Non-fermenter Gram-negative bacilli at a tertiary hospital, South Africa.

Background: Non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) are a significant cause of healthcare-associated infections and are often implicated in nosocomial outbreaks. Non- fermenting Gram-negative bacilli tend to have variable susceptibility patterns that make the choice of empiric therapy difficult and thus treatment must be based on susceptibility testing of each antimicrobial agent.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of the NFGNB isolated from adult patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBAH) and to assess their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in order to guide empiric therapy and inform infection prevention and control practices.

Imported Cholera Cases, South Africa, 2023.

Since February 2022, Malawi has experienced a cholera outbreak of >54,000 cases. We investigated 6 cases in South Africa and found that isolates linked to the outbreak were Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa from seventh pandemic El Tor sublineage AFR15, indicating a new introduction of cholera into Africa from south Asia.