Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae among Brazilian children: Interplay with viral co-infection.

Nasopharyngeal transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae is a prerequisite for the development of pneumococcal diseases. Previous studies have reported a relationship between respiratory viruses and S. pneumoniae infections.

SARS-CoV-2 variant typing using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-based assays in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 variants in the first four COVID-19 waves using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based variant detection in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using repository nasopharyngeal samples stored at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute COVID-19 testing laboratory. Stored positive samples were randomly selected from the first four waves based on their sample collection date.

Substantial Diversity in Cocirculating Omicron Lineages in Hospital Setting, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

We describe substantial variant diversity among 23 detected SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineage viruses cocirculating among healthcare workers and inpatients (272 sequenced samples) from Porto Alegre, Brazil, during November 2022-January 2023. BQ.1 and related lineages (61.

Performance of Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Targeting the RNA Polymerase Gene for the Direct Detection of SARS-CoV2 in Nasopharyngeal Swabs.

In 2020, a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 was declared. Different institutes proposed diagnostic molecular methods to detect the virus in clinical samples. This study aims to validate and standardize the use of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based methodology targeting the viral gene, as a faster and low-cost diagnostic method for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Validation of a MALDI-TOF MS Method for SARS-CoV-2 Detection on the Bruker Biotyper and Nasopharyngeal Swabs: A Brazil-UK Collaborative Study.

We developed a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry method for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in saliva-gargle samples using Shimadzu MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers in the UK. This was validated in the USA to CLIA-LDT standards for asymptomatic infection detection remotely via sharing protocols, shipping key reagents, video conferencing, and data exchange. In Brazil, more so than in the UK and USA, there is a need to develop non-PCR-dependent, rapid, and affordable SARS-CoV-2 infection screening tests that also identify variant SARS-CoV-2 and other virus infections.

Otopathogens in the middle ear and nasopharynx of children with recurrent acute otitis media.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the microbiology of the middle ear and nasopharynx, determining the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in a group of children vaccinated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) who underwent ventilation tube insertion for recurrent acute otitis media.

Methods: We analyzed 278 middle ear effusion and 139 nasopharyngeal samples obtained from 139 children who underwent myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion for recurrent acute otitis media between June 2017 and June 2021. The children's ages ranged from 9 months to 9 years, 10 months, with a median of 21 months.

Infections, Brazil.

In 2015, two new species related to the Staphylococcus aureus were proposed. We describe five isolates of the new species Staphylococcus argenteus cultured from human cases of bacteremia and skin and soft tissue infections. This is the first report of , from South America, causing community-acquired and nosocomial infections.

Etiology of meningitis among adults in three quaternary hospitals in Mozambique, 2016-2017: The role of HIV.

Background: Meningitis remains an important cause of morbi-mortality in adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the etiological investigation of meningitis in adults in Mozambique is limited and most studies were conducted in southern Mozambique. Identification of the etiology of meningitis in adults are crucial to guide prevention and treatments strategies.

Evaluation of alternative RNA extraction methods for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal samples using the recommended CDC primer-probe set.

Background: The efficiency of isolation and purification of the viral genome is a critical step to the accuracy and reliability of RT-qPCR to detect SARS-CoV-2. However, COVID-19 testing laboratories were overwhelmed by a surge in diagnostic demand that affected supply chains especially in low and middle-income facilities.

Objectives: Thus, this study compares the performance of alternative methods to extraction and purification of viral RNA in samples of patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

An unusual presentation of disseminated histoplasmosis in a non-HIV patient from Vietnam.

Background: Histoplasmosis is a systemic infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, naturally found in nitrogen-rich soil, whose main transmission route is the inhalation of conidia. Up to 95% of histoplasmosis cases are asymptomatic or transient, and the remaining 5% of cases have pathological manifestations in the lungs, bone marrow, liver, spleen, intestine, mucous membranes, and rarely on the skin. This mycosis has been reported from many endemic areas, mainly in immunosuppressed patients, such as HIV-positive patients, and its disseminated form is rarely reported.

Surveillance of impact of PCV-10 vaccine on pneumococcal meningitis in Mozambique, 2013 - 2015.

Background: Vaccination using the 10-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV-10) was introduced into the Extended Program on Immunization in Mozambique in March 2013, however its impact on pediatric pneumococcal meningitis is unknown. In this study, we assessed for the first time the impact of PCV10 on the burden of pneumococcal meningitis in children less than 5 years of age at the three largest hospitals in Mozambique.

Method: Between March 2013 and December 2015, a total of 744 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from eligible children, of which 160 (21.

Frequency of Pathogenic Paediatric Bacterial Meningitis in Mozambique: The Critical Role of Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction to Estimate the Burden of Disease.

Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa, including Mozambique, acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) represents a main cause of childhood mortality. The burden of ABM is seriously underestimated because of the poor performance of culture sampling, the primary method of ABM surveillance in the region. Low quality cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and frequent consumption of antibiotics prior to sample collection lead to a high rate of false-negative results.

Performance of the Vitek 2 system software version 5.03 in the bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test: evaluation study of clinical and reference strains of Gram-positive cocci.

Introduction: The genera Enterococcus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus are recognized as important Gram-positive human pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Vitek 2 in identifying Gram-positive cocci and their antimicrobial susceptibilities.

Methods: One hundred four isolates were analyzed to determine the accuracy of the automated system for identifying the bacteria and their susceptibility to oxacillin and vancomycin.

Multiplex SYBR® green-real time PCR (qPCR) assay for the detection and differentiation of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae in cats.

A novel SYBR® green-real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was developed to detect two Bartonella species, B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae, directly from blood samples.

Novel real-time PCR assays using TaqMan minor groove binder probes for identification of fecal carriage of Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex from rectal swab specimens.

Real-time PCR based on the recN and gyrB genes was developed to detect four Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex (SBEC) subspecies from rectal swab specimens. The overall prevalence was 35.2%: Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp.

Production and optimization of poly-γ-glutamic acid by Bacillus subtilis BL53 isolated from the Amazonian environment.

The aims of this research were to screen and characterize a new microbial source of γ-PGA, to optimize aspects of culture conditions and medium composition using central composite design and response surface methodologies. The influence of bioreactor stirring rates on the production of γ-PGA was also investigated and the oxygen volumetric mass transfer coefficients (k La) were established. The most productive strain was identified by 16S rDNA analysis as Bacillus subtilis, and its γ-PGA production in rotatory shaker was threefold increased under optimized conditions (37 °C, pH 6.

Clinical and epidemiologic profile of lower respiratory tract infections associated with human bocavirus.

Background: Acute viral bronchiolitis (AVB) remains the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in infants under 2 years of age. Advances in molecular methods for virus detection have led to the identification of new infectious agents implicated in the development of AVB, such as human bocavirus (HBoV).

Objectives: To ascertain the frequency, seasonality, and clinical behavior of HBoV detection in a series of episodes of LRTI.

Rapid detection of Van genes in rectal swabs by real time PCR in Southern Brazil.

Introduction: Laboratory-based surveillance is an important component in the control of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE).

Methods: The study aimed to evaluate real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (genes vanA-vanB) for VRE detection on 115 swabs from patients included in a surveillance program.

Results: Sensitivity of RT-PCR was similar to primary culture (75% and 79.