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Most methods of classifying airborne pollen are labor-intensive and prohibitively expensive, which limits the scales at which predictions about ambient allergy conditions can be provided. A spectroscopic technique was developed toward inexpensively providing information about important pollen groups. The technique uses a single-particle fluorescence spectrometer to analyze super-micron atmospheric bioparticles, e.g., pollen and fungal spores, collected onto a substrate. Thirty-four pollen species were sampled from plants at the Denver Botanic Gardens over one year. Particle size and fluorescence emission spectra following excitation from each of four optical sources were collected for each of 916 particles as a first application to freshly collected pollen. Subsequently, a random forest (RF) algorithm was used to classify individual particles, with three key observations. First, categorizing pollen samples into broader categories (sampling month, allergenicity level, or plant type) increased the relative classification accuracy (F value) somewhat, compared to the classification to pollen species. Second, excitation wavelengths most important for classification were identified. Third, comparison of fresh and commercially available pollen of the same species suggests that differences introduced by chemical processing can alter spectroscopic properties and could impact classification. The scope of analysis and particle statistics was limited, because sample collection and spectral analysis were each conducted manually. While particle numbers were too low to extrapolate results toward continuous analysis, results suggest that rough separation of fresh pollen samples is possible using only fluorescence and particle size. The comparison of results may thus be useful to others developing spectroscopic techniques to analyze bioparticles. Copyright © 2022 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article covers the implementation of the Xpert Ebola Assay, a rapid molecular diagnostic test using the GeneXpert platform, in Liberia in response to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. It discusses the effectiveness of coordination between surveillance and laboratory teams before noting the costs and methodology associated with the GeneXpert platform.

Background: The Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP) has biosafety and biosecurity as one of its core competencies and advocates for a One Health approach involving all relevant sectors across the human-animal-environment interface to empower national laboratory systems and strengthen health security. Decentralization of SARS-CoV-2 testing in Liberia coupled with an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections among laboratory professionals raised biosafety concerns. In response, a set of trainings on laboratory biosafety was launched for lab personnel across the country under the framework of the GLLP. The goal was to deliver a comprehensive package for laboratory biosafety in the context of SARS-CoV-2 through active learning., Methods: Three one-day workshops were conducted between September and October 2020, training personnel from human, animal and environmental laboratories through a One Health approach. Concepts critical to laboratory biosafety were delivered in an interactive engagement format to ensure effective learning and retention of concepts. Pre- and post-training assessments were performed, and a paired t -test was used to assess knowledge gain., Results: Of the 67 participants, 64 were from the human health sector, one from veterinary sector and two from environmental health sector. The average pre-test score was 41%. The main gaps identified were failure to acknowledge surgical antisepsis as a form of hand hygiene and recognition of PPE as the best risk control measure. The average post-test score was 75.5%. The mean difference of pre-test and post-test scores was statistically significant ( p -value <0.001). Participants indicated satisfaction with the workshop content, mode of delivery and trainers' proficiency., Conclusions: The workshops were impactful as evidenced by significant improvement (34.5%) in the post-test scores and positive participant feedback. Repeated refresher trainings are vital to addressing the gaps, ensuring compliance, and promoting biosafety culture. GLLP's approach to cultivating multisectoral national laboratory leaders ready to take responsibility and ownership for capacity building provides a sustainable solution for attaining strong national laboratory systems better prepared for health emergencies and pandemics like COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 The Authors.)

On April 25, 2017, a cluster of unexplained illness and deaths among persons who had attended a funeral during April 21-22 was reported in Sinoe County, Liberia (1). Using a broad initial case definition, 31 cases were identified, including 13 (42%) deaths. Twenty-seven cases were from Sinoe County (1), and two cases each were from Grand Bassa and Monsterrado counties, respectively. On May 5, 2017, initial multipathogen testing of specimens from four fatal cases using the Taqman Array Card (TAC) assay identified Neisseria meningitidis in all specimens. Subsequent testing using direct real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed N. meningitidis in 14 (58%) of 24 patients with available specimens and identified N. meningitidis serogroup C (NmC) in 13 (54%) patients. N. meningitidis was detected in specimens from 11 of the 13 patients who died; no specimens were available from the other two fatal cases. On May 16, 2017, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia and the Ministry of Health of Liberia issued a press release confirming serogroup C meningococcal disease as the cause of this outbreak in Liberia.