GETCampy-Africa 2nd kick-off meeting in Fajara, The Gambia

Ben, Shani and Evangelos have returned from a successful visit to The Gambia. They spent one week in the MRC Unit in Fajara where they had the 2nd kick-off meeting for the GETCampy-Africa project. There, they met with friends and collaborators and joined meetings about the ongoing projects. They organized a day field work, followed by laboratory training, as well as a spontaneous mini bioinformatics workshop. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Jahangir Hossain (LSHTM, The Gambia) and Prof Martin Antonio (LSHTM, The Gambia). Dr Kaisa Haukka (University of Helsinki, Finland), Dr Akosua Karikari, Dr Courage Sabo, David Yamik (University for Development Studies, Ghana), Evariste Bako and Edith Nikiema (University of Joseph KI-ZERBO, Burkina Faso) traveled from Finland, Ghana and Burkina Faso, respectively, while Dr Adrian Smith, Dr John Holt, Dr Tilly Collins and Sam (who could not travel because of COVID-19) joined the meeting online from the UK. Very fruitful discussions and real time epidemiology following field work with exciting results! Many thanks to everyone involved in organizing this exciting meeting and lots of good projects ahead!

Christmas party 2022

Great opportunity to say thanks to Evangelos, Billy and Ben. Three brilliant colleagues who accompany me on our new adventure and are making a splash with new friends! Thanks Chaps. Sam

Preprint: MSSA lineages in orthopedic device-related infections

Last week we posted a preprint to medRxiv: Multiple hypervirulent methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus lineages contribute towards poor patient outcomes in orthopedic device-related infections.

Check out the explainer thread on Twitter:

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BBSRC grant success!

In collaboration with Professor Alan McNally and from the University of Birmingham our latest project: Understanding the pathway to multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens has been funded!

Guardian article on disease spillovers

Following recent unprecedented outbreaks of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus concerns have been raised to protect wildlife from livestock diseases. Sam spoke to the Guardian and was quoted as part of their article on disease spillovers between livestock and wildlife.

Dead birds being cleared from Staple Island, off Northumberland, where bird flu is devastating one of the UK’s most important seabird colonies, July 2022. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
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