What’s New in Infectious Disease?

Fight the Resistance

A new algorithm accurately identifies asymptomatic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA) carriers in both simulated and real-world settings (1). The results guided targeted interventions; isolating 1 percent of high-risk patients every four weeks led to 12 percent reduction of MSRA colonization.

Infection Detection

A new flexible, wireless, battery-free sensor uses bacteria-responsive DNA hydrogel to detect Staphylococcus aureus in wounds before visible signs appear (2). The wireless infection detection on wounds (WINDOW) sensor is thin and flexible, so it can be embedded into a wound dressing and track virulence factor activity on demand.

Evading Detection

New evidence shows that circulation of a non-SARS-CoV-2 epidemic can significantly distort SARS-CoV-2 surveillance – increasing testing demand but reducing observed SARS-CoV-2 percent positivity during an outbreak (3). Using multiplex PCR tests and a low number of samples can help correct the positivity rate and avoid surveillance bias.

The Great Escape

A study of blood samples from over 12,000 individuals in Ethiopia has estimated that the “test-treat-track” strategy may have missed nearly 10 percent of malaria cases caused by Plasmodium falciparum (4). Two genetic mutations to the parasite – pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions – were found to allow it to go undetected.

Saliva Samples

Unlike other commercial antigen tests, signal-amplified antigen rapid tests using saliva samples have exhibited sensitivity above 90 percent to both fasted and non-fasted saliva samples in detecting SARS-CoV-2 (5). This is comparable to the clinical sensitivity of RT-PCR and could be useful for point-of-care testing in resource-limited environments.

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References

1. S Pei et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 118, e2111190118 (2021). PMID: 34493678.
2. Z Xiong et al., Sci Adv, 7, eabj1617 (2021). PMID: 34797719.
3. A Kovacevic et al., J Infect Dis, 13, jiab459 (2021). PMID: 34514500.
4. SM Feleke et al., Nat Microbiol, 6, 1289 (2021). PMID: 34580442.
5. DJH Tng et al., Mikrochim Acta, 189, 14 (2021). PMID: 34870771.

About the Author(s)

Liv Gaskill

During my undergraduate degree in psychology and Master’s in neuroimaging for clinical and cognitive neuroscience, I realized the tasks my classmates found tedious – writing essays, editing, proofreading – were the ones that gave me the greatest satisfaction. I quickly gathered that rambling on about science in the bar wasn’t exactly riveting for my non-scientist friends, so my thoughts turned to a career in science writing. At Texere, I get to craft science into stories, interact with international experts, and engage with readers who love science just as much as I do.

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