Are Rapid Population Estimates Accurate? A Field Trial of Two Different Assessment Methods.

Emergencies resulting in large-scale displacement often lead to populations resettling in areas where basic health services and sanitation are unavailable. To plan relief-related activities quickly, rapid population size estimates are needed. The currently recommended Quadrat method estimates total population by extrapolating the average population size living in square blocks of known area to the total site surface. An alternative approach, the T-Square, provides a population estimate based on analysis of the spatial distribution of housing units taken throughout a site. We field tested both methods and validated the results against a census in Esturro Bairro, Beira, Mozambique. Compared to the census (population: 9,479), the T-Square yielded a better population estimate (9,523) than the Quadrat method (7,681; 95% confidence interval: 6,160-9,201), but was more difficult for field survey teams to implement. Although applicable only to similar sites, several general conclusions can be drawn for emergency planning

Challenges of controlling sleeping sickness in areas of violent conflict: experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, is a fatal neglected tropical disease if left untreated. HAT primarily affects people living in rural sub-Saharan Africa, often in regions afflicted by violent conflict. Screening and treatment of HAT is complex and resource-intensive, and especially difficult in insecure, resource-constrained settings. The country with the highest endemicity of HAT is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has a number of foci of high disease prevalence. We present here the challenges of carrying out HAT control programmes in general and in a conflict-affected region of DRC. We discuss the difficulties of measuring disease burden, medical care complexities, waning international support, and research and development barriers for HAT

Sharing More than Friendship — Nasal Colonization with Coagulase-Positive Staphylococci (CPS) and Co-Habitation Aspects of Dogs and Their Owners

BACKGROUND: Since the relationship between dogs and their owners has changed, and dogs moved from being working dogs to family members in post-industrial countries, we hypothesized that zoonotic transmission of opportunistic pathogens like coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) is likely between dogs and their owners. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CPS- nasal carriage, different aspects of human-to-dog relationship as well as potential interspecies transmission risk factors were investigated by offering nasal swabs and a questionnaire to dog owners (108) and their dogs (108) at a dog show in 2009. S. aureus was found in swabs of 20 (18.5%) humans and two dogs (1.8%), and spa types which correspond to well known human S. aureus lineages dominated (e.g. CC45, CC30 and CC22). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the two canine strains revealed ST72 and ST2065 (single locus variant of ST34). Fifteen dogs (13.9%) and six owners (5.6%) harboured S. pseudintermedius, including one mecA-positive human isolate (MRSP). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that one dog/owner pair harboured indistinguishable S. pseudintermedius- isolates of ST33. Ten (48%) of the 21 S. pseudintermedius-isolates showed resistance towards more than one antimicrobial class. 88.9% of the dog owners reported to allow at least one dog into the house, 68.5% allow the dog(s) to rest on the sofa, 39.8% allow their dogs to come onto the bed, 93.5% let them lick their hands and 52.8% let them lick their face. Bivariate analysis of putative risk factors revealed that dog owners who keep more than two dogs have a significantly higher chance of being colonized with S. pseudintermedius than those who keep 1-2 dogs (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: In conclusion, CPS transmission between dog owners and their dogs is possible. Further investigation regarding interspecies transmission and the diverse adaptive pathways influencing the epidemiology of CPS (including MRSA and MRSP) in different hosts is needed

Le renne dans les monts Sayank

Mahoudead P.-G. Le renne dans les monts Sayank. In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, VI° Série. Tome 7 fascicule 3-4, 1916. pp. 172-174

Procédé pour coller les coupes histologiques préparées à la paraffine

Mahoudeau P.-G. Procédé pour coller les coupes histologiques préparées à la paraffine. In: Bulletins de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, III° Série. Tome 11, 1888. pp. 591-594

Sur un crâne précolombien de la province du Chiriqui (États-Unis de Colombie).

Mahoudeau P.-G. Sur un crâne précolombien de la province du Chiriqui (États-Unis de Colombie).. In: Bulletins de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, IV° Série. Tome 1, 1890. pp. 601-602

Coupes de circonvolutions cérébrales

Mahoudeau P.-G. Coupes de circonvolutions cérébrales. In: Bulletins de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, III° Série. Tome 10, 1887. pp. 771-774

Sur les groupements des grandes cellules pyramidales dans la région motrice des membres

Mahoudeau P.-G. Sur les groupements des grandes cellules pyramidales dans la région motrice des membres. In: Bulletins de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, III° Série. Tome 11, 1888. pp. 380-386