Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections

Mechanisms of 10-Hydroxyoctadecanoic acid resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study identifies h18:0 as a toxic fatty acid produced by S. aureus that targets S. pneumoniae, and reveals genetic mechanisms allowing pneumococcus to resist its toxicity.

Streptococcus pneumoniae accessory capsular genes modulate fitness, pathogenicity and immune evasion

The paper shows that accessory capsular genes in Streptococcus pneumoniae enhance fitness, pathogenicity, and immune evasion without capsule switching.

The Pulmonary Microbial Signatures of Early Stages of Severe Infection in Children

This study analyzes microbial communities in children with early severe pulmonary infections to identify clinical correlations and ecological interactions.

Storage stability of non-encapsulated pneumococci in saliva is dependent on null-capsule clade, with strains carrying aliC and aliD showing a competitive disadvantage during culture enrichment

This study evaluates the storage stability of non-encapsulated pneumococci in saliva, finding that NCC2 strains are less stable than NCC1, and that extraction-free methods may better detect NCC2 strains.

Large-scale global molecular epidemiology of antibiotic resistance determinants in Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study analyzes antibiotic resistance patterns in Streptococcus pneumoniae using global whole-genome sequencing data, identifying trends in multi-drug resistance and serotype distribution.

Bacteriocin-mediated prevention of secondary pneumococcal pneumonia by a human commensal Streptococcus mitis strain

This paper shows that a commensal Streptococcus mitis strain prevents secondary pneumococcal pneumonia by inhibiting pneumococcal colonization and dissemination through bacteriocins.

An abundance of aliC and aliD genes were identified in saliva using a novel multiplex qPCR to characterize group II non-encapsulated pneumococci with improved specificity

The paper develops a novel multiplex qPCR assay to detect and classify non-encapsulated pneumococci (NESp) by targeting aliC and aliD genes, showing high specificity and prevalence in saliva samples.

Splenic red pulp macrophages eliminate the liver-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae during bloodstream infection

The paper identifies that splenic red pulp macrophages, aided by natural antibodies and complement, clear liver-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae from the bloodstream in mice.

Quantifying the effects of antibiotic resistance and within-host competition on strain fitness in Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study quantifies how antibiotic resistance and within-host competition affect pneumococcal strain fitness using longitudinal carriage data.

Pneumo-Typer: integrated genomic surveillance tool for capsule genotype, serotype and sequence type in Streptococcus pneumoniae informs vaccine strategies

Pneumo-Typer identifies capsule genotype variations in Streptococcus pneumoniae genomes, revealing CapT diversity and informing vaccine strategies.

Linking Transcriptional and Cellular Responses of Human and Murine Pneumococcal Pneumonia

This study examines transcriptional changes in murine pneumonia models and identifies potential biomarkers for severe CAP by comparing gene expression with human plasma proteins.

A 5-transcript signature for discriminating viral and bacterial etiology in pediatric pneumonia

The paper identifies a 5-transcript signature in blood samples that distinguishes bacterial from viral pneumonia with high accuracy.

Inhibitory effect of Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum on pneumococcal in vitro growth

This study shows that Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum inhibit pneumococcal growth in vitro, with a synergistic effect when both are present.

Weakened airway epithelial junctions and enhanced neutrophil elastase release contribute to age-dependent bacteremia risk following pneumococcal pneumonia

This study identifies weakened airway epithelial junctions and increased neutrophil elastase release in aged mice as factors contributing to age-dependent bacteremia risk after pneumococcal pneumonia.

Influenza Virus Enhances Bacterial Growth in the Lungs through Weakening Capsule Receptor-Mediated Bacterial Capture by Neutrophils

This study shows influenza virus weakens neutrophil capture of low-virulence Streptococcus pneumoniae by reducing capsule receptor-mediated complement activation, enhancing bacterial survival and virulence.

IGF1R is protective in pneumococcal pneumonia

This study shows that IGF1R deficiency worsens pneumococcal pneumonia in mice, with increased lung damage and bacterial load, suggesting IGF1R has a protective role.

Development of the Pneumococcal Genome Library, a core genome multilocus sequence typing scheme, and a taxonomic life identification number barcoding system to investigate and define pneumococcal population structure

The paper develops a genomic resource and clustering methods for pneumococcal population analysis using a large curated dataset of genomes.

Comparative pangenome analysis of major pneumococcal genotypes from India

The paper analyzes the core genomes of major pneumococcal genotypes in India, identifies genotype-specific variations, and highlights antibiotic resistance and virulence gene distributions.

Evidence of virulence and antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 16F lineages

This study characterizes serotype 16F Streptococcus pneumoniae lineages and antimicrobial resistance in South African infants and globally, finding associations with disease and resistance.

Nasopharyngeal competition dynamics are likely to be altered following vaccine introduction: bacteriocin prevalence and diversity among Icelandic and Kenyan pneumococci

The paper examines changes in bacteriocin prevalence and diversity in pneumococci from Iceland and Kenya before and after vaccine introduction, showing vaccine-induced shifts in bacterial population structure.

PfaSTer: A ML-powered serotype caller for Streptococcus pneumoniae genomes

PfaSTer predicts serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae genomes using machine learning and k-mer analysis, achieving >97% concordance with biochemical and other in-silico methods.

Pneumococcal within-host diversity during colonisation, transmission and treatment

This study uses deep sequencing to analyze pneumococcal genetic diversity in infants and mothers, revealing transmission patterns and treatment impacts on resistant strains.

RNase R, a new virulence determinant of Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study shows that RNase R enhances pneumococcal virulence in Galleria mellonella by affecting bacterial replication and immune evasion.

The role of interspecies recombinations in the evolution of antibiotic resistant pneumococci

The paper reconstructs the evolutionary histories of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal lineages PMEN3 and PMEN9, showing how interspecies recombination contributes to antibiotic resistance and serotype switching.

Determining the serotype composition of mixed samples of pneumococcus using whole genome sequencing

This paper introduces SeroCall, a software tool for accurately quantifying pneumococcal serotypes in mixed samples using whole-genome sequencing.

Discovery and Predictive Modeling of Urine Microbiome, Metabolite and Cytokine Biomarkers in Hospitalized Patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia

This study identifies urine microbiome, metabolite, and cytokine biomarkers to predict pneumonia etiology with high accuracy using LASSO modeling.

Joint sequencing of human and pathogen genomes reveals the genetics of pneumococcal meningitis

The paper uses genome-wide association studies to show human and pneumococcal genetic variation influences susceptibility and severity of pneumococcal meningitis.

Early signals of vaccine driven perturbation seen in pneumococcal carriage population genomic data

This paper analyzes pneumococcal carriage genomic data before and after PCV13 introduction, showing reduced vaccine-type strains and limited serotype replacement.

Identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae genes associated with invasive disease using pangenome-based whole genome sequence typing

This study identifies 43 genes associated with invasive pneumococcal disease using whole genome sequence data and a random forest machine-learning algorithm across three geographically distinct datasets.

SeroBA: rapid high-throughput serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae from whole genome sequence data

SeroBA predicts Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes from whole genome sequencing data with high concordance and scalability.