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The study of the incidence and spread of infectious diseases in populations over time. Host, pathogen and environmental factors are monitored to determine the dynamics of infection, the ultimate goal of which is to devise intervention strategies. Molecular methods, such as phylogenomics, can be used to accurately track pathogens.
In this work, authors use whole genome tracking in a neonatal intensive care unit to reveal a strong link between Staphylococcus aureus colonization and invasive infection, pinpointing critical new targets for infection prevention in high-risk infants.
Vibrio cholerae O1 outbreak strains are classified as Ogawa or Inaba serotypes, but the impact of serotype on pathogenicity is understudied. Here, the authors show that O1 antigen methylation in Ogawa strains promotes colonization and infectivity.
Authors introduce an epidemiological model to estimate the basic reproduction number (R0) for multiple E. coli genotypes and find that some have comparable transmissibility to pandemic H1N1 while others have low R0.
A study by Shi et al. uncovers uncharted diversity of potential pathogens and mobile antibiotic resistance genes in samples from wild mammals and non-traditional farmed mammals
In this study, Mills et al. identify bacteriocin T8 as a key factor conferring a competitive advantage to successful vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium lineages in hospital settings.
This study finds that a deadly skin disease in red squirrels is associated with a staphylococcal clone often acquired through spillover from other hosts.
A recent study reports that anthropogenic land use causes major changes in the diversity and taxonomic composition of reservoir hosts for pathogens, with implications for the emergence of zoonotic diseases.
Epidemiological modelling informs government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, but confusion abounds about the models. What can physicists do to help?
