Klebsiella pneumoniae is a globally significant opportunistic pathogen causing healthcare-associated and community-acquired infections. This study examined the epidemiology and the distribution of resistance and virulence genes in clinical K. pneumoniae strains in Kenya. A total of 89 K. pneumoniae isolates were collected over six years from five counties in Kenya and were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics. These isolates were obtained from community-acquired (62/89) and healthcare-associated infections (21/89), and from the hospital environment (6/89). Genetic analysis revealed the presence of blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-181 carbapenemase genes and the armA and rmtF genes known to confer pan-aminoglycoside resistance. The most abundant extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes identified were blaCTX-M-15 (36/89), blaTEM (35/89), and blaOXA (18/89). In addition, one isolate had a mobile colistin resistance gene (mcr-8). Fluoroquinolone resistance-conferring mutations in gyrA and parC genes were also observed. The most notable virulence factors were those associated with hyper-virulence (rmpA/A2 and magA), yersiniabactin (ybt), salmochelin (iro), and aerobactin (iuc and iutA). A total of 38 distinct sequence types were identified, including known global lineages ST14, ST15, ST147, and ST307, and a regional clone ST17 implicated in regional outbreaks. In addition, this study genetically characterized two potential hypervirulent isolates and two community-acquired ST147 high-risk clones that contained carbapenemase genes, yersiniabactin, and other multidrug resistance genes. These results demonstrate that the resistome and virulome of Kenyan clinical and hospital environmental K. pneumoniae isolates are diverse. The reservoir of high-risk clones capable of spreading resistance, and virulence factors have the potential to cause unmanageable infection outbreaks with high morbidity and mortality.

Antivenom immunotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for snakebite envenoming. Most parts of the world affected by snakebite envenoming depend on broad-spectrum polyspecific antivenoms that are known to contain a low content of case-specific efficacious immunoglobulins. Thus, advances in toxin-specific antibodies production hold much promise in future therapeutic strategies of snakebite envenoming. We report anti-3FTxs monoclonal antibodies developed against N. ashei venom in mice. All the three test mAbs (P4G6a, P6D9a, and P6D9b) were found to be IgG antibodies, isotyped as IgG1. SDS-PAGE analysis of the test mAbs showed two major bands at approximately 55 and 29 kDa, suggestive of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain composition, respectively. The immunoaffinity-purified test mAbs demonstrated higher binding efficacy to the target antigen compared to negative control. Similarly, a cocktail of the test mAbs was found to induce a significantly higher inhibition (p-value < 0.0001) compared to two leading commercial brands of antivenoms on the Kenyan market, implying a higher specificity for the target antigen. Both the test mAbs and 3FTxs polyclonal antibodies induced comparable inhibition (p-value = 0.9029). The inhibition induced by the 3FTxs polyclonal antibodies was significantly different from the two antivenoms (p-value < 0.0001). Our results demonstrate the prospects of developing toxin-specific monoclonal-based antivenoms for snakebite immunotherapy.

Carissa edulis is a tropical plant belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The species is widely used in the preparation of various herbal medicines. Earlier works in Kenya show that an aqueous extract from the roots of C. edulis has remarkable anti-herpes simplex virus. Due to its medicinal value, the species has been overexploited in its natural range and requires conservation interventions. Studies show that the species has beneficial relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that can enhance restoration of its population; however, no study has been undertaken to document the diversity of these AMF species. This study evaluated the genetic diversity of AMF associated with the roots of C. edulis within Lake Victoria basin ecosystem of Kenya. A cross-sectional, laboratory-based prospective study was carried out from roots of C. edulis collected from six sites within the ecosystem. Root samples were collected from 6 points (replicates) per site. AMF was assessed through morphological characterization and sequencing of small subunit of ribosomal DNA. Morphological identification identified four genera of AMF (Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Scutellospora, and Glomus) with no significant difference among the sites. Molecular analysis also revealed presence of four genera, but only two (Glomus and Acaulospora) were common for both the analyses with Glomus as the most predominant genera. In all the sites, there were large numbers of spores both in soil and in the roots confirming the association between C. edulis and AMF.

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most prevalent soft tissue sarcoma in children, representing approximately 50% of pediatric sarcomas and can develop in any part of the body though more frequently at the extremities. Aim: Evaluating the in vitro anti-proliferative activity of Dermaseptin B2 on Rhabdomyosarcoma RD (CCL-136TM) cells and its effect on the expression of MYC, FGFR1, NOTCH1, and CXCR7 genes involve in processes including proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Methods: RD cells were grown in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum. Exponentially growing cells were treated with Dermaseptin B2 and Antiproliferative activity was assayed using the resazurin and migration assays at three time-points. In order to determine the gene expression profiles of MYC, NOTCH1, FGFR1 and CXCR7, total RNA was extracted from the cells and q-RT-PCR was performed with β-Actin as reference gene. Results: Dermaseptin B2 inhibited the proliferation of RD cells in a time and concentration dependent manner as with IC 50 values of 7.679 µM, 7.235 µM, 5.993 µM. The 2-dimentional wound healing assay showed inhibition of migration and motility of the RD cells at time-points of 6, 24, 48 and 72-hours with the greatest inhibition observed at 72-hours. Dermaseptin B2 downregulated the

The effects of cytosine phosphoguanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CPG ODNs) on immune response have been demonstrated for different vaccines; however, such information is limited for the vector-based Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This paper aims to demonstrate the potential effect of CPG ODNs on immunological response against the vector-based COVID-19 vaccine on Balb/c mice using a JNJ-78436735 Ad26.COV2-S recombinant as a model vaccine. A total of 18 BALB/c mice clustered into six groups were used. All groups were observed for 14- and 28-days post immunization. Qualitative determination of IgG was performed using indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and qPCR for cytokine profiling. A significant (p ≤ 0.001) rise in antibody response was observed for groups 3 and 4, who also showed increased expression levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and Interferon Gamma (IFN-γ). Immunological parameters for toxicity were normal in all treatment groups. We conclude that supplementing vector-based COVID-19 vaccines with CpG ODNs has the potential to boost the body’s immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.