A5024971361- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Nosocomial Infections in ICU
- Cystic Fibrosis Research Advances
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Infectious Diseases and Mycology
- Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Pediatric health and respiratory diseases
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Infection Control and Ventilation
- Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
National Institute for Health Research
2024
University of Birmingham
2024
University of Bern
2020-2023
Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics
2023
University of East Anglia
2018-2022
King's College London
2018-2022
St Thomas' Hospital
2018-2021
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
2019-2021
Norwich University
2020
King's College - North Carolina
2020
The taxonomic position of members the Mycobacterium abscessus complex has been subject intensive investigation and, in some aspects confusion, recent years as a result varying approaches to genetic data interpretation. Currently, former species massiliense and bolletii are grouped together subsp. bolletii. They differ greatly, however, M. functional erm(41) gene that confers inducible resistance macrolides, primary therapeutic antimicrobials for abscessus, while is non-functional....
Cystic fibrosis (CF) airways disease represents an example of polymicrobial infection whereby different bacterial species can interact and influence each other. In CF patients Staphylococcus aureus is often the initial pathogen colonizing lungs during childhood, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa predominant isolated in adolescents adults. During chronic infection, P. undergoes adaptation to cope with antimicrobial therapy, host response co-infecting pathogens. However, S. co-exist same niche...
Background Culture-based microbiological investigation of hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP VAP) is insensitive, with aetiological agents often unidentified. This can lead to excess antimicrobial treatment patients susceptible pathogens, while those resistant bacteria are treated inadequately for prolonged periods. Using PCR seek pathogens and their resistance genes directly from clinical samples may improve therapy stewardship. Methods Surplus routine lower...
Staphylococcus aureus strains are now regarded as zoonotic agents. In pastoral settings where human-animal interaction is intimate, multi-drug resistant microorganisms have become an emerging issue of public health concern. The study S. prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and clonal lineages in humans, animals food African has great relevance, taking into consideration the high diversity ethnicities, cultures habits that determine lifestyle people. Little known about milk carriage...
ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) became a public health problem for the global spreading of so-called hypervirulent PCR ribotypes (RTs) 027 and 078, associated with increases in transmission severity disease. However, especially Europe, several RTs are prevalent, concept hypervirulence is currently debated. We investigated toxin resistance profiles genetic relatedness 312 C. strains isolated large Italian teaching hospital during 5-year period. evaluated role CDI-related...
Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are key bacterial pathogens of the respiratory tract in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Although P. chronic bronchial infection is associated a poorer prognosis, consequences S. colonization on CF outcomes controversial.In this paper, murine models resembling traits human airways disease have been revisited using an schedule that mimics sequence events pulmonary patients. First, mice were infected aureus, embedded agar beads; was followed...
The emergence of multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, including methicillin (MRSA), is a global concern. Treatment bacterial infections in Uganda's health care settings largely empirical, rarely accompanied by laboratory confirmation. Here we show the burden, characteristics MRSA and epidemiology Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) positive strains asymptomatic carriers pastoral households south-west Uganda.Nasal swabs from 253 participants were cultured following standard...
Abstract Lower respiratory infections (LRIs) accounted for three million deaths worldwide in 2016, the leading infectious cause of mortality. The “gold standard” investigation bacterial LRIs is culture, which has poor sensitivity and too slow to guide early antibiotic therapy. Metagenomic sequencing potentially could replace providing rapid, sensitive comprehensive results. We developed a metagenomics pipeline using saponin-based host DNA depletion combined with rapid nanopore sequencing....
The mechanisms governing the epidemiology dynamics and success determinants of a specific healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (HA-MRSA) clone in hospital settings are still unclear. Important epidemiological changes have occurred Europe since 2000 that been related to appearance ST22-IV clone. Between 2006 2010, we observed establishment displacing predominant Italian clone, ST228-I, large university hospital. To investigate factors associated with successful spread...
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), one of the most common hospital-acquired infections, is increasing in incidence and severity with emergence diffusion hypervirulent strains. CDI precipitated by antibiotic treatment that destroys equilibrium gut microbiota. Human α-defensin 5 (HD5), abundant enteric antimicrobial peptide, a key regulator microbiota homeostasis, yet it still unknown if C. difficile, which successfully evades killing other host microbicidal peptides, susceptible to HD5....
Background: The possibility of inter-human transmission Mycobacterium abscessus in cystic fibrosis centres has been recently hypothesized suggesting the need for molecular characterization strains isolated from such patients. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty one isolates M. grown sputum samples 29 patients with were genotyped resorting to variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) determination whole genome sequencing (WGS). Results: Out VNTR profiles, 15 unique same while seven shared by...
ST22-IV is a successful hospital-associated MRSA clone. Due to its known ability replace other clones in hospitals, it became dominant clone Europe and beyond. So far, there are no studies investigating the relationship between epidemiological success of their capacity withstand commonly encountered stresses. We investigated fitness comparison with replaced ST228-I, evaluating resistance oxidative stress, autolytic activity, growth at high osmolarity acid alkaline environments survival under...
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) outbreaks are described in solid organ transplant recipients. Few reports suggest interhuman transmission with important infection control implications. We a large PJP outbreak heart (HTx) recipients.Six cases of occurred HTx recipients within 10 months our hospital. Demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes were described. To identify contacts among individuals review all dates out-patient visits patient hospitalizations was...
In a COVID-19 sero-surveillance cohort study with predominantly healthy and vaccinated individuals, the objectives were (i) to investigate longitudinally factors associated quantitative dynamics of antispike (anti-S1) IgG antibody levels, (ii) evaluate whether levels protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection, (iii) assess association was different in pre-Omicron compared Omicron period. The QuantiVac Euroimmun ELISA test used quantify anti-S1 levels. entire period (16 months), 11-month...