Open Forum Infectious Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Evaluation of Daptomycin Use in Outpatients With Methicillin-Sensitive <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Bloodstream Infections.","authors":"Daisy Kener, Darrell Childress, Ian Andrus, Jared Olson, Brandon Webb","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf012","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Multiple observational studies in methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and enterococcal infections have suggested that higher doses of daptomycin may be associated with better clinical outcomes. However, optimal daptomycin dosing in methicillin-sensitive <i>S aureus</i> bloodstream infections remains unclear. In this multicentered, retrospective, observational cohort study, we compared standard dose daptomycin (<8 mg/kg) vs high dose (≥8 mg/kg) for methicillin-sensitive <i>S aureus</i> bloodstream infections. In a propensity-weighted model, the composite outcome of treatment failure within 90 days was lower in the high-dose group relative to the standard dose group (odds ratio, 0.496; 95% CI, .306-.804). We did not detect any significant difference in safety outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf012"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11786053/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143080724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiplex PCR Detection of Enteric Pathogens in a Community-based Birth Cohort in Ecuador: Comparison of xTAG-GPP and TaqMan Array Card Assays.","authors":"Stuart Torres Ayala, Lesly Simbaña Vivanco, Nikolina Walas, Kelsey Jesser, Nicolette A Zhou, Christine S Fagnant-Sperati, Hadley R Burroughs, Gwenyth O Lee, Joseph N S Eisenberg, Gabriel Trueba, Karen Levy, Benjamin F Arnold","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf027","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We compared the performance of 2 multiplex platforms, Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel and TaqMan Array Card, against a panel of 14 enteric pathogen targets in a community-based birth cohort in Ecuador. We found high levels of agreement and similar prevalence estimates across most pathogens.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf027"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143365475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of Naturally Occurring HIV-1 Capsid Inhibitor Resistance-Related Mutations in Antiretroviral Therapy-Naïve and -Experienced Individuals in Taiwan.","authors":"Nan-Yu Chen, Chien-Yu Cheng, Shih-Hao Lo, Po-Liang Lu, Chia-Jui Yang, Cheng-Yin Tseng, Hung-Chin Tsai, Ting-Shu Wu, Yu-Hsiang Hsiao, Zhuo-Hao Liu, Stephane Wen-Wei Ku","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf028","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>It is generally believed that HIV-1 capsid inhibitor-naïve populations are susceptible to capsid inhibitors. Moreover, conventional HIV-1 resistance genotyping does not include the CA region, leading to limited surveillance data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the presence of mutations at positions associated with capsid inhibitor resistance before the introduction of the first HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, lenacapavir, in Taiwan. Capsid mutations at positions L56, N57, M66, Q67, K70, N74, A105, and T107 were analyzed using a local HIV-1 database that encompasses near-full-length next-generation sequencing data of both antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve and -experienced individuals with HIV-1, collected between 2017 and 2023 in Northern Taiwan.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 287 CA sequences were analyzed. Mutations at positions associated with capsid inhibitor resistance were rare, found in 4.5% (7/156) of ART-naïve and 5.3% (7/131) of ART-experienced individuals, mainly as accessory mutations or polymorphisms. Notably, a Q67H mutation was found in an ART-naïve individual at a frequency of 26.8%, while a Q67R mutation, with unclear clinical implications, appeared at 2.8% in an ART-experienced case.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This result indicated low prevalence yet undeniable existence of naturally occurring capsid inhibitor resistance-related mutations in capsid inhibitor-naïve individuals with HIV-1.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf028"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11811894/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143399657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"INSIDE-OUT: Introduction of Speakers at IDWeek Events-Observing for Unconscious Bias Over Time.","authors":"Jasmine R Marcelin, Rohan Khazanchi, Elizabeth Lyden, Kelly A Cawcutt, Jacinda C Abdul-Mutakabbir, David R Ha, Narjust Florez, Ravina Kullar, Elizabeth H Ristagno","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf024","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Specialty societies, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, strive to address gender and racial inequities in professional advancement. Microaggressions remain a persistent and pervasive barrier to these goals. Nonprofessional speaker introductions are a manifestation of race- and gender-based microaggressions, which have not been previously assessed at IDWeek. We assessed disparities in speaker introductions at IDWeek over a 7-year period that included formal gender equity initiatives introduced in 2016.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective observational study of video-recorded IDWeek speaker introductions from 2013 to 2019. Trained coders reviewed presentation video archives to assess a primary outcome of nonprofessional introductions: when a speaker's professional title was not used as the first introduction. We used descriptive statistics, Fisher exact tests, Cochrane-Armitage trend tests, and multivariable logistic regression to characterize relationships between speaker introductions and presentation year, speaker demographics, and speaker-moderator demographic concordance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 1940 videos reviewed, 48.9% of IDWeek speakers received nonprofessional introductions during and before 2016 vs 41.5% of speakers after 2016 (<i>P</i> = .0013). There was an increasing linear trend in the frequency of professional introductions by speaker age group from 47.1% for age <40 years to 65.3% for age >60 years (<i>P</i> < .0001). White moderators more frequently used nonprofessional introductions than moderators from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (47.7% vs 29.1%, <i>P</i> = .0014). Women-men speaker-moderator pairs had more nonprofessional introductions (54.6%, <i>P</i> < .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In the largest assessment of microaggressions in speaker introductions at a national medical specialty conference, we highlighted some progress over time and ample opportunity to further standardize equitable speaker introductions, especially for women and junior speakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf024"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11830950/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143441588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Missed and Delayed Diagnoses of Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection in a Southern Opt-Out HIV Testing Environment Without Reflex HIV RNA Testing.","authors":"Sarah F Gruber, Eli P Wilber, Brittany Smith, Paulina A Rebolledo, Jonathan A Colasanti, Rishika Iytha, Megan Schwinne, Chad Robichaux, Meredith H Lora","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofae684","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofae684","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prompt confirmation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is critical. We examined 10 years of discordant results without reflex HIV RNA. Of patients with acute HIV infection, 43.9% (95% confidence interval, 36.2%-52.0%) had confirmation delays >30 days or were never confirmed, indicating a need for reflex RNA to facilitate diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 1","pages":"ofae684"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11739807/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143007839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and Correlates of Hepatitis C Viremia Among People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Direct-Acting Antiviral Era.","authors":"Jimmy Ma, Robin M Nance, Edward Cachay, Stephanie A Ruderman, Mari Kitahata, Oluwaseun Falade-Nwulia, Geetanjali Chander, Lydia N Drumright, Christopher B Hurt, George A Yendewa, April Pettit, Richard D Moore, Rob J Fredericksen, Audrey Lloyd, Laura Bamford, Sonia Napravnik, Julia Fleming, Katerina Christopoulos, Greer Burkholder, Jeanne Keruly, Joseph A C Delaney, Heidi Crane, H Nina Kim","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf030","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>National US data on the burden and risks for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) era are limited. These data are important to understand current progress and guide future efforts toward HCV microelimination.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated (1) HCV prevalence (2011-2013, 2014-2017, 2018-2022) using a serial cross-sectional design and (2) correlates for HCV viremia (2018-2022) in adult people with HIV (PWH) within the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinic Systems (CNICS) cohort using multivariable adjusted relative risk regression. The most recent data from each time period were used for calculations and models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the CNICS cohort, HCV viremia prevalence was 8.7% in 2011-2013, 10.5% in 2014-2017, and 4.8% in 2018-2022. Disparities in prevalence across demographic groups defined by age, gender, and race/ethnicity were smaller in 2018-2022 than earlier time periods. In relative risk regression, female gender, detectable HIV RNA, higher proportion of missed visits (last 18 months), higher FIB-4 score, higher depressive symptom severity, and current use of methamphetamine and illicit opioids were associated with HCV viremia in 2018-2022.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The prevalence of HCV viremia during the DAA era in this US-based national cohort of PWH improved over time and across demographic subgroups but remains higher than those without HIV. Our findings highlight the continued importance of prioritizing HCV care in all PWH, especially in certain key, less-reached groups. Proactive, comprehensive efforts to care engagement, substance use, mental health, and other social determinants will be crucial to improve reach, prevention, and treatment to achieve HCV elimination goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf030"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11786118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143080650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Breakthrough Invasive Mold Infections in Hematologic Cases: Relevance of the Host's Factors.","authors":"Isabel Rodríguez-Goncer, Jorge Boán, Riansares Carrero-Arribas, José María Sanchez-Pina, Manuel Lizasoaín, Mario Fernández-Ruiz, Rafael San-Juan, Francisco López-Medrano, Ana Pérez-Ayala, José Manuel Caro-Teller, Joaquín Martínez-López, José María Aguado, María Calbacho","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf025","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Breakthrough invasive mold infections (bIMIs) are life-threatening complications in hematologic cases. Most previous studies in this field covered the whole spectrum of fungal pathogens, including yeasts, and antifungal agents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective study including all hematologic cases of patients diagnosed with a bIMI while receiving a mold-active antifungal agent at our center between January 2017 and June 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall 37 patients were diagnosed with bIMI: 6 (16.2%) proven, 18 (48.6%) probable, and 13 (35.1%) possible. The highest incidence rate was found for micafungin (1.31 bIMI episodes per 1000 treatment-days), although with no significant differences across antifungal agents. Most patients (90.9%) for whom therapeutic drug monitoring was performed exhibited adequate through levels. Ten (27.0%) patients had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. <i>Aspergillus</i> species was the most common pathogen in cases with microbiological identification. Regarding risk factors, 67.6% had severe neutropenia at diagnosis and 40.5% had received high-intensity chemotherapy. Rates of clinical response and attributable mortality by day +30 were 64.9% and 23.3%, respectively. Poorer performance status, higher Charlson Comorbidity index, older age, and higher C-reactive protein by day +7 were associated with 30-day attributable mortality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong><i>Aspergillus</i> was the predominant pathogen in our cohort of bIMIs, with a significant proportion of episodes occurring despite adequate triazole levels. Thirty-day attributable mortality was lower than previously reported. Poorer performance status, higher comorbidity burden, and older age had a relevant role in the outcome of bIMI.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf025"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800478/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143365419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BCG-Induced DNA Methylation Changes Improve Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Immunity Without Decreasing the Risk for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection.","authors":"Santiago Carrero Longlax, Kent J Koster, Ashish M Kamat, Marisa Lozano, Seth P Lerner, Rebecca Hannigan, Tomoki Nishiguchi, Abhimanyu, Daanish Sheikh, Malik Ladki, Alexandra Portillo, Amrit Koirala, Tajhal D Patel, Zoe Spieler, Aaron B Benjamin, Maxim Lebedev, Theresa U Ofili, Robert W Hutchison, George Udeani, Lynne A Opperman, Gabriel Neal, Anna M Mandalakas, Mihai G Netea, Moshe Arditi, Pablo Avalos, Sandra L Grimm, Cristian Coarfa, Jeffrey D Cirillo, Andrew R DiNardo","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf007","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The BCG vaccine induces trained immunity, an epigenetic-mediated increase in innate immune responsiveness. Therefore, this clinical trial evaluated if BCG-induced trained immunity could decrease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related frequency or severity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthcare workers randomized participants to vaccination with BCG TICE or placebo (saline). Enrollment included 529 healthcare workers randomized to receive BCG or placebo. Primary analysis evaluated COVID-19 disease frequency, while secondary analysis evaluated coronavirus immunity in a subset of participants. Study enrollment ceased early in December 2020 following introduction of COVID-19-specific vaccines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Study enrollment was halted early, prior to reaching the targeted recruitment, and was not powered to detect a decrease in COVID-19 frequency. Symptomatic COVID-19 occurred in 21 of 263 and 10 of 266 participants in the BCG and placebo arms, respectively (<i>P</i> = .50, Fisher exact test). Participants vaccinated with BCG, but uninfected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), demonstrated increased coronavirus vaccine immunity (increase spike-inducible levels of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 6, and interleukin 1β) 12 months after BCG vaccination compared to participants receiving placebo. Immune responsiveness to SARS-CoV-2 antigens correlated with BCG-induced DNA methylation changes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Due to early study closure, the study was not powered to evaluate COVID-19 frequency. Secondary analysis demonstrated that 12 months following vaccination, BCG increased coronavirus vaccine immunity compared to those who did not receive BCG. This increase in COVID-19 vaccine immunity correlated with BCG-induced DNA methylation changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 1","pages":"ofaf007"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11770274/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143053103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ratio of Infections to COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations in the United States based on SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Data, September 2021-February 2022.","authors":"Yangyang Deng, Yun Kim, Anna Bratcher, Jefferson M Jones, Muloongo Simuzingili, Adi V Gundlapalli, Melissa Briggs Hagen, Ronaldo Iachan, Kristie E N Clarke","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofae719","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofae719","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Understanding the risk of hospitalization from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections can guide effective public health interventions and severity assessments. This study calculated infection-hospitalization ratios (IHRs) and infection-case ratios (ICRs) to understand the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infections, cases, and hospitalizations among different age groups during periods of Delta and Omicron variant predominance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>After calculating antinucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence using residual commercial laboratory serum specimens, 2 ratios were computed: (1) IHRs using coronavirus disease 2019 hospitalization data and (2) ICRs using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data. Ratios were calculated across age groups (0-17, 18-49, 50-69, and ≥70 years) for 2 time periods (September-December 2021 [Delta] and December 2021-February 2022 [Omicron]).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Pediatric IHRs increased from 76.7 during Delta to 258.4 during Omicron. Adult IHRs ranged from 3.0 (≥70 years) to 21.6 (18-49 years) during Delta and from 10.0 (≥70 years) to 119.1 (18-49 years) during Omicron. The pediatric ICR was lower during the Delta period (2.7) compared with the Omicron period (3.7). Adult ICRs (Delta: 1.1 [18-49 years] to 2.1 [70+ years]; Omicron: 2.2 [>70+ years] to 2.9 [50-69 years]) were lower than pediatric ICRs during both time periods.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>All age groups exhibited a lower proportion of infections associated with hospitalization in the Omicron period than the Delta period; the proportion of infections associated with hospitalization increased with each older age group. A lower proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections were associated with reported cases in the Omicron period than in the Delta period among all age groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 1","pages":"ofae719"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11736415/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143008137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) Protocol Predictive of Treatment Outcome in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i>.","authors":"Bianca Lordêlo, Andréa Magalhães, Almério Noronha, Livia Oliveira, Daniel Beiting, Phillip Scott, Edgar M Carvalho, Lucas P Carvalho","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofae749","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ofid/ofae749","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> is the most prevalent agent causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Brazil. While inflammation is a hallmark of CL, few parasites are found at the lesion site, leading to challenges regarding diagnosis. Using <i>L braziliensis</i> kDNA and human 18S rRNA as targets, the present study developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay to determine parasite load in biopsies from patients with CL who were residing in an endemic area in northeastern Brazil. In addition, we investigated whether parasite load correlated with clinical outcome, and we observed that patients with higher parasite load were more likely to experience therapy failure. Moreover, patients with CL in the early phase of infection presented higher levels of parasite transcripts than individuals in later phases. Thus, our results suggest that parasite load as determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction may constitute a valuable prognostic tool to aid in the determination of disease severity and treatment outcome.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofae749"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11839507/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}