Investigating genomic diversity of associated with pediatric atopic dermatitis in South Africa.

Importance: frequently colonizes the skin and nose of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), a disease associated with skin barrier dysfunction and chronic cutaneous inflammation. Published genomic studies on AD-associated in pediatric populations in sub-Saharan Africa are limited.

Objectives: To investigate the phenotypic and genomic diversity of in children with and without AD during early childhood.

The nasopharyngeal microbiome in South African children with lower respiratory tract infection: a nested case-control study of the Drakenstein Child Health Study.

Background: Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality globally. LRTI may be caused by viral or bacterial infections, individually or in combination. We investigated associations between LRTI and infant nasopharyngeal (NP) viruses and bacteria in a South African birth cohort.

Advances in the detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis using optical-based devices.

Tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is highly contagious and can lead to severe health complications if left untreated. This review article discusses the importance of early detection and treatment and its global incidence and epidemiology, emphasizing its impact on vulnerable populations and its role as a major cause of death worldwide. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges faced with diagnosing TB.

Evidence of virulence and antimicrobial resistance in serotype 16F lineages.

Introduction: Due to the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes in vaccinated populations, remains a major global health challenge despite advances in vaccine development. Serotype 16F is among the predominant non-vaccine serotypes identified among vaccinated infants in South Africa (SA).

Aim: To characterise lineages and antimicrobial resistance in 16F isolates obtained from South Africa and placed the local findings in a global context.

Sputum bacterial load and bacterial composition correlate with lung function and are altered by long-term azithromycin treatment in children with HIV-associated chronic lung disease.

Background: Long-term azithromycin (AZM) treatment reduces the frequency of acute respiratory exacerbation in children and adolescents with HIV-associated chronic lung disease (HCLD). However, the impact of this treatment on the respiratory bacteriome is unknown.

Method: African children with HCLD (defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 s z-score (FEV1z) less than - 1.

Skin and nasal colonization of coagulase-negative staphylococci are associated with atopic dermatitis among South African toddlers.

Background: Skin colonization with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) is generally beneficial, but recent investigations suggest its association with flares and atopic dermatitis (AD) severity. However, this relationship remains unclear.

Objective: To assess patterns of staphylococcal colonization and biofilm formation in toddlers with and without AD from rural and urban South African settings.

The impact of long-term azithromycin on antibiotic resistance in HIV-associated chronic lung disease.

Selection for resistance to azithromycin (AZM) and other antibiotics such as tetracyclines and lincosamides remains a concern with long-term AZM use for treatment of chronic lung diseases (CLD). We investigated the impact of 48 weeks of AZM on the carriage and antibiotic resistance of common respiratory bacteria among children with HIV-associated CLD. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and sputa were collected at baseline, 48 and 72 weeks from participants with HIV-associated CLD randomised to receive weekly AZM or placebo for 48 weeks and followed post-intervention until 72 weeks.

Immune control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is dependent on both soluble TNFRp55 and soluble TNFRp75.

Tuberculosis presents a global health challenge, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) signalling is required for host immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). TNF receptor shedding, however, compromises effective immunity by reducing bioactive TNF through the formation of inactive complexes. In this study, we first compared the effect of total soluble TNF receptors using a transgenic p55 /p75 murine strain on host protection during a low-dose aerosol Mtb H37Rv challenge.

Mechanisms of microbe-immune system dialogue within the skin.

The prevalence and severity of dermatological conditions such as atopic dermatitis have increased dramatically during recent decades. Many of the factors associated with an altered risk of developing inflammatory skin disorders have also been shown to alter the composition and diversity of non-pathogenic microbial communities that inhabit the human host. While the most densely microbial populated organ is the gut, culture and non-culture-based technologies have revealed a dynamic community of bacteria, fungi, viruses and mites that exist on healthy human skin, which change during disease.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of respiratory microbial flora in African children with HIV-associated chronic lung disease.

Background: HIV-associated chronic lung disease (CLD) is common among children living with HIV (CLWH) in sub-Saharan Africa, including those on antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, the pathogenesis of CLD and its possible association with microbial determinants remain poorly understood. We investigated the prevalence, and antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Haemophilus influenzae (HI), and Moraxella catarrhalis (MC) among CLWH (established on ART) who had CLD (CLD+), or not (CLD-) in Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Risk factors for Bordetella pertussis disease in hospitalized children.

Introduction: Despite a resurgence of disease, risk factors for pertussis in children in low and middle-income countries are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate risk factors for pertussis disease in African children hospitalized with severe LRTI.

Methods: A prospective study of children hospitalized with severe LRTI in Cape Town, South Africa was conducted over a one-year period.

Co-detection of Bordetella pertussis and other respiratory organisms in children hospitalised with lower respiratory tract infection.

Multiple potential pathogens are frequently co-detected among children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Evidence indicates that Bordetella pertussis has an important role in the aetiology of LRTI. We aimed to study the association between B.

Changes in the Molecular Epidemiology of Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in Senegal After Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction.

Background: Bacterial meningitis is a major cause of mortality among children under 5 years of age. Senegal is part of World Health Organization-coordinated sentinel site surveillance for pediatric bacterial meningitis surveillance. We conducted this analysis to describe the epidemiology and etiology of bacterial meningitis among children less than 5 years in Senegal from 2010 and to 2016.

Etiology of Pulmonary Infections in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-infected Inpatients Using Sputum Multiplex Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Background: There are limited data on the etiology of respiratory infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in resource-limited settings.

Methods: We performed quantitative multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Pneumocystis jirovecii and common bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens on sputum samples (spontaneous or induced) from a prospective cohort study of HIV-infected inpatients with World Health Organization danger signs and cough. Mycobacterial culture was done on 2 sputum samples, blood cultures, and relevant extrapulmonary samples.

Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Antimicrobial-Resistant Pneumococci in an Intensively Sampled South African Birth Cohort.

Nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization by (pneumococcus) precedes the development of respiratory tract infection. Colonization by antimicrobial-resistant pneumococci, especially in infants, is a major public health concern. We longitudinally investigated antimicrobial-resistance amongst pneumococci colonizing the nasopharynx of South African infants immunized with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13).

Longitudinal Population Dynamics of in the Nasopharynx During the First Year of Life.

colonization is a risk factor for invasive disease. Few studies have used strain genotype data to study acquisition and carriage patterns. We investigated nasopharyngeal carriage in infants in an intensively sampled South African birth cohort.

Indoor air pollution and tobacco smoke exposure: impact on nasopharyngeal bacterial carriage in mothers and infants in an African birth cohort study.

Indoor air pollution (IAP) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may influence nasopharyngeal carriage of bacterial species and development of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the impact of antenatal or postnatal IAP/ETS exposure on nasopharyngeal bacteria in mothers and infants. A South African cohort study followed mother-infant pairs from birth through the first year.

Development of a clinical prediction rule to diagnose pneumonia in the World Health Organization's algorithm for seriously ill HIV-infected patients.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) algorithm for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in seriously ill HIV-infected patients recommends that treatment for pneumonia (PJP) should be considered without giving clear guidance on selecting patients for empiric PJP therapy. PJP is a common cause of hospitalisation in HIV-infected patients in resource-poor settings where diagnostic facilities are limited.

Methods: We developed clinical prediction rules for PJP in a prospective cohort of HIV-infected inpatients with WHO danger signs and cough of any duration.

Longitudinal characterization of nasopharyngeal colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae in a South African birth cohort post 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine implementation.

Monitoring changes in pneumococcal carriage is key to understanding vaccination-induced shifts in the ecology of carriage and impact on health. We longitudinally investigated pneumococcal carriage dynamics in infants. Pneumococcal isolates were obtained from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs collected 2-weekly from 137 infants enrolled from birth through their first year of life.

Respiratory microbes present in the nasopharynx of children hospitalised with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: Lower respiratory tract infection in children is increasingly thought to be polymicrobial in origin. Children with symptoms suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) may have tuberculosis, other respiratory tract infections or co-infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogens. We aimed to identify the presence of potential respiratory pathogens in nasopharyngeal (NP) samples from children with suspected PTB.