Microbiome Analysis of Organic and Conventional Chickens Processed Using Whole Carcass Enrichment and Rinse Methods.

Investigating the chicken microbiome is important to establish control measures for pathogens to protect consumers. This study aimed at evaluating the comparative efficiency of human pathogen detection through 16S rRNA sequencing of organic and conventional chickens processed using whole carcass enrichment (WCE) and rinse (WCR) methods. Organic and conventional whole broiler carcasses (n = 31) were vigorously shaken with 500 mL buffered peptone water (BPW).

Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strains linked to global cholera show region-specific patterns by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, causative agent of the ongoing seventh cholera pandemic, is native to the aquatic environment of the Ganges Delta, Bay of Bengal (GDBB). Recent studies traced pandemic strains to the GDBB and proposed global spread of cholera had occurred via intercontinental transmission. In the research presented here, NotI-digested genomic DNA extracted from V.

Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Adult Patients in Qatar.

We report the draft genome sequences of seven isolates from patients. Four isolates were profiled as multilocus sequence type 69, serogroup O1, a subset of seventh-pandemic El Tor clonal isolates. Presented here are genome assemblies and evidence for major pathogenicity islands, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes.

Approaches to support continued iCCM implementation during a flooding emergency in rural Bangladesh.

Background: More evidence is needed on how integrated community case management (iCCM) service delivery is affected and on how to maintain service availability during crises. This study documented the implementation of iCCM through two cadres of community health workers (community health care providers [CHCPs] and village doctors [VDs]) in communities that were affected by a 2015 flooding emergency in Bangladesh.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case study to assess iCCM services provided by CHCPs and VDs during a flooding emergency that occurred from June to August 2015.

Barriers and enablers for practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) in rural Sindh, Pakistan.

Background: More than 2.5 million newborns die each year, accounting for 47% of children dying worldwide before their age of five years. Complications of preterm birth are the leading cause of death among newborns.

Development and Initial Validation of a Frontline Health Worker mHealth Assessment Platform (MEDSINC) for Children 2-60 Months of Age.

Approximately 3 million children younger than 5 years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) die each year from treatable clinical conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration secondary to diarrhea, and malaria. A majority of these deaths could be prevented with early clinical assessments and appropriate therapeutic intervention. In this study, we describe the development and initial validation testing of a mobile health (mHealth) platform, MEDSINC, designed for frontline health workers (FLWs) to perform clinical risk assessments of children aged 2-60 months.

Incidence and risk factors of neonatal infections in a rural Bangladeshi population: a community-based prospective study.

Background: Infections cause about one fifth of the estimated 2.7 million annual neonatal deaths worldwide. Population-based data on burden and risk factors of neonatal infections are lacking in developing countries, which are required for the appropriate design of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions in resource-poor settings.

Integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood infection saves lives in hard-to-reach communities in Nicaragua.

Objective: To describe Nicaragua's integrated community case management (iCCM) program for hard-to-reach, rural communities and to evaluate its impact using monitoring data, including annual, census-based infant mortality data.

Method: This observational study measured the strength of iCCM implementation and estimated trends in infant mortality during 2007-2013 in 120 remote Nicaraguan communities where brigadistas ("health brigadiers") offered iCCM services to children 2-59 months old. The study used program monitoring data from brigadistas' registers and supervision checklists, and derived mortality data from annual censuses conducted by the Ministry of Health.

Impact of Chlorhexidine Cord Cleansing on Mortality, Omphalitis and Cord Separation Time Among Facility-Born Babies in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Guidance is needed regarding potential extension of the World Health Organization recommendation for cord cleansing with chlorhexidine to babies born in facilities. Among 3223 facility-born babies from Nepal and Bangladesh, mortality was approximately halved among those allocated to the intervention clusters [10.5/1000 vs.

O1 with Reduced Susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin and Azithromycin Isolated from a Rural Coastal Area of Bangladesh.

Cholera outbreaks occur each year in the remote coastal areas of Bangladesh and epidemiological surveillance and routine monitoring of cholera in these areas is challenging. In this study, a total of 97 O1 isolates from Mathbaria, Bangladesh, collected during 2010 and 2014 were analyzed for phenotypic and genotypic traits, including antimicrobial susceptibility. Of the 97 isolates, 95 possessed CTX-phage mediated genes, , and , and two lacked the cholera toxin gene, .

Time volunteered on community health activities by brigadistas in Nicaragua.

Objective: To report on how brigadistas ("health brigadiers") in Nicaragua volunteer their time before the introduction of expanded responsibilities (beyond the scope of integrated community case management (iCCM)) for sick children 2-59 months old.

Methods: Three complete teams of brigadistas (n = 12 brigadistas total) were selected from remote communities in the department of Matagalpa. Each respondent brigadista was interviewed privately regarding the frequency and duration (i.

Application of a paper based device containing a new culture medium to detect Vibrio cholerae in water samples collected in Haiti.

Cholera is now considered to be endemic in Haiti, often with increased incidence during rainy seasons. The challenge of cholera surveillance is exacerbated by the cost of sample collection and laboratory analysis. A diagnostic tool is needed that is low cost, easy-to-use, and able to detect and quantify Vibrio cholerae accurately in water samples within 18-24h, and perform reliably in remote settings lacking laboratory infrastructure and skilled staff.

Prevalence, Serotype Distribution and Mortality Risk Associated With Group B Streptococcus Colonization of Newborns in Rural Bangladesh.

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a predominant cause of early-onset neonatal sepsis globally; however, the impact of this organism on the health of newborns in South Asia is debated, due in part to a paucity of community-based assessments. We estimated the prevalence and serotypes of GBS colonization of the umbilical cord stump and the association of colonization with mortality in a population-based cohort of newborns in rural Sylhet District, Bangladesh.

Methods: Umbilical cord swabs were collected from 646 newborns up to 3 times within the first week after birth (ages <24 hours, ~3 days, ~6 days) and processed to identify GBS serotypes.

Phylogenetic Diversity of Vibrio cholerae Associated with Endemic Cholera in Mexico from 1991 to 2008.

Unlabelled: An outbreak of cholera occurred in 1991 in Mexico, where it had not been reported for more than a century and is now endemic. Vibrio cholerae O1 prototype El Tor and classical strains coexist with altered El Tor strains (1991 to 1997). Nontoxigenic (CTX(-)) V.

Equity improvements in maternal and newborn care indicators: results from the Bardiya district of Nepal.

Community-based maternal and newborn care interventions have been shown to improve neonatal survival and other key health indicators. It is important to evaluate whether the improvement in health indicators is accompanied by a parallel increase in the equitable distribution of the intervention activities, and the uptake of healthy newborn care practices. We present an analysis of equity improvements after the implementation of a Community Based Newborn Care Package (CB-NCP) in the Bardiya district of Nepal.

Maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and lactation to promote infant growth in Dhaka, Bangladesh (MDIG trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Vitamin D regulates bone mineral metabolism and skeletal development. Some observational studies have suggested that prenatal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of adverse pregnancy and/or birth outcomes; however, there is scant evidence from controlled trials, leading the World Health Organization to advise against routine vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy. Importantly, little is known about the effect of maternal vitamin D status on infant linear growth in communities in South Asia where stunting is highly prevalent and maternal-infant vitamin D status is commonly suboptimal.

Hybrid Vibrio cholerae El Tor lacking SXT identified as the cause of a cholera outbreak in the Philippines.

Unlabelled: Cholera continues to be a global threat, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. In 2011, a cholera outbreak occurred in Palawan, Philippines, affecting more than 500 people, and 20 individuals died. Vibrio cholerae O1 was confirmed as the etiological agent.