Dr. S. Wesley Long received his MD degree in 2007 from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston TX, where he also earned a PhD in Experimental Pathology. After finishing his doctoral studies, Dr. Long completed a clinical pathology residency at Houston Methodist. He currently serves as a member of the Editorial Board for Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Long’s research centers on functional genomics of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains to identify novel drug targets. He is currently focusing his work on MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Klebsiella pneumoniae, both of which readily acquire resistance to several different types of antibiotics and are prevalent in the hospital setting.
Houston Methodist infectious disease pathologists have discovered new COVID-19 cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 UK B.1.1.7 variant are doubling weekly. By mid-March the number increased sharply to 648 cases from 305 just a week earlier. The findings come from the latest batch of 8,857 virus genomes sequenced from patients with positive COVID-19 tests in the first two months of 2021, representing 94% of Houston Methodist cases.
31-Mar-2021 06:00:52 PM EDT
Houston Methodist has sequenced more than 20,000 of Houston’s coronavirus genomes since the start of the pandemic and leads the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing efforts in the U.S. In the most recent batches of genomes, the U.K., South Africa, Brazil, California and New York variants were detected.
02-Mar-2021 03:05:43 PM EST
A silver lining is emerging amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Influenza numbers are way down – 98 percent down, according to the CDC. Locally, during flu season last year, Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals saw 250 to 450 flu cases per week. This year the hospital system has seen only 2 to 5 flu cases per week so far. The numbers tell a striking story. Handwashing, masking and social distancing work.
02-Feb-2021 02:30:29 PM EST
28-Feb-2017 05:05:06 PM EST