Lab Matters Fall 2024 | Page 62

APHL 2024 POSTER ABSTRACTS

shipping stability . The specimens were various combinations of urine , vaginal , oral and / or rectal swabs in which the positive prevalences of CT were 1.89 %, 3.32 %, 1.14 % and 5.48 %; and NG were 0.52 %, 0.43 %, 4.37 % and 2.86 %, respectively . Among 233,254 individuals who submitted urine ( or vaginal swab ) paired with oral and rectal swabs for CT testing , rectal swab specimens showed the highest positivity at 5.48 %, with vaginal swabs as second highest ( 3.32 %) while urine tested positive at 1.89 %. Among 233,262 tested for NG , oral swabs had the highest positivity at 4.37 %. In contrast , the most commonly tested specimen type , urine , tested positive at 0.52 %. Further analysis of the gender-specific results showed that the CT detections in rectal swabs were the highest ( 5.5 %) in males compared to urine specimens at 1.73 % and oral swabs at 1.13 %. For females , the percent positive in urine ( 5.08 %) and rectal swabs ( 4.65 %) were higher than vaginal ( 3.32 %) or oral ( 1.48 %) swabs . CT infections are higher for both males and females than the CDC reported rate in the self-collect population . Similarly , NG detection in oral swabs was the highest ( 4.46 %) in males followed by rectal swabs ( 2.88 %), yet female urine ( 1.02 %) and vaginal swabs ( 0.42 %) were comparable to oral and rectal swabs ( 1.57 % and 1.60 %, respectively ). Although urine and vaginal swabs are the CDC-recommended optimal specimen types for both CT and NG testing , collecting from multiple sites ( genital , oral and rectal ), increased the CT / NG detection rates and in many cases , confirmed positivity at sites in the absence of genital detection .

The prevalence of CT and NG in the at-risk patient-collected population is higher than the CDC national prevalence rates for both males and females by all collection routes . Additionally , testing with a multi-site collection regimen increases detection and decreases false negatives .

Presenter : Bekah Reiser , Molecular Testing Labs , Email : breiser @ moleculartestinglabs . com

Traversing the Unknown Within Mycobacterial Horizontal Gene Transfer by Assessing Recipient Mating Identity Protein Function

E . Reagan , K . Derbyshire , T . Gray , New York State Department of Health , Wadsworth Center

Mycobacteria , notably recognized for their involvement in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy , continue to pose a substantial challenge globally within public health . Distributive conjugal transfer ( DCT ) is a new flavor of horizontal gene transfer and is believed to be novel to mycobacteria . DCT requires cell to cell contact and is driven by the recipient mycobacteria ’ s ability to distinguish contacting mycobacteria as “ kin ” or “ non kin ” using hypermorphic proteins encoded by genes in a mating identity locus known as MID . Utilizing Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model organism , previous studies have focused on the role of the MidA protein encoded in the donor partner . The goal of our present work is to determine the roles and mechanisms of MID protein function in the recipient partner . Through mutagenesis and complementation of the MID genes in recipient strains of M . smegmatis , we will determine roles for MID proteins in recognition of non-kin contact using the resulting signal transduction transcriptional activation and DNA transfer efficiencies of DCT assays . The results generated from this inquiry will provide a foundation for the understanding of how mycobacteria interact within populations , MID gene function and the potential contributions of DCT on mycobacterial evolution .

Presenter : Easton Reagan , easton . reagan3 @ health . ny . gov

Understanding the Relationship of P . aeruginosa and M . abscessus in Cystic Fibrosis Infections

A . Kurtz , V . Bavda , J . Paczkowski , New York State Public Health Lab , Wadsworth Center

Cystic fibrosis ( CF ) is a chronic genetic condition that currently has no cure . One defining characteristic of the disease is the thickening of the mucus lining of the lungs , which creates an ideal environment for bacterial infections . Despite the use of antibiotics , chronic bacterial infections are common in patients with CF . Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a multidrug resistant bacterium , is one of the predominant bacterial species found in the lungs of patients with CF . A defining characteristic of chronic P . aeruginosa infections is mutations of the quorum sensing pathway . Quorum sensing is a method of bacterial communication allowing for the initiation of group behaviors , such as those needed for infection . This is accomplished through the production and secretion of small molecules that are interpreted by cells as a way of measuring cell density in a particular niche . P . aeruginosa require a quorum to properly infect CF patients and because they are often surrounded by other bacteria in the host lung . To produce a more comprehensive understanding of infection progression in the CF lung , it is important to understand how P . aeruginosa interprets different blends of signals produced by different species . An emerging concern of nosocomial infections is Mycobacterium abscessus , a multidrug resistant bacterium that is becoming increasingly prevalent in CF patients . M . abscessus is often found with P . aeruginosa or becomes exacerbated in the event in which a P . aeruginosa infection was cleared . We focused on the co-culture of these two clinically relevant bacteria to better understand infection dynamics in a host lung . By co-culturing P . aeruginosa and M . abscessus on solid media , we observed dramatic differences in colony morphology and phenotypes in both strains when compared to their growth in monoculture . These phenotypes will be correlated to their genotypes to better understand the relevant signaling pathways for the progression of these interactions . Overall , these findings will provide new insights on how multispecies interactions shape CF infections .

Presenter : Amanda Kurtz , amanda . kurtz @ health . ny . gov

Utilization of the Modified Carbapenem Inactivation Method ( mCIM ) to Screen for Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales , Nebraska 2023

E . McCutchen , B . Ayers , A . Bartling , S . McGill , A . Roden , P . Iwen , Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

Background : The CDC recently described carbapenemaseproducing Enterobacterales ( CPE ) as urgent antimicrobial resistant threats in the U . S . and expressed that aggressive action is needed to reduce the spread of these high-risk pathogens . Public health laboratories participating in the CDC Antimicrobial Resistant Lab Network ( AR Lab Network ) provide a service to their jurisdictions to help monitor for these pathogens . This report describes the results of using the modified carbapenem inactivation method