Propagation du Lyssavirus chez les petits mammifères (Muridae et Soricidae) dans la Préfecture de Kindia, République de Guinée (Basse Guinée)

L’étude porte sur la propagation du Lyssavirus chez les petits mammifères dans la Préfecture de Kindia (Basse Guinée) a été réalisée entre avril 2015 et mars 2016 dans les différents biotopes (Maisons habitées, Forêts-Buissons, Champs agricoles, Entrepôts et Berges) et qui a pour objectif: Contribuée à l’amélioration de l’état de santé de la population. Pendant cette période d’étude, 412 rongeurs repartis en 12 espèces ont été capturées à savoir le rat d’herbe-Arvicanthis rufinus, les rats-Cricetomys gambianus, les rats-Crocidurinae spp., les souris rayées-Lemniscomys striatus, Lophuromys ansorgei, Lophuromys sikapusi, le rat à mamelles multiples-Mastomys spp., souris de maison-Mus musculus, Pelomys fallax, le rat de forêt-Praomys rostratus, le rat noir-Rattus rattus et le Malacomys edyardsi spp. Les plus répandus sont les Mastomys, Rattus rattus, Mus musculus et Cricetomys gambianus. En saison sèche, le nombre de rongeurs capturés dans la préfecture de Kindia a atteint 292 (71%) contre 120 (29%) rongeurs en saison pluvieuse. Pour des fins de recherches virologiques, le cerveau de 221 rongeurs a été prélevé et analysé parmi eux, 18 (8%) ont été trouvé porteurs de l’ARN de Lyssavirus. English title: Spread of Lyssavirus among small mammals (Muridae and Soricidae) in Kindia prefecture, Republic of Guinea (Lower Guinea) The study focuses on the spread of Lyssavirus among small mammals in the Prefecture of Kindia (Lower Guinea) was carried out between April 2015 and March 2016 in the different biotopes (inhabited houses, Forests-Bushes, Agricultural fields, Warehouses and Banks) and which has for objective: Contributed to the improvement of the state of health of the population. During this period, 412 rodents were caught in 12 species including the grass rat-Arvicanthis rufinus, the Cricetomys gambianus-rats, the Crocidurinae spp rats, striped mice Lemniscomys striatus, Lophuromys ansorgei, Lophuromys sikapusi, the multiple-teat rat-Mastomys spp., house mouse-Mus musculus, Pelomys fallax, forest rat-Praomys rostratus, black rat-Rattus rattus, and Malacomys edwardsi spp. The most common are: Mastomys spp., Rattus rattus, Mus musculus and Cricetomys gambianus. In the dry season, the number of rodents caught in the prefecture of Kindia reached 292 (71%) against 120 (29%) rodents caught during the rainy season. For virological research purposes, the brain of 221 rodents was collected and analyzed among them 18 rodents (8%) were found to carry Lyssavirus RNA

Effets du compost enrichi de l’urine humaine sur le rendement de la pomme de terre (MANDOLA) dans la Commune Urbaine de Faranah/République de Guinée

Le faible niveau d’apport des engrais minéraux par les producteurs dus son prix exorbitant est l’un des facteurs limitant la production de la pomme de terre. Le compost enrichi de l’urine constitue une alternative pour augmenter le rendement des cultures à faible coût. L’objectif principal de ce travail était d’évaluer l’effet des doses du compost enrichi de l’urine humaine sur le rendement de la pomme de terre (MANDOLA). Les doses du compost enrichi par l’urine humaine utilisées sont : D0=0t/ha (Témoin) ; D1=15t /ha (240g /poquet) ; D2=30t /ha (480g/poquet) ; D3= 45t /ha (720g/poquet). Les résultats de l’observation phénologique ont montré que les différentes doses appliquées ont eu un effet en réduisant le cycle végétatif de la culture D1 (72 jours), D2 et D3 (70 jours) contre D0 (74 jours). Au vu des résultats d’analyse de variance, le rendement total en tubercules la dose D3 (13,07 t /ha) a été meilleure, suivie de D2 (12,76 t/ha) et D1 (11,98 t/ha) ; le plus faible rendement a été obtenu au niveau du témoin D0 (10,16t/ha). Cela dénote que l’apport du compost enrichi de l’urine humaine contribue à l’augmentation du rendement de la pomme terre

Mycobacterium ulcerans

Objective. The usual preferential site of BU is in the limbs. In our experience, we noticed atypical and often misleading sites which pose serious issues for the diagnosis and often for the treatment. Methods. This is a retrospective study conducted over a period of ten years of BU treatment at the Department of Dermatology of the University Teaching Hospital of Treichville (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire). We included in this study all BU cases with atypical site diagnosed clinically and confirmed either by the histology, by smear, or by PCR. Results. Epidemiologically, the age of patients ranged from 3 to 72 years with a median age of 14.2 years. Children aged less than 15 years were affected in almost 80% of case. The clinical table was dominated by ulcerated forms in 82.1% of cases. The unusual topography mostly observed was that of the torso (thorax, back, and abdomen) in 76.8% of cases. Conclusion. BU is an endemic disease in Côte d’Ivoire where it constitutes a serious public health issue. Several years following its first cases, BU still is little known. This dermatosis may present atypical misleading clinical aspects which must be ignored

Effects of Ebola epidemic on obstetrical emergencies and outcomes in the region of Kindia, Guinea

Background: Maternal mortality is still high in Guinea despite a decline from 724 to 550 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2012 and 2018. The proportion of births attended by skilled personnel is estimated at 45%. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic on the frequency of absolute maternal indications, as well as the outcomes of these interventions for mother and child in the region of Kindia.Methods: This was a longitudinal study using 20 months of retrospective data collected in the pre-Ebola (March to December 2012 and March to December 2013) and intra-Ebola (March to December 2014 and March to December 2015) periods. The proportions of maternal health indicators in both study periods were compared using a significance level of 0.05.Results: A total of 1747 women were included in this study. The proportion of women who received a major obstetric procedure in Kindia regional hospital was 85% in each pre and post Ebola periods. Ebola, however, contributed to a significant increase in maternal deaths.Conclusions: The Ebola epidemic has contributed to a significant increase in maternal deaths in health facilities. Measures encouraging health workers to manage obstetric emergencies during critical periods would be necessary

Resurgence of Ebola virus in 2021 in Guinea suggests a new paradigm for outbreaks

These authors contributed equally: Alpha K. Keita, Fara R. Koundouno, Martin Faye, Ariane Düx, Julia Hinzmann.International audienc

Epidemiological, Clinical, and Paraclinic Aspect of Cutaneous Sarcoidosis in Black Africans

The specific objectives were to identify the epidemiology of cutaneous sarcoidosis and describe the clinical and laboratory aspects of the disease. Materials and Methods. We performed a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 24 referred cases of cutaneous sarcoidosis in 25 years (1990–2014) collected at Venereology Dermatology Department of the University Hospital of Treichville (Abidjan) both in consultation and in hospitalization. Results. The hospital frequency was one case per year. The average age was 42 years, ranging from 9 to 64. The sex ratio was 1. The shortest time interval between the appearance of the skin lesion and consultation of Dermatology Department at CHU Treichville was 3 months. The elementary lesions were represented primarily by a papule (18 cases), placard (3 cases), and nodule (2 cases) and mainly sat on the face and neck in 8 cases (38%). Extra cutaneous lesions were dominated by ganglion and respiratory involvement with 5 cases each followed by musculoskeletal damage in 3 cases. Chest radiography showed abnormality in 13 cases (54%). The pulmonary function test performed in 13 patients found 7 cases (54%) having restrictive ventilatory syndrome and 6 cases (46%) being normal. A tuberculin anergy was found in 11 cases (61%)

Case Report: COVID-19 and Lassa Fever Coinfection in an Ebola Suspected Patient in Guinea

ABSTRACT. In this case report, we describe a clinical presentation and therapeutic history of a unique case diagnosed with Lassa fever and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a 23-year-old man from Yomou prefecture in southeast Guinea identified with suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the midst of an ongoing outbreak of that disease in the same region. On May 3, 2021, he was admitted to the Nzérékoré Epidemic disease treatment center where his clinical condition deteriorated significantly. Laboratory testing performed on the same day reveals a negative EVD polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three days later, the patient was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and Lassa fever by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assays. Laboratory examination also indicated severe hematological and biochemical deteriorations in the patient. This case substantiates the need for systematic differential diagnosis during epidemic-prone disease outbreaks to better manage severely unwell patients.</jats:p

Standardization of Clinical Assessment and Sample Collection Across All PERCH Study Sites.

BACKGROUND.: Variable adherence to standardized case definitions, clinical procedures, specimen collection techniques, and laboratory methods has complicated the interpretation of previous multicenter pneumonia etiology studies. To circumvent these problems, a program of clinical standardization was embedded in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) study. METHODS.: Between March 2011 and August 2013, standardized training on the PERCH case definition, clinical procedures, and collection of laboratory specimens was delivered to 331 clinical staff at 9 study sites in 7 countries (The Gambia, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Zambia, Thailand, and Bangladesh), through 32 on-site courses and a training website. Staff competency was assessed throughout 24 months of enrollment with multiple-choice question (MCQ) examinations, a video quiz, and checklist evaluations of practical skills. RESULTS.: MCQ evaluation was confined to 158 clinical staff members who enrolled PERCH cases and controls, with scores obtained for >86% of eligible staff at each time-point. Median scores after baseline training were ≥80%, and improved by 10 percentage points with refresher training, with no significant intersite differences. Percentage agreement with the clinical trainer on the presence or absence of clinical signs on video clips was high (≥89%), with interobserver concordance being substantial to high (AC1 statistic, 0.62-0.82) for 5 of 6 signs assessed. Staff attained median scores of >90% in checklist evaluations of practical skills. CONCLUSIONS.: Satisfactory clinical standardization was achieved within and across all PERCH sites, providing reassurance that any etiological or clinical differences observed across the study sites are true differences, and not attributable to differences in application of the clinical case definition, interpretation of clinical signs, or in techniques used for clinical measurements or specimen collection

Causes of severe pneumonia requiring hospital admission in children without HIV infection from Africa and Asia: the PERCH multi-country case-control study

Background Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children younger than 5 years. In this study, we estimated causes of pneumonia in young African and Asian children, using novel analytical methods applied to clinical and microbiological findings. Methods We did a multi-site, international case-control study in nine study sites in seven countries: Bangladesh, The Gambia, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Thailand, and Zambia. All sites enrolled in the study for 24 months. Cases were children aged 1–59 months admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia. Controls were age-group-matched children randomly selected from communities surrounding study sites. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal (NP-OP), urine, blood, induced sputum, lung aspirate, pleural fluid, and gastric aspirates were tested with cultures, multiplex PCR, or both. Primary analyses were restricted to cases without HIV infection and with abnormal chest x-rays and to controls without HIV infection. We applied a Bayesian, partial latent class analysis to estimate probabilities of aetiological agents at the individual and population level, incorporating case and control data. Findings Between Aug 15, 2011, and Jan 30, 2014, we enrolled 4232 cases and 5119 community controls. The primary analysis group was comprised of 1769 (41·8% of 4232) cases without HIV infection and with positive chest x-rays and 5102 (99·7% of 5119) community controls without HIV infection. Wheezing was present in 555 (31·7%) of 1752 cases (range by site 10·6–97·3%). 30-day case-fatality ratio was 6·4% (114 of 1769 cases). Blood cultures were positive in 56 (3·2%) of 1749 cases, and Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common bacteria isolated (19 [33·9%] of 56). Almost all cases (98·9%) and controls (98·0%) had at least one pathogen detected by PCR in the NP-OP specimen. The detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus, influenza virus, S pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), H influenzae non-type b, and Pneumocystis jirovecii in NP-OP specimens was associated with case status. The aetiology analysis estimated that viruses accounted for 61·4% (95% credible interval [CrI] 57·3–65·6) of causes, whereas bacteria accounted for 27·3% (23·3–31·6) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis for 5·9% (3·9–8·3). Viruses were less common (54·5%, 95% CrI 47·4–61·5 vs 68·0%, 62·7–72·7) and bacteria more common (33·7%, 27·2–40·8 vs 22·8%, 18·3–27·6) in very severe pneumonia cases than in severe cases. RSV had the greatest aetiological fraction (31·1%, 95% CrI 28·4–34·2) of all pathogens. Human rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus A or B, human parainfluenza virus, S pneumoniae, M tuberculosis, and H influenzae each accounted for 5% or more of the aetiological distribution. We observed differences in aetiological fraction by age for Bordetella pertussis, parainfluenza types 1 and 3, parechovirus–enterovirus, P jirovecii, RSV, rhinovirus, Staphylococcus aureus, and S pneumoniae, and differences by severity for RSV, S aureus, S pneumoniae, and parainfluenza type 3. The leading ten pathogens of each site accounted for 79% or more of the site's aetiological fraction. Interpretation In our study, a small set of pathogens accounted for most cases of pneumonia requiring hospital admission. Preventing and treating a subset of pathogens could substantially affect childhood pneumonia outcomes

Association of C-reactive protein with bacterial and respiratory syncytial virus-associated pneumonia among children aged <5 years in the PERCH study

Background. Lack of a gold standard for identifying bacterial and viral etiologies of pneumonia has limited evaluation of C-reactive protein (CRP) for identifying bacterial pneumonia. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of CRP for identifying bacterial vs respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) multicenter case-control study. Methods. We measured serum CRP levels in cases with World Health Organization-defined severe or very severe pneumonia and a subset of community controls. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of elevated CRP for "confirmed" bacterial pneumonia (positive blood culture or positive lung aspirate or pleural fluid culture or polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) compared to "RSV pneumonia" (nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal or induced sputum PCR-positive without confirmed/suspected bacterial pneumonia). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the performance of elevated CRP in distinguishing these cases. Results. Among 601 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative tested controls, 3% had CRP ≥40 mg/L. Among 119 HIVnegative cases with confirmed bacterial pneumonia, 77% had CRP ≥40 mg/L compared with 17% of 556 RSV pneumonia cases. The ROC analysis produced an area under the curve of 0.87, indicating very good discrimination; a cut-point of 37.1 mg/L best discriminated confirmed bacterial pneumonia (sensitivity 77%) from RSV pneumonia (specificity 82%). CRP ≥100 mg/L substantially improved specificity over CRP ≥40 mg/L, though at a loss to sensitivity. Conclusions. Elevated CRP was positively associated with confirmed bacterial pneumonia and negatively associated with RSV pneumonia in PERCH. CRP may be useful for distinguishing bacterial from RSV-associated pneumonia, although its role in discriminating against other respiratory viral-associated pneumonia needs further study