diagnostic laboratory
Recently Published Documents


TOTAL DOCUMENTS

986
(FIVE YEARS 341)

H-INDEX

49
(FIVE YEARS 5)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Clements ◽  
Maggie Haylett ◽  
Brenda Nelson ◽  
Doug Walsh

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is one of the primary pollinators for the alfalfa seed industry. The alfalfa leafcutting bee is a solitary cavity nesting bee. Female Megachile rotundata bees will construct and provision individual brood cells lined with cut leaves (cocoon) and will gather nectar and pollen to place within the constructed cocoon. The female bee will lay a single egg within the constructed cocoon and leave the egg to undergo larval stage development and pupation into the adult stage. During this time multiple pathogens and parasitoids can prey on the developing larvae, resulting in the loss of the future adult bee. A major concern for commercial alfalfa seed growers is the presence of invertebrate pests and fugal pathogens. In the present study, we used historical data from the Parma Cocoon Diagnostic Laboratory to determine baseline rates of pathogen and parasite infection of Megachile rotundata cells and used this analysis to determine historical infection rates and cutoffs for management practices. Additionally, using a Faxitron (X-ray) analysis for Megachile rotundata cell obtained in 2020, we compared the presence of chalkbrood, pathogens, and parasitoids in samples collected from both growers stocks and newly purchased Canada bees. The results of the investigation demonstrate historical averages of the presence of chalkbrood, pathogens, and parasitoids. We also show a significant increase in chalkbrood and predators in 2007-2011 and a significant difference in chalkbrood and predators between bee samples obtained from Canada and grower stocks.


2022 ◽  
pp. 104063872110693
Author(s):  
Scott L. Radke ◽  
Dwayne E. Schrunk ◽  
Abigail Ruane ◽  
Thomas Olsen ◽  
Laura Burns ◽  
...  

Three calves were submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for diagnostic evaluation following an abrupt increase in morbidity and mortality in a calf herd associated with epistaxis and widespread hemorrhage. Each of the submitted calves had moderate-to-severe hemorrhage within various tissues and body cavities, including the thymus, subcutaneous region of the neck, mediastinum, lungs, pericardial sac, heart, spleen, perirenal fat, urinary bladder, and skeletal muscle, including the diaphragm. An anticoagulant rodenticide screen was performed on the livers of each calf. Significant concentrations of chlorophacinone were detected at 4.2, 3.6, and 2.9 ppm in liver. Multiple piles and an open pail of white powdery material were present within the facility in which the calves were housed and were identified as the sources of chlorophacinone. Acute hemorrhage and death occurred in fourteen 1.5-mo-old, crossbred calves following ingestion of the vitamin K antagonist chlorophacinone.


2021 ◽  
pp. 239936932110581
Author(s):  
Minh-Ha Tran ◽  
Patrick Penalosa ◽  
Anum Hamiduzzaman ◽  
Ramy Hanna

Background: Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) is a renal threatening multi-system disorder with significant hematologic findings of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) and thrombocytopenia. Early recognition and institution of late complement inhibitors can interrupt a cycle of progressive hemolysis and renal injury. Methods: We present an informative case of aHUS triggered by pregnancy termination. Diagnostic, laboratory, and treatment measures are reviewed. Results: Clinical evidence demonstrates immediate improvement in hemolysis, platelet consumption, and acute kidney injury following initiation of eculizumab. Conclusion: Pregnancy is a recognized trigger of aHUS and its proper management requires early recognition and institution of late complement blockade. Genetic testing can be sent for genetic counseling purposes, but initiation of treatment should neither await these results nor be discontinued when high-risk polymorphisms are absent.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-320
Author(s):  
Secunda Rupert ◽  
Pavithra Sankar ◽  
Karthick Govindaraj ◽  
Shanthi Sornamani David Raj ◽  
Jeswanth Sathyanesan ◽  
...  

Dissemination of multidrug resistant organisms including Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms (CRO) in Hospitals is of global concern. Such nosocomial infections are more common during surgical procedures involving prolonged post-operative care and Hospital stay. Treatment options include administration of prophylactic antibiotics, which are broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, long-term administration of these antibiotics leads to an increase in the incidence of multidrug resistant organisms in Hospital sectors. To evaluate early detection of carbapenemase producing organisms from the clinical isolates of postoperative patients by carba NP test. The study was conducted at the diagnostic laboratory in clinical samples obtained from hospitalized patients. A total of 716 clinical samples were tested by employing basic microbiological and biochemical testing methods and the isolates were screened for antimicrobial susceptibility. Carbapenem-resistant isolates were then confirmed by E-test (imipenem, meropenem) and also via carba NP test.In a total of 716 samples, 257 tested positive for various microorganisms, of which 230 gram-negative bacilli were identified. Amongst them, 93 isolates were identified as resistant to carbapenem by disc diffusion method of which 50 isolates were tested for carbapenemase production. Within the 50 isolates, 47 isolates were resistant to E-test meropenem and 40 isolates were resistant to imipenem. Of note, 35 out of the 50 CROs were identified as carbapenemase producers. Our results show that Carba NP test is a simple method that can be employed routinely for early detection of carbapenemase mediated CROs thus reducing the spread of resistant strains in Hospitals.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazeem Adeboyejo ◽  
Barnabas J. King ◽  
Theocharis Tsoleridis ◽  
Alexander W Tarr ◽  
John McLauchlan ◽  
...  

The newly developed direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have revolutionised the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), where cohort studies have shown that cure rates as high as 98% can be achieved. Whilst genome sequencing has demonstrated that some subtypes of HCV naturally harbour drug resistance associated substitutions (RAS), these have not been considered important as previous molecular epidemiological studies have suggested that such difficult-to-treat subtypes are rare. Therefore, to optimise and streamline molecular detection and sequence-based typing of diverse RAS-containing subtypes, a novel panel of single round PCR assays was applied to HCV derived from 146 individuals, whose likely source of infection was from regions of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Partial NS5A and NS5B sequences were obtained from 135 HCV-positive patients born in 19 different countries from SSA but attending clinics in the UK. Virus subtype assignments were determined by pairwise-distance analysis and compared to both diagnostic laboratory assignments and free-to-use online typing tools. We determined that routine clinical diagnostic methods incorrectly subtyped 59.0% of samples, with a further 6.8% incorrectly genotyped. Of five commonly used online tools, Geno2Pheno performed most effectively in determining a subtype in agreement with pairwise distance analysis. Considering the estimated number of HCV infections to have occurred in across Africa, this study provides a simple low-cost pathway to guide regional therapeutic choice and assist global eradication programmes.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2500
Author(s):  
Ji-Yeon Hyeon ◽  
Guillermo R. Risatti ◽  
Zeinab H. Helal ◽  
Holly McGinnis ◽  
Maureen Sims ◽  
...  

We performed whole genome sequencing and genetic characterization of rabies viruses (RABV) detected in bats submitted to the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) during 2018-2019. Among 88 bats submitted to CVMDL, six brain samples (6.8%, 95% confidence interval: 1.6% to 12.1%) tested positive by direct fluorescent antibody test. RABVs were detected in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus, n = 4), a hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus, n = 1), and an unidentified bat species (n = 1). Complete coding sequences of four out of six detected RABVs were obtained. In phylogenetic analysis, the RABVs (18-62, 18-4347, and 19-2274) from big brown bats belong to the bats EF-E1 clade, clustering with RABVs detected from the same bat species in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The bat RABV (19-2898) detected from the migratory hoary bat belongs to the bats LC clade, clustering with the eleven viruses detected from the same species in Arizona, Washington, Idaho, and Tennessee. The approach used in this study generated novel data regarding genetic relationships of RABV variants, including their reservoirs, and their spatial origin and it would be useful as reference data for future investigations on RABV in North America. Continued surveillance and genome sequencing of bat RABV would be needed to monitor virus evolution and transmission, and to assess the emergence of genetic mutations that may be relevant for public health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0009787
Author(s):  
Henrik Sadlowski ◽  
Veronika Schmidt ◽  
Jonathan Hiss ◽  
Johannes A. Kuehn ◽  
Christian G. Schneider ◽  
...  

Combined community health programs aiming at health education, preventive anti-parasitic chemotherapy, and vaccination of pigs have proven their potential to regionally reduce and even eliminate Taenia solium infections that are associated with a high risk of neurological disease through ingestion of T. solium eggs. Yet it remains challenging to target T. solium endemic regions precisely or to make exact diagnoses in individual patients. One major reason is that the widely available stool microscopy may identify Taenia ssp. eggs in stool samples as such, but fails to distinguish between invasive (T. solium) and less invasive Taenia (T. saginata, T. asiatica, and T. hydatigena) species. The identification of Taenia ssp. eggs in routine stool samples often prompts a time-consuming and frequently unsuccessful epidemiologic workup in remote villages far away from a diagnostic laboratory. Here we present “mail order” single egg RNA-sequencing, a new method allowing the identification of the exact Taenia ssp. based on a few eggs found in routine diagnostic stool samples. We provide first T. solium transcriptome data, which show extremely high mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcript counts that can be used for subspecies classification. “Mail order” RNA-sequencing can be administered by health personnel equipped with basic laboratory tools such as a microscope, a Bunsen burner, and access to an international post office for shipment of samples to a next generation sequencing facility. Our suggested workflow combines traditional stool microscopy, RNA-extraction from single Taenia eggs with mitochondrial RNA-sequencing, followed by bioinformatic processing with a basic laptop computer. The workflow could help to better target preventive healthcare measures and improve diagnostic specificity in individual patients based on incidental findings of Taenia ssp. eggs in diagnostic laboratories with limited resources.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire L Gorrie ◽  
Mirjana Mirceta ◽  
Ryan R Wick ◽  
Louise M Judd ◽  
Margaret M C Lam ◽  
...  

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of opportunistic healthcare-associated infections, which are increasingly complicated by the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenem resistance. We conducted a year-long prospective surveillance study of K. pneumoniae clinical isolates identified in a hospital microbiological diagnostic laboratory. Disease burden was two-thirds urinary tract infections (UTI; associated with female sex and age), followed by pneumonia (15%), wound (10%) and disseminated infections/sepsis (10%). Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed a diverse pathogen population, including other species within the K. pneumoniae complex (18%). Several infections were caused by K. variicola/K. pneumoniae species hybrids, one of which showed evidence of nosocomial transmission, indicating fitness to transmit and cause disease despite a lack of acquired antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A wide range of AMR phenotypes were observed and, in most cases, corresponding mechanisms were identified in the genomes, mainly in the form of plasmid-borne genes. ESBLs were correlated with presence of other acquired AMR genes (median 10). Bacterial genomic features associated with nosocomial onset of disease were ESBL genes (OR 2.34, p=0.015) and rhamnose-positive capsules (OR 3.12, p<0.001). Virulence plasmid-encoded features (aerobactin, hypermucoidy) were rare (<3%), and mostly present in community-onset cases. WGS-confirmed nosocomial transmission was rare (10% of cases) but strongly associated with ESBLs (OR 21, p<1x10-11). We estimate 28% risk of onward nosocomial transmission for ESBL-positive strains vs 1.7% for ESBL-negative strains. These data indicate the underlying burden of K. pneumoniae disease in hospitalised patients is due largely to opportunistic infections with diverse strains. However, we also identified several successful lineages that were overrepresented but not due to nosocomial transmission. These lineages were associated with ESBL, yersiniabactin, mannose+ K loci and rhamnose- K loci; most are also common in public clinical genome collections, suggesting enhanced propensity for colonisation and spread in the human population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerea Pena-Fernández ◽  
David Cano-Terriza ◽  
Ignacio García-Bocanegra ◽  
Pilar Horcajo ◽  
Patricia Vázquez-Arbaizar ◽  
...  

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) is a sexually transmitted disease that causes early reproductive failure in natural breeding cattle that are managed extensively. The aim of this study was to assess the BGC prevalence in Spain from 2011 to 2019 using data collected cross-sectionally from the diagnostic reports issued by the SALUVET veterinary diagnostic laboratory from a total of 5,182 breeding bulls from 1,950 herds managed under “dehesa” systems (large herds within fenced pastures and all-year breeding season) or mountain systems (smaller herds with seasonal breeding management and grazing in communal mountain pastures). Infection was detected by PCR in 7.7 and 12.2% of the bulls and herds tested, respectively. The “dehesa” herd management system (OR = 2.078, P = &lt; 0.001, 95% CI = 1.55–1.77), bovine trichomonosis status of the herd (OR = 1.606, P = 0.004, 95% CI = 1.15–2.22), and bulls ≥3 years old (OR = 1.392, P = 0.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.92) were identified as risk factors associated with Campylobacter fetus venerealis infection. We also studied the high-risk areas for circulation of the infection in extensive beef cattle herds in Spain, showing four significant clusters in “dehesa” areas in the south-western provinces of the country and a fifth cluster located in a mountain area in northern Spain. The results obtained in the present study indicate that BGC is endemic and widely distributed in Spanish beef herds. Specifically, “dehesa” herds are at greater risk for introduction of Cfv based on relatively high local prevalence of the infection and the use of specific management practices.


Author(s):  
Katharine Uhteg ◽  
Adannaya Amadi ◽  
Michael Forman ◽  
Heba H Mostafa

Abstract Background Our understanding of the co-circulation of infrequently targeted respiratory pathogens and their contribution to symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic is currently limited. This research aims at 1) understanding the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens since the start of the pandemic, 2) assessing the contribution of non-SARS-CoV-2/influenza/RSV respiratory pathogens to symptoms, and 3) evaluating coinfection rates in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. Methods Retrospective analysis of respiratory pathogens identified by the Johns Hopkins Diagnostic Laboratory between December 2019 and October 2021 was performed. In addition, we assessed the contribution of respiratory pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 to symptomatic disease by re-testing two cohorts of specimens that were 1) collected from symptomatic patients and 2) received limited respiratory pathogen testing. The first cohort was patients tested negative by the standard of care SARS-CoV-2/influenza/RSV testing. The second was a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive symptomatic fully COVID-19 immunized and unimmunized patients. Results Between December 2019 and October 2021, a total of 11,806, 62,829, and 579,666 specimens were tested for an extended respiratory panel, influenza/RSV/with or without SARS-CoV-2 panel, or SARS-CoV-2, respectively. Positivity rates of different targets differed between different months and were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 negative cohort had 8.5% positivity for other respiratory pathogens that included primarily enterovirus/rhinovirus (5.8%). In the SARS-CoV-2 positive cohort, no other respiratory pathogens were detected. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the circulation of certain respiratory pathogens. Other respiratory viral pathogens were associated with symptomatic infections; however, coinfections with SARS-CoV-2 were highly uncommon.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document