Scott J Weissman, MD

Scott J Weissman, MD

Infectious Disease and Virology

On staff since November 2003

Academic Title: Professor

  • 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.

  • Patient Testimonials

    • Susanna Seattle, WA 11.22.23

      Dr. Weissman really understands the challenges faced by medically complex kids and families. When working on my child’s care plan, I felt that our priority to stay at home as much as possible was valued. Thank you Dr. Weissman!

    Recommend Scott J Weissman, MD

  • Awards and Honors

    Award Name Award Description Awarded By Award Date
    SEATTLE TOP DOCTOR - 2022 Seattle Magazine 2022
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2016 Seattle Magazine 2016
    Seattle Magazine Top Doctor - 2012 Seattle Magazine Top Doctor - 2012 Seattle Magazine 2012
    U.S. News Top Doctor U.S. News and World Report 2012

  • Publications

    Manuscripts in Refereed Journals

    • Zerr DM, Qin X, Oron AP, Adler AL, Wolter DJ, Berry JE, Hoffman L, Weissman SJ
      Pediatric Infection and Intestinal Carriage Due to Extended-Spectrum-Cephalosporin-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
      24798269 Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2014 July : 58(7)3997-4004 PMCID:PMC4068567
    • Kronman MP, Zerr DM, Qin X, Englund J, Cornell C, Sanders JE, Myers J, Rayar J, Berry JE, Adler AL, Weissman SJ
      Intestinal decontamination of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae after recurrent infections in an immunocompromised host.
      25041704 Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 2014 June
    • Drekonja DM, Beekmann SE, Elliott S, Mukundan D, Polenakovik H, Rosenthal ME, Tamma PD, Polgreen PM, Weissman SJ
      Challenges in the management of infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
      24602953 Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America, 2014 April : 35(4)437-9
    • Little ML, Qin X, Zerr DM, Weissman SJ
      Molecular epidemiology of colonizing and disease-causing Klebsiella pneumoniae in paediatric patients.
      24464691 Journal of medical microbiology, 2014 April : 63(Pt 4)610-6
    • Sick AC, Tschudin-Sutter S, Turnbull AE, Weissman SJ, Tamma PD
      Empiric Combination Therapy for Gram-Negative Bacteremia.
      24709936 Pediatrics, 2014 April
    • Newland JG, Gerber JS, Weissman SJ, Shah SS, Turgeon C, Hedican EB, Thurm C, Hall M, Courter J, Brogan TV, Maples H, Lee BR, Hersh AL
      Prevalence and characteristics of antimicrobial stewardship programs at freestanding children's hospitals in the United States.
      24521592 Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America, 2014 March : 35(3)265-71
    • Tchesnokova V, Billig M, Chattopadhyay S, Linardopoulou E, Aprikian P, Roberts PL, Skrivankova V, Johnston B, Gileva A, Igusheva I, Toland A, Riddell K, Rogers P, Qin X, Butler-Wu S, Cookson BT, Fang FC, Kahl B, Price LB, Weissman SJ, Limaye A, Scholes D, Johnson JR, Sokurenko EV
      Predictive diagnostics for Escherichia coli infections based on the clonal association of antimicrobial resistance and clinical outcome.
      23843485 Journal of clinical microbiology, 2013 Sept. : 51(9)2991-9 PMCID:PMC3754640
    • Chattopadhyay S, Taub F, Paul S, Weissman SJ, Sokurenko EV
      Microbial variome database: point mutations, adaptive or not, in bacterial core genomes.
      23493258 Molecular biology and evolution, 2013 June : 30(6)1465-70 PMCID:PMC3649677
    • Weissman SJ, Adler A, Qin X, Zerr DM
      Emergence of extended-spectrum -lactam resistance among Escherichia coli at a US academic children's hospital is clonal at the sequence type level for CTX-M-15, but not for CMY-2.
      23434250 International journal of antimicrobial agents, 2013 May : 41(5)414-20 PMCID:PMC3627824
    • Kisiela DI, Chattopadhyay S, Tchesnokova V, Paul S, Weissman SJ, Medenica I, Clegg S, Sokurenko EV
      Evolutionary analysis points to divergent physiological roles of type 1 fimbriae in Salmonella and Escherichia coli.
      23462115 mBio, 2013 March : 4(2) PMCID:PMC3604780
    • Johnson JR, Tchesnokova V, Johnston B, Clabots C, Roberts PL, Billig M, Riddell K, Rogers P, Qin X, Butler-Wu S, Price LB, Aziz M, Nicolas-Chanoine MH, Debroy C, Robicsek A, Hansen G, Urban C, Platell J, Trott DJ, Zhanel G, Weissman SJ, Cookson BT, Fang FC, Limaye AP, Scholes D, Chattopadhyay S, Hooper DC, Sokurenko EV
      Abrupt emergence of a single dominant multidrug-resistant strain of Escherichia coli.
      23288927 The Journal of infectious diseases, 2013 March : 207(6)919-28 PMCID:PMC3571447
    • Tamma PD, Newland JG, Pannaraj PS, Metjian TA, Banerjee R, Gerber JS, Weissman SJ, Beekmann SE, Polgreen PM, Hersh AL
      The use of intravenous colistin among children in the United States: results from a multicenter, case series.
      22935871 The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 2013 Jan. : 32(1)17-22
    • Newland JG, Banerjee R, Gerber JS, Hersh AL, Steinke L, Weissman SJ
      Antimicrobial stewardship in pediatric care: strategies and future directions.
      23307521 Pharmacotherapy, 2012 Aug. : 32(8)735-43
    • Johnson JR, Urban C, Weissman SJ, Jorgensen JH, Lewis JS 2nd, Hansen G, Edelstein PH, Robicsek A, Cleary T, Adachi J, Paterson D, Quinn J, Hanson ND, Johnston BD, Clabots C, Kuskowski MA, AMERECUS Investigators
      Molecular epidemiological analysis of Escherichia coli sequence type ST131 (O25:H4) and blaCTX-M-15 among extended-spectrum--lactamase-producing E. coli from the United States, 2000 to 2009.
      22354301 Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2012 May : 56(5)2364-70 PMCID:PMC3346636
    • Johnson JR, Nicolas-Chanoine MH, DebRoy C, Castanheira M, Robicsek A, Hansen G, Weissman S, Urban C, Platell J, Trott D, Zhanel G, Clabots C, Johnston BD, Kuskowski MA, MASTER Investigators
      Comparison of Escherichia coli ST131 pulsotypes, by epidemiologic traits, 1967-2009.
      22469129 Emerging infectious diseases, 2012 April : 18(4)598-607 PMCID:PMC3309662
    • Weissman SJ, Johnson JR, Tchesnokova V, Billig M, Dykhuizen D, Riddell K, Rogers P, Qin X, Butler-Wu S, Cookson BT, Fang FC, Scholes D, Chattopadhyay S, Sokurenko E
      High-resolution two-locus clonal typing of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli.
      22226951 Applied and environmental microbiology, 2012 March : 78(5)1353-60 PMCID:PMC3294456
    • Qin X, Galanakis E, Zerr D, Weissman SJ
      Antibiotic options for treatment of pediatric infections with Enterobacteriaceae producing broad spectrum beta-lactamases
      Anti-Infective Agents, 2012 : 10(2)130-135
    • Little ML, Qin X, Zerr DM, Weissman SJ
      Molecular diversity in mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in paediatric Enterobacteriaceae.
      22055532 International journal of antimicrobial agents, 2012 Jan. : 39(1)52-7 PMCID:PMC3237943
    • Jaspan HB, Brothers AW, Campbell AJ, McGuire JK, Browd SR, Manley TJ, Pak D, Weissman SJ
      Multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium meningitis in a toddler: characterization of the organism and successful treatment with intraventricular daptomycin and intravenous tigecycline.
      20010311 The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 2010 April : 379-81
    • Stahlhut SG, Tchesnokova V, Struve C, Weissman SJ, Chattopadhyay S, Yakovenko O, Aprikian P, Sokurenko EV, Krogfelt KA
      Comparative structure-function analysis of mannose-specific FimH adhesins from Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli.
      19734306 Journal of bacteriology, 2009 Nov. : 6592-601
    • Chattopadhyay S, Weissman SJ, Minin VN, Russo TA, Dykhuizen DE, Sokurenko EV
      High frequency of hotspot mutations in core genes of Escherichia coli due to short-term positive selection.
      19617543 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009 July : 12412-7
    • Stahlhut SG, Chattopadhyay S, Struve C, Weissman SJ, Aprikian P, Libby SJ, Fang FC, Krogfelt KA, Sokurenko EV
      Population variability of the FimH type 1 fimbrial adhesin in Klebsiella pneumoniae.
      19151141 Journal of bacteriology, 2009 March : 1941-50
    • Qin X, Zerr DM, Weissman SJ, Englund JA, Denno DM, Klein EJ, Tarr PI, Kwong J, Stapp JR, Tulloch LG, Galanakis E
      Prevalence and mechanisms of broad-spectrum beta-lactam resistance in Enterobacteriaceae: a children's hospital experience.
      18765688 Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2008 Nov. : 3909-14
    • Gomez-Duarte OG, Chattopadhyay S, Weissman SJ, Giron JA, Kaper JB, Sokurenko EV
      Genetic diversity of the gene cluster encoding longus, a type IV pilus of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
      17951389 Journal of bacteriology, 2007 Dec. : 9145-9
    • Weissman SJ, Beskhlebnaya V, Chesnokova V, Chattopadhyay S, Stamm WE, Hooton TM, Sokurenko EV
      Differential stability and trade-off effects of pathoadaptive mutations in the Escherichia coli FimH adhesin.
      17502398 Infection and immunity, 2007 July : 3548-55
    • Chattopadhyay S, Feldgarden M, Weissman SJ, Dykhuizen DE, van Belle G, Sokurenko EV
      Haplotype diversity in "source-sink" dynamics of Escherichia coli urovirulence.
      17177088 Journal of molecular evolution, 2007 Feb. : 204-14
    • Johnson JR, Owens KL, Clabots CR, Weissman SJ, Cannon SB
      Phylogenetic relationships among clonal groups of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli as assessed by multi-locus sequence analysis.
      16820314 Microbes and infection / Institut Pasteur, 2006 June : 1702-13
    • Weissman SJ, Chattopadhyay S, Aprikian P, Obata-Yasuoka M, Yarova-Yarovaya Y, Stapleton A, Ba-Thein W, Dykhuizen D, Johnson JR, Sokurenko EV
      Clonal analysis reveals high rate of structural mutations in fimbrial adhesins of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli.
      16420365 Molecular microbiology, 2006 Feb. : 975-88
    • Sokurenko EV, Feldgarden M, Trintchina E, Weissman SJ, Avagyan S, Chattopadhyay S, Johnson JR, Dykhuizen DE
      Selection footprint in the FimH adhesin shows pathoadaptive niche differentiation in Escherichia coli.
      15044596 Molecular biology and evolution, 2004 July : 1373-83
    • Qin X, Weissman SJ, Chesnut MF, Zhang B, Shen L
      Kirby-Bauer disc approximation to detect inducible third-generation cephalosporin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae.
      15256000 Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials, 2004 July : 13
    • Weissman SJ, Moseley SL, Dykhuizen DE, Sokurenko EV
      Enterobacterial adhesins and the case for studying SNPs in bacteria.
      12648942 Trends in microbiology, 2003 March : 115-7
    • Qin X, Abe PM, Weissman SJ, Manning SC
      Extrapulmonary Legionella micdadei infection in a previously healthy child.
      12508793 The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 2002 Dec. : 1174-6

Overview

Board Certification(s)

Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Medical/Professional School

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