Scott J Weissman, MD

Scott J Weissman, MD

Specialties

  • Academic Title: Professor
  • On Staff Since: November 2003

  • Biography

    Scott Weissman, MD: Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Despite being one of the most exhaustively studied free-living organisms in biology, the Escherichia coli bacterium continues to produce a massive burden of disease, including extraintestinal syndromes such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and bloodstream infections.

    Since the initiation of intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis for group B streptococcus during pregnancy, E. coli has become the leading bacterial cause of early-onset sepsis (EOS) in newborns. Now, with ampicillin-resistant rates >80% among E. coli isolates, it remains unclear whether contemporary EOS isolates represent antibiotic-resistant derivatives of the traditional K1-encapsulated clones described in the 1970s (which would facilitate rapid point-of-care screening tests) or a more diverse array of novel antibiotic-resistant clones like those that have complicated empiric treatment of community-acquired UTI (e.g., Bactrim-resistant "clonal group A"). My lab uses PCR- and sequence-based molecular typing techniques to characterize clinical isolate collections gathered through active and passive surveillance by the NICHD Neonatal Research Network and the Minnesota Department of Health.

    With the appearance of EOS-associated clones resistant to standard ampicillin/gentamicin combination therapy, this project will inform guidelines for the empiric treatment of early-onset sepsis. My lab is also using molecular techniques to characterize the spread of plasmid-borne extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes among Enterobacteriaceae. Since 2000, we have witnessed the worldwide emergence of Gram-negative "superbugs" such as E. coli ST131 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258which not only encode multiple virulence factors associated with extraintestinal disease, but also Class A enzymes that hydrolyze third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenem antibiotics (CTX-M-15 and KPC, respectively). Our molecular typing methods will characterize the dynamics of antibiotic resistance, to distinguish epidemics of resistance genes that spread between plasmids, plasmids that spread between strains, and strains that spread across continents.

    Board Certification(s)

    Pediatric Infectious Diseases

    Education

    University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA

    Residency

    Kaiser Permanente Medical Center of LA, Los Angeles, CA

    Fellowship

    Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA

    Research Description

    Despite being one of the most exhaustively studied free-living organisms in biology, Escherichia coli continues to produce a massive burden of disease, including extraintestinal syndromes such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and bloodstream infections. Since 2000, we have witnessed the worldwide emergence of Gram-negative "superbugs," such as E. coli ST131 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 - which not only encode multiple virulence factors associated with extraintestinal disease, but also Class A enzymes that hydrolyze third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenem antibiotics (CTX-M-15 and KPC, respectively). The subsequent appearance of the New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) enzyme has accentuated the highly dynamic nature of spreading antibiotic resistance, as travelers abroad have become colonized with pan-resistant bacteria and brought them back to their countries of origin and then experienced virtually untreatable infections. Through collaborations with other free-standing children's hospitals and the Washington State Department of Health, Dr. Weissman's lab uses molecular and sequence-based techniques to characterize the spread of plasmid-borne extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase enzymes among Enterobacteriaceae. Their molecular typing methods characterize the molecular dynamics of antibiotic resistance, distinguishing epidemics of resistance genes that spread between plasmids, plasmids that spread between strains, and strains that spread across continents.

    Research Focus Area

    Infectious Disease

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