Publications by authors named "Kalo Musukuma-Chifulo"
Cholera is responsible for 1.3 to 4.0 million cholera cases globally and poses a significant threat, with Zambia reporting 17,169 cases as of 4th February 2024.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the successful introduction of oral cholera vaccines, Zambia continues to experience multiple, sporadic, and protracted cholera outbreaks in various parts of the country. While vaccines have been useful in staying the cholera outbreaks, the ideal window for re-vaccinating individuals resident in cholera hotspot areas remains unclear. Using a prospective cohort study design, 225 individuals were enrolled and re-vaccinated with two doses of Shanchol™, regardless of previous vaccination, and followed-up for 90 days.
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- Oral rotavirus vaccines show reduced effectiveness in low-income areas where early childhood human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections are common, potentially affecting immune responses.
- A study measured antibodies in vaccinated infants, finding no overall link between HCMV infection status and rotavirus antibody levels; however, HIV-exposed-uninfected infants with HCMV showed significantly lower antibody responses.
- The findings suggest that while HCMV may not broadly impact rotavirus vaccine responses in all infants, its effects on vulnerable groups like HIV-exposed infants warrant further investigation for improving vaccine effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 470 adults living with HIV in Zambia who showed neurological symptoms, finding that 28.9% tested positive for EBV DNA.
- Key associations with EBV positivity included younger age, shorter HIV duration, and specific CSF findings like low glucose and high protein and white blood cell levels.
- Despite the high EBV detection rate, the study concluded that EBV DNA load in CSF and blood had limited clinical significance and was not linked to patient mortality.
Simply detecting Epstein-Barr virus deoxyribonucleic acid (EBV-DNA) is insufficient to diagnose EBV-associated diseases. The current literature around EBV-DNA detection from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive non-lymphoma patients was systematically reviewed and a meta-analysis reporting the estimated pooled prevalence in this population when PCR methods are employed, targeting different sequence segments within the EBV genome, was conducted. Using a combination of three key concepts-Epstein-Barr virus detection, central nervous system disease, and human cerebrospinal fluid-and their MeSH terms, the PubMed database was searched.
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