Magnitude of Drug-Resistant Gram-Positive Bacterial Pathogens, and Its Associated Factors from External Ocular Infected Patients Attending at Jinka General Hospital Ophthalmic Clinic, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: The emergence and the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant Gram-positive bacteria increase the risk of treatment failure of ocular infection. Thus, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of drug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial pathogens and associated factors among patients attending Jinka General Hospital Ophthalmic Clinic in Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 347 external ocular infected patients attending Jinka General Hospital Ophthalmic Clinic from 15th March to 20th June 2021. Study participants were selected by a systematic random sampling technique. Required data were collected by using structured questionnaires. Swabs of the external eye were obtained with a sterile cotton swab and processed in the Jinka branch Public Health Laboratory. Each sample was inoculated on blood agar, chocolate agar, and mannitol salt agar and incubated aerobically and micro-aerobically at 37°C for 48 hrs. Identification was done by standard microbiological protocols and antimicrobial resistance testing by Kirby Bauer's disk diffusion technique. Logistic regression was used to identify the associated factors with Gram-positive bacterial external-ocular infection. Results: The overall prevalence of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens among external ocular samples was 119/347 (34.3%). S. aureus 57/119 (47.39%), followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. 38/119 (31.9%), and S. pneumoniae 13/119 (10.9%) were predominantly isolated. Overall, multi-drug resistance was observed in 72/119 (60.5%) of the bacteria isolates. The 78.9% of isolated S. aureus were MDR. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin-resistant CoNS (MR-CoNS) were accounted for 45.6% and 36.8%, respectively. Previous use of ocular antibiotics was statistically associated to external-ocular Gram-positive bacterial infection [AOR= 1.624, 95% CI: (1.037-2.542)]. Conclusion: High levels of drug resistance were observed for commonly prescribed antibiotics, which attracted the attention of an ophthalmic clinic. Thus, for the effective treatment and management of bacterial eye infections, regular monitoring of drug resistance trends is essential.

Viral Etiologies of Meningitis in Patients with Presumed Pyogenic Meningitis at University Hospitals in Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Viral meningitis is common in most resource-limited settings, posing a challenge for the management and prognosis of suspected patients. No study has been done on the detection of either viral or viral-bacterial co-infection among presumed pyogenic meningitis cases in Ethiopia. We, therefore, aimed to determine the distribution of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human enteroviruses (HEVs) among patients with presumptive pyogenic meningitis at University hospitals in Ethiopia. METHODS: Viral nucleic acid was extracted from 86 repository CSF samples, which were collected from patients presumptively diagnosed with pyogenic meningitis between 2012 and 2013. PCR was done consecutively to investigate the possible viral etiologic agents of meningitis. RESULTS: HEVs were detected in 11 (12.8%) of the analyzed samples while none of the 86 samples were tested positive for CMV. Viral-bacterial co-infections were found among 4/11 (36.4%) confirmed cases. The majority of the patients (10/11) with HEVs were younger aged ≤ 19 years old. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the magnitude of HEVs was shown to have a significant role in presumed pyogenic meningitis cases. Therefore, we recommend presumed pyogenic meningitis cases to be inspected for viral etiologies and improve meningeal symptoms interpretations.

Human cytomegalovirus infection among treatment-naive HIV-1 infected patients in Ethiopia.

Subclinical human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication is associated with immune dysfunction in immuno-suppressed antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive HIV infected individuals. No data is documented in Ethiopia so far concerning HCMV co-infection among HIV infected individuals. Hence, this study was aimed at generating data regarding the prevalence of active HCMV infection among treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals from Ethiopia. For this purpose, we enrolled 97 treatment-naive HIV infected study subjects in Addis Ababa from June to December 2018. ELISA and conventional PCR were performed consecutively to detect HCMV specific IgM antibody and HCMV DNA respectively. Of the 97 study subjects, 12 (12.4%) were positive for anti-CMV IgM antibodies but were not confirmed by PCR. With regard to the PCR positivity, 4/97 (4.1%) samples were positive for HCMV DNA. No statically significant associations were found between the dependent and independent variables. The presence of HCMV DNA in the current study highlights the need for a routine laboratory diagnosis for preventing HCMV disease among HIV-infected individuals early. Besides, the use of anti-CMV therapy for these CMV viremic individuals is also recommended as this can reduce the burden of CMV complications and consecutively prolonging the life of HIV infected individuals.

Enhanced identification of Group B streptococcus in infants with suspected meningitis in Ethiopia.

Meningitis is one of the top ten causes of death among Ethiopian infants. Group B streptococcus (GBS) has emerged as a leading cause of meningitis in neonates and young infants, resulting in high mortality. Despite this, there is no report on GBS associated meningitis in Ethiopia where infant meningitis is common. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the proportion of GBS associated meningitis among Ethiopian infants. PCR was prospectively used to detect GBS in culture-negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, which were collected from infants suspected for meningitis, at Tikur Anbessa specialized hospital, Ethiopia, over a one-year period. GBS was detected by PCR in 63.9% of culture-negative CSF samples. Out of the 46 GBS positive infants, 10.9% (n = 5) of them died. The late onset of GBS (LOGBS) disease was noted to have a poor outcome with 3 LOGBS out of 5 GBS positive samples collected from patients with the final outcome of death. PCR was advantageous in the identification of GBS in culture-negative CSF samples. GBS was detected in 64% of the CSF samples from infants with meningitis compared with zero-detection rate by culture.

COVID-19 pandemic: current knowledge about the role of pets and other animals in disease transmission.

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), a disease caused by a pathogen called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic. This ongoing pandemic has now been reported in 215 countries with more than 23 million confirmed cases and more than 803 thousand deaths worldwide as of August 22, 2020. Although efforts are undergoing, there is no approved vaccine or any specific antiretroviral drug to treat COVID-19 so far. It is now known that SARS-CoV-2 can affect not only humans but also pets and other domestic and wild animals, making it a one health global problem. Several published scientific evidence has shown that bats are the initial reservoir hosts of SARS-CoV-2, and pangolins are suggested as an intermediate hosts. So far, little is known concerning the role of pets and other animals in the transmission of COVID-19. Therefore, updated knowledge about the potential role of pets in the current outbreak will be of paramount importance for effective prevention and control of the disease. This review summarized the current evidence about the role of pets and other animals in the transmission of COVID-19.