The gut microbiota plays critical roles in constraining Candida albicans colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which is a key precursor to disseminated fungal infection in immunocompromised hosts. Depletion of commensal microbiota, such as by antibiotic treatment, increases C. albicans burden and promotes dissemination, yet the mechanisms of colonization resistance ... More
Streamlined CRISPR-based assays for detection and subtyping of avian influenza.
AuthorsHuang Y,Guo A,Adams G,Lemieux JE,Myhrvold C
JournalmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences
PubMed ID40909817
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are zoonotic pathogens that pose an increasing global threat due to their potential for significant economic losses in agriculture, spillover into humans, and the risk of a pandemic should human-to-human transmission occur. These concerns underscore the need for rapid, sensitive and specific tools to detect and ... More
Establishing Methods to Monitor Influenza (A)H5N1 Virus in Dairy Cattle Milk, Massachusetts, USA.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus has caused a multistate outbreak among US dairy cattle, spreading across 16 states and infecting hundreds of herds since its onset. We rapidly developed and optimized PCR-based detection assays and sequencing protocols to support H5N1 molecular surveillance. Using 214 retail milk samples from 20 ... More
Evaluation of Self-Collected Mouth Rinse Specimens for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing: A Pilot Study
AuthorsKento Fukano; Junko S. Takeuchi; Azusa Kamikawa; Wataru Sugiura
JournalCOVID
PubMed ID
Saliva specimens are widely used for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing using RT-qPCR due to their advantages over nasopharyngeal swabs of being non-invasive and self-collectable. However, saliva collection can be time-consuming in individuals with reduced saliva secretion, including those with diabetes, diseases involving salivary glands such as Sjögren’s syndrome, and ... More
Interdependent RNA structural motifs at the 3'-terminus of the West Nile virus genome regulate viral growth.
AuthorsTsao LH,Brackney DE,Pyle AM
JournalbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
PubMed ID41959387
The RNA genome of West Nile Virus (WNV) folds into an elaborate series of RNA structural elements that are crucial for viral function. Among these elements, four pseudoknots (PKs) at the viral 3’-terminus, designated as SLII, SLIV, DBI, and DBII, are among the most crucial players in the overall flaviviral ... More
Saliva as a Reliable and Non-invasive Sample for Detecting Influenza A in Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Cases.
Background Nasopharyngeal swab sampling remains the gold standard for influenza diagnosis; however, it has several limitations, including dependence on medical staff, invasiveness, potential for nosocomial transmission, and occupational exposure risk. Non-invasive alternatives, such as saliva and nasal vestibular swabs, may improve patient comfort and participation in clinical studies. In addition, ... More
Bead-based approaches for increased sensitivity and multiplexing of CRISPR diagnostics.
CRISPR-based diagnostics have emerged as a promising tool for fast, accurate and portable pathogen detection. There has been rapid progress in pre-amplification processes and CRISPR-related enzymes used in these approaches, but the development of reporter systems and reaction platforms has lagged behind. In this paper, we develop bead-based techniques to ... More