Jimenezbak5355

6%) developed complications. Comorbidities were risk factors for complications (p less then 0.001). Viral coinfections, underlying clinical conditions, age 5-9 years and lymphopenia were statistically related to ICU admission (p less then 0.05). Conclusions Complications of COVID-19 in children are related to comorbidities and increase with age. Viral co-infections are additional risk factors for disease progression and multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporarily related to COVID-19 (MIS-C) for ICU admission.Background Switzerland had one of the highest incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Europe during the second wave. Schools were open as in most of Europe with specific preventive measures in place. However, the frequency and transmission of acute unrecognized, asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic infections in schools during this time of high community transmission is unknown. Thereof, our aim was to pilot a surveillance system that detects acute SARS-CoV-2 infections in schools and possible transmission within classes. Ganetespib supplier Methods Fourteen out of the randomly selected sample of the Ciao Corona cohort study participated between December 1 and 11, a time when incidence rate for SARS-CoV-2 infections was high for the canton of Zurich. We determined point-prevalence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infections of school children attending primary and secondary school. A buccal swab for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to detect SARS-CoV-2 were taken twonclusion In a setting of high incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections, unrecognized virus spread within schools was very low. Schools appear to be safe with the protective measures in place (e.g., clearly symptomatic children have to stay at home, prompt contact tracing with individual and class-level quarantine, and structured infection prevention measures in school). Specificity of the RDT was within the lower boundary of performance and needs further evaluation for its use in schools. Given the low point prevalence even in a setting of very high incidence, a targeted test, track, isolate and quarantine (TTIQ) strategy for symptomatic children and school personnel adapted to school settings is likely more suitable approach than surveillance on entire classes and schools. Clinical Trial Registration https//clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04448717, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04448717.

Convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion is considered to be the priority therapeutic option for COVID-19 inpatients when no specific drugs are available for emerging infections. An alternative, simple, and sensitive method is urgently needed for clinical use to detect neutralization activity of the CP to avoid the use of inconvenient micro-neutralization assay.

This study aims to explore optimal index in predicting the COVID-19 CP neutralization activity (neutralizing antibody titers, NAb titers) in an indirect ELISA format. Fifty-seven COVID-19-recovered patients plasma samples were subjected to anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD, S1, and N protein IgG antibody by indirect ELISA.

ELISA-RBD exhibited high specificity (96.2%) and ELISA-N had high sensitivity (100%); while ELISA-S1 had low sensitivity (86.0%) and specificity (73.1%). Furthermore, ELISA-RBD IgG titers and pseudovirus-based NAb titers correlated significantly, with R

of 0.2564 (P < 0.0001).

ELISA-RBD could be a substitute for the neutralization assay in resource-limited situations to screen potential plasma donors for further plasma infusion therapy.

ELISA-RBD could be a substitute for the neutralization assay in resource-limited situations to screen potential plasma donors for further plasma infusion therapy.

An accurate and timely identification of bacterial species is critical in clinical diagnostics. Species identification allows a potential first adaptation of empiric antibiotic treatments before the resistance profile is available. Matrix assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a widely used method for bacterial species identification. However, important challenges in species identification remain. These arise from (i) incomplete databases, (ii) close relatedness of species of interest, and (iii) spectral quality, which is currently vaguely defined.

We selected 47 clinically relevant bacterial isolates from 39 species, which can be challenging to identify by MALDI-TOF MS. We measured these isolates under various analytical conditions on two MALDI-TOF MS systems. First, we identified spectral features, which were associated with correct species identification in three different databases. Considering these features, we then systematically compared spectra proch as those within the

complex,

complex, or viridans streptococci.

We identified and applied quality measures for MALDI-TOF MS and optimized spectral quality in routine settings. Phylogenetic marker peaks can be reproducibly detected and provide an increased resolution and the ability to distinguish between challenging species such as those within the Enterobacter cloacae complex, Burkholderia cepacia complex, or viridans streptococci.The occurrence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris isolates and the increased mortality associated with invasive infections or outbreaks due to this Candida species have been reported in many healthcare settings. Therefore, accurate and rapid identification at the species level of clinical C. auris isolates as well as their timely differentiation as susceptible or resistant to antifungal drugs is mandatory. Aims of the present study were to implement the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) Bruker Daltonics Biotyper® database with C. auris spectrum profiles and to develop a fast and reproducible MS assay for detecting anidulafungin (AFG) resistance in C. auris isolates. After creation of main C. auris spectra, a score-oriented dendrogram was generated from hierarchical cluster analysis, including spectra of isolates from C. auris and other Candida (C. glabrata, C. guilliermondii, C. haemulonii, C. lusitaniae, and C. parapsilosis) or non-Candida (Rhodotorula glutinis) species. Cluster analysis allowed to group and classify the isolates according to their species designation.