SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women during the first three COVID-19 waves in The Gambia

OBJECTIVES: SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa has probably been underestimated. Population-based seroprevalence studies are needed to determine the extent of transmission in the continent. METHODS: Blood samples from a cohort of Gambian pregnant women were tested for SARS-CoV-2 total receptor binding domain (RBD) IgM/IgG before (Pre-pandemic: October-December 2019), and during the pandemic (Pre-wave1: February-June 2020; Post-wave1: October-December 2020, Post-wave2: May-June 2021; and Post-wave3: October-December 2021). Samples reactive for SARS-CoV-2 total RBD IgM/IgG were tested in specific S1- and nucleocapsid (NCP) IgG assays. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 total RBD IgM/IgG seroprevalence was 0.9% 95%CI (0.2, 4.9) in Pre-pandemic; 4.1% (1.4, 11.4) in Pre-wave1; 31.1% (25.2, 37.7) in Post-wave1; 62.5% (55.8, 68.8) in Post-wave2 and 90.0% (85.1, 93.5) in Post-wave3. S-protein IgG and NCP-protein IgG seroprevalence also increased at each Post-wave period. Although S-protein IgG and NCP-protein IgG seroprevalence was similar at Post-wave1, S-protein IgG seroprevalence was higher at Post-wave2 and Post-wave3, [prevalence difference (PD) 13.5 (0.1, 26.8) and prevalence ratio (PR) 1.5 (1.0, 2.3) in Post-wave2; and 22.9 (9.2, 36.6) and 1.4 (1.1, 1.8) in Post-wave3 respectively, p<0.001]. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 transmission in The Gambia during the first three COVID-19 waves was high, differing significantly from official numbers of COVID-19 cases reported. Our findings are important for policy makers in managing the near-endemic COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya from March 2020 to March 2022

BackgroundSeroprevalence studies are an alternative approach to estimating the extent of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the evolution of the pandemic in different geographical settings. We aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence from March 2020 to March 2022 in a rural and urban setting in Kilifi County, Kenya.MethodsWe obtained representative random samples of stored serum from a pregnancy cohort study for the period March 2020 to March 2022 and tested for antibodies against the spike protein using a qualitative SARS-CoV-2 ELISA kit (Wantai, total antibodies). All positive samples were retested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (Euroimmun, ELISA kits, NCP, qualitative, IgG) and anti-spike protein antibodies (Euroimmun, ELISA kits, QuantiVac; quantitative, IgG).ResultsA total of 2,495 (of 4,703 available) samples were tested. There was an overall trend of increasing seropositivity from a low of 0% [95% CI 0–0.06] in March 2020 to a high of 89.4% [95% CI 83.36–93.82] in Feb 2022. Of the Wantai test-positive samples, 59.7% [95% CI 57.06–62.34] tested positive by the Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 NCP test and 37.4% [95% CI 34.83–40.04] tested positive by the Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac test. No differences were observed between the urban and rural hospital but villages adjacent to the major highway traversing the study area had a higher seroprevalence.ConclusionAnti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rose rapidly, with most of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 within 23 months of the first cases. The high cumulative seroprevalence suggests greater population exposure to SARS-CoV-2 than that reported from surveillance data

Presence and distribution of corticolous myxomycetes in monumental trees in Bursa city center and surroundings

Kentleşmenin, miksomiseteslerin biyolojik çeşitliliğini etkilediği bildirilmiştir. Bursa kentinde, miksomiset grubuna ait çeşitliliğin kentsel alandaki durumuna ilişkin veriler bulunmamaktadır. Bu nedenle, Bursa ilinin anıt ağaçları en çok bulunduran ilçelerinde (Osmangazi ve Yıldırım) yer alan anıtsal olarak tanımlanmış ağaçlarda kortikol miksomisetes grubu organizmaların varlık ve dağılımının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Ağustos ve Ekim 2018'de Bursa'nın Osmangazi ve Yıldırım ilçesinde yer alan 100 adet anıtsal ağaçtan kabuk materyal toplanmıştır. Nem odası kültür tekniği laboratuar uygulaması çalışmalarından elde edilen türlerin izolasyonları teşhis ve tanımlanmaları gerçekleştirilmiştir.9 cins içinde 16 tür tanımlanmıştır tespit edilen türler listelenmiş ve Bursa şehri için Didymium bahiense (Gottsberger), Didymium difforme (Pers) SF Gray), Macbrideola martinii (Alexop. Amp; Beneke), Macbrideola oblonga (Pando, Lado), Physarum gyrosum (Rost), Physarum notabile (Macbr.) yeni kayıt olarak belirtilmiştir. Çalışma, Bursa şehir merkezindeki anıtsal ağaçlardaki kortikol miksomisetesler hakkında ilk rapordur. Ayrıca, Bursa ili miksomisetesleri biyolojik çeşitliliği üzerine 6 (altı) yeni Myxomycetes kaydı da eklemektedir.Urbanization has been reported to affect the biodiversity of myxomycetes. There is no data in the Bursa city on the diversity of myxomycete in the urban area. Therefore, we aim to determine the presence of corticolous myxomycetes on monumental trees that are located in the most populated province of Bursa city (Osmangazi and Yıldırım). In August and October 2018, 100 barks of monumental trees located in the Osmangazi and Yıldırım) county of Bursa was collected. Moist chamber culture technique was used for the isolation and identification of the species.16 species within 9 genera were identified. The species identified are listed, and six new records Didymium bahiense (Gottsberger), Didymium difforme (Pers.) S. F. Gray), Macbrideola martinii (Alexop. & Beneke), Macbrideola oblonga (Pando, Lado), Physarum gyrosum (Rost.), Physarum notabile (Macbr.), were recorded for Bursa city. This is the first report of corticolous myxomycetes on monumental trees in Bursa city center. It also added data and 6 (six) new records of myxomycetes on the myxomycete biodiversity of Bursa

The Brain Imaging for Global Health (BRIGHT) Project: Longitudinal cohort study protocol

There is a scarcity of prospective longitudinal research targeted at early postnatal life which maps developmental pathways of early-stage processing and brain specialisation in the context of early adversity. Follow up from infancy into the one-five year age range is key, as it constitutes a critical gap between infant and early childhood studies. Availability of portable neuroimaging (functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG)) has enabled access to rural settings increasing the diversity of our sampling and broadening developmental research to include previously underrepresented ethnic-racial and geographical groups in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). The primary objective of the Brain Imaging for Global Health (BRIGHT) project was to establish brain function - using longitudinal data from mother - for-age reference curves infant dyads living in the UK and rural Gambia and investigate the association between context-associated moderators and developmental trajectories across the first two years of life in The Gambia. In total, 265 participating families were seen during pregnancy, at 7–14 days, 1-, 5-, 8-, 12-, 18- and 24-months post-partum. An additional visit is now underway at 3–5 years to assess pre-school outcomes. The majority of our Gambian cohort live in poverty, but while resource-poor in many factors they commonly experience a rich and beneficial family and caregiving context with multigenerational care and a close-knit supportive community. Understanding the impact of different factors at play in such an environment (i.e., detrimental undernutrition versus beneficial multigenerational family support) will (i) improve the representativeness of models of general cognitive developmental pathways from birth, (ii) identify causal pathways of altered trajectories associated with early adversity at both individual and group level, and (iii) identify the context-associated moderators (i.e. social context) that protect development despite the presence of poverty-associated challenges. This will in turn contribute to the development of targeted interventions.</ns3:p