Lab Matters Summer 2025 | Page 36

GLOBAL HEALTH

By Angela Poates, lead specialist Global Health and Jessica Rowland, MHS, specialist Global Health

Yaya Bah( The Gambia) and Vakou N’ dri Sabine( Côte d’ Ivoire) strengthen their sequencing skills at the PulseNet Africa ONT training held in The Gambia in July 2024. Photo: Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko.

In 2023, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( Africa CDC) launched the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative 2.0( Africa PGI 2.0)— a strategic roadmap aimed at transforming disease surveillance and public health response across the continent, with the ultimate goal of enhancing early disease detection, improving outbreak response and strengthening public health decisionmaking across Africa.

While PGI 2.0 set the stage for advancing pathogen genomics, another critical player in Africa’ s public health landscape, PulseNet Africa, was undergoing its own revitalization. Originally established in 2010 as a regional arm of PulseNet International, the network has long been dedicated to foodborne disease surveillance and antimicrobial resistance( AR) detection. However, in 2024, PulseNet Africa took on a renewed mission through two key activities: an advanced genomic training in The Gambia and a regional strategic meeting in Zambia.

Scientists sequenced cholera isolates, analyzing their genomic data to assess antimicrobial resistance patterns. The findings revealed the widespread presence of AMR genotypes, underscoring the importance of a coordinated, continent-wide response to drug-resistant pathogens. More importantly, the success of this training extended beyond data analysis. The participants later collaborated on a scientific manuscript, marking a tangible outcome of their shared expertise and commitment to genomic data-sharing.

Buoyed by the success of the ONT training, PulseNet Africa convened a regional meeting in Zambia in December 2024. This gathering brought together

representatives from 11 countries who engaged in in-depth discussions on the current state of enteric genomic sequencing in Africa. During the meeting, participants identified key challenges hindering the expansion of genomic surveillance, including limited infrastructure, funding constraints, and the need for more skilled personnel. The meeting also led to the creation of several working groups to continue to promote and communicate the activities and success of PulseNet Africa members.

PulseNet Africa will also undertake a feasibility study in 2025. Modeled after the successful PulseNet Asia Pacific

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The first major milestone in PulseNet Africa’ s renewed efforts was an Oxford Nanopore Technologies( ONT) training session held in The Gambia in July 2024, which also happened to be the very first PulseNet International ONT-based training. The training, focused on cholera surveillance, gathered participants from four African nations.

A 2024 PulseNet Africa Regional Meeting group photo. Photo: Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko.