Background We sought to provide a contemporary picture of the presentation, etiology, and
outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) in a large patient cohort from multiple locations …

Background: In adults, viral causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are poorly
characterised. The aims of this study were to characterise the viral aetiology of CAP in adults by …

Context Observational studies have reported an inverse association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin
D (25-OHD) levels and incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). …

Background Betaine is a major osmolyte, also important in methyl group metabolism.
Concentrations of betaine, its metabolite dimethylglycine and analog trimethylamine-N-oxide (…

The HACEK organisms (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium
hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) are rare causes of infective endocarditis (…

Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) kills nearly 2 million people annually, yet rapid diagnosis still
relies on a 100-year-old method of sputum staining for acid-fast bacilli. The advent of solid …

Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are associated with progressive life threatening
decline of lung function in cystic fibrosis sufferers. Growth of Ps. aeruginosa releases a …

Recent figures show that tuberculosis (TB) is advancing and killing more than two million
people annually, yet no breakthrough in rapid diagnostics is in sight. Volatile metabolites of …

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia,
but it is undoubtedly underdiagnosed. We used a nested PCR assay (targeting the …

Mould species represent the pathogens most commonly associated with invasive fungal
disease in patients with haematological malignancies and patients of haemopoietic stem cell …