU15 is a deltacoronavirus that was discovered in fecal samples of pigs in Hong Kong in 2012. Over the past three years, Coronavirus HKU15 has been widely detected in pigs in East/Southeast Asia and North America and has been associated with fatal outbreaks. In all such epidemiological studies, the virus was generally only detected in fecal/intestinal samples.

A novel MLST sequence type discovered in the first fatal case of Laribacter hongkongensis bacteremia clusters with the sequence types of other human isolates.

Laribacter hongkongensis is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, S-shaped, asaccharolytic, urease-positive bacillus in the Neisseriaceae family of β-proteobacteria. To date, all patients with L. hongkongensis infection have survived, including the two patients with L.

Burkholderia pseudomallei in soil samples from an oceanarium in Hong Kong detected using a sensitive PCR assay.

Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an emerging infectious disease with an expanding geographical distribution. Although assessment of the environmental load of B. pseudomallei is important for risk assessment in humans or animals in endemic areas, traditional methods of bacterial culture for isolation have low sensitivities and are labor-intensive.

Genetic relatedness of the novel human group C betacoronavirus to Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 and Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5.

The recent outbreak of severe respiratory infections associated with a novel group C betacoronavirus (HCoV-EMC) from Saudi Arabia has drawn global attention to another highly probable "SARS-like" animal-to-human interspecies jumping event in coronavirus (CoV). The genome of HCoV-EMC is most closely related to Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 (Ty-BatCoV HKU4) and Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5 (Pi-BatCoV HKU5) we discovered in 2006. Phylogenetically, HCoV-EMC is clustered with Ty-BatCoV HKU4/Pi-BatCoV HKU5 with high bootstrap supports, indicating that HCoV-EMC is a group C betaCoV.

A significant number of reported Absidia corymbifera (Lichtheimia corymbifera) infections are caused by Lichtheimia ramosa (syn. Lichtheimia hongkongensis): an emerging cause of mucormycosis.

Recently, we and others reported the discovery of Lichtheimia ramosa (syn. Lichtheimia hongkongensis). We also hypothesized that a proportion of 'Absidia corymbifera (Lichtheimia corymbifera)' reported in the literature could be L.

Transport genes and chemotaxis in Laribacter hongkongensis: a genome-wide analysis.

Background: Laribacter hongkongensis is a Gram-negative, sea gull-shaped rod associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis. The bacterium has been found in diverse freshwater environments including fish, frogs and drinking water reservoirs. Using the complete genome sequence data of L.

Virulence determinants, drug resistance and mobile genetic elements of Laribacter hongkongensis: a genome-wide analysis.

Background: Laribacter hongkongensis is associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea. In this study, we performed an in-depth annotation of the genes in its genome related to the various steps in the infective process, drug resistance and mobile genetic elements.

Results: For acid and bile resistance, L.

Environmental adaptability and stress tolerance of Laribacter hongkongensis: a genome-wide analysis.

Background: Laribacter hongkongensis is associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea and it can reside in human, fish, frogs and water. In this study, we performed an in-depth annotation of the genes in its genome related to adaptation to the various environmental niches.

Results: L.

Infectious diseases emerging from Chinese wet-markets: zoonotic origins of severe respiratory viral infections.

Purpose Of Review: In China, close contacts between humans and food animals have resulted in the transmission of many microbes from animals to humans. The two most notable infectious diseases in recent years are severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza. In this review, these two severe zoonotic viral infections transmitted by the respiratory route, with pandemic potential, are used as models to illustrate the role of Chinese wet-markets in their emergence, amplification and dissemination.

Anaerobic, non-sporulating, Gram-positive bacilli bacteraemia characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Owing to the difficulties in identifying anaerobic, non-sporulating, Gram-positive bacilli in clinical microbiology laboratories, the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of disease of many of these bacteria have been poorly understood. The application of 16S rRNA gene sequencing in characterizing bacteraemia due to anaerobic, non-sporulating Gram-positive bacilli during a 4-year period is described. The first case of Olsenella uli bacteraemia, in a patient with acute cholangitis, is also reported.

Streptococcus sinensis may react with Lancefield group F antiserum.

Lancefield group F streptococci have been found almost exclusively as members of the 'Streptococcus milleri' group, although they have been reported very occasionally in some other streptococcal species. Among 302 patients with bacteraemia caused by viridans streptococci over a 6-year period, three cases were caused by Streptococcus sinensis (type strain HKU4T, HKU5 and HKU6). All three patients had infective endocarditis complicating their underlying chronic rheumatic heart diseases.