Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infection among symptomatic and asymptomatic populations in rural and urban areas of southern Algeria

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are amongst the most common infections worldwide and have been identified as one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality among disadvantaged populations. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections and to identify the significant risk factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections in Laghouat province, Southern Algeria. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 623 symptomatic and 1654 asymptomatic subjects. Structured questionnaires were used to identify environmental, socio demographic and behavioral factors. Stool specimens were collected and examined using direct wet mount, formalin-ether concentration, xenic in vitro culture and staining methods. Results: A highly significant difference of prevalence was found between symptomatic (82.3%) and asymptomatic subjects (14.9%), with the majority attributable to protozoan infection. The most common species in the symptomatic subjects were Blastocystis spp. (43.8%), E. histolytica/dispar (25.4%) and Giardia intestinalis (14.6%) and more rarely Enterobius vermicularis (02.1%), Teania spp. (0.6%) and Trichuris trichiura (0.2%), while in asymptomatic population Blastocystis spp. (8%), Entamoeba coli (3.3%) and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (2.5%) were the most common parasites detected with no case of helminth infection. Multivariate log-linear analysis showed that contact with animals was the main risk factor for transmission of these protozoa in both populations. Furthermore, living in rural areas was significantly associated with combined protozoan infection in the asymptomatic population, whereas, in the symptomatic population an increasing trend of protozoan infection was detected in the hot season. In addition, Blastocystis spp. and G. intestinalis infection were found to be associated with host sex and contact with animals across the study period. Conclusions: Based on these results, several strategies are recommended in order to effectively reduce these infections including good animal husbandry practices, health education focused on good personal hygiene practices and adequate sanitation

First Isolation of Punique Virus from Sand Flies Collected in Northern Algeria

In the last decade, several phleboviruses transmitted by sand flies were detected in the Mediterranean countries, with the health impact of some of them being unknown. From September to October 2020, a total of 3351 sand flies were captured in Kherrata (Bejaia, northern Algeria) and identified by sex, grouped in 62 pools, which were tested for the presence of phlebovirus RNA using endpoint RT-PCR. Two pools (male and female, respectively) were positive. The genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the two phleboviruses detected were closely related to the Punique virus (PUNV) isolated in Tunisia and detected in Algeria. Both PUNV strains were isolated on VERO cells from positive pools. Morphological identification of 300 sand flies randomly selected, showed a clear dominance of Phlebotomus perniciosus (98.67%). The dominance of this species in the study area was confirmed by PCR targeting the mitochondrial DNA. Our result represents the first isolation of PUNV and the second report in Algeria from two distinct regions which confirm its large circulation in the country and more broadly in North Africa. Further studies are needed to measure the impact on public health through seroprevalence studies in humans as well as animals and to investigate its potential involvement in neurological viral diseases.This work was financed by a scholarship from the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (scholarship N° 210) of the national exceptional program 2019/2020 for 7 months in the laboratory (National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain).S

Free fatty acid profiles and cholesterol and lipid indexes of raw ewe's milk from two Algerian breeds (Ouled-Djellal and Rumbi), collected in the steppe area

Description of the subject. This article aims to characterize the fat content of raw ewe's milk, collected locally in the Algerian central steppe, an area highly appreciated for its production of smen (traditional butter). Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate the free fatty acid profile and the cholesterol and lipid indexes of raw ewe's milk from two Algerian local breeds (Ouled-Djellal and Rumbi). Method. Milk was collected from 20 ewes of each breed three times during the middle stage of lactation. The milk fat was extracted using the Rose-Gottlieb method. Fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography. Results. Palmitic (24.4% +/- 3.3), oleic (24.2% +/- 4.6), stearic (10.8% +/- 3.5), myristic (10.4% +/- 1.9) and capric (8.3% +/- 3.5) acids dominated and accounted for 78.1% of the total fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids predominated compared to unsaturated fatty acids (69.6% +/- 5.3 vs 30.8% +/- 5.1), and monounsaturated fatty acids outweighed the polyunsaturated (26.3% +/- 4.7 vs 4.5% +/- 1.1). The Ouled-Djellal milk had a higher short-chain fatty acid content than the Rumbi milk (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the Rumbi milk was richer in medium chain fatty acids. The two types of milk differed significantly regarding their palmitic and palmitoleic acid content (p < 0.05). Within the long chain of fatty acids, only the stearic acid (10.88% +/- 2.83 vs 12.34% +/- 2.75; p < 0.01) and the arachidic acid (0.26% +/- 0.18 vs 0.35% +/- 0.09; p < 0.05) were influenced by the breed. Conclusions. Results showed that milk from the Rumbi ewe was richer in fatty acids than the milk from the Ouled-Djellal and that Rumbi ewe's milk may be of value in dairy technology due to the socio-economic impact that it can generate

First Epidemiological Report on the Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Cryptosporidium spp. in Farmed Marine and Wild Freshwater Fish in Central and Eastern of Algeria

Purpose The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in six different fish species both from marine and freshwater environments. Methods During a period of 2 years (2018–2020), a total of 415 fecal samples and 565 intestinal scrapings were collected in seven provinces from the central and eastern Algeria. From those, 860 fish belonged to six different species, two of which are cultured marine and four are wild freshwater fish. All samples were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. presence using molecular techniques. Nested PCR approach was performed to amplify partial sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) genes for Cryptosporidium genotyping and subtyping. Detailed statistical analysis was performed to assess the prevalence variation of Cryptosporidium infection according to different risk factors. Results Nested PCR analysis of SSU gene revealed 173 Cryptosporidium positive fish, giving an overall prevalence of 20.11% (17.5–23.0). Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in 8.93% (42/470) of cultured marine fish and 33.58% (131/390) of wild freshwater fish. Overall, the prevalence was affected by all studied risk factors, except the gender. Molecular characterization and subtyping of Cryptosporidium isolates showed occurrence of IIaA16G2R1 and IIaA17G2R1 subtypes of C. parvum in the fish species Sparus aurata. Conclusion The present study provides the first epidemiological data on the prevalence and associated risk factors of Cryptosporidium spp. in farmed marine and wild freshwater fish and the first molecular data on the occurrence of zoonotic C. parvum in fish from North Africa (Algeria)

Zoonotic Cryptosporidium species and subtypes in lambs and goat kids in Algeria

Abstract Background Little is known on the occurrence and identity of Cryptosporidium species in sheep and goats in Algeria. This study aimed at investigating the occurrence of Cryptosporidium species in lambs and goat kids younger than 4 weeks. Methods A total of 154 fecal samples (62 from lambs and 92 from kid goats) were collected from 13 sheep flocks in Médea, Algeria and 18 goat flocks across Algiers and Boumerdes. They were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. by nested-PCR analysis of a fragment of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analyses to determine the Cryptosporidium species present. Cryptosporidium parvum and C. ubiquitum were further subtyped by sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein gene. Results Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 17 fecal samples (11.0%): 9 from lambs (14.5%) and 8 from goat kids (8.7%). The species identified included C. parvum in 3 lambs, C. xiaoi in 6 lambs and 6 goat kids, and C. ubiquitum in 2 goat kids. Cryptosporidium infections were detected mostly in animals during the first two weeks of life (7/8 for goat kids and 7/9 for lambs) and in association with diarrhea occurrence (7/17 or 41.2% goat kids and 7/10 or 70.0% lambs with diarrhea were positive for Cryptosporidium spp.). Subtyping of C. parvum and C. ubiquitum isolates identified the zoonotic IIaA13G2R1 and XIIa subtype families, respectively. Minor differences in the SSU rRNA gene sequences were observed between C. xiaoi from sheep and goats. Conclusions Results of this study indicate that three Cryptosporidium species occur in lambs and goat kids in Algeria, including zoonotic C. parvum and C. ubiquitum. They are associated with the occurrence of neonatal diarrhea

Occurrence and molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis in lambs in Djelfa, the central steppe of Algeria

International audienceLittle is known of the prevalence and genetic identity of Giardia duodenalis in sheep in Algeria. The present study aimed at characterizing G. duodenalis in lambs up to 6 months of age in Djelfa, Algeria. A total of 346 fecal specimens were collected from 28 farms and screened for G. duodenalis cysts by zinc sulfate flotation microscopy, and positive specimens were confirmed using a direct immunofluorescence assay. Microscopy-positive specimens were analyzed by PCR and sequence analysis of the triosephosphate isomerase and glutamate dehydrogenase genes to determine G. duodenalis assemblages. Coprological examination indicated that the overall infection rate was 7.0% (24/346). Lambs under 3 months of age had higher infection rate (18/197, 9.0%) than older (6/149, 4.0%) animals, and animals with diarrhea (7/44, 16.0%) had higher infection rate than animals without diarrhea (17/302, 5.6%). PCR sequence analyses of the 15 G. duodenalis isolates revealed the presence of assemblages A in 6 isolates, assemblage E in 7 isolates, and both in 2 isolates. Assemblage A was only found in pre-weaned lambs with diarrhea, while assemblage E was mostly found in post-weaned lambs without diarrhea. The assemblage E isolates from sheep were genetically related to those from cattle in Algeria, while assemblage A isolates were from a well-known subtype prevalent in humans. Data generated from the study improve our understanding of the transmission of G. duodenalis in Algeria