Pan-Microbial Study Implicates a Potential Culprit in a Pediatric Brain Disorder in Uganda (3 of 9) (IMAGE)
Caption
An international team investigated the origin of the severe brain infections afflicting thousands of Ugandan infants in the neonatal period, and often resulting in hydrocephalus in the survivors. Fluid from the brain taken at surgery led to the recovery of a novel strain of a highly virulent bacteria, shown on the tree of life of related organisms. These infection cases, shown as red dots on the map, are concentrated within a region in Eastern Uganda characterized by wetlands and swamps on the north and south banks of Lake Kyoga that the Nile river flows into and out of. Map adapted and based on OCHA/ReliefWeb (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and used as permitted by the agency. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the Sep. 30, 2020, issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The paper, by J.N. Paulson at Genentech Inc. in South San Francisco; and colleagues was titled, "Paenibacillus infection with frequent viral coinfection contributes to postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants."
Credit
Steven Schiff created the composite and calculated locations on map. Graphics from the paper, from Schiff personal photos, and map adapted and based on OCHA/ReliefWeb (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and used as permitted by the agency.
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