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Open AccessPopulation genomics of Group B Streptococcus reveals the genetics of neonatal disease onset and meningeal invasion
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), or Streptococcus agalactiae, is a pathogen that causes preterm births, stillbirths, and acute invasive neonatal disease burden and mortality. Here, we investigate bacterial genetic si...
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Article
Open AccessComparative pangenome analysis of capsulated Haemophilus influenzae serotype f highlights their high genomic stability
Haemophilus influenzae is an opportunistic pathogen adapted to the human respiratory tract. Non-typeable H. influenzae are highly heterogeneous, but few studies have analysed the genomic variability of capsulated...
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Article
Open AccessWhole genome de novo sequencing and comparative genomic analyses suggests that Chlamydia psittaci strain 84/2334 should be reclassified as Chlamydia abortus species
Chlamydia abortus and Chlamydia psittaci are important pathogens of livestock and avian species, respectively. While C. abortus is recognized as descended from C. psittaci species, there is emerging evidence of s...
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Article
Open AccessIndividual responsiveness of macrophage migration inhibitory factor predicts long-term cognitive impairment after bacterial meningitis
Patients with pneumococcal meningitis are at risk for death and neurological sequelae including cognitive impairment. Functional genetic polymorphisms of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) alleles ha...
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Article
Open AccessIncreasing incidence of group B streptococcus neonatal infections in the Netherlands is associated with clonal expansion of CC17 and CC23
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal invasive disease worldwide. In the Netherlands incidence of the disease increased despite implementation of preventive guidelines. We describe a gen...
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Article
Open AccessComplement factor H contributes to mortality in humans and mice with bacterial meningitis
The complement system is a vital component of the inflammatory response occurring during bacterial meningitis. Blocking the complement system was shown to improve the outcome of experimental pneumococcal menin...
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Article
Open AccessEvaluation of the surveillance system for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in the Netherlands, 2004–2016
Enhanced surveillance for confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) was introduced in the Netherlands in 2003, in which reference laboratory data (NRLBM) are linked with notification data (OSIRIS...
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Article
Open AccessJoint sequencing of human and pathogen genomes reveals the genetics of pneumococcal meningitis
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common nasopharyngeal colonizer, but can also cause life-threatening invasive diseases such as empyema, bacteremia and meningitis. Genetic variation of host and pathogen is known to ...
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Article
Open AccessGenomic analyses of the Chlamydia trachomatis core genome show an association between chromosomal genome, plasmid type and disease
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) plasmid has been shown to encode genes essential for infection. We evaluated the population structure of Ct using whole-genome sequence data (WGS). In particular, the relationship betwe...
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Article
Open AccessExternal Quality Assurance for Laboratory Identification and Capsular Ty** of Streptococcus pneumoniae
An external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for pneumococcal serotype identification has been performed over a period of 11 years, by a network of European pneumococcal reference laboratories. We report the re...
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Article
Open AccessBacterial Meningitis in Patients using Immunosuppressive Medication: a Population-based Prospective Nationwide Study
We studied occurrence, presentation, disease course, effect of adjunctive dexamethasone, and prognosis of bacterial meningitis in patients using immunosuppressive medication. Patients were selected from our na...
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Open AccessErratum to: Mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease 2 (MASP-2) contributes to poor disease outcome in humans and mice with pneumococcal meningitis
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Article
Open AccessMannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease 2 (MASP-2) contributes to poor disease outcome in humans and mice with pneumococcal meningitis
Pneumococcal meningitis is the most common and severe form of bacterial meningitis. Fatality rates are substantial, and long-term sequelae develop in about half of survivors. Disease outcome has been related t...
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Article
Open AccessBacterial meningitis in diabetes patients: a population-based prospective study
Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased infection rates. We studied clinical features and outcome of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in diabetes patients. Patients were selected from a nationwid...
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Article
Open AccessInfection of zebrafish embryos with live fluorescent Streptococcus pneumoniae as a real-time pneumococcal meningitis model
Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most important causes of bacterial meningitis, an infection where unfavourable outcome is driven by bacterial and host-derived toxins. In this st...
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Article
Open AccessExome Array Analysis of Susceptibility to Pneumococcal Meningitis
Host genetic variability may contribute to susceptibility of bacterial meningitis, but which genes contribute to the susceptibility to this complex disease remains undefined. We performed a genetic association...
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Article
Open AccessV-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 3 (AKT3) contributes to poor disease outcome in humans and mice with pneumococcal meningitis
Pneumococcal meningitis is the most common and severe form of bacterial meningitis. Fatality rates are substantial, and long-term sequelae develop in about half of survivors. Here, we have performed a prospect...
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Article
Open AccessDoes ty** of Chlamydia trachomatis using housekee** multilocus sequence ty** reveal different sexual networks among heterosexuals and men who have sex with men?
Chlamydia trachomatis infections remain the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. To gain more insight into the epidemiology and transmission of C. trachomati...
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Article
Open AccessToll-Like Receptor 9 Enhances Bacterial Clearance and Limits Lung Consolidation in Murine Pneumonia Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen in pneumonia associated with severe lung damage. Tissue injury causes release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which may...
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Article
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 influences cerebrovascular complications and death in pneumococcal meningitis
Cerebrovascular complications are common in pneumococcal meningitis and are a main determinant of unfavourable outcome and death. We hypothesized that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a major contr...
