ORCID Profile
0000-0003-4776-3403
Current Organisations
The University of Edinburgh
,
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
,
UK Health Security Agency - Colindale
,
University of St Andrews
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Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 21-12-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 06-2023
Abstract: Objective. To review the epidemiology of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in England over the recent 12 year period. Methods. Laboratory-confirmed CoNS reported from sterile sites in patients in England to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) between 2010 and 2021 were extracted from the national laboratory database and analysed. Results. Overall, 668 857 episodes of CoNS were reported. Unspeciated CoNS accounted for 56 % (374 228) of episodes, followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (26 % 174 050), S. hominis (6.5 % 43 501) and S. capitis (3.9 % 25 773). Unspeciated CoNS increased by 8.2 % (95 % CI, 7.1–9.3) annually between 2010 and 2016, then decreased annually by 6.4 % (95 % CI: −4.8 to −7.9) until 2021. Speciated CoNS increased by 47.6 % (95 % CI, 44.5–50.9) annually between 2010 and 2016 and increased annually by 8.9 % (95 % CI: 5.1 to 12.8) until 2021. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles differed by species. Conclusions. Reports of CoNS from normally sterile body sites in patients in England increased between 2010 and 2016 and remained stable between 2017 and 2021. There has been a striking improvement in species-level identification of CoNS in recent years. Monitoring trends in CoNS epidemiology is crucial for development of observational and clinical intervention studies on in idual species.
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 02-03-2021
DOI: 10.7554/ELIFE.64618
Abstract: COVID-19 poses a major challenge to care homes, as SARS-CoV-2 is readily transmitted and causes disproportionately severe disease in older people. Here, 1167 residents from 337 care homes were identified from a dataset of 6600 COVID-19 cases from the East of England. Older age and being a care home resident were associated with increased mortality. SARS-CoV-2 genomes were available for 700 residents from 292 care homes. By integrating genomic and temporal data, 409 viral clusters within the 292 homes were identified, indicating two different patterns – outbreaks among care home residents and independent introductions with limited onward transmission. Approximately 70% of residents in the genomic analysis were admitted to hospital during the study, providing extensive opportunities for transmission between care homes and hospitals. Limiting viral transmission within care homes should be a key target for infection control to reduce COVID-19 mortality in this population.
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 06-09-2023
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-04-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.03.535367
Abstract: Nitrofurantoin is a broad-spectrum first-line antimicrobial used for managing uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Loss-of-function mutations in chromosomal genes nfsA, nfsB , and ribE of Escherichia coli are known to reduce nitrofurantoin susceptibility. Here, we report monoclonal nitrofurantoin heteroresistance in E. coli and a novel genetic mechanism associated with this phenomenon. Subpopulations with reduced nitrofurantoin susceptibility in cultures of two E. coli blood strains were identified using population analysis profiling. Four colonies of each strain growing on agar with 0.5×MIC nitrofurantoin were sub-cultured in broth with 0.5×MIC nitrofurantoin (n=2) or without nitrofurantoin (n=2). Moreover, one colony of each strain growing without nitrofurantoin exposure was selected as a reference for genomic comparison. Whole-genome sequencing of all isolates were conducted on Illumina and Nanopore MinION systems. Both strains had a nitrofurantoin MICs of 64 mg/L. The proportion of cells grown at 0.5×MIC was two and 99 per million, respectively, which is distinct to that of a homogeneously susceptible or resistant isolate. All isolates grown at 0.5×MIC had 11–66 kbp deletions in chromosomal regions harbouring nfsB , and all these deletions were immediately adjacent to IS 1 -family insertion sequences. Although this study is limited to E. coli and nitrofurantoin, our findings suggest IS 1 -associated genetic deletion represents a hitherto unrecognised mechanism of heteroresistance that could compromise infection management and impact conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Nitrofurantoin is widely used for treating and preventing urinary tract infection. Prevalence of nitrofurantoin resistance generally is low in E. coli . Here, we report nitrofurantoin heteroresistance in two E. coli blood strains and attribute this phenotype to IS 1 -associated deletion of chromosomal regions harbouring oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase gene nfsB . Our discoveries demonstrate a novel genetic mechanism of heteroresistance and suggest detecting nitrofurantoin heteroresistance in E. coli urinary isolates for improving prescribing. Whole-genome sequencing reads and genome assemblies generated in this study have been deposited under BioProject PRJEB58678 in the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA). Accession numbers are listed in Supplementary Table 1. Previously generated Illumina whole-genome sequencing reads of parental isolates EC0026B and EC0880B are available under ENA accessions ERR3142418 and ERR3142524, respectively.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 26-09-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Colin Brown.