Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern—particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron—on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century.

SARS-CoV-2 across Africa: The impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been hard to track in African countries, largely because of patchy data. Wilkinson et al . curated viral genomes collected in 2021 from several countries across the continent. Outbreaks during 2020 in each African country were initiated by imported cases, mostly from Europe. As the pandemic developed, case numbers in African countries were likely many times higher than reported, and subsequent waves of the pandemic appear to have been more severe. Consequently, high-transmission variants have emerged that have spread within the continent, and African countries must be included in global control efforts. —CA

We have investigated the antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of two flavonoids isolated from Retama raetam flowers using the disc diffusion and micro-dilution broth methods. The cytotoxic activity was tested against Hep-2 cells using the MTT assay. The compounds licoflavone C (1) and derrone (2) were active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (7.81–15.62 µg/mL) and showed important antifungal activity. Strong antifungal activity against Candida species (7.81 µg/mL) was for example found with compound 2. The tested compounds also showed strong cytotoxicity against Hep-2 cells. These two compounds may be interesting antimicrobial agents to be used against infectious diseases caused by many pathogens.

The problem of antibiotic resistance among pathogens encourages searching for novel active molecules. The aim of the research was to assay the anti-quorum sensing (anti-QS) and antibiofilm potential of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil and its main constituent, terpinen-4-ol, to prevent the infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains as an alternate to antibiotics. The tea tree oil (TTO) was evaluated for its potential in inhibiting QS-dependent phenomena such as violacein production in Chromobacterium violaceum, swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and biofilm formation in MRSA strains on glass. The results showed that terpinen-4-ol was able to inhibit MRSA strain biofilm formation on the glass strips by 73.70%. TTO inhibited the violacein production at a mean inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 0.048 mg/mL by 69.3%. At 100 µg/mL TTO and terpinen-4-ol exhibited inhibition in swarming motility of PAO1 by 33.33% and 25%, respectively. TTO revealed anti-QS and anti-biofilm activities at very low concentrations, but it could be further investigated for new molecules useful for the treatment of MRSA infections.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental pathology characterized by the impairment of social interaction, difficulties in communication, and repetitive behaviors. Alterations in the metabolism of amino acids have been reported. We performed a chromatographic analysis of fecal amino acids, ammonium, biogenic amines, and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in Tunisian autistic children from 4 to 10 years, and results were compared with their siblings (SIB) and children from the general population (GP). ASD presented significantly higher levels of fecal amino acids than SIB and GP; differences being more pronounced in younger (4–7 years) than in older (8–10 years) individuals whereas no changes were found for the remaining compounds. Lower levels of histidine were the only difference related with severe symptoms of autism (CARS scale). A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on fecal amino acid profiles clearly separated ASD, SIB, and GP at 4 to 7 years but not at more advanced age (8–10 years), evidencing more pronounced alterations in younger children. The relationship of fecal amino acids with autism needs deeper research integrating blood analytical parameters, brain metabolism, and intestinal microbiota. Fecal amino acids could be targeted for designing personalized diets to prevent or minimize cognitive impairments associated with ASD.

The aim of this study was to show the emergence of the qnrD gene among fluoroquinolone-resistant Morganella morganii isolate. The occurrence of mutations in DNA gyrase (gyrA and gyrB) and topoisomerase IV (parC,parE) genes was also investigated in this strain.