Incidence of typhoid fever in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria (the Severe Typhoid in Africa programme): a population-based study.

Background: Typhoid Fever remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings. The Severe Typhoid in Africa programme was designed to address regional gaps in typhoid burden data and identify populations eligible for interventions using novel typhoid conjugate vaccines.

Methods: A hybrid design, hospital-based prospective surveillance with population-based health-care utilisation surveys, was implemented in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Custom gene expression panel for evaluation of potential molecular markers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It is a highly heterogeneous disease with poor prognosis and limited treatment options, which highlights the need for reliable biomarkers. This study aims to explore molecular markers that allow stratification of HCC and may lead to better prognosis and treatment prediction.

Aetiologies and clinical presentation of central nervous system infections in Vietnamese patients: a prospective study.

Knowledge of the clinical presentation of central nervous system (CNS) infections and the causative pathogens is crucial for appropriate diagnosis and rapid initiation of appropriate treatment to prevent severe neurological sequelae. The aim of this study is to understand the aetiology of CNS infections based on the clinical presentation of Vietnamese patients. A prospective hospital-based cohort study was conducted between May 2014 and May 2017.

Diagnosis of pathogens causing bacterial meningitis using Nanopore sequencing in a resource-limited setting.

Aim: The aim of the present study is to compare the performance of 16S rRNA Nanopore sequencing and conventional culture in detecting infectious pathogens in patients with suspected meningitis in a resource-limited setting without extensive bioinformatics expertise.

Methods: DNA was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 30 patients with suspected bacterial meningitis. The isolated DNA was subjected to 16S sequencing using MinION™.

Host genetic loci LZTFL1 and CCL2 associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity of COVID-19.

Objectives: Host genetic factors contribute to the variable severity of COVID-19. We examined genetic variants from genome-wide association studies and candidate gene association studies in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 and investigated the role of early SARS-CoV-2 strains in COVID-19 severity.

Methods: This case-control study included 123 COVID-19 cases (hospitalized or ambulatory) and healthy controls from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.

Host genetic factors determining COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses an unprecedented challenge to humanity. SARS-CoV-2 infections range from asymptomatic to severe courses of COVID-19 with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiorgan involvement and death. Risk factors for disease severity include older age, male sex, increased BMI and pre-existing comorbidities.

Molecular detection of bla gene to predict phenotypic cephalosporin resistance and clinical outcome of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections in Vietnam.

Background: Blood stream infections (BSI) caused by Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) producing Enterobacteriaceae is a clinical challenge leading to high mortality, especially in developing countries. In this study, we sought to describe the epidemiology of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from Vietnamese individuals with BSI, to investigate the concordance of genotypic-phenotypic resistance, and clinical outcome of ESBL E. coli BSI.

A multi-phenotype genome-wide association study of clades causing tuberculosis in a Ghanaian- and South African cohort.

Despite decades of research and advancements in diagnostics and treatment, tuberculosis remains a major public health concern. New computational methods are needed to interrogate the intersection of host- and bacterial genomes. Paired host genotype datum and infecting bacterial isolate information were analysed for associations using a multinomial logistic regression framework implemented in SNPTest.

Pathogens That Cause Acute Febrile Illness Among Children and Adolescents in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Sudan.

Background: The etiology and optimal clinical management of acute febrile illness (AFI) is poorly understood.

Methods: Blood samples taken from study participants with acute fever (≥37.5°C) or a history of fever and recruited into the previous Typhoid Fever Surveillance in Africa (TSAP) study were evaluated using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based TaqMan-Array Card designed to detect a panel of bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens.

COVID-19 and syndemic challenges in 'Battling the Big Three': HIV, TB and malaria.

Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to seriously undermine the health system in sub-Saharan Africa with an increase in the incidences of malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV infections. Based on current evidence in the African region the collateral impact of COVID-19 on the "big three diseases" shall be addressed in the following.

Predominance of HBV Genotype B and HDV Genotype 1 in Vietnamese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) coinfection will additionally aggravate the hepatitis B virus (HBV) burden in the coming decades, with an increase in HBV-related liver diseases. Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 205 HBV patients clinically characterized as chronic hepatitis B (CHB; = 115), liver cirrhosis (LC; = 21), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; = 69) were recruited. HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies against surface antigens (anti-HBs), and core antigens (anti-HBc) were determined by ELISA.

Pharmacogenetic considerations in the treatment of co-infections with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Congolese populations of Central Africa.

Background: HIV-infection, tuberculosis and malaria are the big three communicable diseases that plague sub-Saharan Africa. If these diseases occur as co-morbidities they require polypharmacy, which may lead to severe drug-drug-gene interactions and variation in adverse drug reactions, but also in treatment outcomes. Polymorphisms in genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes are the major cause of these variations, but such polymorphisms may support the prediction of drug efficacy and toxicity.

Complement protein levels and MBL2 polymorphisms are associated with dengue and disease severity.

The complement system may be crucial during dengue virus infection and progression to severe dengue. This study investigates the role of MBL2 genetic variants and levels of MBL in serum and complement proteins in Vietnamese dengue patients. MBL2 genotypes (- 550L/H, MBL2 codon 54), MBL2 diplotypes (XA/XO, YA/XO) and MBL2 haplotypes (LXPB, HXPA, XO) were associated with dengue in the study population.

Asymptomatic SARS Coronavirus 2 infection: Invisible yet invincible.

While successful containment measures of COVID-19 in China and many European countries have led to flattened curves, case numbers are rising dramatically in other countries, with the emergence of a second wave expected. Asymptomatic individuals carrying SARS-CoV-2 are hidden drivers of the pandemic, and infectivity studies confirm the existence of transmission by asymptomatic individuals. The data addressed here show that characteristics of asymptomatic and presymptomatic infection are not identical.

Hepatitis E virus genome detection in commercial pork livers and pork meat products in Germany.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the most common causes of hepatitis worldwide. HEV is also widespread in many developed countries, where the number of infections is steadily increasing. In those countries, the virus is transmitted mainly through consumption of undercooked or raw food or through contact with animals.

Comparison of Self-Reported Sexual Activity Among Heterosexuals with Sexual Spread of Poorly Transmittable Agents: A Minimalistic Approach to Estimating Sexual Activity Based on HIV Incidence.

The aim of this study was to assess whether epidemics of sexually transmitted infections caused by poorly transmittable agents corresponded to self-reported sexual activity in a distinct population. To exemplify this, a model was used to investigate whether HIV infection incidences corresponded to the extent of sexual activity as assessed by a questionnaire-based study. The model suggested between 97 and 486 sexual contacts per German individual during a sexually active lifetime based on the annual HIV incidence of 680 among the heterosexual population reported by the German National Health Authority.

The epidemiology of dengue outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Background: Dengue is prevalent in as many as 128 countries with more than 100 million clinical episodes reported annually and four billion people estimated to be at risk. While dengue fever is systematically diagnosed in large parts of Asia and South America, the disease burden in Africa is less well investigated. This report describes two consecutive dengue outbreaks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 2016 and 2017.

Mild versus severe COVID-19: Laboratory markers.

The number of COVID-19 patients is dramatically increasing worldwide. Treatment in intensive care units (ICU) has become a major challenge; therefore, early recognition of severe forms is absolutely essential for timely triaging of patients. While the clinical status, in particular peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels, and concurrent comorbidities of COVID-19 patients largely determine the need for their admittance to ICUs, several laboratory parameters may facilitate the assessment of disease severity.

Upregulation of Enzymes involved in ISGylation and Ubiquitination in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

: ISGylation is the conjugation of ISG15 with target proteins. ISGylation occurs through an enzymatic cascade, which is similar to that of ubiquitination. Through ISGylation, ISG15 can bind to proteins involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, thus promoting genesis and progression of malignancies.

Upregulation of SMYD3 and SMYD3 VNTR 3/3 polymorphism increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

SMYD3 (SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3) is involved in histone modification, which initiates oncogenesis by activating transcription of multiple downstream genes. To investigate associations of variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTR) variants in the SMYD3 gene promoter, SMYD3 serum levels and SMYD3 mRNA expression in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and clinical progression of related liver disease. SMYD3 VNTRs were genotyped in 756 HBV patients and 297 healthy controls.