Globally anti-tuberculosis drug resistance is one of the major challenges affecting control and prevention of tuberculosis. Kenya is ranked among 30 high burden TB countries globally. However, there is scanty information on second line antituberculosis drug resistance among tuberculosis patients. Therefore, this study aimed at determining Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistant strain distribution pattern in 10 counties of Western Kenya among HIV positive and negative patients.A cross-sectional study was conducted in Western Kenya, which comprises 10 counties. A multistage sampling method was used where a single sub-county was randomly selected followed by sampling one high volume health facility from each sub-county. Consenting study subjects with at least two smear positive sputum at the time of enrolment were randomly selected. The collected sputum was decontaminated with N-acetyl-L-cysteine-sodium hydroxide (NALC-NaOH) and then stained with Ziehl Neelsen Stain before visualizing the presence of bacilli under microscope at ×100 magnification with oil immersion. Further, the identified bacilli were cultured and susceptibility test carried out using known first and second line antimycobacterial tuberculosis. HIV testing was carried out using Determine® HIV-1/2 rapid test (Abbot Diagnostics, Maidenhead, United Kingdom). Those who had smear converted were dropped from the study. Finally, drug susceptibility pattern across the 10 counties of Western Kenya was evaluated.Our study showed that Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance among HIV negative and positive cases in Western Kenya was prevalent in all the 10 counties surveyed. Based on the drug susceptibility tests, 53.2% and 42.7% of the study samples were resistant to at least one antituberculosis drug among HIV negative and HIV positive patients respectively. The data analysis revealed that among the HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, resistance to INH was predominant (28.5%, and 23.6%, respectively), followed by RIF (16.4% and 14.6% respectively). Second-line drug resistant strains identified among HIV negative patients included Ethionamide (0.3%), Gatifloxacin (0.3%), Amikacin (0.3%) and Capreomycin (0.3%). There was no second line drug monoresistance among HIV positive TB patients. Multi/poly drug resistance were noted among HIV-negative patients in, INH + AMK (0.7%), INH + PZA (1%), INH + GFX (0.7%, INH + ETO (0.7%, STY + ETO (1%), ETH + ETO (1.0%), INH + KAN (0.7%) and INH + CAP (0.7%) strains/cases at 95% confidence interval. Among HIV positive patients INH + GFX (1.1%), INH + ETO (0.4%) and INH + KAN (0.4%) strains of M. tuberculosis were identified with a confidence interval of 95%. Geographical distribution patterns analysis of M. tuberculosis drug polyresistant strains across the 10 counties were recorded. Among HIV TB patients, resistant strains were identified in Nyamira (INH + GFX, INH + KAN), Bungoma ((ETO + STY), Busia (ETH + ETO and STY + ETO) Homabay (RIF + AMK. ETO + ETH and ETO + STY), Kisumu (ETH + ETO and PZA + ETO) and in Kakamega, Kisii and Vihiga (INH + KAN and RIF + AMK). There was no M. tuberculosis polyresistant strain identified in Migori and Siaya counties. Among HIV positive TB patients, M. tuberculosis resistant strains were identified in three counties, Nyamira (INH + KAN) Homabay (INH + GFX and INH + AMK) and Kakamega (INH + GFX). There was no polyresistant M. tuberculosis strain identified in Migori, Bungoma, Kisii, Vihiga, Busia, Siaya and Kisumu Counties.The distribution patterns of M. tuberculosis drug resistance among HIV negative and positive TB patients could be as a result of reported high prevalence of HIV in Western Kenya counties especially the area under study. Tuberculosis is one of the opportunistic diseases that have been shown to be the major cause of AIDS among HIV infected patients. Resent reports by National AIDS Control Council shows that Kisumu, Siaya, Homabay, Migori, Busia have the overall leading in HIV prevalence in Kenya. The low prevalence of drug resistant strains among HIV tuberculosis patients could be as a result of drug adherence attitude adopted by HIV patients, availability of continuous counselling and close follow up and notification by healthcare workers and community health volunteers.Drug resistant M. tuberculosis strains prevalence is still high among HIV negative and positive patients in Western Kenya with the most affected being HIV negative TB patients. It is therefore probable that the existing control measures are not adequate to control transmission of drug resistant strains. Further, miss diagnosis or delayed diagnosis of TB patients could be contributing to the emergence of M. tuberculosis drug polyresistant strains.Based on the result of this study, regular TB drug resistance surveillance should be conducted to ensure targeted interventions aimed at controlling increased transmission of the tuberculosis drug resistant strains among HIV/AIDS and HIV negative patients. There is also need for improved drug resistant infection control measures, timely and rapid diagnosis and enhanced and active screening strategies of tuberculosis among suspected TB patients need to be put in place. Further, studies using a larger patient cohort and from counties across the country would shed much needed insights on the true national prevalence of different variants of M. tuberculosis drug resistance.
Mycobacterial diseases of cattle are responsible for considerable production losses worldwide. In addition to their importance in animals, these infections offer a nuanced approach to understanding persistent mycobacterial infection in native host species. Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is an enteric pathogen that establishes a persistent, asymptomatic infection in the small intestine. Difficulty in reproducing infection in surrogate animal models and limited understanding of mucosal immune responses that control enteric infection in the natural host have been major barriers to MAP vaccine development. We previously developed a reproducible challenge model to establish a consistent MAP infection using surgically isolated intestinal segments prepared in neonatal calves. In the current study, we evaluated whether intestinal segments could be used to screen parenteral vaccines that alter mucosal immune responses to MAP infection. Using Silirum ® – a commercial MAP bacterin – we demonstrate that intestinal segments provide a platform for assessing vaccine efficacy within a relatively rapid period of 28 days post-infection. Significant differences between vaccinates and non-vaccinates could be detected using quantitative metrics including bacterial burden in intestinal tissue, MAP shedding into the intestinal lumen, and vaccine-induced mucosal immune responses. Comparing vaccine-induced responses in mucosal leukocytes isolated from the site of enteric infection versus blood leukocytes revealed substantial inconsistences between these immune compartments. Moreover, parenteral vaccination with Silirum did not induce equal levels of protection throughout the small intestine. Significant control of MAP infection was observed in the continuous but not the discrete Peyer’s patches. Analysis of these regional mucosal immune responses revealed novel correlates of immune protection associated with reduced infection that included an increased frequency of CD335 + innate lymphoid cells, and increased expression of IL21 and IL27 . Thus, intestinal segments provide a novel model to accelerate vaccine screening and discovery by testing vaccines directly in the natural host and provides a unique opportunity to interrogate mucosal immune responses to mycobacterial infections.
In cattle, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection is primarily mediated through M cells overlying Peyer's patches (PP) in the ileum. The capacity of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis to invade ileal PP (IPP) versus discrete PP in the jejunum (JPP) and subsequent differences in mucosal immune responses were investigated. Intestinal segments were surgically prepared in both mid-jejunum, containing two JPPs, and in terminal small intestine containing continuous IPP. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (109 CFU) was injected into the lumen of half of each intestinal segment when calves were 10-14 days-old and infection confirmed 1-2 months later by PCR and immunohistochemistry. Thirteen recombinant M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis proteins, previously identified as immunogenic, were used to analyze pathogen-specific B- and T-cell responses in PP and mesenteric lymph nodes. IgA plasma cell responses to 9 of 13 recombinant proteins were detected in JPP but not in IPP. Secretory IgA reacting in ELISA with 9 of the 13 recombinant proteins was detected in luminal contents from both jejunal and ileal segments. These observations support the conclusion that pathogen-specific IgA B cells were induced in JPP but not IPP early after a primary infection. The presence of secretory IgA in intestinal contents is consistent with dissemination of IgA plasma cells from the identified mucosa-associated immune induction sites. This is the first direct evidence for M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis uptake by bovine JPP and for local induction of pathogen-specific IgA plasma cell responses after enteric infection. We also provide evidence that bacterial invasion of IPP, a primary B lymphoid tissue, provides a novel strategy to evade induction of mucosal immune responses. Over 60% of PPs in the newborn calf small intestine is primary lymphoid tissue, which has significant implications when designing oral vaccines or diagnostic tests to detect early M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infections.
Structures of the capsular and O-chain polysaccharides of Vibrio ordalii serotype O:2, the causative agent of vibriosis in salmonid fish, were determined by high-field NMR techniques, mass spectrometric methods and partial hydrolysis. Both polymers were shown to be composed of linear tetrasaccharide repeating units, having the structure: carbohydrate sequence [see text].
Abstract Background Despite global tuberculosis (TB) interventions, the disease remains one of the major public health concerns. Kenya is ranked 15th among 22 high burden TB countries globally. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Western Kenya, which comprises 10 counties. A multistage sampling method was used where a single sub-county was randomly selected followed by sampling two high volume health facility from each sub-county. Identification of spoligotype profiles and their family distribution and lineage level were achieved by comparison with SITVIT database. Results Lineage distribution pattern revealed that the most predominant lineage was CAS 220 (39.8%) followed by Beijing 128 (23.1%). The other lineages identified were T, LAM, H, X, S and MANU which were quantified as 87 (15.7%), 67 (12.1%), 16 (2.8%), 10 (1.8%), 8 (1.4%) and 5 (0.9%) respectively. CAS and Beijing strains were the most predominant lineage in both HIV negative and positive TB patients. The Beijing lineage was also the most predominant in resistant M. tuberculosis strains as compared to wild type. A total of 12 (2.0%) were orphaned M. tuberculosis strains which were spread across all the 10 counties of the study site. In multivariate logistic regression adjusting for potential cofounders three potential risk factors were significant. HIV status (OR = 1.52, CI = 0.29–3.68 and P value of 0.001), Alcohol use (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.43–3.12 and P -value =0.001) and cross border travel (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.49–3.87 and P value = 0.026). Most M. tuberculosis clinical isolates showed genetic clustering with multivariate logistic regression indicating three potential risk factors to clustering. HIV status (OR = 1.52, CI = 0.29–3.68 and P value of 0.001), Alcohol use (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.43–3.12 and P-value =0.001) and cross border travel (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.49–3.87 and P value = 0.026). Conclusion There exist diverse strains of M. tuberculosis across the 10 counties of Western Kenya. Predominant distribution of clustered genotype points to the fact that most TB cases in this region are as a result of resent transmission other than activation of latent TB.