2023
Persistence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Older Adults in the Community despite COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
Wyllie A, Mbodj S, Thammavongsa D, Hislop M, Yolda-Carr D, Waghela P, Nakahata M, Stahlfeld A, Vega N, York A, Allicock O, Wilkins G, Ouyang A, Siqueiros L, Strong Y, Anastasio K, Alexander-Parrish R, Arguedas A, Gessner B, Weinberger D. Persistence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Older Adults in the Community despite COVID-19 Mitigation Measures. Microbiology Spectrum 2023, 11: e04879-22. PMID: 37036377, PMCID: PMC10269788, DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04879-22.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInvasive pneumococcal diseasePneumococcal diseaseSchool-aged childrenOlder adultsPneumococcal carriageSaliva samplesCOVID-19 pandemicRate of carriageCOVID-19-related disruptionsUpper respiratory tractRegular contactNew Haven areaFirst yearCarriage prevalencePre-pandemic levelsMedical historyRespiratory tractHigh prevalenceStreptococcus pneumoniaeCOVID-19 mitigation measuresStudy participantsPneumococciPrevalenceDiseaseCarriage
2017
Sequencing of the variable region of rpsB to discriminate between Streptococcus pneumoniae and other streptococcal species
Wyllie AL, Pannekoek Y, Bovenkerk S, van Engelsdorp Gastelaars J, Ferwerda B, van de Beek D, Sanders EAM, Trzciński K, van der Ende A. Sequencing of the variable region of rpsB to discriminate between Streptococcus pneumoniae and other streptococcal species. Open Biology 2017, 7: 170074. PMID: 28931649, PMCID: PMC5627049, DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170074.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSevere streptococcal diseaseUpper respiratory tractHuman upper respiratory tractSerotype-specific assaysMolecular assaysStreptococcal speciesNon-typeable pneumococciStreptococcal diseaseAsymptomatic individualsFalse-positive resultsRespiratory tractPneumococcal isolatesCarriage isolatesStreptococcal isolatesStreptococcus pneumoniaeLack of specificityStreptococciPositive resultsPneumococciDiseaseCarriageAssaysIsolatesVast majorityMeningitis