A5046634410- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- COVID-19 diagnosis using AI
- Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods
- Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Medical Imaging and Pathology Studies
- COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
- Autoimmune Bullous Skin Diseases
- Vasculitis and related conditions
- Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- Respiratory viral infections research
- HIV/AIDS oral health manifestations
- Radiomics and Machine Learning in Medical Imaging
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Rabies epidemiology and control
University of the Witwatersrand
2017-2025
Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics
2024
Africa Health Research Institute
2024
National Health Laboratory Service
2015-2021
Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
2020
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
2017
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
2017
BackgroundThe Xpert MTB/RIF assay is an automated molecular test that has improved the detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, but its sensitivity inadequate in patients with paucibacillary disease or HIV. Ultra (Xpert Ultra) was developed to overcome this limitation. We compared diagnostic performance for resistance.MethodsIn prospective, multicentre, accuracy study, we recruited adults pulmonary symptoms presenting at primary health-care centres hospitals eight countries...
More sensitive tests are needed for the diagnosis of smear-negative and HIV-associated tuberculosis. This study compares sensitivities specificities three molecular tests, namely, Xpert MTB/RIF test, Ultra (Ultra), RealTime MTB (RT-MTB), in a high HIV prevalence setting. Symptomatic adults were recruited from outpatient sites, each provided 4 sputum specimens. The diagnostic performance MTB/RIF, Ultra, RT-MTB was evaluated, with culture as reference standard. infection occurred 62% patients,...
Background : The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has swept the world and poses a significant global threat to lives livelihoods, with 115 million confirmed cases at least 2.5 deaths from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in first year of pandemic. Developing tools measure seroprevalence understand protective immunity SARS-CoV-2 is priority. We aimed develop serological assay using plant-derived recombinant viral proteins, which represent important...
Background/Objectives: Both tuberculosis (TB) and SARS-CoV-2 share similar symptoms transmission routes. In early 2021, USAID Stop TB Partnership recommended an integrated approach for simultaneous COVID-19 testing in high burden countries, using a nasopharyngeal swab sputum individuals with respiratory symptoms. We extended this clinical evaluation, single both Mycobacterium complex (MTBC) at two healthcare facilities South Africa. Methods: A total of 2274 were screened enrolment....
Background/Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) and SARS-CoV-2 share similar symptoms transmission routes. In early 2021, USAID Stop TB Partnership recommended an integrated approach for simultaneous COVID-19 testing in high burden countries individuals with respiratory symptoms. this evaluation, we tested a single sputum both Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) from participants at two healthcare facilities South Africa. The diagnostic accuracy of the Xpert Xpress (Xpress) assay using swab...
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the causative agent for causing clinical syndrome of COVID -19. Accurate detection SARS-CoV-2 infection is not only important management infected individuals but also to break chain transmission. South Africa current epicenter in Africa. To optimize diagnostic algorithm African setting, study aims evaluate performance EUROIMMUN Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assays. This reported enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)...
The microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children is challenging, as it relies on the collection relatively invasive specimens by trained health care workers, which not feasible many settings.
Abstract Background The World Health Organization–approved Xpert MTB/XDR test detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to isoniazid, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide, injectable drugs directly in specimens. This pragmatic, laboratory-based study assessed the diagnostic accuracy feasibility of a reflex testing approach, where was performed on residual specimens previously processed for MTB/RIF Ultra. Methods Routine respiratory specimens, Ultra, were stored sample reagent buffer at...
ABSTRACT South Africa is a country with high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), complicated by coinfection human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) used in as the test for initial diagnosis TB, and other molecular platforms such m 2000 (Abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL, are widely monitoring HIV load. latter platform now also equipped RealTi e (RT) MTB RIF/INH assays TB first-line drug resistance screening but has not been evaluated settings...
Failure to rapidly identify drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) increases the risk of patient mismanagement, amplification drug resistance, and ongoing transmission. We generated comparative analytical data for four automated assays detection TB multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB): Abbott RealTi
This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the methodology for processing dry dorsum tongue swabs with Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA). The is intended as a consensus protocol clinical evidence generation to evaluate whether can be used an additional sample type diagnose tuberculosis (TB) using Ultra. Tongue will collected testing at facility. Please refer swab collection SOP. Several groups have shown that use of Sample Reagent (SR) starting concentration 100%...
Serology or antibody tests for COVID-19 are designed to detect antibodies (mainly Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG) produced in response Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) infection. In this study, 30 lateral flow immunoassays were tested using serum plasma from patients with confirmed SARS CoV-2 Negative serological controls accessed a well-characterised bank of sera which stored prior February 2020. Operational characteristics ease use the assays reported. 4/30...
In late December 2019, pneumonia cases of unknown origin were reported in Wuhan, China. This virus was named SARS-CoV2 and the clinical syndrome coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). South Africa, despite strict early lockdown has highest infection rate Africa. A key component Africa's response to SARSCoV2 rapid scale-up diagnostic testing. The Abbott assay detects IgG antibodies against Nucleocapsid (N) protein virus. study undertook validate evaluate performance criteria establish whether...
Four moderate-complexity automated nucleic acid amplification tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis are reported as having laboratory analytical and clinical performance similar to that Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF assay. These assays Abbott RealTime MTB RIF/INH Resistance, Becton Dickinson MAX MDR-TB, Hain Lifescience/Bruker FluoroType MTBDR, Roche cobas assays. The study compared feasibility, ease use, operational characteristics these assays/platforms. Manufacturer input was obtained technical...
Antibody tests for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, have been developed both as rapid diagnostic assays and high-throughput formal serology platforms. Although these may be a useful adjunct to strategy, they number of limitations. Because antibody viral dynamics their sensitivity can variable, especially at early time points after symptom onset. Additional data are required on performance in South African population, with regard development persistence responses whether antibodies...
This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the methodology for collection of tongue swabs subsequent testing tuberculosis molecular assays that require a dry swab as input material.
Access to drug resistant testing for tuberculosis (TB) remains a challenge in high burden countries. Recently, the World Health Organization approved use of several moderate complexity automated nucleic acid amplification tests (MC-NAAT) that have performance profiles suitable placement range TB laboratory tiers improve susceptibility (DST) coverage.We conducted cost analysis two MC-NAATs with different throughput: Lower Throughput (LT, < 24 per run) and Higher (HT, upto 90+ hypothetical...
Serology testing is an important ancillary diagnostic to the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed evaluate performance of Roche Elecsys™ chemiluminescent immunoassay (Rotkreuz, Switzerland), that detects antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen, at academic laboratory in South Africa.
Abstract Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has swept the world and poses a significant global threat to lives livelihoods, with over 16 million confirmed cases at least 650 000 deaths from COVID-19 in first 7 months of pandemic. Developing tools measure seroprevalence understand protective immunity is priority. We aimed develop serological assay using plant-derived recombinant viral proteins, which represent important less-resourced settings. Methods established an indirect enzyme-linked...
Dried culture spots (DCS) of inactivated Mycobacteria strains designed as part an external quality assessment (EQA) program for the GeneXpert system has applications to other molecular tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic platforms. DCS tested on GenoType MTBDRplus and Mycobacterium CM assays performed well with version 2 but require increased bacterial concentration use 1.
Abstract Background The WHO End TB Strategy requires universal drug susceptibility testing and treatment of all people with tuberculosis. However, available second-line diagnostic tools are cumbersome require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure, ultimately less than half those drug-resistant tuberculosis receive appropriate treatment. Xpert MTB/XDR was developed to help overcome these limitations. Methods We assessed the accuracy sputum-based for isoniazid, fluoroquinolone, ethionamide...