Microbiology spectrum最新文献

{"title":"Performance evaluation of cefoxitin screen test on two different automated antimicrobial susceptibility test systems: a comparative study.","authors":"Ismail Yuceel-Timur, Cherilyn D Garner, Simone Franklin, Dwight J Hardy","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.03815-23","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.03815-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reliable detection of <i>mec</i>A and <i>mec</i>C-mediated beta-lactam resistance using automated antimicrobial susceptibility test systems is critical for patient care. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the new cefoxitin screen test (oxsf02n) on the Vitek 2 card (Vitek 2) and BD Phoenix PMC-100 Gram-Positive AST Panel (Phoenix) against the reference method for the detection of <i>mec</i>A (and <i>mec</i>C)-mediated beta-lactam resistance. Two hundred fifty clinical fresh and stock <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. isolates were included. There were 120 <i>mec</i>A-positive, 10 <i>mec</i>C-positive, and 120 <i>mec</i>A and <i>mec</i>C-negative isolates. Cefoxitin screen and oxacillin tests were performed on Vitek 2 and Phoenix and by their respective reference methods (disk diffusion for the cefoxitin screen test and broth microdilution for oxacillin) for all isolates. PCR testing was also performed to confirm the presence of <i>mec</i>A and/or <i>mec</i>C genes. Results from each system were compared to the reference methods. Statistical hypotheses were evaluated both for Vitek 2 compared to the reference methods and Vitek 2 compared to the Phoenix. Compared to the reference method, the Vitek 2 cefoxitin screen test had 100% sensitivity/98% specificity and the Phoenix cefoxitin screen test had 84% sensitivity/100% specificity for the detection of <i>mec</i>A (and <i>mec</i>C)-mediated beta-lactam resistance. When the oxacillin test was combined with the cefoxitin screen for Vitek 2, the sensitivity and specificity were unchanged. However, when the oxacillin and cefoxitin screen tests were combined for the Phoenix, the sensitivity increased to 100% and the specificity remained unchanged (100%). When considering cefoxitin alone, the Vitek 2 screen test showed a higher sensitivity than the Phoenix for the detection of <i>mec</i>A and <i>mec</i>C-mediated beta-lactam resistance. However, currently, both systems use a combination of the cefoxitin and oxacillin tests to interpret the final result, and both reached a high level of performance when cefoxitin and oxacillin results were combined.IMPORTANCEThis research marks the inaugural evaluation of the revamped cefoxitin screen test version in Vitek 2, juxtaposing it against reference methods and a primary competitor BD Phoenix.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141748595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assembly process and co-occurrence network of microbial community in response to free ammonia gradient distribution.","authors":"Shengjie Sun, Zhiyi Qiao, Kexin Sun, Da Huo","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01051-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01051-24","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microorganisms are crucial components of the aquatic ecosystem due to their immense diversity and abundance. They are vital in sustaining ecological services, especially in maintaining essential biogeochemical cycles. Recent years have seen a substantial increase in surplus nitrogenous pollutants in aquatic ecosystems due to the heightened occurrence of anthropogenic activities. Elevated levels of free ammonia (FA, NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;), stemming from the discharge of excess nitrogenous pollutants, have caused notable fluctuations in aquatic ecosystems, leading to water eutrophication and various ecological challenges. The impact of these oscillations on microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems has not been extensively studied. This study employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to systematically investigate the dynamics, co-occurrence networks, and assembly processes of microbial communities and their subcommunities (abundant, moderate, and rare) in the Luanhe River Diversion Project in China. Our findings indicate that NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; concentration significantly influences the dynamics of microbial communities, with a notable decrease in community Richness and Phylogenetic Distance alongside increased community dissimilarity under higher NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; conditions. The analysis revealed that certain microbial groups, particularly Actinobacteriaota, were notably more prevalent in environments with elevated NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; levels, suggesting their potential resilience or adaptive responses to NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; stress. Additionally, through co-occurrence network analysis, we observed dynamic changes in network topology and increased connectedness under NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; stress. Key nodes, identified as connectors and module hubs, played crucial roles in maintaining network structure, particularly Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteriaota. Furthermore, stochastic processes, particularly drift and dispersal limitation, predominantly shaped the microbial communities. Within the three subcommunities, the impact of drift became more pronounced as the effect of dispersal limitation diminished. Overall, elucidating the dynamics of microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems exposed to NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; can enhance our comprehension of the ecological mechanisms of microbial communities and provide new insights into the conservation of microbial community diversity and ecological functions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Importance: &lt;/strong&gt;The research presented in this paper explores how varying concentrations of free ammonia impact microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems. By employing advanced gene sequencing techniques, the study reveals significant changes in microbial diversity and network structures in response to increased ammonia levels. Key findings indicate that high ammonia concentrations lead to a decrease in microbial richness and diversity while increasing community dissimilarity. Notably, certain microbial groups, like Actinobacteria, show resilience to ammonia str","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370247/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141759783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of chlorogenic acid and carnosol for anti-efflux pump and anti-biofilm activities against extensively drug-resistant strains of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>.","authors":"Mohaddeseh Sheikhy, Vajihe Karbasizade, Mustafa Ghanadian, Hossein Fazeli","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.03934-23","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.03934-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efflux pumps and biofilm play significant roles in bacterial antibiotic resistance. This study investigates the potential of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and carnosol (CL), as phenolic and diterpene compounds, respectively, for their inhibitory effects on efflux pumps. Among the 12 multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> isolated from nosocomial skin infections, eight strains were identified as extensively drug resistant (XDR) using the disc diffusion method. The presence of efflux pumps in MDR strains of <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>P. aeruginosa</i> was screened using carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Between the 12 MDR strains of <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>P. aeruginosa</i>, 80% (4 out of 5) of the <i>S. aureus</i> strains and 85.7% (6 out of 7) of the <i>P. aeruginosa</i> strains exhibited active efflux pumps associated with gentamicin resistance. The checkerboard assay results, in combination with gentamicin, demonstrated that CGA exhibited a reduction in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for XDR <i>S. aureus</i> strain. Similarly, CL showed a synergistic effect and reduced the MIC for both XDR strains of <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>P. aeruginosa</i>. Flow cytometry was used to examine efflux pump activity at sub-MIC concentrations of 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 MIC in comparison to the control. In XDR <i>S. aureus</i>, CGA demonstrated 39%, 70%, and 19% inhibition, while CL exhibited 74%, 73.5%, and 62% suppression. In XDR <i>P. aeruginosa</i>, CL exhibited inhibition rates of 25%, 10%, and 15%. The inhibition of biofilm formation was assessed using the microtiter plate method, resulting in successful inhibition of biofilm formation. Finally, the MTT assay was conducted, and it confirmed minimal cytotoxicity. Given the significant reduction in efflux pump activity and biofilm formation observed with CGA and CL in this study, these compounds can be considered as potential inhibitors of efflux pumps and biofilm formation, offering potential strategies to overcome antimicrobial resistance.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>In summary, CGA and CL demonstrated promising potentiating antimicrobial effects against XDR strains of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, suggesting their probably potential as candidates for addressing nosocomial pathogens. They exhibited significant suppression of efflux pump activity, indicating a possible successful inhibition of this mechanism. Moreover, all substances effectively inhibited biofilm formation, while showing minimal cytotoxicity. However, further advancement to clinical trials is needed to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing CGA and CL for reversing bacterial XDR efflux and determining their efficacy against biofilms. These trials will provide valuable insights into the practical applications of these compounds in combating drug-resistant infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370622/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141752076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What's old is new: leveraging existing antimicrobial susceptibility test methods for rapid results in patients with bloodstream infections.","authors":"Andrea M Prinzi","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00995-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.00995-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of rapid disk diffusion or modified automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) system approaches demonstrates excellent performance for gram-negative organisms directly from blood cultures. In a recent study, S. Khan, A. Das, A. Mishra, A. Vidyarthi, et al. (Microbiol Spectr 12:e03081-23, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03081-23) compared the performance of three direct-from-blood AST methods against standard of care disk diffusion and automated AST. The results demonstrated high categorical agreements and low error rates across three protocols. The study suggests that locally validated direct-from-blood AST protocols offer reliable and fast results, particularly for resource-limited settings. However, local context and workflows should be considered prior to implementing rapid AST protocols, and more research is needed on the performance of rapid AST protocols for gram-positive organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141734636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel system with robust compatibility and stability for detecting <i>Sugarcane yellow leaf virus</i> based on CRISPR-Cas12a.","authors":"Ting Wang, Anzhen Li, Hong Zhao, Qibin Wu, Jinlong Guo, Helei Tian, Jingwen Wang, Youxiong Que, Liping Xu","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01149-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01149-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Sugarcane yellow leaf virus</i> (SCYLV) can reduce sugarcane productivity. A novel detection system based on reverse transcription-multienzyme isothermal rapid amplification (RT-MIRA) combined with CRISPR-Cas12a, named RT-MIRA-CRISPR-Cas12a, was developed. This innovative approach employs crude leaf extract directly as the reaction template, streamlining the extraction process for simplicity and speed. Combining RT-MIRA and CRISPR-Cas12a in one reaction tube increases the ease of operation while reducing the risk of aerosol contamination. In addition, it exhibits sensitivity equivalent to qPCR, boasting a lower detection limit of 25 copies. Remarkably, the entire process, from sample extraction to reaction completion, requires only 52-57 minutes, just a thermostat water bath. The result can be observed and judged by the naked eye.IMPORTANCESugarcane yellow leaf disease (SCYLD) is an important viral disease that affects sugarcane yield. There is an urgent need for rapid, sensitive, and stable detection methods. The reverse transcription-multienzyme isothermal rapid amplification combined with CRISPR-Cas12a (RT-MIRA-CRISPR-Cas12a) method established in this study has good specificity and high sensitivity. In addition, the system showed good compatibility and stability with the crude leaf extract, as shown by the fact that the crude extract of the positive sample could still be stably detected after 1 week when placed at 4°C. RT-MIRA-CRISPR-Cas12a, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect SCYLV on 33 sugarcane leaf samples collected from the field, and it was found that the three methods reached consistent conclusions. This Cas12a-based detection method proves highly suitable for the rapid on-site detection of the SCYLV.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370245/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Probing the function of C-terminal region of recombinant α-amylase BmaN1 from <i>Bacillus megaterium</i> NL3.","authors":"Fina Khaerunnisa Frima, Muhammad Akbar Thufail, Indri Novia Madhani, Zahrotun Nafisah, Sofi Siti Shofiyah, Ayra Ulpiyana, Fernita Puspasari, Reza Aditama, Ihsanawati Ihsanawati, Dessy Natalia","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.03351-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03351-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The α-amylase BmaN1 from <i>Bacillus megaterium</i> NL3 is a member of GH13_45 subfamily that has a conserved C-terminal region of approximately 30 residues. This region features a motif of five aromatic amino acids predicted to play a role in starch binding. This study aimed to unravel the role of the C-terminal region in starch hydrolysis. The full-length and C-terminally truncated forms of BmaN1 (BmaN1∆C) were expressed in <i>Escherichia coli</i> ArcticExpress (DE3), resulting in proteins with molecular weights of 56 kDa and 49 kDa, respectively. They exhibited comparable enzymatic activity in the hydrolysis of soluble starch, displaying versatility across a wide range of pH values, temperatures, and NaCl concentrations. BmaN1 and BmaN1∆C activities were inhibited by acarbose and were reduced by SDS and EDTA. In terms of binding and degrading the starch granules, BmaN1∆C showed lower affinity and activity in comparison to BmaN1. Our study indicates that the C-terminal region of BmaN1 significantly enhances its binding affinity and degrading the raw starches.IMPORTANCEα-Amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) stands as an endo-acting enzyme, essential for catalyzing the hydrolysis of α-1,4 glycosidic bonds within starch molecules. The relevance of α-amylases in biotechnological applications is substantial, constituting approximately 30% of the global enzyme market. Among these enzymes, BmaN1 was the first α-amylase identified to possess distinct catalytic residues within the GH13 family. BmaN1 from <i>B. megaterium</i> NL3 belongs to the GH13_45 subfamily. This subfamily is characterized by a conserved C-terminal region consisting of approximately 30 residues that contains a motif of five aromatic residues predicted to be involved in starch binding. Our study shows that the C-terminal effectively contributes to binding and degrading the raw starch granules. This pioneering research on BmaN1 expands our understanding of α-amylases and holds promise for innovative biotechnological advancements.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142109498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Managing tobacco black shank disease using biochar: direct toxicity and indirect ecological mechanisms.","authors":"Xuan-Quan Zhu, Yan Chen, Meng Jia, Hui-Juan Dai, Yan-Bin Zhou, Huan-Wen Yang, Peng Zhou, Yu Du, Ge Wang, Yu-Xiang Bai, Na Wang","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00149-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00149-24","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black shank disease in tobacco, caused by &lt;i&gt;Phytophthora nicotianae&lt;/i&gt;, can lead to yield losses of 30%-50% upon outbreak. Recently, biochar derived from agricultural waste has shown significant potential in controlling soil-borne diseases, though its mechanisms remain unclear. Over a 3-year observation period, we found that the incidence of black shank was significantly lower in plots amended with biochar compared with normal cultivation plots. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we studied both the direct and indirect effects of biochar on black shank. Direct antifungal assays indicated that biochar reduced the total number of sporangia by 53.91%. Further pot experiments revealed a 62.34% reduction in the &lt;i&gt;P. nicotianae&lt;/i&gt; population in the soil following biochar application. Additionally, biochar application led to notable changes in soil physicochemical properties and microbial community composition. Microbial species analysis showed that biochar promoted the aggregation of beneficial microbes such as &lt;i&gt;Sphingomonas&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Flavisolibacter&lt;/i&gt;, and &lt;i&gt;Mucoromycota&lt;/i&gt;. Functional predictions using the PICRUSt 2 software revealed that biochar enhances bacterial functions related to antimicrobial substance synthesis (Tetracycline biosynthesis), detoxification metabolism (D-arginine and D-ornithine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism), and lipid and fatty acid metabolism (Lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis), while fungal functions showed no significant changes. This suggests that rhizosphere bacteria play a more prominent role in the suppression of black shank by biochar, a finding supported by partial least squares path modeling analysis. Therefore, we hypothesize that biochar not only directly inhibits &lt;i&gt;P. nicotianae&lt;/i&gt; growth but also regulates the composition of the rhizosphere microbial community, inducing the production of antimicrobial substances by rhizosphere bacteria, effectively preventing &lt;i&gt;P. nicotianae&lt;/i&gt; invasion.IMPORTANCEBlack shank, a global soil-borne fungal disease in tobacco, currently lacks effective control methods. Notably, biochar derived from agricultural waste has shown significant potential in controlling soil-borne diseases. Over a 3-year observation period, we found that plots amended with biochar had a significantly lower incidence of black shank compared with normal cultivation plots. However, the mechanisms of disease suppression remained unclear. Through &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; antifungal assays and pot experiments, we discovered that tobacco-derived biochar can directly inhibit the growth of the pathogen. Additionally, biochar regulates the composition of the rhizosphere microbial community, inducing rhizosphere bacteria to produce antimicrobial substances, effectively preventing pathogen invasion. This discovery reveals both the direct and indirect mechanisms by which biochar suppresses black shank in tobacco. It provides a scientific basis for developing green cont","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142109497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction for Liu et al., \"The imbalance of pulmonary Th17/Treg cells in BALB/c suckling mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus-mediated intestinal immune damage and gut microbiota changes\".","authors":"Jiling Liu, Yixuan Huang, Nian Liu, Huan Qiu, Xiaoyan Zhang, Xiaojie Liu, Maozhang He, Mingwei Chen, Shenghai Huang","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01812-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01812-24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142109495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction for Shen et al., \"Small-Molecule Compound CY-158-11 Inhibits <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilm Formation\".","authors":"Li Shen, Jiao Zhang, Yao Chen, Lulin Rao, Xinyi Wang, Huilin Zhao, Bingjie Wang, Yanghua Xiao, Jingyi Yu, Yanlei Xu, Junhong Shi, Weihua Han, Zengqiang Song, Fangyou Yu","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01984-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01984-24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142109496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"School mask policies and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among school-age children-United States, September to December 2021.","authors":"Elise Nycz, Yangyang Deng, Miriam E Van Dyke, Anna Bratcher, Jianrong Shi, Ronaldo Iachan, Kevin Berney, Jefferson M Jones, Kristie E N Clarke","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00691-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00691-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During September to December 2021, school mask policies to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission varied throughout the US. We compared infection-induced seroprevalence estimates and estimated seroconversion among children residing in areas with and without school mask requirements. We estimated infection-induced seroprevalence among children in three age groups (5-17, 5-11, and 12-17 years) in areas with and without school district mask requirements for two time points: September 1-30, 2021 and December 15, 2021 to January 14, 2022. Robust Poisson regression models estimated population seroconversion over the semester among initially seronegative children. Permutation tests assessed for significant differences in the estimated population seroconversion due to incident infections by school district mask policy. Residing in an area with no school mask requirement was associated with higher infection-induced seroprevalence among children aged 5-17 years (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10, 1.26), and those aged 5-11 years (aPR) = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.32) and those aged 12-17 years (aPR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.26), compared with areas requiring masks in school. Estimated population seroconversion during the semester was also significantly higher among children in districts without mask policies than those with school mask requirements among all age groups (5-17 years: 23.7% vs 18.1%, <i>P</i> < 0.001; 5-11 years: 6.4% vs 4.5%, <i>P</i> = 0.002;12-17 years: 27.2% vs 21.0%, <i>P</i> < 0.001). During the U.S. Fall 2021 semester, areas with school mask requirements had lower infection-induced seroprevalence and an estimated lower proportion of seroconversion due to incident infection among school-aged children compared with areas without school mask requirements; causality cannot necessarily be inferred from these associations.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>During the U.S. Fall 2021 school semester, the estimated proportion of previously uninfected school-aged children who experienced a first infection with SARS-CoV-2 was lower in areas where public school district policies required masks for all staff and students compared with areas where the school districts had no mask requirements. Because children are more likely than adults to experience asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infections, the presence of infection-induced antibodies is a more accurate measure of infection history than clinical testing. The proportion of children with these antibodies (i.e., seroprevalence) can improve our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 by detecting more infections and eliminating potential bias due to local testing and reporting practices. Enhanced robustness of surveillance for respiratory infections in children, including records of mitigation policies in communities and schools, as well as seroprevalence data, would establish a better evidence base for policy decisions and response measures during future respiratory outbreaks","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142080847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}