Brad Cookson

<i>Bartonella</i> spp. Infections Identified by Molecular Methods, United States

Emerging infectious diseases · 2023 · 39 citations

Molecular methods can enable rapid identification of Bartonella spp. infections, which are difficult to diagnose by using culture or serology. We analyzed clinical test results of PCR that targeted bacterial 16S rRNA hypervariable V1-V2 regions only or in parallel with PCR of Bartonella-specific ribC gene. We identified 430 clinical specimens infected with Bartonella spp. from 420 patients in the United States. Median patient age was 37 (range 1-79) years; 62% were male. We identified B. hensela…

Diverse small molecules prevent macrophage lysis during pyroptosis

Cell Death and Disease · 2019-04-11 · 39 citations

Pyroptosis is a programmed process of proinflammatory cell death mediated by caspase-1-related proteases that cleave the pore-forming protein, gasdermin D, causing cell lysis and release of inflammatory intracellular contents. The amino acid glycine prevents pyroptotic lysis via unknown mechanisms, without affecting caspase-1 activation or pore formation. Pyroptosis plays a critical role in diverse inflammatory diseases, including sepsis. Septic lethality is prevented by glycine treatment, sugge…

High Clinical Impact of Broad-Range Fungal PCR in Suspected Fungal Sinusitis

Journal of Clinical Microbiology · 2021 · 37 citations

Broad-range fungal PCR is a powerful tool for identifying pathogens directly from patient specimens; however, reported estimates of clinical utility vary and costs discourage universal testing. We investigated the diagnostic and clinical utility of broad-range fungal PCR by examining 9 years of results from sinonasal specimens, hypothesizing that this anatomic location would identify immunocompromised patients at high risk for invasive fungal disease. We retrospectively identified 644 PCRs and 1…

International Spread of Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter coli in Men Who Have Sex With Men in Washington State and Québec, 2015–2018

Clinical Infectious Diseases · 2019-10-23 · 34 citations

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter species are among the most common causes of enteric bacterial infections worldwide. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for sexually transmitted enteric infections, including globally distributed strains of multidrug-resistant Shigella species. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of MSM-associated Campylobacter in Seattle, Washington and Montréal, Québec with phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profiles and whole genome sequencing (WGS). RESULTS: W…

Pillars Article: Caspase-1-dependent pore formation during pyroptosis leads to osmotic lysis of infected host macrophages. <i>Cell Microbiol</i>. 2006. 8: 1812-1825.

PubMed · 2019-04-01 · 30 citations