Karolina Alsén, Marianela Patzi Churqui, Helene Norder, Karolina Rembeck, Henrik Zetterberg, K. Blennow, Fredrika Sahlgren, Anna Grahn
{"title":"Biomarkers and genotypes in patients with Central nervous system infection caused by enterovirus.","authors":"Karolina Alsén, Marianela Patzi Churqui, Helene Norder, Karolina Rembeck, Henrik Zetterberg, K. Blennow, Fredrika Sahlgren, Anna Grahn","doi":"10.1080/23744235.2024.2345712","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2024.2345712","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE\u0000Enteroviruses (EV) comprises many different types and are the most common cause of aseptic meningitis. How the virus affects the brain including potential differences between types are largely unknown. Measuring biomarkers in CSF is a tool to estimate brain damage caused by CNS infections.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000A retrospective study was performed in samples from 38 patients with acute neurological manifestations and positive CSF-EV RNA (n = 37) or serum-IgM (n = 1). The EV in 17 samples were typed by sequencing. The biomarkers neurofilament light (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S-100B protein, amyloid-β (Aβ) 40 and Aβ42, total-tau (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) were measured and compared with data derived from a control group (n = 19).\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000There were no increased levels of GFAP (p ≤ 0.1) nor NFL (p ≤ 0.1) in the CSF of patients with EV meningitis (n = 38) compared with controls. However, we found decreased levels of Aβ42 (p < 0.001), Aβ40 (p < 0.001), T-tau (p ≥ 0.01), P-tau (p ≤ 0.001) and S-100B (p ≤ 0.001). E30 (n = 9) and CVB5 (n = 6) were the most frequent EV-types identified, but no differences in biomarker levels or other clinical parameters were found between the infecting virus type. Seven patients who were followed for longer than one month reported remaining cognitive impairment, although no correlations with biomarker concentrations were observed.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSION\u0000There are no indication of neuronal or astrocyte damage in patients with EV meningitis. Yet, decreased concentrations of Aβ40, Aβ42, P-tau and T-tau were shown, a finding of unknown importance. Cognitive impairment after acute disease occurs, but with only a limited number of patients analysed, no conclusion can be drawn concerning any association with biomarker levels or EV types.","PeriodicalId":94321,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases","volume":"89 18","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140964152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tonsillectomies are associated with an increased risk of meningococcal carriage.","authors":"Í. Kristinsdóttir, Ásgeir Haraldsson, V. Thors","doi":"10.1080/23744235.2024.2354310","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2024.2354310","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\u0000Neisseria meningitidis is a commensal organism with the potential to cause life-threatening disease. Colonisation is most common in adolescence and young adulthood. Various social factors have been associated with an increased risk of meningococcal carriage, but less is known about host factors that may influence the carriage status. Tonsillectomies have been shown to alter the pharyngeal microflora. This study assessed whether a history of tonsillectomy affects the risk of meningococcal colonisation.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 15- to 16-year-old adolescents and 18- to 20-year-old young adults. Conventional culture methods and qPCR were used to detect meningococci. 16S qPCR was done to assess bacterial abundance in the samples. Data on history of tonsillectomies were collected from a central national database and the national university hospital.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000A total of 722 samples were collected; 197 from adolescents and 525 from young adults. Thirty-five participants were colonised with meningococci (4.8%). Eighty-eight participants had undergone a tonsillectomy, of which 10 (11.4%) carried meningococci, compared to 4% of those that had not. Prior tonsillectomy was associated with a threefold increased risk of meningococcal colonisation (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.44-6.70, p = 0.004). Tonsillectomies remained a risk factor after adjusting for age, sex, recent antibiotic use and meningococcal vaccinations (aOR 2.49, 95% CI 1.13-5.48, p = 0.024).\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000A history of tonsillectomy is associated with an increased risk of meningococcal colonisation. More studies are needed to shed light on the effects of tonsillectomies on the pharyngeal microbiome.","PeriodicalId":94321,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases","volume":"50 7","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140965694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sensitive and rapid identification of pathogens by droplet digital PCR in a cohort of septic patients: a prospective diagnostic study.","authors":"Zhenping Wu, Yake Yao, Xi Li, Hongliu Cai, Guobin Wang, Wenqiao Yu, Hui Lou, Qi Chen, Zhu Zeng, Hao Yu, Jiang Xia, Yunsong Yu, Hualing Zhou","doi":"10.1080/23744235.2024.2354312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2024.2354312","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\u0000There is a critical need for a rapid and sensitive pathogen detection method for septic patients. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of Digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) in identifying pathogens among suspected septic patients.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000We conducted a prospective pilot diagnostic study to clinically validate the multiplex ddPCR panel in diagnosing suspected septic patients. A total of 100 sepsis episodes of 89 patients were included in the study.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000In comparison to blood culture, the ddPCR panel exhibited an overall sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 69.7%, ddPCR yielded an additional detection rate of 17.0% for sepsis cases overall, with a turnaround time of 2.5 h. The sensitivity of ddPCR in the empirical antibiotic treatment and the non-empirical antibiotic treatment group were 78.6% versus 80.0% (p > 0.05). Antimicrobial resistance genes were identified in a total of 13 samples. Whenever ddPCR detected the genes beta-lactamase-Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (blaKPC) or beta-lactamase-New Delhi metallo (blaNDM), these findings corresponded to the cultivation of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Dynamic ddPCR monitoring revealed a consistent alignment between the quantitative ddPCR results and the trends observed in C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000Compared to blood culture, ddPCR exhibited higher sensitivity for pathogen diagnosis in suspected septic patients, and it provided pathogen and drug resistance information in a shorter time. The quantitative results of ddPCR generally aligned with the trends seen in C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels, indicating that ddPCR can serve as a dynamic monitoring tool for pathogen load in septic patients.","PeriodicalId":94321,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases","volume":"29 3","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140971082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Infectious diseasesPub Date : 2019-10-16eCollection Date: 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/1178633719883282
Rebecca Schmidt, Paul James Carson, Rick J Jansen
{"title":"Resurgence of Syphilis in the United States: An Assessment of Contributing Factors.","authors":"Rebecca Schmidt, Paul James Carson, Rick J Jansen","doi":"10.1177/1178633719883282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1178633719883282","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the last decade, there has been a marked resurgence of syphilis in the United States despite the availability of effective treatments and previously reliable prevention strategies. The majority of cases are among the population of men who have sex with men (MSM); however, there has also been a recent increase among premenopausal women, coinciding with a concerning rise of congenital cases. The resurgence of syphilis can be largely attributed to changing social and behavioral factors, especially among young MSM. The biological association of syphilis with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and acquisition is particularly alarming because of the increased individual and healthcare burden. In addition, some individual actions and public health efforts that are meant to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV may actually lead to risk compensation that facilitates the transmission of syphilis. Untreated syphilis is associated with detrimental health outcomes; therefore, both effective prevention strategies and treatment of this systemic disease have important short-term and long-term public health implications. This article offers a review of social and behavioral factors contributing to the current resurgence and recommendations for reducing syphilis incidence through medical and public health prevention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":94321,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases","volume":"12 ","pages":"1178633719883282"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1178633719883282","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41224754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Infectious diseasesPub Date : 2019-07-15eCollection Date: 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/1178633719863815
Yao Akpalu, Ibraheem Karaye, Julie Anderson, Osaro Mgbere, Jennifer A Horney
{"title":"Demographic Determinants of Influenza Vaccination and Infection, Brazos County, Texas, 2017.","authors":"Yao Akpalu, Ibraheem Karaye, Julie Anderson, Osaro Mgbere, Jennifer A Horney","doi":"10.1177/1178633719863815","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1178633719863815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Seasonal influenza constitutes an enormous public health burden. The 2017-2018 influenza season was the most severe since the 2009 novel Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. The State of Texas, like other states, experienced unusually high and persistent influenza activity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data on confirmed cases of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in Brazos County during December 2017 were collected by the Brazos County Health Department (BCHD) from medical records. Records of vaccine administered between January 1 and December 31, 2017 were collected from vaccination providers. The total number of influenza cases for 2017 was compiled from regular weekly influenza counts reported to BCHD by healthcare providers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1651 cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza were reported in Brazos County residents in December 2017, 10 times more than that reported in December 2016. The highest rates of infection were in 2 ZIP codes where vaccination rates were also high. A total of 16 027 influenza vaccinations were given to individuals reporting a residential address in Brazos County in 2017. Vaccination coverage was lowest among adults aged 18 to 49, whereas those aged 65 or older and Hispanics were most likely to be hospitalized.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Overall, vaccination coverage in Brazos County, Texas is low, less than half of the Healthy People 2020 target. The development of health education materials and an increased use of social media, local television and radio, and communication methods that can reach parents, younger adults, and Hispanic residents are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":94321,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases","volume":"12 ","pages":"1178633719863815"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1178633719863815","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41224753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}