Background: Although comprehensive public health measures such as mass quarantine have been taken internationally, this has generally been ineffective, leading to a high infection and mortality rate. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been downgraded to epidemic status in many countries, the real number of infections is unknown, particularly in low-income countries. However, precision shielding is used in COVID-19 management, and requires estimates of mass infection in key groups. As a result, rapid tests for the virus could be a useful screening tool for asymptomatic virus shedders who are about to come into contact with sensitive groups. In Africa and other low- and middle-income countries there is high rate of COVID-19 under-diagnosis, due to the high cost of molecular assays. Exploring alternate assays to the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 diagnosis is highly warranted. Aim: This review explored the feasibility of using alternate molecular, rapid antigen, and serological diagnostic assays to accurately and precisely diagnose COVID-19 in African populations, and to mitigate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR diagnostic challenges in Africa. Method: We reviewed publications from internet sources and searched for appropriate documents available in English. This included Medline, Google Scholar, and Ajol. We included primary literature and some review articles that presented knowledge on the current trends on SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics in Africa and globally. Results: Based on our analysis, we highlight the utility of four different alternatives to RT-PCR. These include two isothermal nucleic acid amplification assays (loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)), rapid antigen testing, and antibody testing for tackling difficulties posed by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing in Africa. Conclusion: The economic burden associated COVID-19 mass testing by RT-PCR will be difficult for low-income nations to meet. We provide evidence for the utility and deployment of these alternate testing methods in Africa and other LMICs.

Recent evidence has demonstrated that dengue virus requires active filopodia formation for a successful infection. However, the cellular factor involved in the interaction has not been fully elucidated. We used a combination of virus overlay protein binding assay and LC-MS/MS, and identified annexin II as a dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) interacting protein on Vero cells, upon filopodia induction. Flow cytometry analysis showed annexin II on the Vero cells surface increased when DENV2 was added. The amount of annexin II in the plasma membrane fraction was reduced as the infection progressed. Antibody-mediated inhibition of infection and siRNA-mediated knockdown of annexin II expression significantly reduced DENV2 infection and production levels. Collectively, we demonstrated that annexin II is one of the host factor involved in DENV2 binding on Vero cells.

Background: HPV 16 is the primary etiologic agent of cervical cancer and the presence of L1 and E6 oncoproteins are largely responsible for its virulence. It was the objective of this study to identify HPV16 isolates from suspected cases of cervical cancer at Specialist Hospital Sokoto and Sir Yahaya Memorail Hospiatal Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria and also to identifypotent HPV16’s L1 protein inhibitor using in silico analysis. Methods: A total of 144 cervical samples consisting of 21 low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 6 high grade lesion and 117 negative pap smears were collected. The samples were subjected for molecular detection using PCR targeting E6 gene of the virus. Data generated for the molecular prevalence was statistically analyzed using Chi-square method. AutoDock Vina was used to carry out the molecular docking between 2hr5 and Chicoric acid, curcumin and Echinacoside. Results: Out of the 144 samples, 24 samples were positive for the PCR representing 16.9% molecular prevalence rate. There is statistically significant association between cyto-diagnoses and presence of HPV16 (P < 0.05). Docking analysis showed that the Chicoric acid components of Echinacea purpurae have strong binding affinity (-8.7 kcal/mol) to the L1 protein of the HPV. Conclusion: This study provides data on HPV 16 epidemiology in northern Nigeria, and also provides novel evidence for consideration on certain interacting residues, when synthesizing Anti-HPV compounds in the wet lab. Keywords: HPV; Echinacea purpurae; chicoric acid; echinacoside; curcumin.

The spread of antimalarial drug resistance and the potential emergence of vaccine-escape variants in Plasmodium falciparum threaten progress toward malaria elimination in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we applied a scalable, Oxford Nanopore-based amplicon sequencing platform to profile five resistance genes (crt, dhfr, dhps, mdr1, k13) and the vaccine target csp in clinical isolates from northern Nigeria. We identified high frequencies of dhfr-IRNI (90%) and dhps-SGKAA (45%) haplotypes, consistent with molecular markers of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) resistance. However, no dhfr/dhps quintuple or sextuple mutation combinations associated with SP-IPTp failure were detected, supporting its continued preventive use in pregnancy. The chloroquine-resistant Pfcrt-76T allele persisted at ~ 25% frequency, suggesting both sustained resistant lineages and a potential re-expansion of chloroquine-susceptible parasites. No WHO-validated Pfk13 mutations linked to artemisinin partial resistance were observed, although novel nonsynonymous variants were detected. In parallel, polymorphisms within immunogenic domains of csp, the target of recently approved R21/Matrix-M vaccines were predicted to affect protein stability, though their functional consequences require experimental validation. Geographic analyses revealed localized clustering of resistance haplotypes, particularly in Kano and Yobe, reflecting heterogeneous selection pressures across transmission settings. Together, these findings establish a genomic surveillance framework for real-time monitoring of antimalarial resistance and vaccine-target polymorphisms in high-burden regions, with direct implications for evidence-based treatment policy and vaccine rollout strategies in Africa.