Etiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Culture-Positive Infections in Ugandan Infants: A Cohort Study of 7000 Neonates and Infants.

Background: Epidemiological evidence about the etiology and antimicrobial resistance of neonatal infections remains limited in low-resource settings. We aimed to describe the etiology of neonatal infections in a prospective observational cohort study conducted at two hospital sites in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: Babies admitted to either unit with risk factors or signs of sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis had a blood culture, nasopharyngeal swab, and lumbar puncture (if indicated) collected.

Rapid Point-of-care Testing to Inform Intrapartum Treatment of Group B -Colonized Women in Uganda.

Introduction: Maternal Group B (GBS) rectovaginal colonization is an important risk factor for invasive disease in neonates, yet availability of culture-based methods for detection is limited in low-resource settings. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the HiberGene (HG) GBS loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of GBS in rectal/vaginal swabs collected from women in Uganda. This work forms a part of the PROGRESS GBS study.

Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Early Infant Invasive Group B Streptococcal Infection in Uganda.

Background: Group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis during infancy is a leading cause of child mortality and an important contributor to long-term neurodisability. Data on outcomes among invasive GBS infection survivors in low- and middle-income countries are limited. We present 2-year neurodevelopment and growth outcomes after GBS sepsis in Uganda.

Community Perceptions of Neonatal Infection in Uganda.

Background: We investigated awareness of neonatal infections among a population of pregnant women and other community members in Kampala, Uganda. We explored perceived causes of neonatal infections and perceptions of appropriate treatments.

Methods: We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 97 participants: 25 community leaders who took part in 3 FGDs, 12 pregnant women who took part in IDIs, and 60 pregnant women who took part in 8 FGDs, between November 2019 and October 2020.

Antenatal Screening for Hepatitis B Virus in Uganda: Missed Opportunities for Diagnosis and Treatment.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The World Health Organization estimates that just 10.5% of individuals living with HBV globally are aware of their status.

HIV Exposure and Neonatal Sepsis: A Descriptive Etiological Study.

Background: Low- and middle-income countries lack data on culture-confirmed sepsis in HIV-exposed infants, despite the reported heightened risk of infectious morbidity. This study describes culture-confirmed sepsis and antibiotic resistance patterns among HIV-exposed children in a large etiological cohort study in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: This was a prospective birth cohort study based at 2 Ugandan sites, as part of the Progressing Group B Streptococcal Vaccines (PROGRESS) study.

Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Among Pregnant Women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Maternal primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with abortion and congenital anomalies. In Uganda, the burden of maternal CMV infection is not well studied. This study thus assessed the seroprevalence and factors associated with CMV infection among pregnant women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Kampala.

Infectious Causes of Stillbirths: A Descriptive Etiological Study in Uganda.

Background: Every year an estimated 2-3 million babies are stillborn, with a high burden in Africa. Infection is an important driver of stillbirth. There is a lack of data on the bacterial causes of stillbirth in Uganda, contributing to a lack of interventions such as effective prophylaxis and development of maternal vaccine options against the most implicated pathogens.

Pyrosequencing reveals high-temperature cellulolytic microbial consortia in Great Boiling Spring after in situ lignocellulose enrichment.

To characterize high-temperature cellulolytic microbial communities, two lignocellulosic substrates, ammonia fiber-explosion-treated corn stover and aspen shavings, were incubated at average temperatures of 77 and 85°C in the sediment and water column of Great Boiling Spring, Nevada. Comparison of 109,941 quality-filtered 16S rRNA gene pyrosequences (pyrotags) from eight enrichments to 37,057 quality-filtered pyrotags from corresponding natural samples revealed distinct enriched communities dominated by phylotypes related to cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic Thermotoga and Dictyoglomus, cellulolytic and sugar-fermenting Desulfurococcales, and sugar-fermenting and hydrogenotrophic Archaeoglobales. Minor enriched populations included close relatives of hydrogenotrophic Thermodesulfobacteria, the candidate bacterial phylum OP9, and candidate archaeal groups C2 and DHVE3.

A comprehensive census of microbial diversity in hot springs of Tengchong, Yunnan Province China using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing.

The Rehai and Ruidian geothermal fields, located in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China, host a variety of geochemically distinct hot springs. In this study, we report a comprehensive, cultivation-independent census of microbial communities in 37 samples collected from these geothermal fields, encompassing sites ranging in temperature from 55.1 to 93.

Sediment microbial communities in Great Boiling Spring are controlled by temperature and distinct from water communities.

Great Boiling Spring is a large, circumneutral, geothermal spring in the US Great Basin. Twelve samples were collected from water and four different sediment sites on four different dates. Microbial community composition and diversity were assessed by PCR amplification of a portion of the small subunit rRNA gene using a universal primer set followed by pyrosequencing of the V8 region.