No abstract

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is known to complicate the coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19), especially those with criticalillness. We investigated the baseline anti-Aspergillus antibody serostatus of patients with moderate-critical COVID-19 hospitalizedat 3 COVID-19 Treatment Units in Uganda. All 46 tested patients, mean age 30, and 11% with underlying respiratorydisease had a negative serum anti-Aspergillus IgM/IgG antibody immunochromatographic test on day 3 (mean) of symptomonset (range 1-26), but follow up specimens to assess seroconversion were not available. Keywords: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis; COVID-19; critical illness; Uganda.

Biorepositories are essential because they guarantee the proper storage and distribution of biospecimens and their associated data for current and future research. In Eastern and Central Africa, the Integrated Biorepository of H3Africa Uganda (IBRH3AU) at Makerere University in Uganda was the first of its kind. It is strategically located at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, which is home to some of Uganda's most relevant and impactful infectious and non-infectious disease research.  Since its inception as a pilot project in 2012, the IBRH3AU biorepository has grown into a state-of-the-art facility serving the H3Africa consortium and the rest of the scientific community. IBRH3AU has built a solid infrastructure over the past ten years with cutting-edge methods and technologies for the collection, processing, quality control, handling, management, storage and shipment of biospecimens. H3Africa researchers, local researchers, postgraduate and postdoctoral students, and the greater scientific community in Eastern and Central Africa and beyond have benefited from IBRH3AU's exceptional biobanking services.