Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Rydzak, Ryan A. Groves, Ruichuan Zhang, Raied Aburashed, Rajnigandha Pushpker, Maryam Mapar, Ian A. Lewis
Summary: Bloodstream infections cause a significant number of infections and deaths annually, and delayed administration of appropriate antimicrobials increases mortality rates. A rapid metabolic preference assay using metabolic flux patterns can efficiently identify pathogens and determine their antimicrobial susceptibility, reducing testing time to less than 20 hours.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Sherry A. Dunbar, Christopher Gardner, Shubhagata Das
Summary: This article describes the application of two rapid, molecular bloodstream infection panels that can identify the most common pathogens and associated genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance, providing clinicians with faster information for treatment. Molecular testing methods reduce the turnaround time for diagnosing bloodstream pathogens to a few hours, helping to initiate timely and effective treatment.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Wenxin Liu, Chun Wang, Fen Pan, Jingbo Shao, Yun Cui, Dingding Han, Hong Zhang
Summary: This study confirms the diagnostic performance of ddPCR in children with suspected BSIs, showing a higher positivity rate and shorter time consumption compared to traditional blood cultures. The sensitivity of ddPCR is 100% and the specificities range from 95.3% to 100%. Nine viruses were identified using ddPCR.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuting Wang, Jingsong Xu, Li Cao, Shuang Yang, Lina Zhao, Lei He, Zhen Shen, Weiwei Lin, Bishen Shi, Qian Liu, Zhi Huang, Min Li, Hua Wang
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile and virulent pathogen. A nanoparticle-based culture-free method using vancomycin modified magnetic nanoparticles and droplet digital PCR was developed to rapidly concentrate and detect S. aureus in blood within 3 hours, significantly shortening the detection time compared to traditional methods. The limit of detection was as low as 10 CFU/mL, improving the diagnostic rate of bacteremia. This new method could be a promising tool for early identification and treatment guidance of S. aureus bloodstream infections, thereby reducing mortality.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Linlin Sun, Xueliang Liu, Sihui Liu, Xiaofeng Chen, Zheng Li
Summary: The on-chip strategy combining conductive nanosensors with a chaotic gas micromixer enables real-time monitoring of volatile metabolites from urine for accurate diagnosis and classification of urinary tract cancers.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Barbara Lucignano, Valeria Cento, Marilena Agosta, Federico Ambrogi, Sami Albitar-Nehme, Livia Mancinelli, Giordana Mattana, Manuela Onori, Federica Galaverna, Luca Di Chiara, Tiziana Fragasso, Roberto Bianchi, Francesca Tortora, Cinzia Auriti, Andrea Dotta, Corrado Cecchetti, Salvatore Perdichizzi, Massimiliano Raponi, Andrea Onetti Muda, Silvia Nerini Molteni, Alberto Villani, Franco Locatelli, Carlo Federico Perno, Paola Bernaschi
Summary: The study finds that T2 technology can rapidly and accurately diagnose bloodstream infections in children, even in infants under 1 year of age and with small blood volumes. These findings support its clinical use in pediatric infections where timely diagnosis is crucial.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mary E. King, Jialing Zhang, John Q. Lin, Kyana Y. Garza, Rachel J. DeHoog, Clara L. Feider, Alena Bensussan, Marta Sans, Anna Krieger, Sunil Badal, Michael F. Keating, Spencer Woody, Sadhna Dhingra, Wendong Yu, Christopher Pirko, Kirtan A. Brahmbhatt, George Van Buren, William E. Fisher, James Suliburk, Livia S. Eberlin
Summary: The MasSpec Pen technology provides high predictive performance for tissue diagnosis during surgery, with the potential to guide surgical decision-making in pancreatic cancer surgeries.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jeremy Manheim, Mingxiang Lin, John Kong, Mirlinda Biba, Ping Zhuang
Summary: This study successfully differentiated and quantified isomeric pneumococcal polysaccharides using a partial chemical degradation mass spectrometry approach. The results demonstrated high precision and robustness of this method.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hilal Al Sidairi, Emma K. Reid, Jason J. LeBlanc, Navjot Sandila, Joline Head, Ian Davis, Paul Bonnar
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of rapid molecular testing for MSSA and MRSA coupled with an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention. The results showed that molecular testing significantly reduced the time to MSSA and MRSA discrimination and that the ASP intervention could reduce the time to optimal therapy. This study is important for improving treatment outcomes in patients with serious bloodstream infections.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Miao Li, Liwei Zhao, Yijia Zhu, Mingrong Ou, Hongpan Xu, Xiaohan Hu, Hongxia Wei, Yuxin Chen, Han Shen
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in the rapid diagnosis and dynamic monitoring of bloodstream infections (BSIs). The results showed that ddPCR had a higher positive detection rate compared to blood culture (BC), and improved diagnostic value for clinically-validated BSIs. Additionally, the bacterial load detected by ddPCR was correlated with traditional clinical inflammatory indicators. Using a proteomics platform, certain proteins were found to be significantly elevated in Gram-negative bacteria-associated BSIs, which could serve as novel auxiliary diagnostic indicators.
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Decibel P. Elpa, Chamarthi Maheswar Raju, Hsien-Yi Chiu, Shu-Pao Wu, Pawel L. Urban
Summary: A facile and rapid skin metabolomics protocol using a liquid microjunction-surface sampling probe system and hydrogel probes has been proposed. The method has been validated for the analysis of choline as a putative biomarker of psoriasis, and potential biomarkers including choline, pipecolic acid, ornithine, urocanic acid, and methionine have been identified. The developed method provides a quick and accurate analysis of skin metabolites in a clinical setting.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Katarina Rebrosova, Silvie Bernatova, Martin Siler, Jan Masek, Ota Samek, Jan Jezek, Martin Kizovsky, Veronika Hola, Pavel Zemanek, Filip Ruzicka
Summary: Bloodstream infections are a common cause of hospitalizations and are often life-threatening. Timely identification of the causative agent and its antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance profiles is essential for effective therapy. Raman spectroscopy is a potential method that meets the criteria of being reliable, accurate, low-cost, real-time, and easy-to-use.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Biology
Iris Wagner, Linda Grigoraki, Peter Enevoldson, Michael Clarkson, Sam Jones, Jane L. L. Hurst, Robert J. J. Beynon, Hilary Ranson
Summary: The rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (REIMS) method can accurately identify the species and age of mosquitoes, with high accuracy in both laboratory-reared and wild populations.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Kristel C. Tjandra, Nikhil Ram-Mohan, Ryuichiro Abe, Marjan M. Hashemi, Jyong-Huei Lee, Siew Mei Chin, Manuel A. Roshardt, Joseph C. Liao, Pak Kin Wong, Samuel Yang
Summary: Bloodstream infections are a major cause of death worldwide, and the lack of timely and reliable diagnostic practices is an ongoing issue. The current blood culture practice is time-consuming and cannot provide timely results. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new technologies that can offer accurate and timely diagnosis and susceptibility testing.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xingxing Liu, Xue Du, Yanzhi Huang, Bo Pang, Mengfan Zhang, Yingwei Ma, Xiaomu Wang, Xiuling Song, Jinhua Li, Juan Li
Summary: This study developed a rapid method combining magnetic separation techniques and multiplex PCR-based capillary electrophoresis (mPCR-CE) to detect four pathogens causing bloodstream infections. The method utilized melittin connected to magnetic beads as a broad-spectrum bacterial capture element, effectively capturing pathogenic bacteria in whole blood. The proposed method had a significantly lower detection limit and excellent specificity compared to common PCR methods. The detection platform was completed in only 3-4 hours, making it much faster than traditional methods. The method shows great potential for detecting mixed bacterial infections.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Marta Santos Bravo, Carla Berengua, Pilar Marin, Montserrat Esteban, Cristina Rodriguez, Margarita del Cuerpo, Elisenda Miro, Genoveva Cuesta, Mar Mosquera, Sonsoles Sanchez-Palomino, Jordi Vila, Nuria Rabella, Maria Angeles Marcos
Summary: This study evaluated subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) as a surrogate marker of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, and found a high agreement between sgRNA and viral isolation results. sgRNA RT-PCR showed high sensitivity and positive predictive value for detecting replication-competent virus. sgRNA RT-PCR is an accurate, rapid, and affordable technique that can be routinely implemented in hospital laboratories, and it is of great importance for optimizing patient monitoring, the efficacy of treatments/vaccines, work reincorporation policies, and safely shortening isolation precautions.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Beth Catlett, Behzad Hajarizadeh, Evan Cunningham, Brett Wolfson-Stofko, Alice Wheeler, Benazir Khandaker-Hussain, Jordan J. Feld, Elisa Martro, Stephane Chevaliez, Jean Michel Pawlotsky, Chrianna Bharat, Philip H. Cunningham, Gregory J. Dore, Tanya Applegate, Jason Grebely
Summary: This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care testing and dried blood spot (DBS) for detecting HCV RNA. The results showed excellent diagnostic accuracy for both methods. However, it is important to note that point-of-care testing had a proportion of invalid results, highlighting the importance of operator training and quality assurance programs.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Xavier Forns, Joan Colom, Montse Garcia-Retortillo, Joan Carles Quer, Sabela Lens, Elisa Martro, Raquel Dominguez-Hernandez, Miguel Angel Casado, Maria Buti
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate and compare different strategies for HCV testing, linkage to care, and treatment in Catalonia. The results showed that implementing a Hepatitis C Point-of-care (POC) test and treat strategy significantly increased treatment access, cure rates, and reduced loss to follow-up for HCV patients.
JOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Elisa Martro, Hakima Ouaarab, Veronica Saludes, Maria Buti, Begona Trevino, Luisa Roade, Laia Egea-Cortes, Juliana Reyes-Urena, Anna Not, Xavier Majo, Joan Colom, Jordi Gomez i Prat
Summary: A community intervention targeting Pakistani migrants in Catalonia, Spain, effectively reached a population with low knowledge of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and low testing rates. The intervention successfully increased testing rates and identified a significant prevalence of HCV antibodies and RNA among the migrant population. It highlights the importance of targeted screening and awareness campaigns in both the community and primary care settings for this population.
LIVER INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Dalia Raich-Regue, Jordana Munoz-Basagoiti, Daniel Perez-Zsolt, Marc Noguera-Julian, Edwards Pradenas, Eva Riveira-Munoz, Neus Gimenez, Assumpta Carabaza, Francesc Gimenez, Veronica Saludes, Elisa Martro, Neus Robert, Ignacio Blanco, Roger Paredes, Lidia Ruiz, Ester Ballana, Bonaventura Clotet, Julia Blanco, Nuria Izquierdo-Useros
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDTs) plays an important role in identifying new infections, but its sensitivity to different variants varies. Certain Ag-RDTs have shown a more than 10-fold reduction in detection capability for the Delta and Alpha variants, while the Beta and Omicron variants have not been affected. Therefore, continuous monitoring of Ag-RDTs performance is crucial for successful contact tracing.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guillem Sirera, Sebastian Videla, Veronica Saludes, Eva Castella, Carolina Sanz, Aurelio Ariza, Bonaventura Clotet, Elisa Martro
Summary: This study found that HPV DNA was detected in 56% of lung cancer samples from HIV-infected patients, with high-risk HPV types detected in 39% of samples, and HPV-16 being the most prevalent. However, viral oncogene expression was limited to patients with previous HPV-related cancers.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Jun Hao Wang-Wang, Antoni E. Bordoy, Elisa Martro, Maria Dolores Quesada, Maria Perez-Vazquez, Mercedes Guerrero-Murillo, Andrea Tiburcio, Marina Navarro, Laia Castella, Nieves Sopena, Irma Casas, Veronica Saludes, Montserrat Gimenez, Pere-Joan Cardona
Summary: This study evaluates the performance of FTIR as a first-line tool for the detection of ESBL-Kp outbreaks and compares it with WGS. The results demonstrate that FTIR has better consistency in clustering and can be used for rapid and cost-effective outbreak detection, while WGS is used for outbreak confirmation and isolate characterization.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Marti Catala, Ermengol Coma, Sergio Alonso, Cristina Andres, Ignacio Blanco, Andres Anton, Antoni E. Bordoy, Pere-Joan Cardona, Francesc Fina, Elisa Martro, Manuel Medina, Nuria Mora, Veronica Saludes, Clara Prats, Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, Enrique Alvarez-Lacalle
Summary: This study aims to compare the severity of infections between the omicron and delta variants. The results show a significant decrease in hospital and ICU admissions for the omicron variant compared to the delta variant. Additionally, omicron is associated with a reduction in the risk of hospitalization and ICU admission regardless of age and vaccination status.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Javier Crespo, Joaquin Cabezas, Antonio Aguilera, Marina Berenguer, Maria Buti, Xavier Forns, Federico Garcia, Javier Garcia-Samaniego, Manuel Hernandez-Guerra, Francisco Jorquera, Jeffrey Lazarus, Sabela Lens, Elisa Martro, Juan Antonio Pineda, Martin Prieto, Francisco Rodriguez-Frias, Manuel Rodriguez, Miguel Angel Serra, Juan Turnes, Raquel Dominguez-Hernandez, Miguel Angel Casado, Jose Luis Calleja
Summary: The Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology (SEPD), the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH), the Spanish Society of Infections and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) and its Viral Hepatitis Study Group (GEHEP), with the endorsement of the Alliance for the Elimination of Viral Hepatitis in Spain (AEHVE), have developed a document for comprehensive diagnosis of viral hepatitis (B, C, and D) from a single blood sample. They propose an algorithm to analyze the rest of the viruses, including viral load, when a positive result for viral hepatitis or HIV is found in the blood sample. They also recommend ruling out previous hepatitis A virus infection and determining the HIV serology. Automated alerts and epidemiological monitoring should be initiated in case of a positive result for any of the viruses.
GASTROENTEROLOGIA Y HEPATOLOGIA
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Laia Ferrer, Victoria Gonzalez, Elisa Martro, Cinta Folch, Veronica Saludes, Rafael Munoz, Vanesa Rodriguez, Adriana Morales, Merce Merono, Francisca Morey, Silvia de Sanjose, Jordi Casabona
Summary: This study describes the socio-demographics, sexual and health-seeking behaviors of cisgender men and transgender women sex workers attending community-based organizations in Barcelona, as well as the prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV, CT, and NG among them. The results showed a high burden of HIV and bacterial STIs in this population.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STD & AIDS
(2022)
Article
Virology
Anna Not, Veronica Saludes, Mont Galvez, Anna Miralpeix, Antoni E. Bordoy, Noemi Gonzalez, Sara Gonzalez-Gomez, Laura Muntane, Juliana Reyes-Uruena, Xavier Majo, Joan Colom, Xavier Forns, Sabela Lens, Elisa Martro
Summary: DBS is a reliable tool for diagnosing HCV infection. This study evaluates the clinical performance of a DBS-based molecular assay for assessing cure and reinfection. The results show that DBS is an accurate and reliable method for evaluating treatment outcomes and identifying reinfection.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Laia Castella, Irma Casas, Montse Gimenez, Dina Reina, Nieves Sopena, Maria-Jose Garcia-Quesada
Summary: The study found that hygiene with wet wipes can effectively prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) in bedridden patients with urinary catheters.
INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maria Batlle, Josep M. Badia, Sergi Hernandez, Santiago Grau, Ariadna Padulles, Lucia Boix-Palop, Montserrat Gimenez-Perez, Ricard Ferrer, Esther Calbo, Enric Limon, Miquel Pujol, Juan P. Horcajada
Summary: This study aimed to reduce the duration of antibiotic treatment in surgical patients to less than 7 days through a nationwide stewardship intervention. The results showed a significant decrease in the percentage of prolonged treatments with adequate source control, and an overall adherence rate of 91.5%.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Javier Crespo, Joaquin Cabezas, Antonio Aguilera, Agustin Albillos, Maria Buti, Jose Luis Calleja, Jorge Calvo Montes, Marta Casado Martin, Moises Diago, Conrado M. Fernandez Rodriguez, Inmaculada Fernandez Vazquez, Xavier Forns, Federico Garcia, Javier Garcia-Samaniego, Manuel Hernandez-Guerra de Aguilar, Francisco Jorquera, Jeffrey Lazarus, Sabela Lens, Elisa Martro, Jose Maria Molero Garcia, Maria Jose Pena Lopez, Juan Antonio Pineda, Manuel Rodriguez, Manuel Romero-Gomez, Gloria Sanchez Antolin, Miguel A. Serra Desfilis, Juan Turnes
REVISTA ESPANOLA DE ENFERMEDADES DIGESTIVAS
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Maria Escobar-Salom, Isabel Maria Barcelo, Elena Jordana-Lluch, Gabriel Torrens, Antonio Oliver, Carlos Juan
Summary: This review discusses the evidence and therapeutic potentials of a soluble peptidoglycan-dependent signaling that can impact the virulence of Gram-negative bacteria. It highlights the need for new therapeutic options against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and explores the potential of targeting bacterial pathogenic power. Studies have suggested the existence of peptidoglycan-derived signaling capable of regulating bacterial behavior and these findings could be exploitable for therapeutic purposes. The review aims to gather and integrate the current knowledge gaps in order to enable the development of potential therapeutic strategies.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)