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Editorial
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Minireviews
MinireviewDiagnosing and Managing Sepsis by Probing the Host Response to Infection: Advances, Opportunities, and ChallengesSepsis is a major source of mortality and morbidity globally. Accurately diagnosing sepsis remains challenging due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease, and delays in diagnosis and intervention contribute to high mortality rates.
MinireviewDon't Get Wound Up: Revised Fluoroquinolone Breakpoints for Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosaFluoroquinolones remain some of the more commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents in the United States, despite the wide array of reported side effects that are associated with their use. In 2019, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute revised the fluoroquinolone antimicrobial susceptibility testing breakpoints for both Enterobacteriaceae and...
Bacteriology
BacteriologyWhole-Genome Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Analysis Applied Directly to Stool for Genotyping Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli: an Advanced Molecular Detection Method for Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Outbreak TrackingWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) of pathogens from pure culture provides unparalleled accuracy and comprehensive results at a cost that is advantageous compared with traditional diagnostic methods. Sequencing pathogens directly from a primary clinical specimen would help circumvent the need for culture and, in the process, substantially shorten the time to diagnosis and public health reporting.
BacteriologyHelicobacter pylori Mutations Detected by Next-Generation Sequencing in Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Gastric Biopsy Specimens Are Associated with Treatment FailureHelicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance is widespread and increasing worldwide. Routine detection of H. pylori mutations that invoke antimicrobial resistance may be a useful approach to guide antimicrobial therapy and possibly avert treatment failure.
BacteriologyReduced Incubation Time of the Modified Carbapenem Inactivation Test and Performance of Carbapenem Inactivation in a Set of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae with a High Proportion of blaIMP IsolatesAccurate and timely identification of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is critical for microbiology laboratories in order to facilitate infection prevention, reduce the spread of multiresistant Gram-negative bacilli, and reduce delays to effective antibiotic therapy. We undertook a study to compare the carbapenem inactivation method (CIM) against the...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic Actinomycetes
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesSimple Assay for Detection of the Central Asia Outbreak Clade of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing GenotypeThe Central Asia outbreak (CAO) clade is a branch of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype that is associated with multidrug resistance, increased transmissibility, and epidemic spread in parts of the former Soviet Union. Furthermore, migration flows bring these strains far beyond their areas of origin.
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesStorage of Sputum in Cetylpyridinium Chloride, OMNIgene.SPUTUM, and Ethanol Is Compatible with Molecular Tuberculosis Diagnostic TestingWe compared cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), ethanol (ETOH), and OMNIgene.SPUTUM (OMNI) for 28-day storage of sputum at ambient temperature before molecular tuberculosis diagnostics. Three sputum samples were collected from each of 133 smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patients (399 sputum samples).
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesMolecular Bacterial Load Assay Concurs with Culture on NaOH-Induced Loss of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ViabilityEffective methods to detect viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the main causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), are urgently needed. To date, cultivation of M. tuberculosis is the gold standard, which depends on initial sample processing with N-acetyl-l-cysteine–sodium...
Mycology
MycologyEvaluation of a Novel Aspergillus Antigen Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayInvasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening infection that mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients. Here, we compared the novel Aspergillus-specific galactomannoprotein (GP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Euroimmun Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG) to the established Platelia Aspergillus galactomannan (GM) ELISA (Bio-Rad Laboratories) for the detection of IA.
MycologyA TaqMan Probe-Based Real-Time PCR Assay for the Rapid Identification of the Emerging Multidrug-Resistant Pathogen Candida auris on the BD Max SystemCandida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen that has been associated with nosocomial bloodstream and deep wound infections causing a high mortality rate mainly in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Laboratories currently rely on phenotypic testing using commercial automated systems for identification of yeasts; however, this technique has often...
MycologyEpidemiology and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Aspergillus Species: Comparison between Environmental and Clinical Isolates from Patients with Hematologic MalignanciesGlobal data on the epidemiology and susceptibility of Aspergillus are crucial in the management of invasive aspergillosis. Here, we aimed to determine the characteristics of clinical and environmental Aspergillus isolates, focusing mainly on hematologic malignancy patients.
Virology
VirologyPerformance of Three Common Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Genotyping Assays for Identification of HCV Genotype 2/1 ChimerasBesides seven major hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes (GT), a number of intergenotypic recombinant strains have been described. These so-called chimeras combine genetic characteristics of different HCV genotypes.
VirologyDevelopment of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Rapid Detection of Dengue Virus (DENV) NS1 and Differentiation of DENV Serotypes during Early InfectionDengue fever, caused by infections with the dengue virus (DENV), affects nearly 400 million people globally every year. Early diagnosis and management can reduce the morbidity and mortality rates of severe forms of dengue disease as well as decrease the risk of wider outbreaks.
Clinical Veterinary Microbiology
Clinical Veterinary MicrobiologyPathotyping the Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis: Novel Genetic Markers To Differentiate Invasive Disease-Associated Isolates from Non-Disease-Associated Isolates from England and WalesStreptococcus suis is one of the most important zoonotic bacterial pathogens of pigs, causing significant economic losses to the global swine industry. S. suis is also a very successful colonizer of mucosal surfaces, and commensal strains can be found in almost all pig populations worldwide, making...
Epidemiology
EpidemiologyThe Effect of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Protein D Conjugate Vaccine on H. influenzae in Healthy Carriers and Middle Ear Infections in Iceland...Vaccinations with the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PHiD-CV) started in Iceland in 2011. Protein D (PD) from H. influenzae, which is coded for by the hpd gene, is used as a conjugate in the vaccine and may provide protection against PD-positive H. influenzae.
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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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Commentaries
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing agree that carbapenemase testing is not necessary for clinical care, provided that the laboratory is up to date with current breakpoints. Nonetheless, publication on the development and modification of carbapenemase tests continues, as is the case in this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (R.
In 2019, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute revised the daptomycin breakpoints for Enterococcus spp. twice in rapid succession.