IMMUNITY TO POLIOVIRUS SEROTYPES IN CHILDREN POPULATION OF SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Background: Poliovirus outbreaks are still reported in Nigeria despite renewed efforts to improve vaccine coverage, thus suggesting the existence of susceptible hosts. Also, there is anecdotal evidence of variation in vaccine coverage by region and specifically between urban and rural communities. Consequently, this study assessed neutralizing antibodies to poliovirus serotypes among children in selected urban and rural communities in south western Nigeria. Methodology: Two hundred and forty-four {(M=119, F=125); Urban: 142 (M=63, F=79); Rural: 102 (M=56, F=46)} children of consenting parent/guardian aged one week to 15 years were enrolled for the study. About 2-3ml of blood was collected from each child by venepuncture into a labelled sterile container free of anticoagulants. Subsequently, questionnaire was administered to the parent/guardian of each child to retrieve relevant information. Recovered sera were analysed for detectable neutralizing antibodies to poliovirus serotypes by the standard method of constant virus, varying serum dilutions. Results: Overall, 64.3% (n=157) of the children had detectable neutralizing antibodies to the three poliovirus serotypes. Also, 84.8% (n=207), 91.0% (n=222) and 75.0% (n=183) of the children had detectable antibodies to poliovirus serotypes 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Eighty seven (35.7%) of the children had no detectable neutralizing antibody to at least one of the three poliovirus serotypes, while 9 (3.7%) children had no detectable neutralizing antibody to the three poliovirus serotypes. Geometric mean titre (GMT) of neutralizing antibodies to the three poliovirus serotypes varied significantly (p=0.0005). Conclusion: Disparity in immunity to poliovirus infection and existence of children with low or zero neutralizing antibody levels were confirmed

Detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen among Febrile Patients in Ankpa, Kogi State, Nigeria

Background. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become a significant public health problem in developing countries, and the high rate of morbidity and mortality from acute and chronic infections is worrisome. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence of HBV and associated risk factors in Ankpa, Kogi State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods. Sera randomly collected from 200 participants in three public hospitals in Ankpa were screened for HBsAg using commercially available HBsAg rapid test kit (Swe-Care (R), China). Structured questionnaires were used to obtain sociodemographic details and history of exposure to risk factors. Results. Seventeen (8.5%) of the 200 patients were positive for HBsAg. Males had higher prevalence (10.89%) than females (6.06%). The age group with the highest rate of infection was 24–44 years. Patient’s occupation and marital status were significantly higher in relation to HBsAg seropositivity. Risks of HBV infection in Ankpa are sharing of sharp objects (OR = 11.62, 95% CI, 3.59–37.59), multiple sexual partners (OR = 3.39, 95% CI, 1.23–9.38), blood transfusion (OR = 13.74, 95% CI, 4.22–44.71), surgeries (OR = 3.02, 95% CI, 1.03–8.83), alcoholism (OR = 6.94, 95% CI, 2.32–20.75), mouth-to-mouth kissing (p=0.001), and contact with HBV patient (OR = 4.14, 95% CI, 1.01–17.06). People without prior knowledge of HBV infection were more infected. Conclusion. This study reaffirms the endemicity of HBV in a part of sub-Saharan African country. Public health practitioners should focus attention on apparently healthy patients in developing countries. We suggest inclusion of HBsAg screening for patients coming for routine hospital care

Recurrent Episodes of Some Mosquito-Borne Viral Diseases in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Different ecological zones favor the breeding of Aedes species. The molecular epidemiology of dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was determined from outbreaks and surveillance activities in Nigeria. Twenty-eight DENV, twenty-five YFV, and two CHIKV sequences from Nigeria were retrieved from GenBank. Genotyping was performed with a genome detective typing tool. The evolutionary comparison was performed by the Maximum Likelihood method on MEGA. Chi-square was used to compare the association between the proportions of viral infections at different times. Six DENV-1 were detected in 1964, 1965, 1978, 2007, and 2018. Nineteen DENV-2 strains were reported, four belonging to sylvatic VI, one belonging to cosmopolitan II, and twelve to Asian I genotype V. DENV-2 genotype VI was detected in 1966, and genotypes II and V in 2019. All three DENV-3 were detected in 2018, while only one DENV-4 was identified in 2019. YFV was reported in 1946 and then in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2018, and 2019 with reports to date. CHIKV is still circulating following its identification in 1964 and 1965. Recurrent episodes of dengue, Chikungunya, and yellow fever continue unabated. Vector control initiatives and immunization should be greatly sustained

Metagenomic Detection and Genetic Characterization of Human Sapoviruses among Children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis in Nigeria

Using a metagenomic sequencing approach on stool samples from children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), we describe the genetic diversity of Sapoviruses (SaVs) in children in Nigeria. We identified six complete genome sequences and two partial genome sequences. Several SaV genogroups and genotypes were detected, including GII (GII.4 and GII.8), GIV (GIV.1), and GI (GI.2 and GI.7). To our knowledge, this is the first description of SaV infections and complete genomes from Nigeria. Pairwise identity and phylogenetic analysis showed that the Nigerian SaVs were related to previously documented gastroenteritis outbreaks with associated strains from China and Japan. Minor variations in the functional motifs of the nonstructural proteins NS3 and NS5 were seen in the Nigerian strains. To adequately understand the effect of such amino acid changes, a better understanding of the biological function of these proteins is vital. The identification of distinct SaVs reinforces the need for robust surveillance in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and non-AGE cohorts to better understand SaVs genotype diversity, evolution, and its role in disease burden in Nigeria. Future studies in different populations are, therefore, recommended