Clinical Science and Epidemiology
- Perspective | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAcute Flaccid Myelitis: Something Old and Something New...
Since 2014, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a long-recognized condition associated with polioviruses, nonpolio enteroviruses, and various other viral and nonviral causes, has been reemerging globally in epidemic form. This unanticipated reemergence is ironic, given that polioviruses, once the major causes of AFM, are now at the very threshold of global eradication and cannot therefore explain any aspect of AFM reemergence.
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyRapid Replacement of Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Accompanied by Changes in Lipooligosaccharide Loci and Resistance Gene Repertoire
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii is a difficult-to-treat health care-associated pathogen. Knowing the resistance genes present in isolates causing infection aids in empirical treatment selection. Furthermore, knowledge of the genetic background can assist in tracking patterns of transmission to limit the spread of infections in hospitals. The appearance of a new...
- Letter to the Editor | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyQuantifying and Interpreting the Association between Early-Life Gut Microbiota Composition and Childhood Obesity
- Editor's Pick Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyCryptococcus deuterogattii VGIIa Infection Associated with Travel to the Pacific Northwest Outbreak Region in an Anti-Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Autoantibody-Positive Patient in the United States
Mortality rates associated with C. gattii infections are estimated to be between 13% and 33%, depending on an individual’s predisposition, and C. gattii has caused at least 39 deaths in the PNW region. There have been four other international travel cases reported in patients from Europe and Asia...
- Author Reply | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyReply to Moossavi and Azad, “Quantifying and Interpreting the Association between Early-Life Gut Microbiota Composition and Childhood Obesity”
- Editor's Pick Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyOne Health Genomic Surveillance of Escherichia coli Demonstrates Distinct Lineages and Mobile Genetic Elements in Isolates from Humans versus Livestock
The increasing prevalence of E. coli bloodstream infections is a serious public health problem. We used genomic epidemiology in a One Health study conducted in the East of England to examine putative sources of E. coli associated with serious human disease....
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGenomic Analyses of Acute Flaccid Myelitis Cases among a Cluster in Arizona Provide Further Evidence of Enterovirus D68 Role
Enteroviruses frequently result in respiratory and gastrointestinal illness; however, multiple subtypes, including poliovirus, can cause severe neurologic disease. Recent biennial increases (i.e., 2014, 2016, and 2018) in cases of non-polio acute flaccid paralysis have led to speculations that other enteroviruses, specifically enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), are emerging to fill the niche that was left from poliovirus eradication. A cluster...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyIntrinsic Class D β-Lactamases of Clostridium difficile
C. difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium which causes infection of the large intestine with high mortality rates. The C. difficile infection is difficult to prevent and treat, as the pathogen is resistant to many antimicrobial agents. Prolonged use of β-lactam antibiotics for treatment of...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPopulation Structure, Antibiotic Resistance, and Uropathogenicity of Klebsiella variicola
Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens are a growing public health threat. Understanding of pathogen relatedness and biology is imperative for tracking outbreaks and developing therapeutics. Here, we detail the phylogenetic structure of 145 K. variicola genomes from different continents. Our results have important clinical ramifications as high-...
- Commentary | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPig Movement and Antimicrobial Use Drive Transmission of Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus CC398
The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has changed considerably over the last 3 decades, including the recognition of lineages associated with the community and with livestock exposure, in addition to nosocomial strains. A recent study by R.