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Vivien Maiden and Jaqui Hewitt-Taylor contrast approaches to supporting learning in the clinical environment in New Zealand and the UK [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial pathogens cause substantial diarrhea morbidity and mortality among children living in endemic settings, yet antimicrobial treatment is only recommended for dysentery or suspected cholera., Methods: AntiBiotics for Children with severe Diarrhea was a 7-country, placebo-controlled, double-blind efficacy trial of azithromycin in children 2-23 months of age with watery diarrhea accompanied by dehydration or malnutrition. We tested fecal samples for enteric pathogens utilizing quantitative polymerase chain reaction to identify likely and possible bacterial etiologies and employed pathogen-specific cutoffs based on genomic target quantity in previous case-control diarrhea etiology studies to identify likely and possible bacterial etiologies., Results: Among 6692 children, the leading likely etiologies were rotavirus (21.1%), enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli encoding heat-stable toxin (13.3%), Shigella (12.6%), and Cryptosporidium (9.6%). More than one-quarter (1894 [28.3%]) had a likely and 1153 (17.3%) a possible bacterial etiology. Day 3 diarrhea was less common in those randomized to azithromycin versus placebo among children with a likely bacterial etiology (risk difference [RD]likely, -11.6 [95% confidence interval {CI}, -15.6 to -7.6]) and possible bacterial etiology (RDpossible, -8.7 [95% CI, -13.0 to -4.4]) but not in other children (RDunlikely, -0.3% [95% CI, -2.9% to 2.3%]). A similar association was observed for 90-day hospitalization or death (RDlikely, -3.1 [95% CI, -5.3 to -1.0]; RDpossible, -2.3 [95% CI, -4.5 to -.01]; RDunlikely, -0.6 [95% CI, -1.9 to .6]). The magnitude of risk differences was similar among specific likely bacterial etiologies, including Shigella., Conclusions: Acute watery diarrhea confirmed or presumed to be of bacterial etiology may benefit from azithromycin treatment., Clinical Trials Registration: NCT03130114., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts of interest. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Molecular diagnostics on human fecal samples have identified a larger burden of shigellosis than previously appreciated by culture. Evidence of fold changes in immunoglobulin G (IgG) to conserved and type-specific Shigella antigens could be used to validate the molecular assignment of type-specific Shigella as the etiology of acute diarrhea and support polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based microbiologic end points for vaccine trials., Methods: We will test dried blood spots collected at enrollment and 4 weeks later using bead-based immunoassays for IgG to invasion plasmid antigen B and type-specific lipopolysaccharide O-antigen for Shigella flexneri 1b, 2a, 3a, and 6 and Shigella sonnei in Shigella -positive cases and age-, site-, and season-matched test-negative controls from all sites in the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study. Fold antibody responses will be compared between culture-positive, culture-negative but PCR-attributable, and PCR-positive but not attributable cases and test-negative controls. Age- and site-specific seroprevalence distributions will be identified, and the association between baseline antibodies and Shigella attribution will be estimated., Conclusions: The integration of these assays into the EFGH study will help support PCR-based attribution of acute diarrhea to type-specific Shigella , describe the baseline seroprevalence of conserved and type-specific Shigella antibodies, and support correlates of protection for immunity to Shigella diarrhea. These insights can help support the development and evaluation of Shigella vaccine candidates., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Malawi is among 7 countries participating in the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study, which aims to determine the incidence of medically attended diarrhea attributed to Shigella , a leading bacterial cause of diarrhea in children in low-resource settings., Methods: We describe the EFGH study site in the densely populated informal settlement of Ndirande Township, Blantyre, Malawi. We explore the site's geographical location, demographic characteristics, and the healthcare-seeking behavior of its population, particularly for childhood diarrhea. We also describe the management of childhood diarrhea at the health facility, and the associated challenges to attaining optimum adherence to local and national guidelines at the site., Conclusions: Our overarching aim is to improve global health through understanding and mitigating the impact of diarrhea attributed to Shigella ., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Shigella is a major cause of diarrhea in young children worldwide. Multiple vaccines targeting Shigella are in development, and phase 3 clinical trials are imminent to determine efficacy against shigellosis., Methods: The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study is designed to determine the incidence of medically attended shigellosis in 6- to 35-month-old children in 7 resource-limited settings. Here, we describe the microbiological methods used to isolate and identify Shigella . We developed a standardized laboratory protocol for isolation and identification of Shigella by culture. This protocol was implemented across all 7 sites, ensuring consistency and comparability of results. Secondary objectives of the study are to determine the antibiotic resistance profiles of Shigella , compare isolation of Shigella from rectal swabs versus whole stool, and compare isolation of Shigella following transport of rectal swabs in Cary-Blair versus a modified buffered glycerol saline transport medium., Conclusions: Data generated from EFGH using culture methods described herein can potentially be used for microbiological endpoints in future phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate vaccines against shigellosis and for other clinical and public health studies focused on these organisms., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No potential conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Low-income countries have high morbidity and mortality from drug-resistant infections, especially from enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli. In these settings, sanitation infrastructure is of variable and often inadequate quality, creating risks of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales transmission. We aimed to describe the prevalence, distribution, and risks of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonisation in sub-Saharan Africa using a One Health approach., Methods: Between April 29, 2019, and Dec 3, 2020, we recruited 300 households in Malawi for this longitudinal cohort study: 100 each in urban, peri-urban, and rural settings. All households underwent a baseline visit and 195 were selected for longitudinal follow-up, comprising up to three additional visits over a 6 month period. Data on human health, antibiotic usage, health-seeking behaviours, structural and behavioural environmental health practices, and animal husbandry were captured alongside human, animal, and environmental samples. Microbiological processing determined the presence of ESBL-producing E coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and hierarchical logistic regression was performed to evaluate the risks of human ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonisation., Findings: A paucity of environmental health infrastructure and materials for safe sanitation was identified across all sites. A total of 11 975 samples were cultured, and ESBL-producing Enterobacterales were isolated from 1190 (41·8%) of 2845 samples of human stool, 290 (29·8%) of 973 samples of animal stool, 339 (66·2%) of 512 samples of river water, and 138 (46·0%) of 300 samples of drain water. Multivariable models illustrated that human ESBL-producing E coli colonisation was associated with the wet season (adjusted odds ratio 1·66, 95% credible interval 1·38-2·00), living in urban areas (2·01, 1·26-3·24), advanced age (1·14, 1·05-1·25), and living in households where animals were observed interacting with food (1·62, 1·17-2·28) or kept inside (1·58, 1·00-2·43). Human ESBL-producing K pneumoniae colonisation was associated with the wet season (2·12, 1·63-2·76)., Interpretation: There are extremely high levels of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonisation in humans and animals and extensive contamination of the wider environment in southern Malawi. Urbanisation and seasonality are key risks for ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonisation, probably reflecting environmental drivers. Without adequate efforts to improve environmental health, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales transmission is likely to persist in this setting., Funding: Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Wellcome Trust., Translation: For the Chichewa translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

There is conflicting evidence of the impact of commonly used antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) on the pharmacokinetics of lumefantrine and the safety profile of artemether-lumefantrine. We compared the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to 14 days (AUC 0-14 days ) of lumefantrine and the safety profile of artemether-lumefantrine in malaria-negative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults in two steps. In step 1, a half-dose adult course of artemether-lumefantrine was administered as a safety check in four groups ( n = 6/group): (i) antiretroviral naive, (ii) nevirapine-based ART, (iii) efavirenz-based ART, and (iv) ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based ART. In step 2, a standard-dose adult course of artemether-lumefantrine was administered to a different cohort in three groups ( n = 10 to 15/group): (i) antiretroviral naive, (ii) efavirenz-based ART, and (iii) ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based ART. In step 1, lumefantrine's AUC 0-14 days was 53% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27 to 0.82) lower in the efavirenz-based ART group than in the ART-naive group and was 2.4 (95% CI, 1.58 to 3.62) and 2.9(95% CI, 1.75 to 4.72) times higher in the nevirapine- and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir groups, respectively. In step 2, lumefantrine's AUC 0-14 days was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.26 to 3.00) times higher in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir group and not significantly different between the efavirenz- and ART-naive groups (0.99 [95% CI, 0.63 to 1.57]). Frequent cases of hematological abnormalities (thrombocytopenia and neutropenia) were observed in the nevirapine group in step 1, leading to a recommendation from the data and safety monitoring board not to include a nevirapine group in step 2. Artemether-lumefantrine was well tolerated in the other groups. The therapeutic implications of these findings need to be evaluated among HIV-malaria-coinfected adults. (This study has been registered at the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry under numbers PACTR2010030001871293 and PACTR2010030001971409.)., (Copyright © 2018 Banda et al.)

There are limited data on the pharmacokinetic and safety profiles of artesunate-amodiaquine in human immnunodeficiency virus-infected (HIV + ) individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy. In a two-step intensive sampling pharmacokinetic trial, we compared the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 28 days (AUC 0-28 ) of an active metabolite of amodiaquine, desethylamodiaquine, and treatment-emergent adverse events between antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV + adults and those taking nevirapine and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based antiretroviral therapy. In step 1, malaria-uninfected adults ( n = 6/arm) received half the standard adult treatment regimen of artesunate-amodiaquine. In step 2, another cohort ( n = 25/arm) received the full regimen. In step 1, there were no safety signals or significant differences in desethylamodiaquine AUC 0-28 among participants in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir, nevirapine, and antiretroviral therapy-naive arms. In step 2, compared with those in the antiretroviral therapy-naive arm, participants in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir arm had 51% lower desethylamodiaquine AUC 0-28 , with the following geometric means (95% confidence intervals [CIs]): 23,822 (17,458 to 32,506) versus 48,617 (40,787 to 57,950) ng · h/ml ( P < 0.001). No significant differences in AUC 0-28 were observed between nevirapine and antiretroviral therapy-naive arms. Treatment-emergent transaminitis was higher in the nevirapine (20% [5/25]) than the antiretroviral therapy-naive (0.0% [0/25]) arm (risk difference, 20% [95% CI, 4.3 to 35.7]; P = 0.018). The ritonavir-boosted lopinavir antiretroviral regimen was associated with reduced desethylamodiaquine exposure, which may compromise artesunate-amodiaquine's efficacy. Coadministration of nevirapine and artesunate-amodiaquine may be associated with hepatoxicity., (Copyright © 2018 Banda et al.)

A team from Dorset has forged links with colleagues at Wau Hospital in southern Sudan.