Lactobacillus sp and some fungi from termite nests on kolanut trees had mild antagonistic effects against pathogens isolated from paediatric patients

Background: Residents in a rural suburb of Akure jettisoned antibiotic treatment; sought alternative cure to rising incidence of paediatric infections in 2017 from local herbal dealers, with many residents claiming of better treatment response. We investigated these claims since the local herbal formula included kola nut barks and ground termites.Methodology: Microorganisms associated with termite nests on kola nut trees in the affected community were characterized and identified using standard techniques. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the bacterial isolates to selected antibiotics. Plasmid profile of multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolates (MDRIs) was determined by the Birnboim and Doly method while post plasmid curing antibiotic susceptibility was performed on the MDRIs against the same selected antibiotics. The microorganisms were also evaluated for possible antagonistic effects against Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients during the period of study using previously described methods.Results: Bacteria (Corynebacterium sp, Streptococcus sp, Acinetobacter sp and Lactobacillus sp) and fungal (Geotrichum condidum, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi) were isolated from the termite nests. The antibiotic susceptibility revealed that Corynebacterium sp and Streptococcus sp were multiply antibiotic resistant, and this was confirmed to be plasmid mediated based on plasmid analysis and curing. The Lactobacillus sp, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium fujikuroi and Geotrichum condidum exhibited mild antagonisms against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients.Conclusion: This study suggests that termite nests on kola nut trees contain microbes that possess antagonistic actions against pathogens from paediatric patients and that some bacteria associated with termite guts may pose significant risk of increased antibiotic resistance if implicated in human infections.Keywords: Termite nests, Resistance, Antagonistic microbes, Termites, Plasmid, Kola nut tre

Para-infectious brain injury in COVID-19 persists at follow-up despite attenuated cytokine and autoantibody responses

To understand neurological complications of COVID-19 better both acutely and for recovery, we measured markers of brain injury, inflammatory mediators, and autoantibodies in 203 hospitalised participants; 111 with acute sera (1–11 days post-admission) and 92 convalescent sera (56 with COVID-19-associated neurological diagnoses). Here we show that compared to 60 uninfected controls, tTau, GFAP, NfL, and UCH-L1 are increased with COVID-19 infection at acute timepoints and NfL and GFAP are significantly higher in participants with neurological complications. Inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-12p40, HGF, M-CSF, CCL2, and IL-1RA) are associated with both altered consciousness and markers of brain injury. Autoantibodies are more common in COVID-19 than controls and some (including against MYL7, UCH-L1, and GRIN3B) are more frequent with altered consciousness. Additionally, convalescent participants with neurological complications show elevated GFAP and NfL, unrelated to attenuated systemic inflammatory mediators and to autoantibody responses. Overall, neurological complications of COVID-19 are associated with evidence of neuroglial injury in both acute and late disease and these correlate with dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses acutely

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

SARS-CoV-2-specific nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination

BACKGROUND: Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 focus on circulating antibody, giving limited insights into mucosal defences that prevent viral replication and onward transmission. We studied nasal and plasma antibody responses one year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, including a period when SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was introduced. METHODS: In this follow up study, plasma and nasosorption samples were prospectively collected from 446 adults hospitalised for COVID-19 between February 2020 and March 2021 via the ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. IgA and IgG responses to NP and S of ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta and Omicron (BA.1) variants were measured by electrochemiluminescence and compared with plasma neutralisation data. FINDINGS: Strong and consistent nasal anti-NP and anti-S IgA responses were demonstrated, which remained elevated for nine months (p < 0.0001). Nasal and plasma anti-S IgG remained elevated for at least 12 months (p < 0.0001) with plasma neutralising titres that were raised against all variants compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Of 323 with complete data, 307 were vaccinated between 6 and 12 months; coinciding with rises in nasal and plasma IgA and IgG anti-S titres for all SARS-CoV-2 variants, although the change in nasal IgA was minimal (1.46-fold change after 10 months, p = 0.011) and the median remained below the positive threshold determined by pre-pandemic controls. Samples 12 months after admission showed no association between nasal IgA and plasma IgG anti-S responses (R = 0.05, p = 0.18), indicating that nasal IgA responses are distinct from those in plasma and minimally boosted by vaccination. INTERPRETATION: The decline in nasal IgA responses 9 months after infection and minimal impact of subsequent vaccination may explain the lack of long-lasting nasal defence against reinfection and the limited effects of vaccination on transmission. These findings highlight the need to develop vaccines that enhance nasal immunity. FUNDING: This study has been supported by ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. ISARIC4C is supported by grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre provided infrastructure support for this research. The PHOSP-COVD study is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation and National Institute of Health and Care Research. The funders were not involved in the study design, interpretation of data or the writing of this manuscript

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood1. Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom and 233 had fully recovered. Elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation were associated with long COVID. IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12 were associated with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety/depression; MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms and C1QA was elevated in cognitive impairment. Additional markers of alterations in nerve tissue repair (SPON-1 and NFASC) were elevated in those with cognitive impairment and SCG3, suggestive of brain–gut axis disturbance, was elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was persistently elevated in some individuals with long COVID, but virus was not detected in sputum. Analysis of inflammatory markers in nasal fluids showed no association with symptoms. Our study aimed to understand inflammatory processes that underlie long COVID and was not designed for biomarker discovery. Our findings suggest that specific inflammatory pathways related to tissue damage are implicated in subtypes of long COVID, which might be targeted in future therapeutic trials

Synthesis and Structural Elucidation of Nanoscale Manganese-Bamboo Composites.

Owing to the unique features inherent in nanomaterials particularly nanocomposites, enormous attention has been directed at their methods of synthesis, functionalization and modification for broader applications. In this study, chemical and biological methods were employed for the synthesis of nanoscale manganese bamboo composite (nMn-bamboo) with subsequent characterisation. The nanomaterials (nMn and nMn-bamboo) were prepared via aqueous phase borohydride reduction and plant mediated method using curry (Murrayakoenigii) leafextracts under ambient conditions. Characterization was done using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. Significant aggregation and morphological variations were observed among the composites from the SEM micrograph. The XRD analysis revealed the existence of two different manganese oxides peaks in the composites while the FTIR spectra showed the presence of bands at 3441.12 cm-1, 1728.28 cm-1, 1639.55 cm-1, 1604.83 cm-1, 1371.43 cm-1 and1332.86 cm-1 on the surface of both composites. The nMn-bamboo (plant) had lower concentration of elements (Mn, Al and Si) than nMn-bamboo (chemical) whereas the elements detected in significant concentrations were Mn, Al, Si, and Cl