The First Isoenzymatic Characterizations of the Leishmania Strains Responsible for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Area of Annaba (Eastern Algeria)

International audienceThe epidemiological situation of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the region of Annaba (North Eastern Algeria) is explored for the first time. During a clinical survey carried out in the Annaba Hospital between 2004 and 2008, the parasitological study of lesions has revealed 259 positive cases (43.31%). Isoenzymatic identification of 16 strains isolated showed the presence of three Leishmania species and four zymodemes. The hypothesis of the presence of L. infantum is confirmed with two zymodemes, MON-1 and MON-24. The unexpected presence of L. major MON-25 certifies the substantial extension of this zoonotic form to the North. The isolation of L.killicki, whose presence was unsuspected, reiterated the interest of eco-epidemiological analysis of households affected by the disease. Moreover, it is a new zymodeme never isolated so far, the MON-306

Prescribing habits of Moroccan psychiatrists toward patients with schizophrenia: about 72 practitioners

Abstract Background The therapeutic decision toward patients with schizophrenia is very different from one psychiatrist to another when faced with potentially similar clinical symptoms. It depends on many factors that are related to the patient’s and the doctor’s profiles, and the drug’s characteristics. To date, no study has been conducted in Morocco on the prescribing habits of psychiatrists toward patients with schizophrenia. The objectives of our survey are to identify the molecules most prescribed by psychiatrists in Morocco for patients with schizophrenia and to determine the most common therapeutic strategies. Results Our survey recruited 72 Moroccan psychiatrists. The median age was 36.5 years. 72.2% were women, and 37.5% had between 5 and 10 years of practice. More than two-thirds were practicing in the public sector in big cities. Olanzapine was an antipsychotic prescribed as first-line treatment for a patient with schizophrenia. For the majority, the most frequent combination was atypical antipsychotics with conventional neuroleptics. On the one hand, most psychiatrists reported prescribing neuroleptics long-acting injectable (neuroleptic LAIs). In the other hand, almost half of the participants had never prescribed second-generation antipsychotic long-acting injectables (SGA-LAIs). The high cost (77.8%), lack of availability of the product in certain sectors (33.3%), lack of therapeutic choice (26.4%), and lack of patient profile that could use the drug (23.6%), were among the strong reasons given for not prescribing SGA-LAIs. Conclusions The treatment decision for patients with schizophrenia differs from one clinician to the other. It depends on various factors that may be related to the psychiatrist, the patient, and to the drug

Activité antioxydante et anti-candidosique de l’huile essentielle de Laurus nobilis L. provenant de la région d’El Kala (Nord–Est Algérien)

L’huile essentielle extraite de Laurus nobilis L. par hydrodistillation a fourni un rendement de 0,7%. L’analyse de l’huile essentielle par CG/SM a permis l’identification de 17 composants, principalement des monoterpènes. 1,8 cinéole (36,31%), β-linalol (22.52%), eugenol-methylether (9.17%) et camphene (7.37%) ont constitué les composés majoritaires avec un total de 96,95%. L’activité antioxydante in vitro a été évaluée à travers trois méthodes: le test de piégeage du radical libre DPPH avec un IC50 de 1,55 ± 0,14 mg/ml ; le test de blanchiment de β-carotène qui a permis d’enregistrer un pourcentage d’inhibition de la peroxydation lipidique de 41,97% et finalement l’évaluation du pouvoir réducteur qui s’est avéré faible par rapport à celui de l’acide ascorbique. L’activité anticantidosique a été testée sur 4 souches de Candida albicans en utilisant la méthode de dilution en milieu gélosé. Les quatre souches ont montré une sensibilité avec une CMI de 0,68 mg/ml pour les souches d’origine urinaire et vaginale et 1.08 mg/ml pour les Candida d’origine bucco-nasale. L’huile essentielle de Laurus nobilis originaire de la région d’El Kala a manifesté des propriétés antioxidantes modérées et des propriétés anticandidosiques

Molecular Characterization of Leishmania Parasites in Giemsa-Stained Slides from Cases of Human Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis, Eastern Algeria

International audienceBACKGROUND:In Algeria, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is due to Leishmania (L.) infantum, while three cutaneous forms (CL) are caused by Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica and Leishmania infantum. In this study, the use of Giemsa-stained slides was evaluated with two PCR techniques, in Eastern Algeria.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 136 samples corresponding to 100 CL smears (skin scrapings) and 36 VL slides (bone marrow aspirates) collected from 2008 to 2014 were tested. Upon DNA extraction, two PCRs were used to amplify the ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) and mini-exon genes. Amplified products were digested (PCR-RFLP) and profiles analyzed for Leishmania species identification. A statistical analysis was also performed.RESULTS:ITS1-PCR was found significantly more sensitive than mini-exon-PCR (77.95% positives vs. 67.65%; p = 0.001). Comparison of PCR positivity showed statistically significant differences between old and recently prepared slides suggesting a better use of recent slides in PCR analyses. For species identification, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) results of ITS1 and mini-exon were concordant. L. infantum was identified from VL cases and L. infantum, L. major, and L. tropica from CL ones. According to geographical origin, L. infantum was found in North-Eastern provinces, while L. major was distributed from the North to the Center-East of Algeria. Interestingly, two L. tropica samples were identified in Annaba, located far North-East Algeria.CONCLUSION:Distribution of leishmaniasis in Eastern parts of Algeria, besides finding of L. tropica in the far North, is in this study described for the first time using molecular tools, thus confirming the usefulness of slides for PCR identification of Leishmania parasites in retrospective epidemiological investigations