Habitat use by demersal nekton on the continental shelf in the Benguela ecosystem, southern Africa

Videotapes collected by the research submersible Jago in the Benguela ecosystem during spring 1997 were analyzed to determine demersal nekton assemblage composition, fish behavior, and microscale habitat association, and habitat selection. Demersal fish assemblage diversity was generally low, and their composition was a function of substratum type. Individual species showed an often marked association with either rocky or soft substrata (or both), and a strong or weak selection for the associated biota. Soles and dragonets actively selected areas of bioactive soft substrata, to which they are behaviorally and morphologically adapted. False jacopever were associated with crevices in areas of high-relief rocky substrata. Kingklip are piscivorous and were largely confined to holes at the base of rocks and favored areas without a conspicuous epifauna. Juvenile hake and gobies avoided extremely rocky areas and were largely indifferent to the presence of benthic invertebrates—behavior that is consistent with their planktonic diets. These results represent the first direct observations of demersal nekton in the region and are important because they allow better interpretations of the results of trawl studies

The seroepidemiology of a neglected zoonotic and livestock pathogen in free-ranging bovids : Leptospirosis in African buffaloes (syncerus caffer)

Funding: This research was funded by Wellcome Trust, grant number 216634/Z/19/Z to M.H.M and grant number 222941/Z/21/Z to W.G. Sample collection and W.G, T.K., and M.M. were funded by the South African government through the South African Medical Research Council and the National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative [grant #86949]. The APC was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, M.H.M., W.G. and M.M.; methodology, M.H.M., W.G., A.P. and M.M.; formal analysis, M.H.M. and W.G.; writing—original draft preparation, M.H.M.; writing—review and editing, W.G., A.P., T.J.K. and M.M.; visualization, M.H.M.; supervision, M.M.; project administration, M.H.M. and M.M.; funding acquisition, M.H.M. and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Advancing animal tuberculosis surveillance using culture-independent long-read whole-genome sequencing

Animal tuberculosis is a significant infectious disease affecting both livestock and wildlife populations worldwide. Effective disease surveillance and characterization of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) strains are essential for understanding transmission dynamics and implementing control measures. Currently, sequencing of genomic information has relied on culture-based methods, which are time-consuming, resource-demanding, and concerning in terms of biosafety. This study explores the use of culture-independent long-read whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for a better understanding of M. bovis epidemiology in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). By comparing two sequencing approaches, we evaluated the efficacy of Illumina WGS performed on culture extracts and culture-independent Oxford Nanopore adaptive sampling (NAS). Our objective was to assess the potential of NAS to detect genomic variants without sample culture. In addition, culture-independent amplicon sequencing, targeting mycobacterial-specific housekeeping and full-length 16S rRNA genes, was applied to investigate the presence of microorganisms, including nontuberculous mycobacteria. The sequencing quality obtained from DNA extracted directly from tissues using NAS is comparable to the sequencing quality of reads generated from culture-derived DNA using both NAS and Illumina technologies. We present a new approach that provides complete and accurate genome sequence reconstruction, culture independently, and using an economically affordable technique

Advancing animal tuberculosis surveillance using culture-independent long-read whole-genome sequencing

Acknowledgments Some of the figures (Figures 4–6 and Supplementary Material S1) were generated using BioRender and draw.io, respectively. Funding The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Wellcome Foundation (grant #222941/Z/21/Z), the South African Medical Research Council, American Association of Zoo Veterinarians Wild Animal Health Fund [S005651 and S007355], the National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative [grant #86949], and MHM was supported by Wellcome Trust (grant #216634/Z/19/Z). AGL is supported by the EDCTP TESA III network (CSA2020NoE-3104).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Ability to develop broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies is not restricted by the germline Ig gene repertoire.

CAPRISA, 2015.Abstract available in pdf

South African Ebola diagnostic response in Sierra Leone : a modular high biosafety field laboratory

BACKGROUND : In August 2014, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa established a modular high-biosafety field Ebola diagnostic laboratory (SA FEDL) near Freetown, Sierra Leone in response to the rapidly increasing number of Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases. METHODS AND FINDINGS : The SA FEDL operated in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, which remained a ªhotspotº of the EVD epidemic for months. The FEDL was the only diagnostic capacity available to respond to the overwhelming demand for rapid EVD laboratory diagnosis for several weeks in the initial stages of the EVD crisis in the capital of Sierra Leone. Furthermore, the NICD set out to establish local capacity amongst Sierra Leonean nationals in all aspects of the FEDL functions from the outset. This led to the successful hand-over of the FEDL to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation in March 2015. Between 25 August 2014 and 22 June 2016, the laboratory tested 11,250 specimens mostly from the Western Urban and Western Rural regions of Sierra Leone, of which 2,379 (21.14%) tested positive for Ebola virus RNA. CONCLUSIONS : he bio-safety standards and the portability of the SA FEDL, offered a cost-effective and practical alternative for the rapid deployment of a field-operated high biocontainment facility. The SA FEDL teams demonstrated that it is highly beneficial to train the national staff in the course of formidable disease outbreak and accomplished their full integration into all operational and diagnostic aspects of the laboratory. This initiative contributed to the international efforts in bringing the EVD outbreak under control in Sierra Leone, as well as capacitating local African scientists and technologists to respond to diagnostic needs that might be required in future outbreaks of highly contagious pathogens.S1 Video. ªHotº processing of Ebola clinical specimens, PPE and decontamination procedures in South African modular, field-operated biocontainment facility in Sierra Leone.Janusz T Paweska was supported by funding from National Research Foundation and the Global Disease Detection Programmehttp://www.plosntds.orgam2017Microbiology and Plant Patholog

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance