key: cord-0048055-kjv1t068
authors: nan
title: CMN Welcomes New Editor – Elitza S. Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM)
date: 2020-08-01
journal: Clin Microbiol Newsl
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinmicnews.2020.07.002
sha: c93cb9cda40da0de04817e03084d0acfe7915671
doc_id: 48055
cord_uid: kjv1t068

nan

Dr. Theel's clinical research interests revolve around developing and evaluating antibody and antigen detection assays for a variety of different infectious disease pathogens. In particular, she has focused on optimizing specific and pan-fungal antigen detection assays, assessing novel methods for serodiagnosis of Lyme disease and developing antibody index assays for more accurate diagnosis of neuroinvasive infections, including, most notably, for neuroinvasive Lyme disease [1] [2] [3] [4] . Dr. Theel also leads the Integrated Mayo Program for Arthropod-borne diseases Community education, Teaching and Surveillance (IMPACTS) Initiative, a benefactor-funded project located in Belize, Central America. The initiative is a multi-institution collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the University of Notre Dame, with the overarching goals to enhance in-country clinical laboratory quality assurance practices, increasing testing capacity, establishing arthropod-borne seroprevalence rates in the country, and providing public health education regarding vector-borne diseases. Most recently, Dr. Theel has been heavily involved in the development and evaluation of emerging serologic tests for detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, and has focused on providing education and guidance to clinicians, the public, and government officials on appropriate utilization and interpretation of results from these tests [5, 6; https://asm.org/Articles/Policy/2020/May/ Coronavirus-Webinar-Series-The-Microbial-Sciences].

An unusual cluster of neuroinvasive Lyme disease cases presenting with Bannwarth syndrome in the midwest United States

Limitations and confusing aspects of diagnostic testing for neurologic Lyme disease in the United States

Performance characteristics of a multiplex flow immunoassay for detection of IgG-Class antibodies to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella-zoster viruses in presumptively immune health care workers

Reevaluation of commercial reagents for detection of Histoplasma capsulatum antigen in urine

The role of antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2: is there one?

Performance characteristics of four high-throughput immunoassays for detection of IgG Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2