Browsing by Author "Fielding, Burtram C"

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    COVID-19 and HIV: so far it seems the outcome is not what was feared
    (The conversation, 2020) Fielding, Burtram C
    Based on official figures – which may be somewhat under reported – COVID-19 has not been asdevastating in South Africa as initially feared. Back in March and April this year case numbers on the continent were still modest. But predictions and projections were sombre. There seemed to be consensus that African countries had weak public health systems and few testing facilities , and containment and social distancing were going to beproblematic in poor communities . More specifically, local and international organisations pointed to the fact that these areas typicallyhave the highest incidence of immuno-compromised individuals. Experts feared that the tens ofmillions with HIV and tuberculosis would be disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
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    How viruses evolve
    (2020) Fielding, Burtram C
    The unusual cases of pneumonia began to appear in midwinter, in China. The cause, researchers would later learn, was a coronavirus new to science. By March, the infection began to spread to other Asian countries and overseas. People were dying, and the World Health Organization issued a global health alert But this was 2003, not 2020, and the disease was SARS, not Covid-19. By June, the outbreak was almost gone, with just 8,098 confirmed infections and 774 deaths worldwide. No cases of SARS have been reported since 2004.
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    HPLC-MS identification and expression of Candida drug-resistance proteins from African HIV-infected patients
    (AIMS Press, 2021-09-10) Abrantes, Pedro Miguel dos Santos; Fisher, Randall; Bouic, Patrick J D; McArthur, Carole P; Fielding, Burtram C; Africa, Charlene Wilma Joyce
    The objective of this study was to elucidate the proteomic mechanisms of drug resistance in HIV-infected African patients. Cell membrane fractions from forty oral Candida isolates isolated from African HIV-positive patients were analysed using HPLC-MS with the aim of identifying proteins associated with their pathogenicity and drug resistance. Heat shock proteins that mediate the fungicidal activity of salivary peptides were found in all tested Candida fractions, with pH-responsive proteins associated with increased pathogenicity only being present in the three most commonly isolated species. ABC multidrug transporter efflux pumps and estrogen binding proteins were only found in C. albicans fractions, while ergosterol biosynthesis proteins were identified in four species. The combination of various adherence, invasion, upregulation and efflux pump mechanisms appear to be instrumental for the Candida host colonization and drug resistance emergence in HIV-infected individuals.
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    Human coronavirus NL63: A clinically important virus?
    (Future Science Group, 2011) Fielding, Burtram C
    Respiratory tract infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among young children. Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have only recently been shown to cause both lower and upper respiratory tract infections. To date, five coronaviruses (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV HKU-1) that infect humans have been identified, four of which (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU-1) circulate continuously in the human population. Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) was first isolated from the aspirate from a 7-month-old baby in early 2004. Infection with HCoV-NL63 has since been shown to be a common worldwide occurrence and has been associated with many clinical symptoms and diagnoses, including severe lower respiratory tract infection, croup and bronchiolitis. HCoV-NL63 causes disease in children, the elderly and the immunocompromised, and has been detected in 1.0–9.3% of respiratory tract infections in children. In this article, the current knowledge of human coronavirus HCoV-NL63, with special reference to the clinical features, prevalence and seasonal incidence, and coinfection with other respiratory viruses, will be discussed.
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    South Africa and the COVID-19 vaccine
    (José Frantz, 2021) Fielding, Burtram C
    Scientists, public health experts and politicians have been telling us that, to stop Covid-19, we need to embark on a massive vaccine rollout. But do we really need to vaccinate more than 70% of our population to stop this virus? What is the science telling us?