Clinical Science and Epidemiology
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyStreptococcus pyogenes Is Associated with Idiopathic Cutaneous Ulcers in Children on a Yaws-Endemic IslandCutaneous ulcers (CU) affect approximately 100,000 children in the tropics each year. While two-thirds of CU are caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue and Haemophilus ducreyi, the cause(s) of the remaining one-third is unknown.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEmergence of the Novel Aminoglycoside Acetyltransferase Variant aac(6′)-Ib-D179Y and Acquisition of Colistin Heteroresistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Due to a Disrupting Mutation in the DNA Repair Enzyme MutSThe emergence of multidrug resistance in pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae is of great clinical concern. Antimicrobial resistance sometimes arises during the course of an infection.
Opinion/Hypothesis | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyOn the Origin of Candida auris: Ancestor, Environmental Stresses, and AntisepticsCandida auris has emerged as a serious threat to the health care settings. Advancements in molecular biology have provided several insights into the evolution of C. auris since it was first described in 2009.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComprehensive Genomic Investigation of Adaptive Mutations Driving the Low-Level Oxacillin Resistance Phenotype in Staphylococcus aureusThe majority of Staphylococcus aureus strains causing human disease are methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and can be treated with antistaphylococcal penicillins (such as oxacillin). While acquisition of the mec gene represents the main resistance mechanism to oxacillin, S. aureus can acquire...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMetagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing of Nasopharyngeal Specimens Collected from Confirmed and Suspect COVID-19 PatientsSARS-CoV-2 has presented a rapidly accelerating global public health crisis. The ability to detect and analyze viral RNA from minimally invasive patient specimens is critical to the public health response. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers an opportunity to detect SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. This approach also provides information on the composition of the respiratory microbiome and its relationship to...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyNa+-NQR Confers Aminoglycoside Resistance via the Regulation of l-Alanine MetabolismThe Na+-NQR complex functions as a unique redox-driven sodium pump, generating membrane potential directly. However, whether it mediates generation of membrane potential indirectly is unknown. The present study shows that the Na+-NQR complex impacts membrane potential through other antiporter families Atp and Mnh. It proceeds by ATP and then cAMP/CRP regulon, which inhibits l-alanine...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyWhole-Genome Analysis of Clinical Vibrio cholerae O1 in Kolkata, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, Reveals Two Lineages of Circulating Strains, Indicating Variation in Genomic AttributesCholera continues to be a global concern, as large epidemics have occurred recently in Haiti, Yemen, and countries of sub-Saharan Africa. A single lineage of Vibrio cholerae O1 has been considered to be introduced into these regions from South Asia and to cause the spread of cholera. Using genomic epidemiology, we showed that two distinct lineages exist in Bengal, one...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMolecular Architecture of Early Dissemination and Massive Second Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in a Major Metropolitan AreaThere is concern about second and subsequent waves of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus occurring in communities globally that had an initial disease wave. Metropolitan Houston, TX, with a population of 7 million, is experiencing a massive second disease wave that began in late May 2020. To understand SARS-CoV-2 molecular population genomic architecture and evolution and the relationship between virus genotypes and patient...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyThe Interaction of Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity with Social Distancing Predicts the Evolution of the COVID-19 PandemicThe ability of our society to function effectively moving forward will depend on how the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is contained. Immunity to the virus will be critical to this equation.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyImmune Response and Microbiota Profiles during Coinfection with Plasmodium vivax and Soil-Transmitted HelminthsPlasmodium (malaria) and helminth parasite coinfections are frequent, and both infections can be affected by the host gut microbiota. However, the relationship between coinfection and the gut microbiota is unclear. By performing comprehensive analyses on blood/stool samples from 130 individuals in Colombia, we found that the gut microbiota may have a stronger relationship with the number of...