Publications by authors named "W C Thacker"

Predictions of the rate of accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the Pacific Ocean near 32°S and 150°W based on the P16 surveys of 1991 and 2005 and on the P06 surveys of 1992 and 2003 underestimate the amount found in the P06 survey of 2009-2010, suggesting an increasing uptake rate. Assuming the accumulation rate to be constant over the two decades, analyses using all five surveys lead to upward revision of the rates based only on the first four. On the other hand, accumulation rates estimated for 2003-2010 are significantly greater than those for 1991-2003, again suggesting an increasing uptake rate.

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A novel Legionella species was identified based on analysis of 16S rRNA and mip (macrophage infectivity potentiator) gene sequences, cellular fatty acids, isoprenoid quinones, biochemical reactions, antigens and quantitative DNA-DNA hybridization. Strain CDC-1796-JAP-E(T) was isolated from well water at the Nagasaki Municipal Medical Center, Japan. Two strains, CDC-3041-AUS-E and CDC-3558-AUS-E, were isolated from water samples during an outbreak of legionellosis in South Australia.

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Human infection with Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) psittaci can lead to psittacosis, a disease that occasionally results in severe pneumonia and other medical complications. C. psittaci is currently grouped into seven avian genotypes: A through F and E/B.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant cause of community-acquired pneumonia, which is often empirically treated with macrolides or azalides such as erythromycin or azithromycin. Recent studies have discovered the existence of macrolide-resistant strains within the population that have been mapped to mutations within the domain V region of the 23S rRNA gene. Currently, identification of these resistant strains relies on time-consuming and labor-intensive procedures such as restriction fragment length polymorphism, MIC studies, and sequence analysis.

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We compared the performances of three recently optimized real-time PCR assays derived from distinct genomic regions of Mycoplasma pneumoniae during an outbreak. Comprehensive evaluation established that a newly described toxin gene represents a superior target for detecting M. pneumoniae DNA in clinical specimens, although use of multiple targets may increase testing confidence.

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