Diversity in Naturally Acquired Immunity to Group B Streptococcus: A Comparative Study of Women from Bangladesh, Malawi, and the United Kingdom.

Background: Significant disparities in Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonisation and neonatal disease rates have been documented across different geographical regions. For example, Bangladesh reports notably lower rates compared to the United Kingdom (UK) and Malawi. This study investigates whether this epidemiological variability correlates with the immune response to GBS in these regions.

Inequalities in uptake of childhood vaccination in England, 2019-23: longitudinal study.

Objective: To quantify changes in inequalities in uptake of childhood vaccination during a period of steadily declining overall childhood vaccination rates in England.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: General practice data for five vaccines administered to children (first and second doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR1 and MMR2, respectively), rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) booster, and six-in-one (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) vaccine covering diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, type b, and hepatitis B) from the Cover of Vaccination Uptake Evaluated Rapidly dataset in England.

Out of (the) bag-encoding categorical predictors impacts out-of-bag samples.

Performance of random forest classification models is often assessed and interpreted using out-of-bag (OOB) samples. Observations which are OOB when a tree is trained may serve as a test set for that tree and predictions from the OOB observations used to calculate OOB error and variable importance measures (VIM). OOB errors are popular because they are fast to compute and, for large samples, are a good estimate of the true prediction error.

Spatial and temporal transmission dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus in New Zealand before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute respiratory infection. In 2020, RSV was eliminated from New Zealand due to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) used to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, in 2021, following a brief quarantine-free travel agreement with Australia, there was a large-scale nationwide outbreak of RSV that led to reported cases more than five-times higher than typical seasonal patterns.

Evaluating methods for identifying and quantifying co-colonization using next-generation sequencing data.

Detection of multiple pneumococcal serotype carriage can enhance monitoring of pneumococcal vaccine impact, particularly among high-burden childhood populations. We assessed methods for identifying co-carriage of pneumococcal serotypes from whole-genome sequences. Twenty-four nasopharyngeal samples were collected during community carriage surveillance from healthy children in Blantyre, Malawi, which were then serotyped by microarray.

Lyme disease in UK primary care: a knowledge, attitude and practice survey.

Background: Lyme disease (LD) cases in the UK most commonly present within the primary care setting. Despite an upward trend of incidence, little is known regarding general practitioner (GP) experience with diagnosis and treatment.

Aim: This study aims to describe baseline primary care clinician Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) in Scotland and England.

The LytSR two-component regulatory system promotes vaginal colonization and virulence .

(or group B , GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis globally. To sense and respond to variations in its environment, GBS possesses multiple two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), such as LytSR. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of LytSR in GBS pathogenicity.

Radiographically confirmed pneumonia in Malawian children and associated pneumococcal carriage after introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Background: The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) was introduced in Malawi in 2011 with an expected impact of reducing pneumococcal pneumonia in children. We aimed to describe clinical characteristics and nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage of pneumococcus by serotype in children hospitalized with primary end-point pneumonia (PEP) between 2013 and 19 after the introduction of PCV-13.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of children aged under-5-years hospitalized with acute respiratory illness (ARI) in Malawi.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalisation, death and infection over time in Aotearoa New Zealand: a retrospective cohort study.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing COVID-19 outcomes when the Omicron variant was predominant in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using routinely available data (8 December 2020-28 February 2023). We evaluated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of COVID-19 vaccines using the Cox proportional-hazards model, adjusting for covariates.

Understanding the epidemiology of iNTS disease in Africa in preparation for future iNTS- vaccine studies in endemic countries: Seroepidemiology in Africa of iNTS (SAiNTS) Study Protocol: Malawi site [Version 9.0].

Background: Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are a major cause of bloodstream infections amongst children in sub-Saharan Africa. A clear understanding of the seroepidemiology and correlates of protection for invasive NTS (iNTS) in relation to key risk factors (malaria, anaemia, malnutrition) in children in Africa is needed to inform strategies for disease control including vaccine implementation.

Methodology: The SAiNTS study is a prospective community cohort study with paired serology samples from 2500 Malawian children 0-5 years at baseline and three months to measure age-stratified acquisition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen antibody (IgG) and serum bactericidal activity to the main serovars causing iNTS ( Typhimurium and .

Application of the wildland fire emissions inventory system to estimate fire emissions on forest lands of the United States.

Background: Forests are significant terrestrial biomes for carbon storage, and annual carbon accumulation of forest biomass contributes offsets affecting net greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The immediate loss of stored carbon through fire on forest lands reduces the annual offsets provided by forests. As such, the United States reporting includes annual estimates of direct fire emissions in conjunction with the overall forest stock and change estimates as a part of national greenhouse gas inventories within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Clonal Expansion of a Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 3 Capsule Variant Sequence Type 700 With Enhanced Vaccine Escape Potential After 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 remains a problem globally. Malawi introduced 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2011, but there has been no direct protection against serotype 3 carriage. We explored whether vaccine escape by serotype 3 is due to clonal expansion of a lineage with a competitive advantage.

Web-based interpretation bias training to reduce anxiety: A sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial.

Objective: Web-based cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) can improve interpretation biases and anxiety symptoms but faces high rates of dropout. This study tested the effectiveness of web-based CBM-I relative to an active psychoeducation condition and the addition of low-intensity telecoaching for a subset of CBM-I participants.

Method: 1,234 anxious community adults (Mage = 35.

Expansion of pneumococcal serotype 23F and 14 lineages with genotypic changes in capsule polysaccharide locus and virulence gene profiles post introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Blantyre, Malawi.

Since the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in Malawi in 2011, there has been persistent carriage of vaccine serotype (VT) , despite high vaccine coverage. To determine if there has been a genetic change within the VT capsule polysaccharide (cps) loci since the vaccine's introduction, we compared 1022 whole-genome-sequenced VT isolates from 1998 to 2019. We identified the clonal expansion of a multidrug-resistant, penicillin non-susceptible serotype 23F GPSC14-ST2059 lineage, a serotype 14 GPSC9-ST782 lineage and a novel serotype 14 sequence type GPSC9-ST18728 lineage.

The effectiveness of revaccination with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine for preventing pneumococcal disease in older adults in England: A population-based cohort study.

Background: Pneumococcal disease in older adults in the United Kingdom is rising despite immunisation. A key gap in the literature is the clinical effectiveness of revaccination with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23).

Methods: A cohort study was performed in England, using electronic medical records in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Foodborne bacterial pathogens: genome-based approaches for enduring and emerging threats in a complex and changing world.

Foodborne illnesses pose a substantial health and economic burden, presenting challenges in prevention due to the diverse microbial hazards that can enter and spread within food systems. Various factors, including natural, political and commercial drivers, influence food production and distribution. The risks of foodborne illness will continue to evolve in step with these drivers and with changes to food systems.

Steps towards operationalizing One Health approaches.

One Health recognizes the health of humans, agriculture, wildlife, and the environment are interrelated. The concept has been embraced by international health and environmental authorities such as WHO, WOAH, FAO, and UNEP, but One Health approaches have been more practiced by researchers than national or international authorities. To identify priorities for operationalizing One Health beyond research contexts, we conducted 41 semi-structured interviews with professionals across One Health sectors (public health, environment, agriculture, wildlife) and institutional contexts, who focus on national-scale and international applications.

Severe weather events and cryptosporidiosis in Aotearoa New Zealand: A case series of space-time clusters.

Occurrence of cryptosporidiosis has been associated with weather conditions in many settings internationally. We explored statistical clusters of human cryptosporidiosis and their relationship with severe weather events in New Zealand (NZ). Notified cases of cryptosporidiosis from 1997 to 2015 were obtained from the national surveillance system.