Anopheles stephensi is an invasive Asian malaria vector that initially emerged in Africa in 2012 and was reported in Sudan in 2019. We investigated the distribution and population structure of An. stephensi throughout Sudan by using sequencing and molecular tools. We confirmed the presence of An. stephensi in eight border-states, identifying both natural and human-made breeding sites. Our analysis revealed the presence of 20 haplotypes with different distributions per state. This study revealed a countrywide spread of An. stephensi in Sudan, with confirmed presence in borders states with Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Republic of Central Africa, and South Sudan. Detection of An. stephensi at points of entry with these countries, particularly Chad, Libya, and South Sudan, indicates the rapid previously undetected spread of this invasive vector. Our phylogenetic and haplotype analysis suggested local establishment and evolutionary adaptation of the vector to different ecological and environmental conditions in Sudan. Urgent engagement of the global community is essential to control and prevent further spread into Africa.

The meteoric rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), marked by decreased antibiotic effectiveness against pathogenic bacteria, has sparked widespread concern. This phenomenon increases potential threats to public health by significantly hampering the clinical use of currently available antimicrobial agents, such as macrolides, β-lactam and glycopeptides antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), namely the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a common opportunistic pathogen that causes various types of infections and has become one of the top healthcare problems, particularly in low-income countries. In light of bacterial evolution and the unintentional use of antibiotics for medical purposes in communities and hospitals, as well as in agriculture and livestock for non-medical purposes. These events have contributed to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, resistant to our most muscular treatments against invasive S. aureus infections, such as vancomycin, is no longer successful due to the emergence of Vancomycin-Resistant S. aureus (VRSA). The scientific community is looking for creative and spectacularly effective strategies to address this global issue in response to this pandemic threat generated by the spread of antimicrobial resistance strains, with the threat of limited treatment choices against S. aureus. In this review, we highlighted the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and explained the antibiotic resistance profile of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus. On the other hand, we discuss distinguished tactics for manipulating S. aureus resistance mechanisms, such as the discovery of new chemical entities that possess antimicrobial activity with novel mechanisms of action, utilization of combinatorial antibiotic therapies, chemical derivatization and repurposing of existing known drugs to improve their antibacterial efficacy, design novel vaccine for S. aureus, antimicrobial peptides and nanoparticles as a magic bullet, and finally, by implementing the One Health Agenda against S. aureus, this holistic strategy seeks to address the spread of antibiotic resistance across the interrelated health loop of human, animals, and environments.

Objectives: Onchocerciasis is one of the most devastating neglected tropical diseases and it is mostly prevalent in Africa. The disease has important heavy social and economic burdens on the infected populations including low productivity, unemployment, social isolation, and stigma. A cross-sectional study was implemented using a well-established questionnaire to investigate the socio-economic impacts of Onchocerciasis elimination in Abu-Hamed, River Nile State, Sudan in 2015; 512 participants in ten affected communities were interviewed. Results: Our findings revealed that these communities are recovering from the social and economic burden of the diseases. Ninety percent of the research participants reported general satisfaction about elimination of the disease in their community, 48.3% of them attended secondary school or university. Only 0.6% reported unemployment. Also, 25.3% and 24.7% of the participants were workers and farmers respectively. Except about the vector biting and nuisance, the majority of the respondents (90%) had no complain related to the disease after the elimination. Also, 90.5% of the participants reported either stable or increase in their work performance during the last 12 months. About 93.8% of the respondents were engaged in normal daily life activities and involved in happy events like marriage and giving birth during the last 12 months.

As part of our surveys of the invasive malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in four Sudanese states, including North and South Kordofan, Sennar, and White Nile, we collected 166 larvae. Our morphological identification confirmed that 30% of the collected mosquito samples were Anopheles species, namely An. gambiae s.l. and An. stephensi, while the 117 Aedes specimens were Ae. luteocephalus (39%), Ae. aegypti (32%), Ae. vexans (9%), Ae. vittatus (9%), Ae. africanus (6%), Ae. metalicus (3%), and Ae. albopictus (3%). Considering the serious threat of Ae. albopictus emergence for the public health in the area and our limited resources, we prioritized Ae. albopictus samples for further genomic analysis. We extracted the DNA from the three specimens and subsequently sequenced the cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) gene and confirmed their identity as Aedes albopictus and their potential origin by phylogenetic and haplotype analyses. Aedes albopictus, originating from Southeast Asia, is an invasive key vector of chikungunya and dengue. This is the first report and molecular characterization of Ae. albopictus from Sudan. Our sequences cluster with populations from the Central African Republic and La Réunion. Worryingly, this finding associates with a major increase in chikungunya and dengue outbreaks in rural areas of the study region and might be linked to the mosquito’s spread across the region. The emergence of Ae. albopictus in Sudan is of serious public health concern and urges for the improvement of the vector surveillance and control system through the implementation of an integrated molecular xenosurveillance. The threat of major arboviral diseases in the region underlines the need for the institutionalization of the One Health strategy for the prevention and control of future pandemics.

Introduction: Malaria remains one of the most common public health problems worldwide, especially in Sudan. With this short communication we aimed at reporting on the latest malaria epidemic that had occurred in the humanitarian settings in South Kordofan state, south-western Sudan, during 2018 and 2019. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study analyzing malaria surveillance reports between February 2018 to September 2019. Malaria was reported from febrile patients with confirmed malaria diagnosis using Giemsa stain. According to age, patients were distributed across three categories: less than 5 years, 5 to 15 years, and more than 15 years. Results: In 2019 and 2018, 63,214 and 63,224 cases of malaria were reported, respectively, constituting around 5.5% of the state population (1,152,900). In 2018, 3,571 malaria cases were reported in February, then they decreased in August followed by increase in September-October. In 2019, 15,610 malaria cases were reported in September. Malaria cases aged less than 5 years were 21,848 and 23,561 cases in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Conclusions: The reported sudden epidemic of malaria is alarming. Therefore, identifying the risk factors associated with this epidemic is crucial to malaria prevention and control, and hence successful achievement of malaria elimination.

Objectives: Infection with the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) may be either symptomatic or asymptomatic. In this study we aimed at investigating the prevalence of asymptomatic infections of leishmania in non-endemic villages in Gedaref state, Sudan. A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted during September and October 2014. Blood samples were collected for serological and molecular analysis. Sticky-traps, knockdown spray and CDC-miniature light traps were used for the collection of sandflies. Results: Ninety-Five participants were included; 52 from Abukishma, 15 Algadamblia Tirfa, 25 Abualnaja and 3 were from Algadamblia Aljabal. Females constituted 56 (58.9%) of the study participants while males were 39 (41.1%). The most frequent age group was > 40-years (54.7%). Balanites/Acacia trees were the most planted tree inside the houses; 78 (82.1%). Also, 85 (89.5%) of the participants breed animals inside the house. DAT test revealed 5 positive participants (5.2%). 4/5 DAT positive were past VL infection. PCR detected 35 (36.8%) positive participants. A total of 31/35 was considered asymptomatic infections based on PCR. Households planted Balanites/Acacia trees or breed domestic animals were found in high percentages with L. donovani PCR positive participants (60.1%, 91.4%). No statistically significant was found for VL associated risk factors and VL asymptomatic participants.