Ecology meets reproductive medicine in HIV prevention: the case for geography-informed approaches for bacterial vaginosis in Africa.

Purpose Of Review: Women in Africa bear the burden of the HIV epidemic, which has been associated with the high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the region. However, little progress has been made in finding an effective cure for BV. Drawing on advances in microbiome-directed therapies for gastrointestinal disorders, similar live-biotherapeutic based approaches for BV treatment are being evaluated.

In Silico Characterisation of Putative Prophages in Used in Probiotics for Vaginal Health.

While live biotherapeutics offer a promising approach to optimizing vaginal microbiota, the presence of functional prophages within introduced strains could impact their safety and efficacy. We evaluated the presence of prophages in 895 publicly available genomes using Phaster, Phigaro, Phispy, Prophet and Virsorter. Prophages were identified according to stringent (detected by ≥4 methods) or lenient criteria (detected by ≥2 methods), both with >80% reciprocal sequence overlap.

in patients attending tuberculosis hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa, 2014-2015.

Background: Diarrhoea due to infection (CDI) poses a significant burden on healthcare systems around the world. However, there are few reports on the current status of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: This study examined the occurrence of CDI in a South African population of tuberculosis patients, as well as the molecular epidemiology and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of strains responsible for disease.