Niaz Banaei

Smaller Genomes and Shorter Prophage Sequences Differentiate Clinical from Environmental Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

This study compares genome features of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and environmental sources, finding smaller genomes and shorter prophage sequences in clinical isolates.

Replicative selfish genetic elements are driving rapid pathogenic adaptation of Enterococcus faecium

This study identifies ISL3 elements as drivers of rapid genomic evolution in E. faecium, enabling metabolic adaptation in clinical settings through structural variation and gene regulation.

Prophages are Infrequently Associated With Antibiotic Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates

This study analyzes 186 Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates to assess the association between prophage presence and antibiotic resistance, finding few significant links.

Stress-driven emergence of heritable non-genetic drug resistance

The paper identifies a non-genetic, heritable mechanism of drug resistance in Candida albicans triggered by subtherapeutic fluconazole exposure, which can be reversed and involves prion-like epigenetic processes.

A Blueprint for Broadly Effective Bacteriophage Therapy Against Bacterial Infections

This paper develops broad-spectrum bacteriophage therapy cocktails effective against multiple bacterial strains and infections.

Precision Identification of Diverse Bloodstream Pathogens from the Gut Microbiome

The paper develops StrainSifter to identify concordant bacterial strains between bloodstream isolates and gut microbiota using whole genome sequencing.

Diverse Mechanisms of Resistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae at a Health Care System in Silicon Valley, California

This study identifies diverse resistance mechanisms in CRE isolates from a Northern California health system, showing that nucleic acid testing can predict susceptibility to specific beta-lactam combinations.

Metagenomic DNA sequencing for the diagnosis of intraocular infections

This study compares metagenomic DNA sequencing with pathogen-directed PCR for diagnosing intraocular infections, finding DNA-seq detects more pathogens and identifies drug resistance mutations.