Publications by authors named "T Bodmer"
Article Synopsis
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dr. Risch medical group utilized a specific RT-PCR testing kit for diagnosing infections in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which targeted three genes essential for identifying the virus.
- The emergence of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) led to a notable diagnostic issue, where the S-gene target was absent due to genetic deletions, marking it as an early indicator of new variants; this phenomenon was also seen in Omicron but not with the Delta variant.
- Over two years, the group studied the significance of S-gene target failure (SGTF) as a signal for identifying variants, confirming that differences in cycle threshold values could help distinguish true SGTF cases from discrepancies
Article Synopsis
- A study analyzed 451 historic MRSA isolates from Switzerland, collected between 1965 and 1987, to uncover evolutionary patterns and resistance factors compared to modern MRSA samples and international genomes.
- The researchers found 17 unique sequence types (STs), including five new STs, indicating a mix of both previously known and novel genetic variations.
- The dominant type identified among early isolates was ST247-MRSA-I, showing early MRSA strains were primarily from clonal complex 8, while other complexes began appearing from 1980 onwards, highlighting changes in MRSA diversity over time.
Article Synopsis
- In late 2021, there was a notable increase in N-gene target failures (NGTF) when using the TaqPath COVID-19 test kit, prompting researchers to conduct whole-genome sequencing to investigate the issue.
- Out of over 168,000 positive samples tested, only 194 (0.12%) failed to amplify the N-gene, predominantly linked to the Delta variant and featuring specific mutations.
- The study found that specific nucleotide substitutions and deletions were associated with these NGTFs, highlighting the need for combining sequencing with RT-PCR to better tackle diagnostic inaccuracies and monitor emerging variants.
Background: 16S rDNA-PCR for the identification of a bacterial species is an established method. However, the DNA extraction reagents as well as the PCR reagents may contain residual bacterial DNA, which consequently generates false-positive PCR results. Additionally, previously used methods are frequently time-consuming.
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