Person: Weitzel, Thomas
Loading...
Email Address
Birth Date
2 results
¿Qué estás buscando?
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Publication Campylobacter spp. Prevalence in Santiago, Chile: A Study Based on Molecular Detection in Clinical Stool Samples from 2014 to 2019(2023) Porte, Lorena; Pérez, Caricia; Barbé, Mario; Varela, Carmen; Vollrath, Valeska; Legarraga, Paulette; Weitzel, ThomasCampylobacter spp. is an emerging cause of infectious diarrhea worldwide. In South American countries such as Chile, its prevalence is underestimated due to inadequate detection methods. Gastrointestinal multiplex PCR panels (GMP) permit rapid and sensitive detection of bacterial pathogens and provide important epidemiological information. This study aimed to analyze Campylobacter epidemiology using the results of molecular methods and to compare molecular detection results to those of culture methods. We performed a retrospective, descriptive analysis of Campylobacter spp. detected in clinical stool samples between 2014-2019 by GMP and culture. Within 16,582 specimens examined by GMP, Campylobacter was the most prevalent enteropathogenic bacteria (8.5%), followed by Salmonella spp. (3.9%), Shigella spp./enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) (1.9%), and Yersinia enterocolitica (0.8%). The highest Campylobacter prevalence occurred in 2014/2015. Campylobacteriosis affected more males (57.2%) and adults from 19-65 years (47.9%) and showed a bimodal seasonality with summer and winter peaks. In 11,251 routine stool cultures, Campylobacter spp. was detected in 4.6%, mostly C. jejuni (89.6%). Among 4533 samples tested by GMP and culture in parallel, GMP showed a superior sensitivity (99.1% versus 50%, respectively). The study suggests that Campylobacter spp. is the most frequent bacterial enteropathogen in Chile.Publication Performance of the VITEK® MS system for the identification of filamentous fungi in a microbiological laboratory in Chile(2024) Porte, Lorena; Cruz, Rodrigo; Pérez, Inia; Varela, Carmen; Díaz, Cristina; García, Patricia; Legarraga, Paulette; Valdivieso, Francisca; Weitzel, ThomasFilamentous fungi are an emergent cause of severe infections in immunocompromised patients. Timely and accurate identification is crucial to initiate appropriate therapy. Traditional identification methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and operator-dependent. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry is a rapid and easy-to-perform identification method. The effectiveness of a commercial MALDI-TOF MS platform to identify filamentous fungi in a clinical laboratory was evaluated. The study included 67 fungal isolates from 35 species/species complexes, which were identified and confirmed in mycology reference laboratories; 32 derived from clinical samples, 34 from strain collections and one was an ATCC strain. The study used the VITEK® MS system (v3.2.0 database), after sample extraction by VITEK® MS Mould Kit. Results were classified as "correct species", "correct species complex", "correct genus"and "no identification". VITEK® MS correctly identified 91.0% of isolates (58.2% to species, 29.9% to species complex, and 1.5% to genus level only). In 82%, the result matched the species/species complex identified by reference methods. No misidentifications were observed. The kit was rapid and easy to use. In conclusion, the VITEK® MS system showed a high capability to accurately identify filamentous fungi in a clinical laboratory.