Publications – Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics

Genome wide association studies define minimal set of loci for prediction of penicillin and tetracycline susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Author(s): Mortimer TD, Zhang JJ, Ma KC, Grad YHJournal: bioRxiv August 2021

While Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses an urgent public health threat because of increasing antimicrobial resistance, much of the circulating population remains…

Modeling the impact of racial and ethnic disparities on COVID-19 epidemic dynamics.

Author(s): Ma KC, Menkir TF, Kissler SM, Grad YH, Lipsitch MJournal: ElifePMID: 34003112 May 2021

The impact of variable infection risk by race and ethnicity on the dynamics of SARS CoV-2 spread is largely unknown.

A community-driven resource for genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance prediction of Neisseria gonorrhoeae at Pathogenwatch.

Author(s): Sánchez-Busó L, Yeats CA, Taylor B, Goater RJ, Underwood A, Abudahab K, Argimón S, Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Golparian D, Cole MJ, Grad YH, Martin I, Raphael BH, Shafer WM, Town K, Wi T, Harris SR, Unemo M, Aanensen DMJournal: Genome MedPMID: 33875000 April 2021

Emergence and evolution of antimicrobial resistance genes and mutations in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Author(s): Yahara K, Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Shimuta K, Nakayama SI, Hirabayashi A, Suzuki M, Jinnai M, Ohya H, Kuroki T, Watanabe Y, Yasuda M, Deguchi T, Eldholm V, Harrison OB, Maiden MCJ, Grad YH, Ohnishi MJournal: Genome MedPMID: 33785063 March 2021

Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global health concern. Strains from two internationally circulating sequence types, ST-7363 and ST-1901,…

Loss of function of nitric oxide reductase associated with neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in women

Author(s): Mortimer T.D., Grad YH, Ma KC, Mortimer TDJournal: Am J Obstet Gynecol December 2020

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, must adapt to the variable selective pressures in the…

Big data and simple models used to track the spread of COVID-19 in cities.

Author(s): Ma KC, Lipsitch MJournal: NaturePMID: 33173216 November 2020

Behind the highly politicized disagreements over COVID-19 control measures lies a widely shared desire to return economic and social life…

Increased power from conditional bacterial genome-wide association identifies macrolide resistance mutations in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Author(s): Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Duckett MA, Hicks AL, Wheeler NE, Sánchez-Busó L, Grad YHJournal: Nat CommunPMID: 33097713 October 2020

The emergence of resistance to azithromycin complicates treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the etiologic agent of gonorrhea. Substantial azithromycin resistance remains…

Efflux Pump Antibiotic Binding Site Mutations Are Associated with Azithromycin Nonsusceptibility in Clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates.

Author(s): Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Grad YHJournal: MBioPMID: 32843551 August 2020

Lyu and Moseng et al. used cryo-electron microscopy to characterize key residues involved in drug binding by mosaic-like MtrD efflux…

Adaptation to the cervical environment is associated with increased antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Author(s): Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Hicks AL, Wheeler NE, Sánchez-Busó L, Golparian D, Taiaroa G, Rubin DHF, Wang Y, Williamson DA, Unemo M, Harris SR, Grad YHJournal: Nat CommunPMID: 32807804 August 2020

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an urgent public health threat due to rapidly increasing incidence and antibiotic resistance. In contrast with the…

Targeted surveillance strategies for efficient detection of novel antibiotic resistance variants.

Author(s): Hicks AL, Kissler SM, Mortimer TD, Ma KC, Taiaroa G, Ashcroft M, Williamson DA, Lipsitch M, Grad YHJournal: ElifePMID: 32602459 June 2020

Genotype-based diagnostics for antibiotic resistance represent a promising alternative to empiric therapy, reducing inappropriate antibiotic use. However, because such assays…