Publications by authors named "T C Darton"
Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a common cause of infection in both community and healthcare settings, and the household may be a central component linking these two environments. Strategies to prevent transmission and thereby reduce the risk of infection must be informed by a detailed understanding of local epidemiology. These data are typically lacking in many low- and middle-income countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple respiratory viruses lead to high morbidity and mortality, yet global surveillance platforms focus primarily on seasonal influenza viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic and new RSV vaccines highlight the importance of a broader approach. Upper respiratory tract swabs from children aged 24-59 months presenting with influenza-like illness in The Gambia were collected during follow-up of a live-attenuated influenza vaccine randomised controlled trial in 2017-18.
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- The study investigates the role of circulating T follicular helper cells (cT) in the immune response to Typhi infection, using data from a controlled human infection model.
- Participants who did not develop typhoid disease (NoTD) showed higher frequencies of specific cT subsets (cT2 and cT17) compared to those who developed the disease (TD), particularly a week post-challenge.
- The findings suggest that these cT subsets are associated with the production of anti-Typhi antibodies and could be crucial for developing effective vaccines against typhoid disease.
Article Synopsis
- A Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) with wild-type Salmonella Typhi was set up to study immunity development, revealing that about 55% of volunteers met typhoid diagnosis criteria after infection.
- Intestinal macrophages, which play a crucial role in gut defense, are derived from circulating monocytes rather than tissue-resident progenitors, making them unique compared to macrophages in other organs.
- Changes in circulating monocytes were tracked post-infection, showing that typhoid diagnosis participants had increased activation markers, indicating a heightened immune response, and upregulated molecules to interact with both bacterial antigens and adaptive immune cells.
Background: Streptococcus pyogenes-related skin infections are increasingly implicated in the development of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in lower-resourced settings, where they are often associated with scabies. The true prevalence of S. pyogenes-related pyoderma may be underestimated by bacterial culture.
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