Long-term stability of the faecal microbiome profile in faecal immunochemical test (FIT) samples

We read with great interest the meta’omic study by Kong et al1 which reported on metagenomic sequencing of faecal samples to discover microbiome-derived biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC). Faecal immunochemical test (FIT) samples provide consistent microbiome profiling based on 16S rRNA gene (ie, amplicon-based) sequencing when compared with immediately frozen samples from whole stool2 and are stable during storage for up to 20 days.3 However, it is important to understand whether FIT samples are stable for longer periods and to ascertain if metagenomic (ie, non-amplicon) sequencing is feasible using these samples, given the relatively low biomass of FIT samples compared with whole stool. Metagenomics provides better taxonomic resolution and information on functional capacity and may detect rarer taxa compared with amplicon-based sequencing.4 We aimed to (1) investigate the stability of the faecal microbiome in FIT samples that had been stored for…

Leggi
Dicembre 2024

Evaluation of BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in Sri Lanka: a test-negative case control study

Objectives
There is limited research on real-world effectiveness of BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. This study evaluated real-world effectiveness of Sinopharm vaccine in Sri Lanka by assessing absolute vaccine efficacy.

Design and setting
A retrospective test-negative case-control study was conducted at ten large government hospitals across the country.

Participants
Consecutive adults aged ≥18 years attending outpatient departments who tested reverse-transcription-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period were recruited.

Main outcome measures
An interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered, and outcome of COVID-19 infection was assessed in cases.

Results
Of 1829 recruited, 914 (49.9%) were male, and mean age was 45.2 (SD 15.3) years; 1634 (89.3%) were vaccinated with two doses of BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm vaccine, while 195 (10.1%) were vaccine-naïve. Compared with the vaccinated, unvaccinated persons were older but otherwise similar in their demographic and medical profiles. Unvaccinated were more likely to have fever, shortness of breath and vomiting as symptoms and were more likely to seek treatment. Significantly more vaccinated individuals received treatment at home. After admission, the unvaccinated were more likely to receive oxygen. Significantly more unvaccinated persons died of COVID-19 compared with the vaccinated. Sinopharm vaccine was 78.2% (94% CI 69.0% to 85.0%) effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, 88.7% (81.6%–93.2%) effective at preventing severe infection and 85.6% (69.6%–93.6%) effective at preventing death.

Conclusions
BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm vaccine is effective at mitigating severity of illness and reducing the likelihood of hospitalisation, severe illness and death, in those who received primary vaccination, compared with the unvaccinated.

Leggi
Novembre 2024