Human papillomavirus type-specific distribution in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer in The Gambia prior to HPV immunization programme: a baseline for monitoring the quadrivalent vaccine.

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Gambian women. Current estimates indicate that 286 women are annually diagnosed with cervical cancer with a fatality rate of 70%. In an attempt to address this, in 2019 the quadrivalent HPV vaccine was incorporated into the Gambia's Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

Human papilloma virus genotype distribution and risk factor analysis amongst reproductive-age women in urban Gambia.

Purpose: Cervical cancer is the most frequently diagnosed female cancer in The Gambia, representing approximately 30 % of cases. In 2014, the quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was introduced, which offers protection against HPV genotypes 6, 11, 16 and 18. To evaluate the potential effectiveness of this vaccine, genotype distribution and risk factor analysis were assessed.

Evaluation of the potential for virus dispersal during hand drying: a comparison of three methods.

Aims: To use a MS2 bacteriophage model to compare three hand-drying methods, paper towels (PT), a warm air dryer (WAD) and a jet air dryer (JAD), for their potential to disperse viruses and contaminate the immediate environment during use.

Methods And Results: Participants washed their gloved hands with a suspension of MS2 bacteriophage and hands were dried with one of the three hand-drying devices. The quantity of MS2 present in the areas around each device was determined using a plaque assay.

Application of RT-Bst to enhance detection of pathogenic viruses of the respiratory tract.

Inefficiency of RT-PCR can be associated with the suboptimal process of reverse transcription as only 40-80% of RNA is converted to cDNA. We employed a novel method, RT-Bst, to enrich the concentration of cDNA for subsequent multiplex PCR detection of selected RNA viruses. The RT-Bst method amplifies cDNA through reverse transcription of viral RNA using reverse transcriptase and amplification of cDNA using Bst DNA polymerase.

RT-Bst: an integrated approach for reverse transcription and enrichment of cDNA from viral RNA.

The synthesis of cDNA from RNA is challenging due to the inefficiency of reverse transcription (RT). In order to address this, an RT-Bst method was developed for sequential RT of RNA and Bst DNA polymerase amplification for enrichment of cDNA in a single-tube reaction. Using genomic RNA from bacteriophage MS2, the yield of cDNA produced by RT alone and RT-Bst were compared by analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified products.