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Copyright of Zarqa Journal for Research & Studies in Humanities is the property of Zarqa Journal for Research & Studies in Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Microscopy is the gold standard for malaria diagnosis but is dependent on trained personnel. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) form the mainstay of diagnosis in endemic areas without access to high-quality microscopy. We aimed to evaluate whether RDT alone could rule out imported malaria in children presenting to UK emergency departments (EDs). Methods UK-based, multi-center, retrospective, diagnostic accuracy study. Included : any child <16 years presenting to ED with history of fever and travel to a malaria-endemic country, between 01/01/2016 and 31/12/2017. Diagnosis: microscopy for malarial parasites (clinical reference standard) and RDT (index test). UK Health Research Authority approval: 20/HRA/1341. Results There were 47 cases of malaria out of 1,414 eligible cases (prevalence 3.3%) in a cohort of children whose median age was 4 years (IQR 2–9), of whom 43% were female. Cases of Plasmodium falciparum totaled 36 (77%, prevalence 2.5%). The sensitivity of RDT alone to detect malaria infection due to any Plasmodium species was 93.6% (95% CI 82.5–98.7%), specificity 99.4% (95% CI 98.9–99.7%), positive predictive value 84.6% (95% CI 71.9–93.1%) and negative predictive value 99.8% (95% CI 99.4–100.0%). Sensitivity of RDT to detect P. falciparum infection was 100% (90.3–100%), specificity 98.8% (98.1–99.3%), positive predictive value 69.2% (54.9–81.2%, n = 46/52) and negative predictive value 100% (99.7–100%, n = 1,362/1,362). Conclusions RDTs were 100% sensitive in detecting P. falciparum malaria. However, lower sensitivity for other malaria species and the rise of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 (pfhrp2/3) gene deletions in the P. falciparum parasite mandate the continued use of microscopy for diagnosing malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens continue to threaten the ability to treat common infections. Thus, the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) survey seeks to present the antibiotic profile of Gram-positive pathogens in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The objective was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of Gram-positive pathogens causing SSTIs isolated in patients admitted to two tertiary hospitals in Limpopo, South Africa. Methods: Five-year laboratory-based antibiotic susceptibility data from 2016 to 2020 was reviewed. Susceptibility determinations were done at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Microbiology Laboratory, according to Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data was obtained retrospectively from the central data warehouse (CDW) in Johannesburg. Susceptibility percentages were calculated and reported as a simple percentage of the total number of same-species microbes against which the antibiotic was tested for susceptibility. Results: A total of 1 669 Gram-positive isolates were analysed. The proportions of males and females were 50.5% and 49.5% respectively. The predominant pathogen was S. aureus representing 67.3% of the isolates. E. faecalis was the second most isolated pathogen (11.7%), followed by Streptococcus group A (3.0%), E. faecium (2.9%), Viridians group Streptococcus (2.6%), and Streptococcus agalactiae (2.3%). A high level of resistance was noted among Staphylococcus aureus due to the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at 11.9% and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) at < 1%, and in the Enterococcus species, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) at 4% and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus at 2%. Conclusion: The current AMR survey reports the presence of highly resistant isolates of S. aureus and Enterococcus species at two tertiary hospitals in Limpopo. The present resistant strains, especially MRSA and VRE mean efforts and resources should be channelled to the development of novel antibiotics, while intense infection prevention and control (IPC) measures continue to be adhered to in healthcare facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Biomedica is the property of Centro de Investigaciones Regionales Dr. Hideyo Noguchi; Facultad de Medicina, UADY and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Malaria is a major global public health concern in endemic countries and imported childhood malaria is increasing in malaria non-endemic countries., Methods: This was a retrospective case review of all laboratory-confirmed malaria cases in children 0-16 years admitted between 2009 and 2019 in 2 large university teaching Hospitals in Brussels., Results: A total of 160 children with a median age of 6.8 years (range 5-191 months) were included. We identified 109 (68%) children living in Belgium who had acquired malaria during their visit to malaria-endemic countries to visiting friends and relatives (VFRs), 49 children (31%) visitors or newly installed migrants, and 2 Belgian tourists. Peak seasonal incidence occurred between August and September. Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 89% of all malaria cases. Almost 80% of children living in Belgium visited a travel clinic for advice, but only one-third reported having taken the prophylaxis schedule according to the recommendations. Based on WHO criteria, 31 children (19.3%) developed severe malaria; most of the patients with severe malaria were VFR travelers and were significantly younger, had higher leukocytosis, had more thrombocytopenia, higher CRP, and lower natremia compared with patients with an uncomplicated course. All children recovered fully., Conclusions: Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity among returning travelers and newly arrived immigrants to Belgium. Most of the children had an uncomplicated disease course. Physicians should educate families about traveling to malaria-endemic areas to correct malaria preventive measures and prophylaxis., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)