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Background: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral infection, characterized by haemorrhagic fever in humans and transient asymptomatic infection in animals. It is an emerging human health threat causing sporadic outbreaks in Uganda. We conducted a detailed outbreak investigation in the animal population following the death from CCHF of a 42-year-old male cattle trader in Lyantonde district, Uganda. This was to ascertain the extent of CCHF virus (CCHFV) circulation among cattle and goats and to identify affected farms and ongoing increased environmental risk for future human infections. Methods: We collected blood and tick samples from 117 cattle and 93 goats, and tested these for anti-CCHFV antibodies and antigen using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and target enrichment next generation sequencing. Results: CCHFV-specific IgG antibodies were detected in 110/117 (94.0%) cattle and 83/93 (89.3%) goats. Animal seropositivity was independently associated with female animals (AOR = 9.42, P = 0.002), and animals reared under a pastoral animal production system (AOR = 6.02, P = 0.019] were more likely to be seropositive than tethered or communally grazed animals. CCHFV was detected by sequencing in Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks but not in domestic animals. Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated very high seroprevalence of CCHFV antibodies in both cattle and goats in farms associated with a human case of CCHF in Lyantonde. Therefore, building surveillance programs for CCHF around farms in this area and the Ugandan cattle corridor is indicated, in order to identify opportunities for case prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common nosocomial pathogen responsible for significant morbidity and mortality internationally. Patients may become colonised or infected with P. aeruginosa after exposure to contaminated sources within the hospital environment. The aim of this study was to determine whether whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can be used to determine the source in a cohort of burns patients at high risk of P. aeruginosa acquisition. Study design: An observational prospective cohort study. Setting: Burns care ward and critical care ward in the UK. Participants: Patients with >7% total burns by surface area were recruited into the study. Methods: All patients were screened for P. aeruginosa on admission and samples taken from their immediate environment, including water. Screening patients who subsequently developed a positive P. aeruginosa microbiology result were subject to enhanced environmental surveillance. All isolates of P. aeruginosa were genome sequenced. Sequence analysis looked at similarity and relatedness between isolates. Results: WGS for 141 P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained from patients, hospital water and the ward environment. Phylogenetic analysis revealed eight distinct clades, with a single clade representing the majority of environmental isolates in the burns unit. Isolates from three patients had identical genotypes compared with water isolates from the same room. There was clear clustering of water isolates by room and outlet, allowing the source of acquisitions to be unambiguously identified. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing of biofilm DNA extracted from a thermostatic mixer valve revealed this was the source of a P. aeruginosa subpopulation previously detected in water. In the remaining two cases there was no clear link to the hospital environment. Conclusions: This study reveals that WGS can be used for source tracking of P. aeruginosa in a hospital setting, and that acquisitions can be traced to a specific source within a hospital ward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]