Publications by authors named "Anthony Marius Smith"

Article Synopsis
  • Health authorities reported a suspected foodborne disease outbreak in a South African hospital after staff and patients experienced symptoms like abdominal cramps and diarrhea following a chicken pasta meal.
  • An epidemiological investigation using whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyzed bacterial isolates from stool samples, identifying 49 cases, with 90% of samples showing the nontyphoidal serovar Enteritidis.
  • The investigation determined a strong association (Odds Ratio 15.4) between consuming chicken pasta and developing gastroenteritis, suggesting it was the likely transmission vehicle, while the exact source of the bacteria remains unknown.
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Background: In South Africa, the annual incidence of enteric fever averaged 0.1 per 100 000 persons between 2003 and 2018. During 2021 an increase in the number of enteric fever cases was observed.

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Objectives: Antimicrobial-resistant (NG) is a concern. Little is known about antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and associated genetic resistance mechanisms of NG in Madagascar. We report susceptibility data of NG isolates obtained by the medical laboratory (CBC) of the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar, during 2014-2020.

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The National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa participates in national laboratory-based surveillance for human isolates of species. Laboratory analysis includes whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates. We report on WGS-based surveillance of serovar Typhi ( Typhi) in South Africa from 2020 through 2021.

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Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is one of the most commonly reported serovars of nontyphoidal Salmonella causing human disease and is responsible for both gastroenteritis and invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease worldwide. Whole-genome sequence (WGS) comparison of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates from across the world has identified three distinct clades, global epidemic, Central/East African, and West African, all of which have been implicated in epidemics: the global epidemic clade was linked to poultry-associated gastroenteritis, while the two African clades were related to iNTS disease. However, the distribution and epidemiology of these clades across Africa are poorly understood because identification of these clades currently requires whole-genome sequencing capacity.

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Objectives: This study investigated antimicrobial susceptibility and genomic profiling of isolated from bloodstream infections at a tertiary referral hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, 2018-2019.

Method: This was a prospective hospital-based study involving routine blood culture samples submitted to the microbiology laboratory at the University Teaching Hospital. Identification of and determination of antimicrobial susceptibility profiles was achieved through conventional and automated methods.

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Introduction: In 2009 and 2010, more than 6,000 cholera cases were recorded during these outbreaks with more than 80% of cases recorded in Lusaka province. After a five-year break, in 2016 an outbreak occurred in Lusaka, causing more than 1,000 cases of cholera. This study will strengthen the epidemiological information on the changing characteristics of the cholera outbreaks, for treatment, prevention and control of the disease.

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Introduction: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by acute or subacute symmetrical ascending motor weakness, areflexia, and mild-to-moderate sensory abnormalities. Campylobacter jejuni is reported to be the most common bacterium associated with GBS cases. Despite the eradication of polio, the number of reported GBS cases remains considerably high in South Africa with the causative agents not being well described.

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Background: Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) has become a significant pathogen in South Africa, and the need for improved molecular surveillance of this pathogen has become important. Over the years, multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeats analysis (MLVA) has become a valuable molecular subtyping technique for Salmonella, particularly for highly homogenic serotypes such as Salmonella Enteritidis. This study describes the use of MLVA in the molecular epidemiological investigation of outbreak isolates in South Africa.

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Background: Workers in clinical microbiology laboratories are exposed to a variety of pathogenic microorganisms. Salmonella species is among the most commonly reported bacterial causes of laboratory-acquired infections. We report on three cases of laboratory-acquired Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (Salmonella Typhi) infection which occurred over the period 2012 to 2016 in South Africa.

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Background: Drug resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (Salmonella Typhi) to first-line antibiotics is emerging in Central Africa. Although increased use of fluoroquinolones is associated with spread of resistance, Salmonella Typhi with decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility (DCS) has rarely been reported in Central Africa.

Methodology/principal Findings: As part of a microbiological surveillance study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Salmonella Typhi isolates from bloodstream infections were collected prospectively between 2007 and 2011.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses a method for conducting transformation experiments with bacteria that can naturally take up DNA.
  • This technique enables researchers to identify antibiotic-susceptible bacteria after introducing a gene that makes them susceptible to antibiotics, replacing their resistant traits.
  • The authors demonstrate the method's effectiveness by transforming a penicillin-resistant strain of bacteria, resulting in the selection of penicillin-susceptible bacteria.
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