@article {1401, title = {Could the effect of antimicrobials on antimicrobial resistance be saturated at high-antimicrobial consumption? A comparison of the MORDOR and ResistAZM studies.}, journal = {Int J Infect Dis}, volume = {145}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 May 03}, pages = {107082}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance poses a considerable threat in high-antimicrobial-consumption populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM) taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. While the ResistAZM trial found no increase in macrolide resistance genes in MSM with gonorrhea after azithromycin treatment, the MORDOR trial observed an increase in these genes after mass azithromycin distribution. We hypothesized that this could be due to saturation of the resistome. To test this hypothesis, we compared the abundance of macrolide resistance determinants in anorectal samples between the baselines of the two trials.

METHODS: Shotgun metagenome reads from the anorectal baseline samples from the ResistAZM (n = 42) and MORDOR (n = 30) trials were analyzed using AMRPlusPlus. Nonhost reads were mapped to the MEGARes database to detect antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was normalized using cumulative sum scaling, and ARG abundance was estimated.

RESULTS: Macrolide, lincosamides, and streptogramins determinants were approximately 10-fold more abundant in the ResistAZM than the MORDOR samples (P <= 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The findings are compatible with our hypothesis. Thus, in populations with high-antimicrobial use, the relationship between antimicrobial consumption and AMR may be diminished due to saturation. These findings are vital for future studies investigating the resistogencity of novel interventions, such as doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, in populations with high preceding consumption of antimicrobials.

}, issn = {1878-3511}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107082}, author = {Manoharan-Basil, Sheeba Santhini and Gestels, Zina and Abdelatti, Sa{\"\i}d and De Baetselier, Irith and Vanbaelen, Thibaut and Hinterwirth, Armin and Doan, Thuy and Lietman, Thomas and Kenyon, Chris} } @article {1166, title = {Viruses Associated with Acute Conjunctivitis in Vanuatu.}, journal = {Am J Trop Med Hyg}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jan 16}, abstract = {

The first manifestation of a viral infection may be conjunctivitis. There are limited data on the etiology of viral conjunctivitis in Vanuatu, a country in the South Pacific Ocean. Patients presenting to one of two Vanuatu health centers with presumed infectious conjunctivitis were eligible if symptom onset was within 14 days of screening. Conjunctival and anterior nasal swabs were obtained and subjected to unbiased RNA deep sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify DNA and RNA viruses. For samples collected from May to November 2021, RNA-seq identified a viral etiology in 12/48 patients. Human adenovirus species were the most common viruses (58\%) detected, followed by human herpes viruses (cytomegalovirus, varicella zoster virus, and human herpes 7 virus). Rhinovirus C, Epstein-Barr virus, and bocavirus were also detected. In summary, the etiology for viral conjunctivitis in Vanuatu appears broad. Unbiased testing may be useful for disease surveillance.

}, issn = {1476-1645}, doi = {10.4269/ajtmh.22-0600}, author = {Johnson, Kasso and Taleo, Fasihah and Willie, Kalbule and Amel, Edwin and Nanu, Madopule and Alguet, Marie and Wass, Jose and Rymill, Prudence and Solomon, Anthony and Ruder, Kevin and Chen, Cindi and Zhong, Lina and Hinterwirth, Armin and Liu, David and Abraham, Thomas and Seitzman, Gerami and Lietman, Thomas and Doan, Thuy} } @article {81, title = {Clinical metagenomics for infectious corneal ulcers: Rags to riches?}, journal = {Ocul Surf}, volume = {18}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 01}, pages = {1-12}, abstract = {

The emergence of clinical metagenomics as an unbiased, hypothesis-free approach to diagnostic testing is set to fundamentally alter the way infectious diseases are detected. Long envisioned as the solution to the limitations of culture-based conventional microbiology, next generation sequencing methods will soon mature, and our attention will inevitably turn to how they can be applied to areas of medicine which need it most urgently. In ophthalmology, the demand for this technology is particularly pressing for the care of infectious corneal ulcers, where current diagnostic tests may fail to identify a causative organism in over half of cases. However, the optimism found in the budding discourse surrounding clinical metagenomics belies the reality that clinicians and scientists will soon be inundated by oppressive volumes of sequencing data, much of which will be foreign and unfamiliar. Therefore, our success in translating clinical metagenomics is likely to hinge on how we make sense of these data, and understanding its implications for the interpretation and implementation of sequencing into routine clinical care. In this consortium-led review, we provide an outline of these data-related issues and how they may be used to inform technical workflows, with the hope that we may edge closer to realizing the potential of clinical metagenomics for this important unmet need.

}, issn = {1937-5913}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtos.2019.10.007}, author = {Ung, Lawson and Bispo, Paulo J M and Doan, Thuy and Van Gelder, Russell N and Gilmore, Michael S and Lietman, Thomas and Margolis, Todd P and Zegans, Michael E and Lee, Cecilia S and Chodosh, James} }