Microbe Mail

Earlier this year, some of the Microbe messengers attended the 10th FIDSSA Congress held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Besides being presenters themselves, they met and interviewed medical researchers in various infectious disease related fields. This joint biennial congress hosted by the Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa (FIDSSA) brings together healthcare professionals from its various societies, where members share research experiences and outcomes. Let's hope this acts as a catalyst for collaborative work, culminating in all-encompassing guidance in the management of infectious diseases. To learn more about FIDSSA and its member societies visit: https://www.fidssa.co.za/This episode includes discussions with: Dr Nicollete du PlessisDr Jeremy NelProfessor James Seddon (@Jamesseddon10 on X)Dr Lyle MurrayProfessor Akebe Luther King AbiaDr Ribkha BerhanuWE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE – Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on our new YouTube channel: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.com

It's that time of the year again, and most of us have already experience our fair share of the snuffles, so why not discuss it? In this episode Vin and Ruan speak to Associate Professor Diana Hardie about when respiratory infections go viral.... and not in a good way.About our Guest: Diana Hardie is a clinical virologist and head of the diagnostic virology laboratory at Groote Schuur Hospital. Her research interests center around viral infections in immuno-compromised patients and the immuno-pathogenesis of viral infections. She has also contributed to the development of various diagnostic assays for viral infections.She has had many years of experience teaching medical virology and immunology to medical students, honours and post graduate students.WE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE – Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on our new YouTube channel: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.com

Ever wondered what Microbiologists get up to in the laboratory? Is it all about waiting for organisms to grow, "doomsday prophecies" regarding antimicrobial resistance, and asking for a clinical correlation? The feild of Microbiology is vast, and Vin speaks to some well seasoned experts to get their take on a career in Microbiology.About our Guests: Crystal Viljoen, B.Tech Biomedical Technology: Crystal has more than 20 years of laboratory experience, and is currently working as the laboratory manager at the Infection Control Laboratory Services in Johannesburg. She is also an executive member of Legionella Action Group (LAG); and has a wealth of experience with quality management systems, including proficiency testing schemes, laboratory safety procedures and the process of laboratory accreditation, gained at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD)Andrea Prinzi, Ph.D., MPH, SM(ASCP): Dr Andrea Prinzi is currently a field medical director of US medical affairs at BioMérieux (pronounced bee oh merry you). Prior to her work in industry, Andrea was a clinical microbiologist with over 12 years of hands-on bench experience in a pediatric hospital laboratory. In 2014, she obtained her master’s in public health from the Colorado School of public health with a focus in epidemiology. In 2021, she completed a PhD in clinical and translational science from the University of Colorado. As a PhD in Clinical and Translational science, her interests include antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship (with an emphasis on pneumonia diagnostics and management), development of effective teaching methods for clinicians and the fusion of public health, clinical science and medicine to improve patient outcomes, quality improvement, infectious disease epidemiology, science communication, and implementation science. Dr. Prinzi’s PhD work was clinical and translational, and focused on bridging the gap between the clinical microbiology laboratory and clinical practice. She combined clinical diagnostics, public health, clinical research and science communication to improve the way we think about and use diagnostic tests and antimicrobials. Dr. Prinzi is the clinical and public health community leader for the American Society for Microbiology’s Council on Microbial sciences, as well as a regular blog writer for ASM. She is a reviewing editor for the ASM journal Spectrum, as well as an editorial advisory board member for Open Forum Infectious Diseases. She also enjoys volunteering time to help co-host the Let’s Talk Micro antimicrobial resistance sub-series with her friend, Luis Plaza. Dr Keeren Lutchminarain: Dr Keeren Lutchminarain is a clinical microbiologist based at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. Her primary role in the NHLS is to oversee the KZN reference Tb laboratory where she is involved in interpreting routine diagnostic tests; verification of new instruments; teaching and training within the province and TB related research.YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE – Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @a...

We're back with another game of 'Would you rather?' Where we pose a scenario, and our guests give us their views. This episode really challenges the basis of some of the beliefs and practices regarding antimicrobials. Some of the questions are so tricky, who knows if there even is a correct answer. What we do know is... it depends.About our Guest: Prof. Andrew Whitelaw worked as a consultant pathologist in clinical microbiology at Groote Schuur Hospital from 2003 – 2012. In December 2012 took up the post of Head of Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Stellenbosch / Tygerberg Hospital. His early research revolved around molecular characterization of ESBLs in members of the Enterobacteriaceae, and he has been involved in a number of studies and activities related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and infection control over the last decade, both for community as well as hospital acquired pathogens. Most relevant among these would be his involvement in the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Programme (SAASP), The Infection Control Society of Southern Africa, and the SA Ministerial Advisory Committee on AMR. Ongoing research interests focus on antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus, including molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of resistance as well as clinical impact and control of AMR. He is also involved in studies describing the human microbiota and in particular the effect of antimicrobials on the microbiota.Resources from this episode:SASCM C. difficile infection guidelinesWE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE – Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on our new YouTube channel: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.comDon't forget to also have a listen to these featured episodes:Episode 43: Communicating antimicrobial therapy to patientsEpisode 38: Would you rather?: The mycology versionEpisode 35: Would you rather?: The virology versionEpisode 33: Would you rather?:The Bacterial version

The rampant emergence of antimicrobial resistance, particularly amongst Gram negative organisms, has called for both the discovery of novel agents but also for a review of therapeutics thought to have been long lost in this battle. Enter, the "BLBLIs or BLICs'. In this episode Vin and Ruan speak with the 1st author of the publication "Appropriate use of the new β-lactam - β-lactamase inhibitor combination agents: Ceftazidime-avibactam and Ceftolozane-tazobactam in South Africa", Professor Adrian Brink, and receive a welcomed masterclass on this interesting group of antimicrobials.About our Guest: Professor Adrian Brink is Head of the Division: Medical Microbiology, and member of the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine,  Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and the National Health Laboratory Services, Groote Schuur hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Prof Brink was founding President of the Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa and is the founder and currently co-chairs the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Program (SAASP). Prof Brink currently serves on the South African Minister of Health’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Antimicrobial Resistance and representing Africa, is a member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases International Affairs Subcommittee.His is main research interests are the clinical and molecular epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections, the mechanisms of resistance as a confounder in antibiotic stewardship, the design and implementation of large-scale antibiotic stewardship, diagnostic stewardship and infection prevention and control interventions in low- and middle-income countries. His interests also include the protective, metabolic and immune functions of the gastrointestinal and vaginal biome including the resistome and metabolome. Resources from this episodeBest practices: Appropriate use of Beta-lactam/Beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Ceftolozane-Tazobactam)WHO Priority Pathogens ListTable 1: Data on inhibitor classes, inhibitory mechanisms, and current clinical trial status, Kar D et al., 2023.Table 6: β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combinations in clinical trials or submitted for regulatory approval, Butler et al., 2023 Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @a...

Professor Francois Venter is back in Part 3 of our HIV series in which he continues to address South Africa's battles against HIV. Here he discusses his experience on how and when to initiate antiretroviral therapy, prophylaxis against opportunistic infection, routine monitoring and what the future of HIV management looks like in South Africa. About our Guest: Professor WD Francois Venter, MD, FCP, PhD is Executive Director of Wits Ezintsha at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he received most of his training. His work involves health systems research and clinical trials, most recently involving the antiretrovirals dolutegravir, tenofovir alafenamide, cabotegravir, and doravirine. He leads multiple antiretroviral treatment optimisation studies and is currently working on new access programmes through private pharmacies within South Africa, patient linkage-to-care interventions, self-testing projects, as well as most recently on new large-scale primary care delivery platforms addressing hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidaemia and HIV. He has led large PEPFAR-funded HIV programmes in South Africa, focusing on men, women, children, young people, truckers, sex workers, and LGBTI communities. For over 20 years he has been an advisor to bodies such as the South African government, UNAIDS, and WHO, contributing to international, regional, and national HIV guidelines, and recently served as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for COVID-19. He has an active interest in medical ethics and has been involved in several HIV-related human rights cases within the southern African region. He supervises Masters and PhD students and has over 200 publications, including first-author articles in major journals.Resources:SA HIV Clinicians societyADVANCE STUDYSouthern African HIV Clinicians Society guidelines for antiretroviral therapy in adults:2023 updateLiverpool HIV Drug Interactions CheckerVisit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on YouTube: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.comWE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE!

Part 2 of our HIV series addresses South Africa's battles against HIV as we get an account of the complexities of diagnosis, prophylaxis, and managing opportunistic infections from a celebrated HIV clinician, Professor Francois Venter.About our Guest: Professor WD Francois Venter, MD, FCP, PhD is Executive Director of Wits Ezintsha at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he received most of his training. His work involves health systems research and clinical trials, most recently involving the antiretrovirals dolutegravir, tenofovir alafenamide, cabotegravir, and doravirine. He leads multiple antiretroviral treatment optimisation studies and is currently working on new access programmes through private pharmacies within South Africa, patient linkage-to-care interventions, self-testing projects, as well as most recently on new large-scale primary care delivery platforms addressing hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidaemia and HIV. He has led large PEPFAR-funded HIV programmes in South Africa, focusing on men, women, children, young people, truckers, sex workers, and LGBTI communities. For over 20 years he has been an advisor to bodies such as the South African government, UNAIDS, and WHO, contributing to international, regional, and national HIV guidelines, and recently served as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for COVID-19. He has an active interest in medical ethics and has been involved in several HIV-related human rights cases within the southern African region. He supervises Masters and PhD students and has over 200 publications, including first-author articles in major journals.Resources:SA HIV Clinicians society websitePrEP guidelinesPEP guidelinesVisit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on YouTube: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.comWE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS EPISODE!

Here we discuss how HIV is diagnosed and managed in the USA. About our Guest: Dr Ankita Kadakia, M.D. serves as the Deputy Public Health Officer for the County of San Diego.  Prior to her current role she served as the Chief and Medical Director for the County’s Tuberculosis Control and Refugee Health Branch and is the President of the California Tuberculosis Controller’s Association. Dr. Kadakia is a board-certified Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease specialist.  She has served in leading, coordinating, supervising, and managing operations for Covid-19 as well as coordinating the County Public Health Service’s Tuberculosis Elimination Initiative. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has played a critical role as a medical subject matter expert and Tri-Chair of the County COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Advisory Group.Prior to joining the County, Dr. Kadakia worked at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as an Assistant Professor of Medicine with a focus on HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ healthcare while practicing HIV medicine at UCSD Owen Clinic.  While at UCSD, Dr. Kadakia created the first Transgender HealthCare Symposium and became a co- principal investigator for the San Diego Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center. Dr. Kadakia’s passion, for serving underserved patients and preventing and treating Tuberculosis, STDs and HIV/AIDS, transcends borders. She has spent time in Uganda serving rural areas, partnering with Ugandans, to build and support schools for AIDS orphans and impoverished children. When she is not working, she immensely enjoys spending time with her two young children and practicing and teaching Kelee meditation.Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on YouTube: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.com

The spleen is a poorly understood organ that when functioning well, operates efficiently in the background, but what can happen when medical conditions or trauma result in an impairment in that function? In today's episode Vin talks to Professor Veronica Ueckermann about the spleen. They discuss its various functions including mopping up old or damaged red blood cells and its pivotal role in the immune system. About our Guest:Prof Veronica Ueckermann is the head of Infectious diseases at the University of Pretoria/Steve Biko Academic Hospital. She holds a PhD in Infectious diseases, a Fellowship in Critical care, and a Masters in Internal Medicine.  Her research focus is HIV, Tuberculosis, aerobiology, and antimicrobial resistance.   She is actively involved in medical education at the University of Pretoria and other platforms.  Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates Follow on:Instagram: Microbe_MailX/Twitter: @microbemailFacebook: MicrobeMailTiktok: @microbe.mailWatch this episode on YouTube: Microbe MailE-mail us: mail.microbe@gmail.com

Injection drug use is becoming increasingly common in Sub-Saharan Africa...and with it, the myriad of infectious complications. On this episode, Vin chats to Dr Evan Shoul about infections and some important considerations for managing patients who inject drugs. About our Guest: Dr Evan Shoul specialised as a consultant physician in Johannesburg and then completed his infectious diseases fellowship on the Wits circuit. He now works at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and has a special interest in HIV and travel medicine. Social media:Twitter/X: @EvanShoul Southern African HIV Clinicians Society guidelines for harm reduction: From Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v21i1.1161https://sahivsoc.org/Files/Southern%20African%20HIV%20Clinicians%20Society%20guidelines%20for%20harm%20reduction.pdfVisit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comYouTube: Microbe MailInstagram: Microbe_Mail 

Invasive candidiasis (IC)...or evasive candidiasis? This famous fungus somehow managed to cause a great deal of anxiety, especially when it comes to confirming the diagnosis. In this episode, we talk about risk factors for disease, diagnosis and treatment of IC. About our Guest: Dr Tari Papavarnavas completed his medical degree at University of Pretoria and trained in General Internal Medicine and subsequently in Infectious Diseases at University of Cape Town.He was appointed as an Infectious Diseases sub-specialist in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at UCT in 2022 with a focus on building on an existing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) service at Groote Schuur Hospital in partnership with IPC nurses, Occupational Health practitioners, Quality Assurance, and ward liaisonsTari has also taken over as Director of the Cape Town GeoSentinel Travel Surveillance Network Site, which surveys travellers from South Africa and those visiting from abroad who act as sentinels for emerging and re-emerging infectionVisit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comInstagram: Microbe_Mail 

For World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2023, we are focusing on setting up antimicrobial stewardship in low and middle income settings with limited resources and a high burden of antimicrobial resistance. About our Guest: Prenika Jaglal is a Clinical Microbiologist having obtained an FC Path(Micro) and a Master’s degree at UKZN. She is currently based at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, at the National Health Laboratory Services and is also has a joint appointment at the University of the Witwatersrand as an undergraduate/postgraduate lecturer. Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comTwitter: @microbemail Instagram: Microbe_Mail  Facebook: Microbe Mail

The Pathology Research and Development Congress (PathRed) is hosted by the National Health Laboratory Service every 2nd year. With a focus on Pathology disciplines, it is a fantastic meeting to learn about diagnostic advancements in Africa. Ruan and I attended the meeting and were able to snatch a few interviews with speakers and delegates. To learn more about PathRed, visit the congress website at: https://pathred.nhls.ac.za/ Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comTwitter: @microbemailInstagram: Microbe_Mail 

The Pathology Research and Development Congress (PathRed) is hosted by the National Health Laboratory Service every 2nd year. With a focus on Pathology disciplines, it is a fantastic meeting to learn about diagnostic advancements in Africa. Ruan and I attended the meeting and were able to snatch a few interviews with speakers and delegates. To learn more about PathRed, visit the congress website at: https://pathred.nhls.ac.za/ Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comTwitter: @microbemailInstagram: Microbe_Mail 

In this episode we have a discussion with ChatGPT focused on the communication of antimicrobial therapy to patients and unpack some of the potential pitfalls of large language model use in medicine.Our Guest: (Bio generated by ChatGPT)Our guest is ChatGPT, a machine learning model developed by OpenAI. As an AI, ChatGPT doesn't possess personal experiences or emotions but is designed to process and generate human-like text based on the data it has been trained on up to its last update.ChatGPT is here to share synthesized information on communicating antimicrobial therapy, and while it strives for accuracy, it's always essential for listeners to consult healthcare professionals for medical advice. This AI model, built on the GPT-4 architecture, is continuously learning and adapting, and it is a part of the ongoing journey to understand the numerous ways artificial intelligence can aid in comprehending and discussing medical knowledge.Join us as we explore this intersection of AI and medicine, reminding ourselves of the invaluable human element that guides and informs these technological tools in healthcare.Visit the Microbe Mail website to sign up for updates E-mail: mail.microbe@gmail.comYouTube: Microbe Mail