Viruses causing lower respiratory symptoms in young children: Findings from the ORChID birth cohort

© 2018 Article author(s). Introduction Viral acute respiratory infections (ARIs) cause substantial child morbidity. Sensitive molecular-based assays aid virus detection, but the clinical significance of positive tests remains uncertain as some viruses may be found in both acutely ill and healthy children. We describe disease-pathogen associations of respiratory viruses and quantify virus-specific attributable risk of ARIs in healthy children during the first 2 years of life. Methods One hundred fifty-eight term newborn babies in Brisbane, Australia, were recruited progressively into a longitudinal, community-based, birth cohort study conducted between September 2010 and October 2014. A daily tick-box diary captured predefined respiratory symptoms from birth until their second birthday. Weekly parent-collected nasal swabs were batch-tested for 17 respiratory viruses by PCR assays, allowing calculation of virus-specific attributable fractions in the exposed (AFE) to determine the proportion of virus-positive children whose ARI symptoms could be attributed to that particular virus. Results Of 8100 nasal swabs analysed, 2646 (32.7%) were virus-positive (275 virus codetections, 3.4%), with human rhinoviruses accounting for 2058/2646 (77.8%) positive swabs. Viruses were detected in 1154/1530 (75.4%) ARI episodes and in 984/4308 (22.8%) swabs from asymptomatic periods. Respiratory syncytial virus (AFE: 68% (95% CI 45% to 82%)) and human metapneumovirus (AFE: 69% (95% CI 43% to 83%)) were strongly associated with higher risk of lower respiratory symptoms. Discussion The strong association of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus with ARIs and lower respiratory symptoms in young children managed within the community indicates successful development of vaccines against these two viruses should provide substantial health benefits

Direct detection of penA gene associated with Ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae FC428 strain by using PCR

The ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae FC428 clone was first observed in Japan in 2015, and in 2017, it was documented in Denmark, Canada, and Australia. Here, we describe a PCR for direct detection of the penA gene associated with this strain that can be used to enhance surveillance activities

Parechovirus A infections in healthy Australian children during the first 2-years of life: a community-based longitudinal birth cohort study

Hospital-based studies identify Parechovirus (PeV), primarily PeV-A3, as an important cause of severe infections in young children. However, few community-based studies have been published and the true PeV infection burden is unknown. We investigated PeV epidemiology in healthy children participating in a community-based, longitudinal birth cohort study.Australian children (n=158) enrolled in the Observational Research in Childhood Infectious Diseases (ORChID) study were followed from birth until their second birthday. Weekly stool and nasal swabs, and daily symptom diaries, were collected. Swabs were tested for PeV by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and genotypes determined by subgenomic sequencing. Incidence rate, infection characteristics, clinical associations, and virus co-detections were investigated.PeV was detected in 1,423/11,124 (12.8%) and 17/8,100 (0.2%) stool and nasal swabs, respectively. Major genotypes amongst the 306 infection episodes identified were PeV-A1 (47.9%), PeV-A6 (20.1%), and PeV-A3 (18.3%). The incidence rate was 144 episodes/100 child-years (95% confidence interval 128-160). First infections appeared at a median age of 8.0-months (interquartile range 6.0-11.7). Annual seasonal peaks changing from PeV-A1 to PeV-A3 were observed. Infection was positively associated with age ≥6-months, summer season, non-exclusive breastfeeding at ag

Evaluation of the ResistancePlus GC (beta) assay: A commercial diagnostic test for the direct detection of ciprofloxacin susceptibility or resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the ResistancePlus GC (beta) assay for the simultaneous detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and gyrA S91 markers of resistance (S91F) and susceptibility (WT) to ciprofloxacin, from both clinical specimens and isolates. Methods: Performance was assessed on several sample banks, including N. gonorrhoeae isolates (n"822), nongonococcal isolates (n"110), N. gonorrhoeae-positive clinical specimens (n"402) and N. gonorrhoeae-negative specimens (n"290). Results were compared with previous testing data, including S91 genotyping and phenotypic resistance profiles. Results: Overall, the assay demonstrated 100% sensitivity for N. gonorrhoeae detection in clinical isolates. For gyrA S91 mutation detection in clinical isolates, the assay showed 100% sensitivity/specificity compared with the genotype, and .99%/>97% sensitivity/specificity when compared with phenotype. For positive clinical specimens, the assay demonstrated>96% sensitivity for N. gonorrhoeae detection and 100% sensitivity/specificity for gyrA S91 mutation detection. The assay demonstrated>99% specificity for N. gonorrhoeae detection against non-gonococcal isolates and 100% specificity for negative clinical specimens. Conclusions: The ResistancePlus GC (beta) assay is suitable for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae and gyrA markers associated with resistance/susceptibility to ciprofloxacin directly in clinical samples. This assay could be implemented for the individualized treatment of gonorrhoea infections as well as to enhance current antimicrobial resistance surveillance methods

CIL V, 2262: un'epigrafe urbana da espungere dal corpus di Altinum

We investigated the presence of 4 human polyomaviruses (PyVs) (WU, KI, Merkel cell, and Malawi) in respiratory specimens from a community-based birth cohort. These viruses typically were acquired when children were ≈1 year of age. We provide evidence that WU, KI, and Malawi, but not Merkel cell PyVs, might have a role in respiratory infections