diagnostics
BacteriologyTreponema pallidum Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing To Augment Syphilis Screening among Men Who Have Sex with MenSyphilis rates in much of the world are now at their highest levels in almost three decades, and new approaches to controlling syphilis, including diagnostic tests with shorter window periods, are urgently needed.
EpidemiologyPigment Visibility on Rectal Swabs Used To Detect Enteropathogens: a Prospective Cohort StudyData are lacking regarding the impact of visible pigment on rectal swab diagnostic accuracy. We describe the test characteristics of rectal swabs with and without pigment in children with gastroenteritis.
BacteriologyIdentification of Burkholderia pseudomallei by Use of the Vitek Mass SpectrometerBurkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis. This condition most often presents as pneumonia and bacteremia, with mortality rates of 9% to 70%.
BacteriologyAntimicrobial Stewardship Opportunities in Patients with Bacteremia Not Identified by BioFire FilmArrayA subset of bacteremia cases are caused by organisms not detected by a rapid-diagnostics platform, BioFire blood culture identification (BCID), with unknown clinical characteristics and outcomes. Patients with ≥1 positive blood culture over a 15-month period were grouped by negative (NB-PC) versus positive (PB-PC) BioFire BCID results and compared with respect to demographics, infection characteristics, antibiotic therapy, and outcomes...
MinireviewLaboratory Diagnosis of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus InfectionsHerpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common and often benign infection in humans; although it less commonly affects newborns, infection in this age group can be devastating. Newborns often present with nonspecific clinical findings, making timely and accurate diagnosis of infection critical.
VirologyDevelopment of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay To Detect Antibodies Targeting Recombinant Envelope Protein 2 of Mayaro VirusMayaro virus (MAYV) is a neglected arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) antigenically clustered into the Semliki Forest complex group of Alphavirus genus (Togaviridae family), maintained in an unclear zoonotic cycle involving mosquitoes from Haemagogus genus as the main vector. The genome is composed of a positive single-stranded RNA of 11.5 kb in length, which contains two genes that encode four nonstructural (...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesImplementation of Semiautomated Antimicrobial Susceptibility Interpretation Hardware for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria May Overestimate Susceptibility...Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause severe opportunistic infections and have a rising incidence in most settings. Rising diagnostic need must be met by national reference laboratories, which rely on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline-approved manual readout of microtiter plates for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to determine antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).
MinireviewCRISPR-Cas Biology and Its Application to Infectious DiseasesInfectious diseases remain a global threat contributing to excess morbidity and death annually, with the persistent potential for destabilizing pandemics. Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, along with rapid diagnosis and treatment of human infections, is essential for improving infectious disease outcomes worldwide.
BacteriologyImpact of Gastrointestinal Panel Implementation on Health Care Utilization and OutcomesPCR-based multiplex gastrointestinal (GI) pathogen panels have started to replace stool culture and ova and parasite exam as a rapid and accurate means of diagnosing acute gastroenteritis. However, there are limited data on the impact of panel testing on patient outcomes.
BacteriologyUsing Machine Learning To Predict Antimicrobial MICs and Associated Genomic Features for Nontyphoidal SalmonellaNontyphoidal Salmonella species are the leading bacterial cause of foodborne disease in the United States. Whole-genome sequences and paired antimicrobial susceptibility data are available for Salmonella strains because of surveillance efforts from public health agencies.