Antimicrobial susceptibility testing profiles of ESBL-producing isolated from hospital and community adult patients in Blantyre, Malawi.

Objective: There is a paucity of data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Malawi. Here we present a study of AMR of extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing (ESBL-E) isolated from hospital and community settings in Blantyre, Malawi.

Design And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and November 2020, involving 403 adult participants aged ≥18 years.

An international, interlaboratory ring trial confirms the feasibility of an extraction-less "direct" RT-qPCR method for reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in clinical samples.

Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is used worldwide to test and trace the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). "Extraction-less" or "direct" real time-reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a transparent and accessible qualitative method for SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal or oral pharyngeal samples with the potential to generate actionable data more quickly, at a lower cost, and with fewer experimental resources than full RT-qPCR. This study engaged 10 global testing sites, including laboratories currently experiencing testing limitations due to reagent or equipment shortages, in an international interlaboratory ring trial.

Carriage Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Producing Enterobacterales in Outpatients Attending Community Health Centers in Blantyre, Malawi.

Antimicrobial resistance due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by Enterobacterales is a global health problem contributing to increased morbidity and mortality, particularly in resource-constrained countries. We aimed to determine the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) in community patients in Blantyre, Malawi. Clinical samples were collected from 300 patients and screened for ESBL-E using a CHROMagar ESBL medium.

Genetic Determinants of Resistance among ESBL-Producing in Community and Hospital Settings in East, Central, and Southern Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence.

Background: The world prevalence of community and hospital-acquired extended-spectrum lactamase (ESBL)-producing is increasing tremendously. Bacteria harboring ESBLs are currently the number one critical pathogens posing a major threat to human health.

Objective: To provide a summary of molecular evidence on the prevalence of ESBL-producing (ESBL-E) and associated genes at community and hospital settings in East, Central, and Southern African countries.

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis in central parts of Malawi.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a neglected disease that affects cattle and humans. The burden of bTB is higher in developing countries as compared to industrialized countries. The reasons behind this discrepancy include the fact that bTB control measures, such as testing and slaughter of infected cattle and pasteurization of milk, are not usually practised in developing countries largely because of their high cost.

An international, interlaboratory ring trial confirms the feasibility of an open-source, extraction-less "direct" RT-qPCR method for reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in clinical samples.

Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is used worldwide to test and trace the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). "Extraction-less" or "direct" real time-reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an open-access qualitative method for SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal or oral pharyngeal samples with the potential to generate actionable data more quickly, at a lower cost, and with fewer experimental resources than full RT-qPCR. This study engaged 10 global testing sites, including laboratories currently experiencing testing limitations due to reagent or equipment shortages, in an international interlaboratory ring trial.

Discovery of STL polyomavirus, a polyomavirus of ancestral recombinant origin that encodes a unique T antigen by alternative splicing.

The family Polyomaviridae is comprised of circular double-stranded DNA viruses, several of which are associated with diseases, including cancer, in immunocompromised patients. Here we describe a novel polyomavirus recovered from the fecal microbiota of a child in Malawi, provisionally named STL polyomavirus (STLPyV). We detected STLPyV in clinical stool specimens from USA and The Gambia at up to 1% frequency.

Identification of MW polyomavirus, a novel polyomavirus in human stool.

We have discovered a novel polyomavirus present in multiple human stool samples. The virus was initially identified by shotgun pyrosequencing of DNA purified from virus-like particles isolated from a stool sample collected from a healthy child from Malawi. We subsequently sequenced the virus' 4,927-bp genome, which has been provisionally named MW polyomavirus (MWPyV).