Featured Publications
Paenibacillus infection with frequent viral coinfection contributes to postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants
Paulson J, Williams B, Hehnly C, Mishra N, Sinnar S, Zhang L, Ssentongo P, Mbabazi-Kabachelor E, Wijetunge D, von Bredow B, Mulondo R, Kiwanuka J, Bajunirwe F, Bazira J, Bebell L, Burgoine K, Couto-Rodriguez M, Ericson J, Erickson T, Ferrari M, Gladstone M, Guo C, Haran M, Hornig M, Isaacs A, Kaaya B, Kangere S, Kulkarni A, Kumbakumba E, Li X, Limbrick D, Magombe J, Morton S, Mugamba J, Ng J, Olupot-Olupot P, Onen J, Peterson M, Roy F, Sheldon K, Townsend R, Weeks A, Whalen A, Quackenbush J, Ssenyonga P, Galperin M, Almeida M, Atkins H, Warf B, Lipkin W, Broach J, Schiff S. Paenibacillus infection with frequent viral coinfection contributes to postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants. Science Translational Medicine 2020, 12 PMID: 32998967, PMCID: PMC7774825, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aba0565.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPostinfectious hydrocephalusCSF samplesPIH casesPotential causative organismsCerebrospinal fluid accumulationCytomegalovirus coinfectionUgandan infantsNeonatal sepsisSurgical palliationNeonatal infectionInfant casesOptimal treatmentInfant cohortCommon causeCausative organismPediatric hydrocephalusFluid accumulationHydrocephalusAnaerobic bacterial isolatesControl casesInfectionFacultative anaerobic bacterial isolatesInfantsParasitic DNADisease
2022
Type IV Pili Are a Critical Virulence Factor in Clinical Isolates of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus
Hehnly C, Shi A, Ssentongo P, Zhang L, Isaacs A, Morton S, Streck N, Erdmann-Gilmore P, Tolstoy I, Townsend R, Limbrick D, Paulson J, Ericson J, Galperin M, Schiff S, Broach J. Type IV Pili Are a Critical Virulence Factor in Clinical Isolates of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus. MBio 2022, 13: e02688-22. PMID: 36374038, PMCID: PMC9765702, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02688-22.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPostinfectious hydrocephalusClinical isolatesVirulence factorsCritical virulence factorPotential virulence factorsPoor long-term outcomesPrevention of hydrocephalusLong-term outcomesBacterial pathogensDevastating sequelaeNeonatal sepsisMiddle-income countriesNeonatal infectionSurgical interventionReference strainsNovel bacterial pathogensAfrican cohortBeta-lactamase genesChildhood mortalityHydrocephalusTherapeutic targetInfectionVirulent strainDevastating diseaseWhole-genome sequencingCytomegalovirus infections in infants in Uganda: Newborn-mother pairs, neonates with sepsis, and infants with hydrocephalus
Hehnly C, Ssentongo P, Bebell L, Burgoine K, Bazira J, Fronterre C, Kumbakumba E, Mulondo R, Mbabazi-Kabachelor E, Morton S, Ngonzi J, Ochora M, Olupot-Olupot P, Mugamba J, Onen J, Roberts D, Sheldon K, Sinnar S, Smith J, Ssenyonga P, Kiwanuka J, Paulson J, Meier F, Ericson J, Broach J, Schiff S. Cytomegalovirus infections in infants in Uganda: Newborn-mother pairs, neonates with sepsis, and infants with hydrocephalus. International Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2022, 118: 24-33. PMID: 35150915, PMCID: PMC9058984, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.02.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNewborn-mother pairsCMV prevalenceClinical sepsisCytomegalovirus infectionCerebrospinal fluidPrevalence of CMVQuantitative PCRCMV positivityPostinfectious hydrocephalusVaginal sheddingCMV infectionHIV seropositivityNeonatal ageMaternal ageMaternal vaginalRisk factorsMedical CenterLong-term consequencesMother pairsSepsisNeonatesInfantsPrevalenceHydrocephalusCMV
2021
Immune activation during Paenibacillus brain infection in African infants with frequent cytomegalovirus co-infection
Isaacs A, Morton S, Movassagh M, Zhang Q, Hehnly C, Zhang L, Morales D, Sinnar S, Ericson J, Mbabazi-Kabachelor E, Ssenyonga P, Onen J, Mulondo R, Hornig M, Warf B, Broach J, Townsend R, Limbrick D, Paulson J, Schiff S. Immune activation during Paenibacillus brain infection in African infants with frequent cytomegalovirus co-infection. IScience 2021, 24: 102351. PMID: 33912816, PMCID: PMC8065213, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102351.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNeonatal sepsisBrain infectionImmune activationInnate immune system responseRisk of hydrocephalusDominant bacterial pathogenHost immune responsePlatelet-activating factorImmune system responseOxidative stress reactionSecondary sequelaeAdjunctive treatmentImmune response networkNeutrophil activityIL-12Hydrocephalic infantsAfrican infantsIL-13IL-4JAK/STAT pathwayAntigen-presenting complexImmune responseHydrocephalusPotential targetNeuroinflammation
2020
Complete Genome Sequences of the Human Pathogen Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus Mbale and Type Strain P. thiaminolyticus NRRL B-4156
Hehnly C, Zhang L, Paulson J, Almeida M, von Bredow B, Wijetunge D, Galperin M, Sheldon K, Schiff S, Broach J. Complete Genome Sequences of the Human Pathogen Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus Mbale and Type Strain P. thiaminolyticus NRRL B-4156. Microbiology Resource Announcements 2020, 9: 10.1128/mra.00181-20. PMID: 32273361, PMCID: PMC7380522, DOI: 10.1128/mra.00181-20.Peer-Reviewed Original Research