Doctoral Degrees (Medical Microbiology)
Recent Submissions
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Using neutrophil-specific biomarkers as a measure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis burden, lung damage and treatment response kinetics.
(2021)The spectrum of TB disease remains poorly characterized impacting case identification and linkage to care. Furthermore, the absence of simple, sensitive and easy to measure biomarkers of disease severity and treatment ... -
The impact of semen exposure on the immune and microbial environments of the female genital tract.
(2021)Background: Semen is an immunomodulatory fluid that induces mucosal changes at the female genital tract (FGT) for sperm survival and conception. Semen-induced alterations necessary for reproduction may also modulate the ... -
Molecular epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. from agricultural soil fertilized with chicken litter in uMgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
(2021)The application of animal manure contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) represents a major route by which antibiotic resistance is transmitted into the soil environment. ... -
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production by mycobacteria.
(2020)The gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been recognized as a physiological mediator with a variety of functions across all domains of life. Many prokaryotic bacterial species endogenously generate H2S in their ... -
Enterococcus sp. contamination surveillance in different levels of healthcare in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Africa.
(2021)Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) have been identified as long-standing setbacks affecting hospitals' quality of health care. While one of the major challenges related to HAIs is controlling cross-transmission, the ... -
Roles of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter regions of tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukine-1o genes in Schistosoma haematobium infection susceptibility.
(2020)Background: Schistosomiasis remains a public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa which carries 85% of the global burden. With effective vaccines a distant future away, and no one allround intervention, research is still ... -
Molecular and genomic analysis of clinical multidrug-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from the uMgungundlovu District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
(2020)Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are among the most commonly recovered bacteria in clinical specimens. They are usually colonisers (commensals) of the skin and nasal passages and considered contaminants of microbial ... -
Calymmatobacterium granulomatis: culture, electron microscopic studies and molecular analysis.
(1997)Abstract available in PDF. -
The activity of nybomycin against mycobacterium tuberculosis.
(2018)Nybomycin was discovered in 1955, but was never developed for clinical use. The compound was noticed again in recent years when it displayed bactericidal activity against certain fluoroquinolone-resistant bacterial species. ... -
The role of heparin binding haemagglutinin adhesin and curli pili on the pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
(2018)Background: Phagocytic host cells drive both the innate and adaptive arms of the host immune response during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. M. tuberculosis modulates the host immune responses and ... -
The effect of HIV and Neisseria gonorrhoeae on the tight junctions of cervical epithelial cells.
(2020)Introduction: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and HIV are major public health concerns globally. The interaction between these diseases is unclear. To determine the effect that N. gonorrhoeae and HIV have on the tight junctions of ... -
Lung tissue resident memory T and B cells in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans.
(2019)Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the main cause of death from a single infectious agent. Although a quarter of the world population is estimated to be infected with TB, only 5–10% of these ... -
The interaction between nutrition, immunity and coinfections with human immunodeficiency virus and intestinal parasites in South African adults: investigating the use of prealbumin as a tool for nutritional assessment.
(2019)Highly prevalent HIV and helminth single infections continue to plague a significant proportion of the South African population. The geographic overlap of these infections lands to the expectation that high prevalence of ... -
Effect of the capsular material of cryptococcus neoformans on the interplay between Mmicroglial cells and Neutrophils.
(2019)Cryptococcal meningitis is an important opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. It has been well established that a distinguishing feature of this form of meningitis is a relatively low neutrophil count in ... -
Investigations into the morphometrics, uterine tissue adaptation, maternal fluid biochemistry, heavy metal offloading and early embryonic teeth development impacting the reproductive strategy of the female Ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus)
(2018)Vulnerable” status of ragged-tooth sharks (Carcharias taurus) in South Africa caused by overexploitation, late maturity and low fecundity suggests an intervention to increase the size of this population is needed. Achieving ... -
Metformin alleviates neuronal and renal related stress signals in diabetic C57BL/6 mice.
(2019)In recent years, diabetes has become more prevalent due to modern, demanding, and sedentary lifestyle patterns. This disease is characterised by insulin resistance and associated molecular complications. Metformin (MF) is ... -
Molecular epidemiology of antibiotic resistant ESKAPE pathogens isolated from public sector hospitals in uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2017)Multi-drug resistant Enterococcus faecium, staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp termed ESKAPE pathogens are commonly implicated in ... -
Investigating schistosomiasis markers of inflammation and immune responses in school children on repeated mass drug administration in Bandanyenje, Zimbabwe.
(2017)Abstract available in PDF file. -
Microchemostat technologies for characterization of efflux pumps associated with multidrug resistance in mycobacterium tuberculosis.
(2016)Abstract available in PDF file.