Recent Developments in Goat Farming and Perspectives for a Sustainable Production in Western Africa

The West African region has a great diversity of indigenous goat breeds that are well adapted to such environmental conditions. West African goat population was estimated to be around 150 million heads in 2014, representing 14.82% of the world goat population. Goats play an important role in the socio-economic, environmental and religious life of the farming communities in terms of income, payment of dowry and supplying food for the local population. The traditional keeping system based on natural rangeland use as feed resources and free roaming is the most common system in the regions. Although goat industries have significantly increased these last decades, they are subjected to a variety of factors limiting their development. For a sustainable development with the goals of meeting the increasing demand for goat products, a wide intensification of goat production policies should be implemented

The effects of natural mating and artificial insemination using cryopreserved buck semen on reproductive performance in Alpine goats

This study compared the effects of natural mating and artificial insemination using frozen buck semen on reproductive performance in Alpine goats. Sixty reproductive Alpine goats were grouped according to natural mating (n=30) and artificial insemination (n=30) breeding methods. Oestrus was synchronised in experimental goats using a vaginal sponge impregnated with 20&thinsp;mg of progestogen FGA (fluorogestone acetate) for 11 days. At the time of sponge insertion, 150&thinsp;µg of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) analogue was injected intramuscularly. Forty-eight hours prior to vaginal sponge withdrawal, 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) was injected into the animals. At the end of synchronisation protocol, goats were fertilised using frozen semen or mated with a well-performing buck (ratio: 1 male to 5 females). The pregnancy (pregnant/synchronised goats) and mortality rates (P&lt;0.05) were higher (93&thinsp;% vs. 70&thinsp;%; 2&thinsp;% vs. 4&thinsp;%) in the naturally mated goats than the artificially inseminated group. Kids' live weight at birth was similar (3.83±0.23 and 3.15±0.11&thinsp;kg) in both groups. The oestrus synchronisation followed by natural mating achieved better reproductive performance than the goats artificially inseminated using frozen semen. However, the artificially inseminated animals displayed an acceptable twinning rate.</p

Declines in Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in the Republic of Benin Following Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: Epidemiological and Etiological Findings, 2011-2016

Background: Pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM) remains an important cause of disease in children in Africa. We describe findings from sentinel site bacterial meningitis surveillance in children <5 years of age in the Republic of Benin, 2011–2016. Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected from children admitted to Parakou, Natitingou, and Tanguieta sentinel hospitals with suspected meningitis. Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) was performed by rapid diagnostic tests, microbiological culture, and/or polymerase chain reaction; where possible, serotyping/grouping was performed. Results. A total of 10 919 suspected cases of meningitis were admitted to the sentinel hospitals. Most patients were 0–11 months old (4863 [44.5%]) and there were 542 (5.0%) in-hospital deaths. Overall, 4168 CSF samples were screened for pathogens and a total of 194 (4.7%) PBM cases were confirmed, predominantly caused by pneumococcus (98 [50.5%]). Following pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction in 2011, annual suspected meningitis cases and deaths (case fatality rate) progressively declined from 2534 to 1359 and from 164 (6.5%) to 14 (1.0%) in 2012 and 2016, respectively (P < .001). Additionally, there was a gradual decline in the proportion of meningitis cases caused by pneumococcus, from 77.3% (17/22) in 2011 to 32.4% (11/34) in 2016 (odds ratio, 7.11 [95% confidence interval, 2.08–24.30]). Haemophilus influenzae meningitis fluctuated over the surveillance period and was the predominant pathogen (16/34 [47.1%]) by 2016. Conclusions: The observed decrease in pneumococcal meningitis after PCV introduction may be indicative of changing patterns of PBM etiology in Benin. Maintaining vigilant and effective surveillance is critical for understanding these changes and their wider public health implications

Reproducibility of the ribosomal RNA synthesis ratio in sputum and association with markers of mycobacterium tuberculosis burden

The MIND-IHOP study was funded by the IHOP grant (NIH R01 HL090335), Lung MicroCHIP grant (NIH U01 HL098964), and K24 grant (NIH K24 HL087713). These sources provided the funding to support participant enrollment and specimen collection. Emmanuel Musisi was supported by a scholarship from the Pulmonary Complications of AIDS Research Training Program (NIH D43 TW009607). N.D.W., R.M.S., J.L.D., and P.N. acknowledge funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (1R01AI127300-01A1). N.D.W. and M.I.V. acknowledge funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (1R21AI135652-01). N.D.W. acknowledges funding from Veterans Affairs (1IK2CX000914-01A1 and 1I01BX004527-01A1) and from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award.There is a critical need for improved pharmacodynamic markers for use in human tuberculosis (TB) drug trials. Pharmacodynamic monitoring in TB has conventionally used culture or molecular methods to enumerate the burden of Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms in sputum. A recently proposed assay called the rRNA synthesis (RS) ratio measures a fundamentally novel property, how drugs impact ongoing bacterial rRNA synthesis. Here, we evaluated RS ratio as a potential pharmacodynamic monitoring tool by testing pretreatment sputa from 38 Ugandan adults with drug-susceptible pulmonary TB. We quantified the RS ratio in paired pretreatment sputa and evaluated the relationship between the RS ratio and microbiologic and molecular markers of M. tuberculosis burden. We found that the RS ratio was highly repeatable and reproducible in sputum samples. The RS ratio was independent of M. tuberculosis burden, confirming that it measures a distinct new property. In contrast, markers of M. tuberculosis burden were strongly associated with each other. These results indicate that the RS ratio is repeatable and reproducible and provides a distinct type of information from markers of M. tuberculosis burden. Importance This study takes a major next step toward practical application of a novel pharmacodynamic marker that we believe will have transformative implications for tuberculosis. This article follows our recent report in Nature Communications that an assay called the rRNA synthesis (RS) ratio indicates the treatment-shortening of drugs and regimens. Distinct from traditional measures of bacterial burden, the RS ratio measures a fundamentally novel property, how drugs impact ongoing bacterial rRNA synthesis.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Phylogeography and resistome of pneumococcal meningitis in West Africa before and after vaccine introduction

Despite contributing to the large disease burden in West Africa, little is known about the genomic epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae which cause meningitis among children under 5 years old in the region. We analysed whole-genome sequencing data from 185 S. pneumoniae isolates recovered from suspected paediatric meningitis cases as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) invasive bacterial diseases surveillance from 2010 to 2016. The phylogeny was reconstructed, accessory genome similarity was computed and antimicrobial-resistance patterns were inferred from the genome data and compared to phenotypic resistance from disc diffusion. We studied the changes in the distribution of serotypes pre- and post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction in the Central and Western sub-regions separately. The overall distribution of non-vaccine, PCV7 (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F and 23F) and additional PCV13 serotypes (1, 3, 5, 6A, 19A and 7F) did not change significantly before and after PCV introduction in the Central region (Fisher's test P value 0.27) despite an increase in the proportion of non-vaccine serotypes to 40 % (n=6) in the post-PCV introduction period compared to 21.9 % (n=14). In the Western sub-region, PCV13 serotypes were more dominant among isolates from The Gambia following the introduction of PCV7, 81 % (n=17), compared to the pre-PCV period in neighbouring Senegal, 51 % (n=27). The phylogeny illustrated the diversity of strains associated with paediatric meningitis in West Africa and highlighted the existence of phylogeographical clustering, with isolates from the same sub-region clustering and sharing similar accessory genome content. Antibiotic-resistance genotypes known to confer resistance to penicillin, chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole and tetracycline were detected across all sub-regions. However, there was no discernible trend linking the presence of resistance genotypes with the vaccine introduction period or whether the strain was a vaccine or non-vaccine serotype. Resistance genotypes appeared to be conserved within selected sub-clades of the phylogenetic tree, suggesting clonal inheritance. Our data underscore the need for continued surveillance on the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes as well as chloramphenicol and penicillin resistance, as these antibiotics are likely still being used for empirical treatment in low-resource settings. This article contains data hosted by Microreact

Development of vegetable farming: a cause of the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of Anopheles gambiae in urban areas of Benin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A fast development of urban agriculture has recently taken place in many areas in the Republic of Benin. This study aims to assess the rapid expansion of urban agriculture especially, its contribution to the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of <it>Anopheles gambiae</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The protocol was based on the collection of sociological data by interviewing vegetable farmers regarding various agricultural practices and the types of pesticides used. Bioassay tests were performed to assess the susceptibility of malaria vectors to various agricultural insecticides and biochemical analysis were done to characterize molecular status of population of <it>An. gambiae</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This research showed that:</p> <p>(1) The rapid development of urban agriculture is related to unemployment observed in cities, rural exodus and the search for a balanced diet by urban populations;</p> <p>(2) Urban agriculture increases the farmers' household income and their living standard;</p> <p>(3) At a molecular level, PCR revealed the presence of three sub-species of <it>An. gambiae </it>(<it>An. gambiae s.s., Anopheles melas and Anopheles arabiensis</it>) and two molecular forms (M and S). The <it>kdr </it>west mutation recorded in samples from the three sites and more specifically on the M forms seems to be one of the major resistance mechanisms found in <it>An. gambiae </it>from agricultural areas. Insecticide susceptibility tests conducted during this research revealed a clear pattern of resistance to permethrin (76% mortality rate at Parakou; 23.5% at Porto-Novo and 17% at Cotonou).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study confirmed an increase activity of the vegetable farming in urban areas of Benin. This has led to the use of insecticide in an improper manner to control vegetable pests, thus exerting a huge selection pressure on mosquito larval population, which resulted to the emergence of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors.</p

Effect of bird scaring methods on crop productivity and avian diversity conservation in agroecosystems of Benin

Farmers are developing methods to scare off and reduce bird damages. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of these methods through a simple form of evaluation that allowed to highlight relationship between these methods and productivity on the one hand, and the relationship between these methods and conservation of birds in the agricultural environment according to different vegetative stages on the other hand. 713 farmers were interviewed in the agro-ecological zones of Benin. This study reveals the use of four methods. These are auditory method, visual method, exclusion method and mixed method. They are used primarily to reduce "loss and damage" and "reduce the frequency of bird visits". 96.78% of farmers agreed that these methods improve yields. Moreover, effectiveness of the methods varies according to the vegetative stages and the duration of its application. Bird species richness was also significantly and positively influenced by bird control methods (Maize: p= 5767e-3) and (Rice: p=4482e-6). Long-term studies, generalized to different forms of agricultural area, are needed for a better assessment

Paediatric urologic pathologies at the national teaching hospital in Cotonou: A etiological and therapeutic aspects

Background: Urological pathologies of children are dominated by  congenital malformations of the kidneys and urinary tract. Their  management is often surgical. The objective of this survey was to study etiological and therapeutic aspects of urological presentations in children. Patients and Methods: Data for aetiology, treatment, and results in  children hospitalized at the Paediatric Surgery service of National Teaching Hospital (CNHU) in Cotonou were retrospectively analyzed from January 1999 to December 2008. Results: A total of 214 patients with complete  data were evaluated. Urological pathologies represented 4.8% of the hospitalizations in paediatric surgery, with an incidence of 21 cases per  year. The mean age was 4.9 ± 3.2 years (age 1 week to 14 years). The male to female ratio was 14:14. Cryptorchidism, hydrocele,  nephroblastoma, the posterior urethral valves, ureteropelvic junction  obstructions, postcircumcision haemorrhage and hypospadias were the most frequent pathologies. Congenital urological malformations  represented 81.3%, followed neoplastic pathologies (7.9%), traumatic  pathologies (6.1%) and others (4.7%). The disorders of male genitalia  were more frequent and constituted 68.2% of the cases. The anomalies of the urinary tract were 30.8% and intersex disorders were 0.9%. The  average age of the children urological pathologies at the time of  consultation was 8.85 ± 4.6 years. The treatment was often surgical with a mortality of 2.8%. Key words: Aetiology, child, epidemiology, treatment, uropath

Aspects epidemiologiques, cliniques, biologiques, therapeutiques et evolutifs des hemolyses intravasculaires de l’enfant au Chud de Parakou en 2018

Introduction : Les anémies hémolytiques surviennent majoritairement dans l’enfance. L’objectif de l’étude était de décrire les aspects&nbsp; épidémiologiques, cliniques, thérapeutiques, biologiques et évolutifs des hémolyses intravasculaires de l’enfant au CHUD Parakou en 2018. Patients et matériels : Il s’est agi d’une étude transversale descriptive avec recueil prospectif des données qui s’est déroulée du 1er avril au 31 août 2018. Ont été inclus dans l’étude les enfants âgés d’un mois à quinze ans. Les variables étudiées étaient relatives aux caractéristiques sociodémographiques, cliniques, paracliniques, thérapeutiques et évolutives. Résultats : Au total, 176 enfants ont présenté une hémolyse intravasculaire sur 997 admissions soit une fréquence hospitalière de 18,01%. L’âge moyen était de 3,25 ± 2,38 ans. Le sex-ratio était de 1,37. Les motifs d’admission étaient : la pâleur (43,75%), la fièvre (23,30%), les urines coca cola(10,23%). L’examen physique avait noté une pâleur (94,89%), l’ictère (63,07%), une splénomégalie (44,89%), une convulsion (27,84%), une malnutrition aiguë modérée (16,48%) et une malnutrition aiguë sévère (5,11%). Sur le plan biologique l’anémie était observée à 96,59% et une thrombopénie dans 70,37% (57/81) des cas. L’insuffisance rénale a été enregistrée dans 22,73% des cas. Les principales causes étaient : le paludisme (95,45%) et les infections bactériennes (47,15%). Le traitement était fait d’administration d’Artésunate (95,48%), d’antibiotiques (47,15%) de furosémide (22,72%), d’hyperhydratation (77,27%), de transfusion sanguine (75,57%) et de restriction hydrique (22,72%). La mortalité était de 2,84%. Conclusion : Environ un enfant hospitalisé sur cinq a présenté une hémolyse intravasculaire. Mots clés : Hémolyse intravasculaire, paludisme, insuffisance rénale, enfants, Bénin English Title: Epidemiological, clinical, biological, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of intravascular haemolysis children of Chud-B/A of Parakou in 2018 Introduction: Haemolytic anemias occur mostly in childhood. If it more easy to recognize the haemolytic mechanism of anemia, the identification, of its causes may be difficult. The target of the study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, biological, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of this disease. Patients and Matérials: It was a cross sectional descriptive study with prospective data collection that ran from march to september 2018. It included children age from one month to 15 years admitted within the study period. Results: A total of 176 children had presented intravascular haemolysis out of 997 admissions (18.01%). The average age was 3.25 ±2.28 years. The reasons for admission were: pallor (43.75%), fever (23.30%), coca cola urine (10.23%), seizure (9.09%), coma (6.25%). Physical examination had found pallor (94.89%), jaundice (63.07%), splenomegaly (44.89%), seizure (27.84%), hepatomegaly (6.82%), oligoanuria (7.39%), moderate acute malnutrition (16.48%), severe acute malnutrition (5.11%). Anemia was found in 96.59% of cases, and thrombocytopenia in 70.37% 57/81 of cases.Kidney failure was recorded in 22.73% of cases. The pathologies involved were represented by malaria (95.45%), bacterial infections (47.15%) deficiency of G6PD (5.68%). Treatment was made of artesunate (95.48%), antibiotic (47.15%) hyperhydration (77.27%), transfusion (75.57%), water restriction (22.72%) and furosemide (22.72%). The mortality rate was 2.84%. Conclusion: About one children of five had presented intravascular haemolysis in the study period. Of them one case of five had renal failure acute. Malarie was found in more than nine cases of ten. Keywords: Intravascular haemolysis, malaria, kidney failure, children, Beni