Deborah Wilson

Publications of Deborah Wilson

• Progression to bacteremia in critical care patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus expressing Panton-Valentine leukocidin.

  Authors: Kevin P Blaine, Marion J Tuohy, Deborah Wilson, Gary W Procop, Daniel J Tisch, Nabin K Shrestha, Geraldine S Hall

  Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease. 09/2010; 68(1):28-33.

  The role of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is unclear. PVL has been long associated with soft tissue infections and necrotizingThe role of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is unclear. PVL has been long associated with soft tissue infections and necrotizing pneumonia, but inconsistently with other site infections or mortality. The retrospective cohort study explores the association between PVL and bacteremia in colonized medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients with surveillance isolates and blood cultures. A total of 840 patients were screened by nasal swab, with 266 patients found to be colonized and 46 with bacteremia. Colonization by PVL(+) MRSA increased the odds of bacteremia (odds ratio, 2.40; confidence interval, 1.23-4.57), and invasive infection developed earlier in these patients (relative risk, 0.44; confidence interval 0.25-0.85) compared to those colonized with PVL(0) MRSA. PVL was not associated with infections at other sites, length of ICU stay, or mortality. PVL decreases the time to bacteremia in colonized patients but does not otherwise contribute to disease course or clinical outcome.

• Comparison of traditional phenotypic identification methods with partial 5' 16S rRNA gene sequencing for species-level identification of nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli.

  Authors: Joann L Cloud, Dag Harmsen, Peter C Iwen, James J Dunn, Gerri Hall, Paul Rocco Lasala, Karen Hoggan, Deborah Wilson, Gail L Woods, Alexander Mellmann

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 02/2010; 48(4):1442-4.

  Correct identification of nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFB) is crucial for patient management. We compared phenotypic identifications of 96 clinical NFB isolates with identifications obtainedCorrect identification of nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFB) is crucial for patient management. We compared phenotypic identifications of 96 clinical NFB isolates with identifications obtained by 5' 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sequencing identified 88 isolates (91.7%) with >99% similarity to a sequence from the assigned species; 61.5% of sequencing results were concordant with phenotypic results, indicating the usability of sequencing to identify NFB.

• Multicenter evaluation of the Candida albicans/Candida glabrata peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization method for simultaneous dual-color identification of C. albicans and C. glabrata directly from blood culture bottles.

  Authors: Janeen R Shepard, Rachel M Addison, Barbara D Alexander, Phyllis Della-Latta, Michael Gherna, Gerhard Haase, Gerri Hall, Jennifer K Johnson, William G Merz, Heidrun Peltroche-Llacsahuanga, Henrik Stender, Richard A Venezia, Deborah Wilson, Gary W Procop, Fann Wu, Mark J Fiandaca

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 01/2008; 46(1):50-5.

  We evaluated the performance of the Candida albicans/Candida glabrata peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization (PNA FISH) method, a rapid two-color assay for detection of C. albicansWe evaluated the performance of the Candida albicans/Candida glabrata peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization (PNA FISH) method, a rapid two-color assay for detection of C. albicans and C. glabrata, in a multicenter study. The assay is designed for use directly from positive blood culture bottles in a FISH format. Intact, fixed cells are labeled fluorescent green (C. albicans) or fluorescent red (C. glabrata) by rRNA hybridization of fluorophore-labeled PNA probes. Results are available <3 h after cultures signal positive. An evaluation of 197 routine blood culture bottles newly positive for yeast by Gram staining was performed at five hospitals. The sensitivities of detection for C. albicans, and C. glabrata were 98.7% (78/79) and 100% (37/37), respectively, and the specificity for both components of the assay was 100% (82/82). The assay was also evaluated with 70 fungal reference strains and was challenged in the BacT/ALERT microbiological detection system with spiked blood culture bottles. These results support the use of the assay for rapid, simultaneous identification of C. albicans and C. glabrata in positive blood culture bottles. This rapid assay may aid in the selection of initial antifungal drugs, leading to improved patient outcomes.

• Comparison of five methods for extraction of Legionella pneumophila from respiratory specimens.

  Authors: Deborah Wilson, Belinda Yen-Lieberman, Udo Reischl, Ilka Warshawsky, Gary W Procop

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 01/2005; 42(12):5913-6.

  The efficiencies of five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods were evaluated for the recovery of a standardized inoculum of Legionella pneumophila in respiratory specimens (sputumThe efficiencies of five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods were evaluated for the recovery of a standardized inoculum of Legionella pneumophila in respiratory specimens (sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] specimens). The concentrations of Legionella DNA recovered from sputa with the automated MagNA Pure (526,200 CFU/ml) and NucliSens (171,800 CFU/ml) extractors were greater than those recovered with the manual methods (i.e., Roche High Pure kit [133,900 CFU/ml], QIAamp DNA Mini kit [46,380 CFU/ml], and ViralXpress kit [13,635 CFU/ml]). The rank order was the same for extracts from BAL specimens, except that for this specimen type the QIAamp DNA Mini kit recovered more than the Roche High Pure kit.

• Direct identification of Staphylococcus aureus from positive blood culture bottles.

  Authors: Kenneth Oliveira, Stephen M. Brecher, Annette Durbin, Daniel S Shapiro, Donald R Schwartz, Paola C De Girolami, Joanna Dakos, Gary W Procop, Deborah Wilson, Chad S Hanna, Gerhard Haase, Heidrun Peltroche-Llacsahuanga, Kimberle C Chapin, Michael C Musgnug, Michael H Levi, Cynthia Shoemaker, Henrik Stender

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 03/2003; 41(2):889-91.

  Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes targeting Staphylococcus aureus 16S rRNA is a novel method for direct identification of S. aureus from positive bloodFluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes targeting Staphylococcus aureus 16S rRNA is a novel method for direct identification of S. aureus from positive blood culture bottles. The test (S. aureus PNA FISH) is performed on smears made directly from positive blood culture bottles with gram-positive cocci in clusters (GPCC) and provides results within 2.5 h. A blinded comparison of S. aureus PNA FISH with standard identification methods was performed in collaboration with eight clinical microbiology laboratories. A total of 564 routine blood culture bottles positive for GPCC recovered from both aerobic and anaerobic media from three different manufacturers (ESP, BACTEC, and BacT/Alert) were included in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of S. aureus PNA FISH were 100% (57 of 57) and 99.2% (116 of 117), respectively, with 174 GPCC-positive ESP blood culture bottles, 98.5% (67 of 68) and 98.5% (129 of 131), respectively, with 200 GPCC-positive BACTEC blood culture bottles, and 100% (74 of 74) and 99.1% (115 of 116), respectively, with 190 GPCC-positive BacT/Alert blood culture bottles. It is concluded that S. aureus PNA FISH performs well with commonly used continuously monitoring blood culture systems.

• Fluorescence in situ hybridization with peptide nucleic acid probes for rapid identification of Candida albicans directly from blood culture bottles.

  Authors: Susan Rigby, Gary W Procop, Gerhard Haase, Deborah Wilson, Geraldine Hall, Cletus Kurtzman, Kenneth Oliveira, Sabina Von Oy, Jens J Hyldig-Nielsen, James Coull, Henrik Stender

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 07/2002; 40(6):2182-6.

  A new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method that uses peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for identification of Candida albicans directly from positive-blood-culture bottles in which yeastA new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method that uses peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for identification of Candida albicans directly from positive-blood-culture bottles in which yeast was observed by Gram staining (herein referred to as yeast-positive blood culture bottles) is described. The test (the C. albicans PNA FISH method) is based on a fluorescein-labeled PNA probe that targets C. albicans 26S rRNA. The PNA probe is added to smears made directly from the contents of the blood culture bottle and hybridized for 90 min at 55 degrees C. Unhybridized PNA probe is removed by washing of the mixture (30 min), and the smears are examined by fluorescence microscopy. The specificity of the method was confirmed with 23 reference strains representing phylogenetically related yeast species and 148 clinical isolates covering the clinically most significant yeast species, including C. albicans (n = 72), C. dubliniensis (n = 58), C. glabrata (n = 5), C. krusei (n = 2), C. parapsilosis (n = 4), and C. tropicalis (n = 3). The performance of the C. albicans PNA FISH method as a diagnostic test was evaluated with 33 routine and 25 simulated yeast-positive blood culture bottles and showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. It is concluded that this 2.5-h method for the definitive identification of C. albicans directly from yeast-positive blood culture bottles provides important information for optimal antifungal therapy and patient management.

• Rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus directly from blood cultures by fluorescence in situ hybridization with peptide nucleic acid probes.

  Authors: Kenneth Oliveira, Gary W Procop, Deborah Wilson, James Coull, Henrik Stender

  Journal of clinical microbiology. 02/2002; 40(1):247-51.

  A new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method with peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for identification of Staphylococcus aureus directly from positive blood culture bottles that containA new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method with peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for identification of Staphylococcus aureus directly from positive blood culture bottles that contain gram-positive cocci in clusters (GPCC) is described. The test (the S. aureus PNA FISH assay) is based on a fluorescein-labeled PNA probe that targets a species-specific sequence of the 16S rRNA of S. aureus. Evaluations with 17 reference strains and 48 clinical isolates, including methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus species, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, and other clinically relevant and phylogenetically related bacteria and yeast species, showed that the assay had 100% sensitivity and 96% specificity. Clinical trials with 87 blood cultures positive for GPCC correctly identified 36 of 37 (97%) of the S. aureus-positive cultures identified by standard microbiological methods. The positive and negative predictive values were 100 and 98%, respectively. It is concluded that this rapid method (2.5 h) for identification of S. aureus directly from blood culture bottles that contain GPCC offers important information for optimal antibiotic therapy.