Instituting coronavirus disease 2019 testing: opportunities and challenges of molecular laboratory diagnosis in a Southern Nigerian teaching hospital.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic emphasised the importance of laboratory preparedness, including molecular diagnostic capacity, in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. This article reflects on diagnostic capacity-building opportunities presented by the pandemic, the challenges experienced along the way and the lessons learned from the perspective of a university teaching hospital in Southern Nigeria. We advocate for these lessons to inform strategic planning for laboratory preparedness at subnational, national and continental levels.

Setting up a molecular diagnostic laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 testing: Experience of a single centre in a resource-constrained setting.

Background: Molecular detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, molecular diagnostic capabilities are poorly developed in many African countries. Efforts by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other public health agencies to scale up facilities for molecular testing across the continent are well documented, but there are few accounts from the laboratories at the frontline.

Microbiology of Wound Infections Among patients of a Tertiary Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria.

Background: Wound infections are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Etiologic agents of wound infections vary with geographical locations. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of wound infections, the effect of age and gender on the prevalence as well as the etiologic agents and their susceptibility to antibacterial agents.

Prevalence and etiologic agents of female reproductive tract infection among in-patients and out-patients of a tertiary hospital in Benin city, Nigeria.

Background: Reproductive tract infections are public health problems in women of reproductive age and can result in serious consequences if not treated.

Aims: To determine the prevalence and causes of reproductive tract infections among in-patients and out-patients attending a tertiary health institution in Benin City. The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of bacterial agents will also be determined.