Researchers battling infectious diseases
Researcher Profile
Misheck Shawa
Affiliation: Hokkaido University
Department: International Joint Research Institute for Zoonosis Control
Position: Specially Appointed Assistant Professor
Country of office: Zambia
- Specialization
- bacteriology
- Research Subjects
- Drug-resistant bacteria
- Affiliated organizations and institutions
- University of Zambia
- What are your hobbies?
- Watching soccer, playing chess
- Message
- With the emergence of third generation cephalosporin (3GC) resistance globally, the need for focused, comprehensive, and sustained interventions cannot be overemphasized. To help abate the situation, our research team conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies to identify the dominant _bla_ genes among Zambian 3GC-resistant strains. Based on the results, we used Single-stranded Tag Hybridization-Printed Array Strip (STH-PAS) to develop a novel PCR-based system to rapidly detect the blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes and identify E. coli and K. pneumoniae, which are prevalent in Zambia. This system is suitable for developing countries like Zambia as it uses cheap paper strips, avoiding the cost of gel imaging, ranging from $500 to $2000.