Accuracy of Urine Circulating Cathodic Antigen (CCA) Test for Schistosoma mansoni Diagnosis in Different Settings of Côte d'Ivoire

We aimed to assess the accuracy of a commercially available rapid diagnostic test for the detection of an infection with the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni in urine. In total, 446 school children from three different settings of south Côte d'Ivoire provided three stool and three urine samples. Stool samples were examined with the widely used Kato-Katz technique and analyzed with a microscope for S. mansoni eggs. Urine samples were examined with a filtration method for S. haematobium eggs and with a rapid diagnostic test for S. mansoni that is based on detecting circulating cathodic antigens (CCA). We used a commercially available test (designated CCA-A) and an experimental formulation (CCA-B). Examination of nine Kato-Katz thick smears per child revealed a prevalence of S. mansoni in the three settings of 32.9%, 53.1%, and 91.8%. The sensitivity of triplicate Kato-Katz from the first stool sample was comparable to a single CCA-A (47.9–94.2% vs. 56.3–89.6%), and significantly higher than the sensitivity of a single CCA-B test (10.4–75.0%). CCA-A showed a considerably lower specificity than CCA-B (76.9–84.2% vs. 96.7–100%). In the settings studied in south Côte d'Ivoire, the CCA-A test holds promise for the diagnosis of S. mansoni, whereas results with CCA-B were suboptimal

Biodiversité urbaine : micromammifères terrestres de la commune de Man, Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire

Les communautés de micromammifères terrestres des milieux urbains sont très peu connues en Côte d’Ivoire, en particulier celles de la ville de Man. Cette étude visait à déterminer la diversité et l’abondance relative des micromammifères terrestres dans la commune de Man. Pour ce faire, un inventaire des micromammifères terrestres a été réalisé dans trois quartiers (Babadjan, Dioulabougou et Zélé) de ladite commune. Dans chaque quartier, les micromammifères terrestres ont été échantillonnés dans 20 maisons avec des pièges conventionnels de type Sherman. Au total, 171 individus appartenant à deux familles (Muridés et Soricidés) ont été collectés en 2 100 nuits-pièges. Ils sont répartis en six espèces dont deux espèces invasives (Mus musculus et Rattus rattus) et quatre espèces indigènes (Crocidura olivieri, Mastomys natalensis, Hylomyscus simus et Praomys rostratus). La richesse spécifique la plus élevée a été enregistrée à Zélé avec cinq espèces. Babadjan et Dioulabougou ont enregistré quatre espèces chacun. Dans l’ensemble, l’espèce Mastomys natalensis (39,76%) a été la plus dominante, suivie de Mus musculus (35,67%). Les indices de diversité de Simpson (IS), de Shannon (H’) et d’équitabilité (J) les plus élevés ont été enregistrés à Babadjan

Clinical Outcomes during Treatment Interruptions in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Hepatitis B Virus Co-infected Patients from Sub-Saharan Africa

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) interruptions increase the risk of severe morbidity/mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals from subSaharan Africa. We aimed to determine whether the risk is further increased among HIV-hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infected patients in this setting. In this sub-analysis of a randomized-control trial, 632 participants from Côte d'Ivoire randomized to receive continuous-ART (C-ART), structured ART interruptions of 2-months off, 4-months on (2/4-ART), and CD4-guided ART interruptions (CD4GT, interruption at 350/mm3 and reintroduction at 250/mm3) were analyzed. Incidence rates (IR) of serious HIV- and non-HIV-related morbidity were compared between patients stratified on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) status. Overall, 65 (10.3%) were HBsAg-positive, 29 (44.6%) of whom had HBV-DNA levels > 10,000 copies/mL. After a median 2.0 year (range = 0.2-3.1) followup, 3 1 serious HIV-related events occurred in 101 HIV mono-infected and 15 HIV-HBV co-infected patients (IR = 10.0 versus 13.2/100 person/years, respectively, P = 0.3), whereas the highest incidence was observed in co-infected patients with baseline HBV-replication > 10,000 copies/mL (IR = 24.0/100 person/years, P versus HIV mono-infected = 0.002). Incidence of bacterial infections was also highest in the co-infected group with HBV-replication > 10,000 copies/mL (IR = 12.9 versus 3.3/100 person/years in HIV mono-infected patients, P = 0.001). The relative effect of CD4GT or 2/4-ART versus C-ART was not different between infection groups (P for interaction = 0.4). No increase in the incidence of non-HIV-related morbidity was observed for co-infected patients (P = 0.5), even at HBV-replication levels > 10,000 copies/mL (P = 0.7). In conclusion, co-infected patients with elevated HBV-replication at ART-initiation are more susceptible to HIV-related morbidity, especially invasive bacterial diseases, during treatment interruption