15^th Euro-Global Conference on Infectious Diseases October 09-10, 2023 Zurich, Switzerland

Hannatu Abdulai is my name, a midwife at Kumasi Nursing and Midwifery College, Kumasi Ghana. I completed my senior high school at LASS TUOLO and worked as a health Assistant in BAWWww Municipal Hospital, in the upper East region of Ghana. Currently, I am in level 200 at the midwifery school and hoping to complete my dream course to develop my community. I am passionate in community nursing, and hope to safe my community from chronic disease as it has been one of my dream. Reading novels is what I do the most during my leisure time, and playing volley ball is what I prefer after work.

Sexually transmitted disease commonly referred to as the STDs is one of the infectious disease that has spread so rapidly in Africa and Ghana is no exception. STDs are generally acquired by sexual contact. The organisms such as bacterial, virus or parasites causes sexually transmitted diseases, that passes from person to person through blood, semen or bodily fluids. In Ghana STDs are mostly common due to lack of education and excessive unprotected sexual intercourse among the youth. According to the world health organization (WHO) about 30 percent of active youth in Ghana has STDs.

Symptoms: STDs being one of the infectious diseases is caused mostly by parasites, bacterial or virus and has numerous symptoms that appear within days, weeks, or months when one acquired it. Most common symptoms are gonorrhea, HIV, Syphilis, genital herbs, chlamydia among others. In addition to the symptoms are abnormal genital discharges, burning sensation when urinating, bleeding after sexual intercourse, and sore in the genital or anal area. These are some possible sighs of STDs. One should however note that, the sudden disappearance of the symptom does not necessary mean you are cure as it may manifest itself in different symptoms.

Effects: STDs has a number of effects if left untreated. It may leads to infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, Cancer, chronic liver condition, pregnancy complications, and birth defects among other serious health issues.

Prevention: STDs being one of the infectious diseases has various ways of prevention. Among them are, Practice of safe sex always. Use of condom consistently and correctly or abstaining from indiscriminate sexual intercourse. This is one of the safe preventable measures from STDs. Moreover, visiting health care facility if you suspect that you may have STDs and to encourage your sex partner to seek medical attention. In addition to prevent STDs, do not use razor or tooth brush or needles that has been used by another person’s. Also, one should avoid behaviour that increases the risk of contracting a STDs such as casual sex with strangers or sex worker. These are some of the possible ways to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases which is one of the infectious diseases in Ghana.

Mansour Saine is a dedicated professional known for his contributions to the field of infectious diseases, currently affiliated with the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit the Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in Gambia

Infectious diseases continue to pose significant global health challenges, with their potential for widespread epidemics and pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for robust infectious disease control and management strategies. This scoping review explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems to address infectious diseases. It assesses the potential applications of machine learning technologies in the diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and control of emerging infectious diseases. The objectives include identifying key use cases for AI in response to infectious diseases, by evaluating 2023 relevant peerreviewed articles using PRISMA-ScR criteria, and synthesizing available literature on AI's role in clinical and public health decision-making for infectious agents. Additionally, the review examines tools and technological approaches for data processing, monitoring, early detection, and forecasting of infectious disease rates. The search strategy focused on the (PubMed [NCBI] database. The databases searched for only the 2023 published articles on the use of AI in the identification, control, or treatment of infectious disease and extracted all the relevant peer-reviewed literature, and a total of 113 articles were retrieved. Important Machine learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Pre trained transformers, and AI Imaging applications were identified and highlighted for this scoping review. The findings from this review contribute to our understanding of how AI can enhance infectious disease control and inform future research and development efforts. Ultimately, the integration of AI presents opportunities to strengthen healthcare systems' preparedness and response to infectious disease threats.

Dr. Rohit Mishra is a Clinical Tutor of Pathology at St. George's University in Grenada, West Indies. He received his MBBS degree from Manipal University in India in 2008. He then completed his residency in Pathology at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio in 2015.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the larval form of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. It is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide, particularly in regions with inadequate sanitation and hygiene. In India, neurocysticercosis is a significant public health concern, with a high prevalence in rural communities. Understanding the demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging characteristics of affected individuals is crucial for effective management and control strategies. This study aimed to assess these aspects among epilepsy patients in India.
 

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Participants were screened for neurocysticercosis seropositivity using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and clinical evaluations. Neuroimaging (CT scans) was performed to identify neurocysticercosis lesions and characterize their features.Data on demographics, epilepsy duration, seizure types, and socioeconomic status were collected. Statistical analysis included chi-squared tests, and t-tests. Ethical approvals were obtained, and informed consent was obtained from participants or their guardians.
 

Results: Of 139 participants, 51 were seropositive for neurocysticercosis. Significant differences were found in age distribution (p<0.001), with seropositive individuals more likely to be below 20 years. Mean age differed (p<0.001) with seropositive participants younger (30.5 years) than seronegative (34.6 years). Gender (p=0.028) and primary education (p=0.048) were also significant. Seropositive cases exhibited more multiple lesions (p<0.001), larger lesion size (p=0.003), calcifications (p=0.006), cysts (p<0.001), and perilesional edema (p<0.001). Ring enhancement was more common in seropositive individuals (p<0.001).

 

Conclusion: This study highlights distinct clinical and neuroimaging characteristics associated with neurocysticercosis in seropositive individuals compared to seronegative ones. The findings emphasize the importance of considering these factors in the context of the disease. Understanding the demographic and clinical profiles of affected individuals is crucial for improved diagnosis and tailored treatment strategies, particularly in regions with a high prevalence of neurocysticercosis.

Reham magdy wasfy is an experienced Infectious Disease Assistant Lecturer skilled and interested in clinical microbiota research in patients with infectious disorders, primarily hepatic patients. Furthermore, she possesses extensive expertise and experience in characterizing novel species introduced to the human microbiome repertory, Molecular and Immunological diagnosis of infectious disorders, Academic Teaching, Patient Safety, and Healthcare Quality. She has gained exposure to various working contexts by participating in clinical and research training opportunities at respected multinational medical facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Her goal is to broaden her expert horizon in scientific integrity abilities through high-quality publications and to get additional scientific experience by working on projects with demand new ideas and a requirement for leadership skills.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health epidemic that causes fatal complications leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The link between HBV-related dysbiosis and certain known or uncultivated bacterial taxa is still under investigation. Enterocloster is emerging as a new genus associated with dysbiosis and human diseases; however, its role in liver diseases is not reported.

 

Objective: To investigate the role of such highly abundant taxa in HBV infection.

 

Methods: We analysed the fecal samples of 24 patients with HBV and 24 healthy individuals using highthroughput culturomics (applied on 18 samples) compared to 16S rRNA sequencing. Quantification of ethanol produced from bacterial strains enriched in HBV was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

 

Results: By culturomics, 29,120 isolated colonies were analysed by MALDI-TOF to identify 340 species. In the HBV group, 48 species were already known in humans but had not been previously found in the gut, 17 known species not previously found in humans, and six new species were isolated. Comparing bacterial composition frequency, we serendipitously found Enterocloster genus with significantly enriched bacterial diversity in HBV (p= 0.0016). At the species level, significantly enriched E. bolteae showed high ethanol production. Moreover, Members of uncultivated Candida Phyla Radiation (CPR) are reported for the first time in HBV-associated dysbiosis such as Candidatus Saccharibacteria (p < 0.0001), and Atribacter phylum was found to be negatively correlated with prothrombin activity.

 

Conclusion: Culturomics allowed us to identify viable Enterocloster species, specifically E. bolteae, enriched in HBV patients. These species have never been isolated in HBV patients so far. Moreover, ethanol production by the isolated E. bolteae strains could contribute to liver disease progression. Additionally, the role of CPR in HBV-associated complications deserves further investigation.

Background: The most recent coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic soon turned into a pandemic and presented a threat to the entire world. However, there is no reliable data on possible connections between SARS-CoV-2 shedding in bodily fluids, particularly saliva, and white blood cell (WBC) count. The possible relationship between changes in blood cell counts and viral shedding in saliva in a cohort of COVID-19 patients was examined in the current investigation.
 

Methods: In this early clinical study, 24 age-matched COVID-19 patients without comorbidities were observed for a total of 5 days to see whether changes in the amount of viral shedding in saliva would correlate with temporal changes in WBC count. Half of the patients were men, and the other half were women. By performing SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing on patient saliva samples using the SARS-CoV-2 quick Antigen Test Kit (Roche, Basel, Switzerland), viral shedding in saliva was subjectively assessed. These patients were divided into two groups: those who coughed up sputum and those who did not. On days 1, 3, and 5, each patient's WBC counts, including leukocyte (LYM), neutrophil (NEU) counts were reported.

 

Results: According to the study's findings, both groups of people who had sputum had significantly higher

levels of WBC, LYM, and NEU on the fifth day compared to the first day. However, there were no appreciable changes in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), or C-reactive protein (CRP).
 

Discussion: This study demonstrates that measuring changes in the number of blood LYMs and laboratory

values like CRP and LDH as biomarkers (it shown in the ROC curve) are reliable indicators of the quantity of viral shedding in both sputum-producing and non-sputum-producing individuals. The findings of our study indicate that the measured parameters show the degree of viral shedding in sputum-producing individuals.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as remarkable regulators of immune pathways that are implicated in inflammation and antiviral immune responses are considered potential therapeutic targets in Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Indeed, thrombosis and coagulation abnormalities including a significant increase in D-dimer and fibrinogen, caused by high blood clots in COVID-19 patients could be associated with miRNAs expression. The current attempt was made to elucidate the behavior of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) miRNAs as biomarkers to discriminate COVID-19 patients with normal and abnormal coagulation indices. A bioinformatics approach was used to predict miRNAs involved in the D-dimer pathway (miR-19a-3p, miR- 223-3p, miR-143-5p, miR-494-3p, and miR-301a-5p). The expression pattern and the diagnostic potency of selected miRNAs were determined by the Real-Time PCR method and the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve test, respectively. The association between D-dimers and inflammatory factors with the miRNA expression levels was evaluated using Spearman correlation. ROC curve analysis in the selected groups suggested that miR-223-3p and miR-494-3p can be considered as remarkable biomarkers for discriminating COVID-19 patients with abnormal coagulation indices from normal COVID-19 patients. A significant positive correlation was distinguished between miR-494-3p and D-dimer, and Fibrinogen levels. Also, the miR-223-3p level expressed in COVID-19 cases with normal coagulation indices was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. Therefore, the expression level of the predicted miRNAs, paired with the ROC curve results, suggests that these factors may serve as potential biomarkers for discriminating the two studied groups and also could be considered as therapeutic targets for preventing coagulation in COVID-19 patients.

The zoonotic importance of Bovine Herpes Virus (BoHV) in both people and animals is a subject of major interest and worry. According to reports, BoHV infection has a serious financial impact on the cattle business globally, harming both animal health and output. BoHV infection typically affects cattle, which can develop a variety of clinical symptoms including respiratory illness, reproductive problems, and generalized illness. The virus has substantial financial ramifications for the livestock industry because it can result in abortion, stillbirth, neonatal mortality, and decreased fertility. Furthermore, BoHV is known to cause latent infection, with the potential for reactivation and recurrent virus shedding, further complicating disease control methods.The zoonotic potential of BoHV is gaining attention. The fact that BoHV can spread from animals to people has been

documented in numerous research, underscoring the virus' importance as a possible risk to the public's health. Humans, particularly those who deal closely with infected animals, such as farmers, veterinarians, and abattoir employees, are at risk of contracting BoHV. BoHV infection in people might present as a minor respiratory disease, conjunctivitis, or even more serious side effects including encephalitis and meningitis.Understanding BoHV's zoonotic significance is critical for developing effective management and prevention strategies. It is possible to lower infection rates and financial losses in the cattle business by implementing stringent biosecurity measures and routine testing in livestock populations. Additionally, it is essential to increase awareness among those who are at a high risk of exposure, such as farmers and animal health experts, in order to lessen the spread of BoHV from animals to humans. In conclusion, the importance of the zoonotic transmission of the bovine herpesvirus to both humans and animals cannot be overstated. To effectively address BoHV infections in both animal and human populations, it is critical to prioritize research, surveillance, and prevention activities.