Hepatitis C virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus coinfection among attendants of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre and HIV follow up clinics in Mekelle Hospital

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus remains a large health care burden to the world. HIV and HCV coinfection is major global health concern worldwide. However, there is limited information on the prevalence of HCV/HIV co-infection in Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to assess the magnitude of HIV/HCV coinfection and the potential risk factors in attendants of voluntary counseling and testing centre and HIV follow up clinics of Mekelle hospital. Methods: A cross sectional seroprevalence survey of HCV infection was carried out on 300 HIV negative and positive subjects attending voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center and HIV follow up clinics of Mekelle hospital, Ethiopia from December 2010-February 2011. Serum samples were tested for anti-HCV antibodies using immunochromatographic test. Results: Of the 300 study participants, 126(42%) were HIV negative and 174(58%) HIV seropositive from VCT and HIV follow up clinics, respectively. The overall anti-HCV prevalence was 18(6.0%). There were no significant differences in HCV seroprevalence among the different categories of age and sex (p> 0.05). Of the 174 persons with HIV, 16 (9.2%) cases had antibodies to HCV, where as among 126 HIV negative subjects 2 (1.58%) were HCV seropositive (p= 0.006, OR= 6.28, 95% CI= 1.42-27.82). Conclusion: Accordingly, there was a significant difference in sero-positivity of HCV between HIV positive and HIV negative participants. No apparent risk factor that caused HCV infection was inferred from this study.Pan African Medical Journal 2013; 14: 10

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus in patients with diabetes mellitus: a comparative cross sectional study at Woldiya General Hospital, Ethiopia

Introduction: The overall prevalence of HBV in Ethiopia varies from 4.7-16.8% for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 70-76.38% for at least one marker positive. Patients suffering from type I Diabetes Mellitus (DM) incur high risk of infection with hepatotropic viruses because of frequent hospitalization and blood tests.  Methods: A comparative cross sectional study was conducted at Woldiya General Hospital using 108  consented study populations from Diabetes and 108 non diabetes control groups during the period November 2010 - January 2011. VISITECT HBsAg rapid test kit and Humastat 80 chemistry analyzer were used.   Multivariate logistic regression was used to see the association of HBV with clinical history of participants and Sociodemographic variables. All tests were two-sided with ∝-level of 0.05 and 80% power. Results:  Prevalence of HBsAg was equal between diabetic and non diabetic individuals, 3.7% indicating that there was no difference between the two groups. Only history of invasive procedures and chronic liver disease showed association with HBsAg seropositivity. Conclusion: In this study a positive relation was not indicated between HBV and Diabetes and the prevalence of HBsAg was equal between diabetic and non diabetic individuals

Prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis and Associated Risk Factors among Women Complaining of Genital Tract Infection

Background. Bacterial vaginosis is a global concern due to the increased risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and bacteria causing aerobic vaginitis. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 patients between September 2015 and July 2016 at St. Paul’s Hospital. Gram-stained vaginal swabs were examined microscopically and graded as per Nugent’s procedure. Bacteria causing aerobic vaginitis were characterized, and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined. Results. The overall prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 48.6%. Bacterial vaginosis was significantly associated with number of pants used per day (p=0.001) and frequency of vaginal bathing (p=0.045). Of 151 bacterial isolates, 69.5% were Gram-negative and 30.5% were Gram-positive bacteria. The overall drug resistance level of Gram-positive bacteria was high against penicillin, tetracycline, and erythromycin. Cefoxitin and tobramycin were the most active drugs against Gram-positive bacteria. The overall drug resistance level of Gram-negative bacteria was high against tetracycline, ampicillin, and amoxicillin. Amikacin and tobramycin were the most active drugs against Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusions. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was high and was affected by individual hygiene. Routine culture of vaginal samples should be performed on patients with vaginitis and the drug susceptibility pattern of each isolate should be determined

Tuberculosis treatment outcome and associated factors among tuberculosis patients at Wolayta Sodo Teaching and Referral Hospital, Southern Ethiopia: a retrospective study

Background: Tuberculosis is a major public health problem throughout the world particularly in resource limited countries. Measuring and reporting of TB treatment outcomes and identifying associated factors are fundamental part of TB treatment. The aim of this study was to assess TB treatment outcome and associated factors among TB patients in Wolayta Sodo Teaching and Referral Hospital, Southern Ethiopia.Design and Methods: Facility based retrospective cohort study was conducted in Wolayta Sodo Teaching and Referral Hospital. All TB patients who registered during September 2014 to August 2019 and had known treatment outcome were included in the study. The data were collected using pretested structured data extraction format that included demographic, clinical and treatment outcome variables. SPSS Version 23 for Windows was used for data processing. Bivariate and multivariate analysis with 95% confidence interval (CI) was employed to infer associations between the independent and dependent variables.Results: Of total 232 TB patients included in the study, 54.3% were male,80.2% were urban residents, 65.9% were pulmonary TB (PTB). From the total 153 PTB cases,31.5% were smear positive, 17.2% were HIV co-infected and all of them were on antiretroviral treatment. Most, 97.0% of the TB cases were newly diagnosed and all were treated as first line treatment category. The overall treatment success rate was 82.5% (28% cured 54.3% completed), 11.2% loss to follow-up, 4.7% dead and 0.9% treatment failure. The treatment success rate of HIV co-infected TB patients was 77.5%. There was no significant association between TB treatment outcome and age, sex, residence, type of TB, category of patients and HIV status.Conclusions: The treatment success rate was low (82.5%) which is below the90% threshold defined standard with high proportion of patient’s lost to follow-up (11.2%). A higher number of transfer-out cases were recorded in this study. Thus, supervision and monitoring of DOTs implementation, improved counseling service, mechanisms for lost to follow-up patients should be strengthen. Establish efficient referral and contact tracing mechanisms for transferred-out cases and document their treatment outcomes of status is also fundamental

Exploring animal husbandry in smallholder dairy systems in Ethiopia using photovoice

This study uses photovoice to explore smallholder dairy farmers’ husbandry knowledge and practices and document how they address constraints faced in pursuing their livelihood strategy. Currently, there is a paucity of farmer-led research in Ethiopia which captures farmers’ local knowledge and lived experiences. This study was conducted in April and May 2021 in Kaliti, a sub-city of Addis Ababa, and Holeta, located near Addis Ababa, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Farmers were selected through purposive and snowball sampling approaches based on their previous participation in a bovine tuberculosis study. Farmers selection was based on their experience in dairy farming and willingness to attend research-related meetings and to engage in photo-taking and subsequent group discussions. Farmers were trained on the use of the digital camera and asked to take pictures of their day-to-day activities, challenges faced in pursuing dairy production and how they overcome these challenges. The pictures taken by farmers indicated their attachment to their cattle, cattle disease symptoms, manure management, pest control practices, cattle housing, feeding practices, milking hygiene and storage. Discussions revealed that husbandry challenges faced stemmed from land-use change, declining farm sizes, poor access to veterinary and animal health services, low milk prices and high cattle feed prices. Farmers explained that they had developed knowledge of cattle nutrition, such as feed ration mixing and ways to deal with manure problems. The results of this study underscore that farmers have a good understanding of husbandry challenges and, additionally, have a wealth of local knowledge which can be leveraged, if captured through participatory and visual research methods, such as photovoice, by policymakers to develop context-aware policies and interventions and recommendations regarding improved practices which are economically viable, and socially and culturally acceptable

From farm to table: exploring food handling and hygiene practices of meat and milk value chain actors in Ethiopia

Livestock value chains constitute a source of livelihood for meat and milk value chain actors in Ethiopia, from dairy farmers to other associated value chain actors such as milk traders, abattoir workers, public health officials, veterinarians, butcheries selling meats, milk cooperatives, artisanal milk processors, and transporters. The development of these livestock value chains, however, is constrained by poor food safety and quality, while consumers are also exposed to public health risks due to milk and meat value chain actors' food handling and hygiene practices.This study used Photovoice and participant observation to explore meat and milk value chain actors' food handling and hygiene practices in suburban areas of Addis Ababa and neighbouring Oromia in Ethiopia. The results of this study reveal that milk and meat value chain actors' food handling practices are not aligned with the recommended Ethiopian food safety and quality standards. Low compliance with food safety and quality standards reflected a combination of factors such as lack of incentives, poor road infrastructure and low enforcement of food safety standards.Participatory and visual research methods enable a researcher to collect context-aware data that can lead to the development of policies and intervention strategies that reflect local needs and priorities. The results of this study affirm the need to identify socially acceptable and economically viable policies and intervention strategies that are acceptable to all chain actors; and suggest there is an imperative to train milk and meat value chain actors on good hygiene handling practices, improve road infrastructure, and facilitate access equipment such as fridges and freezers that can contribute to maintaining food safety and quality

Epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages and strain clustering within urban and peri-urban settings in Ethiopia.

BackgroundPrevious work has shown differential predominance of certain Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) lineages and sub-lineages among different human populations in diverse geographic regions of Ethiopia. Nevertheless, how strain diversity is evolving under the ongoing rapid socio-economic and environmental changes is poorly understood. The present study investigated factors associated with M. tb lineage predominance and rate of strain clustering within urban and peri-urban settings in Ethiopia.MethodsPulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) and Cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN) patients who visited selected health facilities were recruited in the years of 2016 and 2017. A total of 258 M. tb isolates identified from 163 sputa and 95 fine-needle aspirates (FNA) were characterized by spoligotyping and compared with international M.tb spoligotyping patterns registered at the SITVIT2 databases. The molecular data were linked with clinical and demographic data of the patients for further statistical analysis.ResultsFrom a total of 258 M. tb isolates, 84 distinct spoligotype patterns that included 58 known Shared International Type (SIT) patterns and 26 new or orphan patterns were identified. The majority of strains belonged to two major M. tb lineages, L3 (35.7%) and L4 (61.6%). The observed high percentage of isolates with shared patterns (n = 200/258) suggested a substantial rate of overall clustering (77.5%). After adjusting for the effect of geographical variations, clustering rate was significantly lower among individuals co-infected with HIV and other concomitant chronic disease. Compared to L4, the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (AOR; 95% CI) indicated that infections with L3 M. tb strains were more likely to be associated with TBLN [3.47 (1.45, 8.29)] and TB-HIV co-infection [2.84 (1.61, 5.55)].ConclusionDespite the observed difference in strain diversity and geographical distribution of M. tb lineages, compared to earlier studies in Ethiopia, the overall rate of strain clustering suggests higher transmission and warrant more detailed investigations into the molecular epidemiology of TB and related factors

Novel approaches toward the development of an oral post-exposure DNA vaccine for latent tuberculosis using Salmonella typhimurium ΔaroA vector

Tuberculosis remains one of the major causes of global public health problems. There is no effective vaccine for the disease until now. Many reports show that DNA vaccines are promising to induce protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb); however, the efficiency of DNA vaccine is limited due to inadequate delivery systems. Among others, live attenuated bacterial vectors such as Salmonella enterica typhimurium (S. typhimurium) have significant promise as efficient mucosal delivery vehicles for DNA vaccines. In this study, we constructed recombinant attenuated S. typhimurium DNA vaccines carrying genes encoding resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf)-like proteins of M. tb on eukaryotic expression plasmid agianst latent tuberculosis and evaluated the plasmid stability and growth curve assays of the recombinant Salmonella vaccine constructs in vitro. Four Rpf gene fragments (RpfB, RpfC, RpfD, RpfE) associated with latency were amplified from genomic DNA of the H37Rv strain of M. tb, cloned into eukaryotic expression plasmid (pVR1020) and verified by sequencing. In later studies, we will demonstrate the potential use of the Salmonella-mediated DNA constructs as candidate post-exposure vaccines against tuberculosis through testing their immunogenicity and effectiveness for oral delivery in eukaryotic systems.Key words: Latent tuberculosis, resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf), DNA vaccine, recombinant Salmonella typhimurium