Publications by authors named "Aurelia Kwasiborski"

Article Synopsis
  • Pneumonic plague (PP) is highly infectious and spreads quickly from person to person, with a significant outbreak occurring in two urban areas of Madagascar (Antananarivo and Toamasina) in 2017.
  • The research utilized epidemiological data and genomic analysis of Yersinia pestis to trace the sources of this epidemic, noting that human plague cases emerged from environmental reservoirs more than 20 times between August and November 2017.
  • The study revealed that multiple strains of Y. pestis were introduced to urban areas through infected individuals traveling from rural regions, leading to sustained PP transmission, especially in Antananarivo.
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We report the whole-genome sequence of monkeypox virus obtained using MinION technology (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) from a French clinical specimen during the 2022 epidemic. Amplicon-based sequencing and shotgun metagenomic approaches were directly applied to the sample.

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We report the whole-genome sequences of a monkeypox virus from the skin lesion of a French patient and the corresponding isolated viral strain. Both viral genomic sequences were successfully obtained by applying shotgun metagenomics using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing approach.

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Monkeypox is an emerging and neglected zoonotic disease whose number of reported cases has been gradually increasing in Central Africa since 1980. This disease is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus in the family Poxviridae. Obtaining molecular data is particularly useful for establishing the relationships between the viral strains involved in outbreaks in countries affected by this disease.

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Background: In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic initially erupted from a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown origin in the city of Wuhan, China. Presently, it has almost reached 94 million cases worldwide. Lebanon on the brink of economic collapse and its healthcare system thrown into turmoil, has previously managed to cope with the initial SARS-CoV-2 wave.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 in Tunisia was reported on March 3, 2020, leading to a rise in both imported and local cases, prompting a study on the virus's genetic diversity and epidemiology in the region.
  • - Researchers utilized whole genome sequencing on six highly positive SARS-CoV-2 samples from the early outbreak phase, uncovering distinct viral strains with a 0.1% nucleotide divergence rate clustered into six clades.
  • - The findings suggest that the virus was introduced multiple times in Tunisia and contribute valuable genomic data that could inform diagnosis and vaccine development globally.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Arenaviruses are a virus family mostly found in certain rodent species, with strain AnRB3214 isolated from a rodent in Central Africa in 1981 and initially classified as Ippy virus due to antigen similarities.
  • - The study utilized advanced sequencing technologies (Illumina and MinION) and bioinformatics tools to analyze the genome of strain AnRB3214, revealing connections to other mammarenaviruses, particularly showing 68%-79% similarity with Mobala and Gairo viruses.
  • - Genetic analysis indicates that AnRB3214 diverged from Mobala virus over 400 years ago, highlighting the importance of genomics in identifying hidden viral diversity in Africa and suggesting that AnRB3214 is likely a variant
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Objective: A massive scale-up of testing and treatment is indicated to globally eliminate hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, access to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a key test to quantify HBV DNA levels and determine treatment eligibility, is limited in resource-limited countries. We have developed and evaluated the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to diagnose clinically important HBV DNA thresholds defined by the WHO (≥20 000 and ≥ 200 000 IU/mL).

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Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is generally associated with chronic antigen stimulation: auto-antigens or of microbial origin. Only one study suggested association between Achromobacter xylosoxidans and pulmonary MALT lymphoma. We aimed to investigate the presence of virus or any infectious agents in pulmonary MALT lymphoma by using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

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Global human health is increasingly challenged by emerging viral threats, especially those observed over the last 20 years with coronavirus-related human diseases, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Recently, in late December 2019, a novel , SARS-CoV-2, originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, emerged and was then identified as the causative agent of a new severe form of pneumonia, COVID-19. Real-time genome sequencing in such viral outbreaks is a key issue to confirm identification and characterization of the involved pathogen and to help establish public health measures.

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After its first description in Wuhan (China), SARS-CoV-2 the agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread worldwide. Previous studies suggested that pets could be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we investigated the putative infection by SARS-CoV-2 in 22 cats and 11 dogs from owners previously infected or suspected of being infected by SARS-CoV-2.

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The diagnosis of infectious diseases is entering a new and interesting phase. Technologies based on paper microfluidics, coupled to developments in isothermal amplification of Nucleic Acids (NAs) raise opportunities for bringing the methods of molecular biology in the field, in a low setting environment. A lot of work has been performed in the domain over the last few years and the landscape of contributions is rich and diverse.

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The most performing techniques enabling early diagnosis of infectious diseases rely on nucleic acid detection. Today, because of their high technicality and cost, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) are of benefit only to a small fraction of developing countries population. By reducing costs, simplifying procedures and enabling multiplexing, paper microfluidics has the potential to considerably facilitate their accessibility.

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