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Editorial
The Brief Case
Minireview
MinireviewMethicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hospitals: Latest Trends and Treatments Based on BacteriophagesEven though antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a natural phenomenon, the alarming increase in pathogenic bacteria refractory to a wide range of antimicrobials is attracting attention worldwide. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published a list of priority pathogens for which new antimicrobial alternatives are urgently needed. Among these pathogens, methicillin-resistant...
Bacteriology
BacteriologyEvaluation of Oxacillin and Cefoxitin Disk Diffusion and Microbroth Dilution Methods for Detecting mecA-Mediated β-Lactam Resistance in Contemporary Staphylococcus epidermidis IsolatesMethicillin (β-lactam) resistance in Staphylococcus epidermidis is mediated by the mecA gene, with resistance reported to be as high as 90%. The goal of this study was to evaluate oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion (DD) and broth microdilution (BMD) methods for the detection of mecA-mediated β-lactam resistance in 100 human isolates of...
BacteriologyEvaluation of Anatomically Designed Flocked Rectal Swabs for Use with the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel for Detection of Enteric Pathogens in Children Admitted to Hospital with Severe GastroenteritisDiagnosing diarrheal disease is difficult in part due to challenges in obtaining and transporting a bulk stool specimen, particularly in resource-limited settings. We compared the performance of flocked rectal swabs to that of traditional bulk stool samples for enteric pathogen detection using the BioFire FilmArray gastrointestinal panel in children admitted to four hospitals in Botswana with community onset severe gastroenteritis....
BacteriologyEvaluation of the Direct MacConkey Method for Identification of Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Organisms from Rectal Swabs: Reevaluating Zone Diameter CutoffsThe optimal method to screen for gastrointestinal colonization with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) has yet to be established. The direct MacConkey (direct MAC) plate method demonstrates high sensitivity for CRO detection, but established zone diameter (ZD) criteria for ertapenem (≤27 mm) and meropenem (≤32 mm) result in high rates of false positives upon confirmatory testing.
BacteriologyIdentification and Characterization of “Haemophilus quentini” Strains Causing Invasive Disease in Ontario, Canada (2016 to 2018)Haemophilus influenzae is a well-established human pathogen capable of causing a range of respiratory and invasive diseases. Since the 1970s, it has been observed that a nontypeable cryptic genospecies of H. influenzae, most often biotype IV, has been associated with the genitourinary tracts of...
BacteriologyEffect of Clinically Meaningful Antibiotic Concentrations on Recovery of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from Anaerobic Blood Culture Bottles with and without Antibiotic Binding ResinsBlood cultures are routinely collected in pairs of aerobic and anaerobic bottles. Artificial sterilization of Gram-negative bacteria in aerobic bottles containing clinically meaningful antibiotic concentrations has previously been observed. This study assessed recovery from anaerobic bottles with and without antibiotic binding resins.
BacteriologyVariability in Azithromycin Susceptibility Results for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Obtained Using Gradient MIC Strip and Agar Dilution TechniquesAzithromycin is a component of empirical treatment regimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections, but antimicrobial susceptibility testing for this agent is technically challenging. We compared the intertest variability, MIC values, and CLSI/EUCAST categorization of clinical and reference isolates of N....
BacteriologyDetection of Colistin Resistance in Escherichia coli by Use of the MALDI Biotyper Sirius Mass Spectrometry SystemPolymyxin antibiotics are a last-line treatment for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. However, the emergence of colistin resistance, including the spread of mobile mcr genes, necessitates the development of improved diagnostics for the detection of colistin-resistant organisms in hospital settings.
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic Actinomycetes
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesRapid Tuberculosis Diagnosis Using Reporter Enzyme FluorescenceTuberculosis is the most frequent cause of death in humans from a single infectious agent. Due to low numbers of bacteria present in sputum during early infection, diagnosis does not usually occur until >3 to 4 months after symptoms develop. We created a new more sensitive diagnostic that can be carried out in 10 min with no processing or technical expertise.
Mycology
MycologyMolecular Diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia by Use of Oral Wash Samples in Immunocompromised Patients: Usefulness and Importance of the DNA Target...Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is an important cause of pneumonia in the HIV-negative immunocompromised population, for whom the fungal load is low, the differential diagnosis is difficult, and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sample is often not readily available. Molecular techniques have improved the microbiological diagnosis in this scenario.
Parasitology
ParasitologyChagas Disease Serological Test Performance in U.S. Blood Donor SpecimensChagas disease affects an estimated 300,000 individuals in the United States. Diagnosis in the chronic phase requires positive results from two different IgG serological tests. Three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) (Hemagen, Ortho, and Wiener) and one rapid test (InBios) are FDA cleared, but comparative data in U.S. populations are sparse. We evaluated 500 seropositive and 300 seronegative blood donor plasma samples.
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Virology
VirologyAn Inexpensive and Accurate Reverse Transcription-PCR–Melting Temperature Analysis Assay for Real-Time Influenza Virus B Lineage DiscriminationIn this work, we describe a SYBR-Green one-step reverse transcription-PCR protocol coupled with a melting temperature analysis (RT-PCR-Tm), which allows the discrimination of influenza B lineages Yamagata and Victoria. The assay is performed using a regular real-time thermocycler and is based on differences in melting temperature (Tm) of a 131-bp amplicon, obtained from a conserved region of...
VirologyMachine Learning Interpretation of Extended Human Papillomavirus Genotyping by Onclarity in an Asian Cervical Cancer Screening PopulationThis study aimed (i) to compare the performance of the BD Onclarity human papillomavirus (HPV) assay with the Cobas HPV test in identifying cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 or above (CIN2/3+) in an Asian screening population and (ii) to explore improving the cervical cancer detection specificity of Onclarity by machine learning. We tested 605 stratified random archived samples of cervical liquid-based cytology samples with both...
VirologyMetagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Identification and Quantitation of Transplant-Related DNA VirusesInfections with DNA viruses are frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients.
Immunoassays
ImmunoassaysA Multiplexed Serologic Test for Diagnosis of Lyme Disease for Point-of-Care UseSingle multiplexed assays could replace the standard 2-tiered (STT) algorithm recommended for the laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease if they perform with a specificity and a sensitivity superior or equal to those of the STT algorithm.
ImmunoassaysNoninvasive Detection of Antibodies to Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Types 1 and 2 by Use of Oral FluidHuman T-lymphotropic viruses type 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) are prevalent in endemic clusters globally, and HTLV-1 infects at least 5 to 10 million individuals. Infection can lead to inflammation in the spinal cord, resulting in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), or adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL).
ImmunoassaysEvaluation of Standard E TB-Feron Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Health Care WorkersThe laboratory diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is mainly performed with interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs). We compared the performance of a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based IGRA, the Standard E TB-Feron ELISA (TBF; SD Biosensor, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea), with that of a widely used assay, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-GIT; Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), in a population of 425...
Clinical Veterinary Microbiology
Clinical Veterinary MicrobiologyImplication of Broadly Neutralizing Bovine Monoclonal Antibodies in the Development of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting Neutralizing Antibodies against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype OVaccination with inactivated vaccines is still the main measure to control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in areas where the disease is endemic, and the level of neutralizing antibody in vaccinated animals is directly related to their protection against virus challenge. Currently, neutralizing antibody is mainly detected using the virus neutralization test (VNT) based on cell culture, which is laborious and time-consuming and requires...
Epidemiology
EpidemiologyA Complete Genome Screening Program of Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Identifies the Origin and Progression of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit OutbreakWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Staphylococcus aureus is increasingly used as part of infection prevention practices. In this study, we established a long-read technology-based WGS screening program of all first-episode methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood infections at a major...
Letters to the Editor
Letter to the EditorSeasonality of Bartonella henselae IgM and IgG Antibody Positivity Rates
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Journal of Clinical Microbiology® (JCM) publishes the most current research related to the laboratory diagnosis of human and animal infections and the role of the laboratory in both the management of infectious diseases and the elucidation of the epidemiology of infections.
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Dr. Alexander J. McAdam, Editor in Chief
Commentaries
There are now several new antibiotics available to treat multidrug-resistant pathogens, and susceptibility testing methods for these drugs are increasingly available at the time of drug approval. However, lack of clarity regarding verification requirements remains a formidable barrier to introducing such testing in clinical laboratories, making these drugs practically unavailable for patient use.
Accurate detection of methicillin resistance among staphylococci is vital for patient care. Methicillin resistance is most commonly mediated by acquisition of the mecA gene, which encodes an altered penicillin binding protein, PBP2a. Application of phenotypic methods to detect mecA-mediated beta-lactam resistance in staphylococci is becoming more complex as species-specific differences are identified among coagulase-...