Distribution, incidence and severity of viral diseases of yam (Dioscorea spp.) in Côte d’Ivoire

A survey was conducted in major yam cultivation zones in Côte d’Ivoire in 2009 to determine the incidence, severity of viral diseases, and viruses associated with the infected plants. Incidence and severity of the viral diseases were estimated based on symptoms. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques were used for the detection of Yam mosaic virus (YMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Dioscorea mottle virus (DMoV) and yam badnaviruses in the sampled yam leaves. Disease incidence varied from 0 to 90% and symptom severity from 1 to 5. There were significant difference in incidence and severity between different agro-ecological zones (P < 0.001). About 36% of the samples tested positive to YMV, ca. 1.5% tested positive to CMV, ca. 39.1% samples tested positive to yam infecting badnaviruses, and none of the samples tested positive to DMoV. This study demonstrated high incidence of virus diseases in all the yam production regions and warrants implementation of virus disease control measures.Keywords: Yam, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), viruses, Côte d’IvoireAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(3), pp. 465-470, 15 January, 201

Myasthenia Gravis Appearing After Thymectomy: a Case Report and Review of the Literature

A small proportion of thymoma patients without myasthenia gravis (MG) have been observed to develop MG after total removal of the thymoma. However, the underlying cause is not yet known due to the rarity of postoperative MG patients. We report a 39-year-old man in whom MG appeared after surgical removal of a thymoma. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed no signs of recurrent or metastatic thymoma. Administration of pyridostigmine bromide resulted in the prompt improvement of myasthenic symptoms. Our observations indicate that postoperative follow-up care with monitoring of possible postoperative MG is necessary after resecting a thymoma