Hemagglutinin Stalk-Specific Fc-Mediated Functions Are Associated With Protection Against Influenza Illness After Seasonal Influenza Vaccination.

Background: Future vaccine candidates aim to elicit antibodies against the conserved hemagglutinin stalk domain. Understanding the protective mechanism of these antibodies, which mediate broad neutralization and Fc-mediated functions, following seasonal vaccination is critical.

Methods: Plasma samples were obtained from pregnant women with or without HIV-1 enrolled in a randomised trial (138 trivalent inactivated vaccine [TIV] and 145 placebo recipients).

Association between SARS-CoV-2 gene specific Ct values and COVID-19 associated in-hospital mortality.

Background: Since there are currently no specific SARS-CoV-2 prognostic viral biomarkers for predicting disease severity, there has been interest in using SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle-threshold (Ct) values to predict disease progression.

Objective: This study assessed the association between in-hospital mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 cases and Ct-values of gene targets specific to SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Clinical data of hospitalized COVID-19 cases from Gauteng Province from April 2020-July 2022 were obtained from a national surveillance system and linked to laboratory data.

Gaps in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis: a review of reported cases, South Africa, January 2020-June 2022.

Introduction: Congenital syphilis (CS) is preventable through timely antenatal care (ANC), syphilis screening and treatment among pregnant women. Robust CS surveillance can identify gaps in this prevention cascade. We reviewed CS cases reported to the South African notifiable medical conditions surveillance system (NMCSS) from January 2020 to June 2022.

Southern African HIV Clinicians Society Guideline for the clinical management of syphilis.

Syphilis, 'the great imitator', caused by infection, remains a complex and multifaceted disease with a rich history of clinical diversity. This guideline aims to be a comprehensive guide for healthcare workers in Southern Africa, offering practical insights into the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic testing, therapeutic principles, and public health responses to syphilis. Although the syphilis burden has declined over the years, recent data indicate a troubling resurgence, particularly among pregnant women and neonates.

Characterization of the Tissue and Strain-Specific Microbiota of Giles (Diptera: Culicidae).

The mosquito microbiota is a critical determinant of mosquito life history. It is therefore a target for novel vector control strategies like paratransgenesis. However, the microbiota in , a major African malaria vector, is poorly characterized.

Comprehensive whole genome analysis of isolates from dairy cows with subclinical mastitis.

species are the primary cause of mastitis in dairy cows across the world. has recently become a pathogen that is zoonotic and multidrug resistant. This study aimed to sequence whole genomes of 38 isolates from 55 subclinical mastitis dairy cows of 7 small-scale farmers in the Free State Province, South Africa and document and their antimicrobial and virulence genes.

Can routine antenatal data be used to assess HIV antiretroviral therapy coverage among pregnant women? Evaluating the validity of different data sources in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: Accurate measurement of antenatal antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in pregnancy is imperative in tracking progress towards elimination of vertical HIV transmission. In the Western Cape, South Africa, public-sector individual-level routine data are consolidated from multiple sources, enabling the description of temporal changes in population-wide antenatal antiretroviral coverage. We evaluated the validity of different methods for measuring ART coverage among pregnant women.

Derangements of immunological proteins in HIV-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: the frequency and prognostic impact.

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive malignancy of B-cells frequently encountered among people living with HIV. Immunological abnormalities are common in immunocompetent individuals with DLBCL, and are often associated with poorer outcomes. Currently, data on derangements of immunological proteins, such as cytokines and acute phase reactants, and their impact on outcomes in HIV-associated DLBCL (HIV-DLBCL) is lacking.

A case of babesiosis in a returning traveller.

Unlabelled: Human babesiosis data in Africa is scarce. The clinical presentation and parasite morphology mimics falciparum malaria infection. Diagnostic confirmation is informed by adequate history and communication with the laboratory to activate appropriate testing.

Erratum: Investigation of two suspected diarrhoeal-illness outbreaks in Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, South Africa, April-July 2013: The role of rotavirus.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.4102/sajid.v35i1.

Surveillance system integration: reporting the results of a global multicountry survey.

Objectives: Currently, there is no comprehensive picture of the global surveillance landscape. This survey examines the current state of surveillance systems, levels of integration, barriers and opportunities for the integration of surveillance systems at the country level, and the role of national public health institutes (NPHIs).

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional survey of NPHIs.

Safety and immunogenicity of booster vaccination and fractional dosing with Ad26.COV2.S or BNT162b2 in Ad26.COV2.S-vaccinated participants.

We report the safety and immunogenicity of fractional and full dose Ad26.COV2.S and BNT162b2 in an open label phase 2 trial of participants previously vaccinated with a single dose of Ad26.

Evaluation of HIV-1 DNA levels among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV-1 in Yaounde, Cameroon: A contribution to paediatric HIV cure research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: With the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART), most children living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are growing toward adolescence, with scarcity of evidence on the size of viral reservoirs to enhance paediatric cure research strategies. This study aims to compare HIV-1 proviral DNA levels according to virological response among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV-1 (ALPHIV) and identify associated-factors in the Cameroonian context.

Methods: In this observational cohort study, HIV-1 RNA viremia and CD4 T-cell count were assessed through RT-PCR and flow cytometry respectively at three time-points over 18 months of observation.

Genetic diversity of strains isolated from spiritual holy water site attendees in Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study.

Background: The genetic diversity of complex (MTBC) strains was characterized among isolates from individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) symptoms attended holy water sites (HWSs) in the Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from June 2019 to March 2020 to describe the genetic diversity and drug-resistance profiles of MTBC isolates. Sputum specimens were collected and cultured in the Löwenstein-Jensen culture medium.

Change in Age profile of Respiratory Syncytial Virus disease over the course of annual epidemics: a multi-national study.

Objectives: We aimed to study whether the percentwise age distribution of RSV cases changes over time during annual epidemics.

Methods: We used surveillance data (2008-2019) from the Netherlands, Lyon (France), Portugal, Singapore, Ecuador, South Africa, and New Zealand. In each country, every season was divided into "epidemic quarters", i.

Antibodies against high-risk human papillomavirus proteins as markers for noncervical HPV-related cancers in a Black South African population, according to HIV status.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) proteins may elicit antibody responses in the process toward HPV-related malignancy. However, HPV seroepidemiology in noncervical HPV-related cancers remains poorly understood, particularly in populations with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Using a glutathione S-transferase-based multiplex serology assay, antibodies against E6, E7 and L1 proteins of HPV16 and HPV18 were measured in sera of 535 cases of noncervical HPV-related cancers (anal (n = 104), vulval (n = 211), vaginal (n = 49), penile (n = 37) and oropharyngeal (n = 134)) and 6651 non-infection-related cancer controls, from the Johannesburg Cancer Study that recruited Black South African with newly diagnosed cancer between 1995 and 2016.

Exploring the validity of routine individuated service data for antenatal HIV surveillance in the Western Cape.

Background: In the Western Cape, South Africa, public-sector individual-level routine data are consolidated from multiple sources through the Provincial Health Data Centre (PHDC). This enables the description of temporal changes in population-wide antenatal HIV seroprevalence. We evaluated the validity of these data compared to aggregated program data and population-wide sentinel antenatal HIV seroprevalence surveys for the Western Cape province.

Carriage of antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacterales among pregnant women and newborns in Amhara, Ethiopia.

Objectives: Infections are one of the most common causes of neonatal mortality, and maternal colonization has been associated with neonatal infection. In this study, we sought to quantify carriage prevalence of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL) -producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) among pregnant women and their neonates and to characterize risk factors for carriage in rural Amhara, Ethiopia.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study nested in the Birhan field site.