Régime alimentaire du mulet jaune (Mugil cephalus, Linneaus, 1758, Mugilidea) dans l’estuaire du fleuve Sénégal

Objectif : L’objectif de cette étude consiste à déterminer le régime alimentaire du mulet jaune, Mugil cephalus (Linneaus, 1758, Mugilidae) dans l’estuaire du fleuve Sénégal. Méthodologie et résultat : L’analyse des contenus stomacaux a permis de déterminer le régime alimentaire des mulets jaunes selon les classes d’âge et les saisons. Sur les 1478 estomacs examinés, 132 étaient vides, ce qui donne un taux de vacuité de 8,93%.L’analyse des ressources disponibles indique que le phytoplancton notamment les cyanobactéries, les diatomées et les chlorophycées sont présentes en abondance durant toute l’année dans l’estuaire du fleuve Sénégal. Le zooplancton est plus abondant dans la partie avale de l’estuaire du fleuve.Conclusion et application : L’analyse des contenus stomacaux montre que les mulets jaunes se nourrissent principalement de diatomées pennées, de cyanobactéries et de diatomées centriques avec des occurrences respectives de 26,48%, 24,27%, 8% et 7,71%.Mots clés : régime alimentaire, Mugil cephalus, phytoplancton, zooplancton, estuaire, fleuve Sénéga

Effet de deux types d’insecticides sur la mycorhization arbusculaire et le développement de deux variétés de pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum)

Cette étude a été menée en serre pour évaluer l’effet de deux types d’insecticides sur la mycorhization et le développement de deux variétés de pomme de terre (Aïda et Atlas). Les insecticides carbofuran et chlorpyriphos-éthyl, respectivement systémiques et contacts, ont été appliqués au sol à différentes stades d’inoculation du champignon Glomus mosseae. Le pourcentage de mycorhization, la biomasse aérienne, lenombre et le calibre des minitubercules ont été évalués après 60 jours de culture. L’application du carbofuran ou du chlorpyriphos-éthyl 21 jours avant ou après l’inoculation du champignon induit une diminution significative du pourcentage de colonisation mycorhizienne chez toutes les deux variétés. Cependant, cette baisse est plus importante avec les  traitements de l’insecticide de contact après inoculation et de l’insecticidesystémique effectué avant inoculation. Cette tendance s’est répercutée sur la biomasse aérienne et le nombre des minitubercules. Le calibre des minitubercules présente une variabilité de réponse selon la variété de pomme de terre et le type d’insecticide. Ce travail a permis de déterminer le moment compatible de l’inoculation de Glomus mosseae avec  l’application des insecticides au sol chez les variétés Aïda et Atlas de la pomme de terre.© 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés: Glomus mosseae, carbofuran, chlorpyriphos-éthyl, Aïda, Atlas

Responses of potatoes plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and litter in greenhouse

A pot experiment was set to examine the impact of the foliar litter (Hardwickia binata and Azadirachta indica) and an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus on the development of two varieties of potato plants (Aida, Atlas). Three litter doses (0, 25 and 50 g) were applied to the pots after bedding plantlets. The plants were inoculated with AM, Glomus aggregatum. Mycorrhizal colonization, shoot dry weight, size and number of minitubers were evaluated after 12 weeks on the potato growth. Results show that shoot dry weight of plants was improved by litter of the H. binata at 25 and 50 g. Thus, A. indica litter increased size of plants Aida at 50 g and the minitubers numbers Atlas at 25 g. On the other hand, root colonization decreased with increase in the dose of litter with both varieties of potato.Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, potato, litter, micropropagation

Acute febrile illness and influenza disease burden in a rural cohort dedicated to malaria in Senegal, 2012-2013

Background African populations are considered to be particularly vulnerable to fever illnesses, including malaria, and acute respiratory disease, owing to limited resources and overcrowding. However, the overall burden of influenza in this context is poorly defined and incidence data for African countries are scarce. We therefore studied the fever syndrome incidence and more specifically influenza incidence in a cohort of inhabitants of Dielmo and Ndiop in Sokone district, Senegal. Methods Daily febrile-illness data were prospectively obtained from January 2012 to December 2013 from the cohort of the villages of Dielmo and Ndiop, initially dedicated to the study of malaria. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from, and malaria diagnosis tests (thick blood smears) carried out on, every febrile individual during clinical visits; reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction was used to identify influenza viruses in the samples. Binomial negative regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the monthly incidence rate and various covariates. Results In Dielmo and Ndiop, the incidence ofmalaria has decreased, but fever syndromes remain frequent. Among the 1036 inhabitants included in the cohort, a total of 1,129 episodes of fever were reported. Influenza was present all year round with peaks in October-December 2012 and August 2013. The fever, ILI and influenza incidence density rates differed significantly between age groups. At both sites, the adjusted incidence relative risks for fever syndromes and ILI were significantly higher in the [6-24 months) than other age groups: 7.3 (95% CI: [5.7-9.3]) and 16.1 (95% CI: [11.1-23.3]) respectively. The adjusted incidence relative risk for influenza was significantly higher for the [0-6 months) than other age groups: 9.9 (95% CI: [2.9-33.6]). At both sites, incidence density rates were lowest among adults > = 50 years. Conclusions In this rural setting in Senegal, influenza was most frequent among the youngest children. Preventive strategies targeting this population should be implemented

Détermination du débit de filtration glomérulaire (DFG) au cours du diabète : Cockroft et Gault, MDRD ou CKD-EPI ?

Plusieurs paramètres peuvent être étudiés pour évaluer le rein. Parmi ceux-ci, le débit de filtration glomérulaire (DFG) a été déterminé avec les formules de Cockroft et Gault (CG), du Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) et du Chronic Kidney Disease EPIdemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) et la formule la mieux adaptée pour le diabétique a été recherchée. Chez 59 diabétiques de type 1 (DT1) et 70 diabétiques de type 2 (DT2), le DFG a été déterminé avec les formules de CG, du MDRD et du CKD-EPI. Avec l’analyse statistique, les seuils de significativité ont été fixés pour p<0,05 ; T0α>1,96 et Z0α>1,96. Le MDRD est superposable au CKD-EPI chez les DT1 et DT2. Chez les DT1, le DFG moyen et la corrélation entre 1/créatininémie et DFG ne varient pas si CG ou CKD-EPI ; cependant, les sujets à DFG réduit (< 90 ml/min/1,73 m²) sont plus nombreux avec CG plutôt qu’avec CKD-EPI (66,10% vs 47,46% ; T0α=2,05). Chez les DT2, le DFG moyen et la proportion de sujets à DFG réduit sont indépendants de la formule utilisée, mais la corrélation entre 1/créatininémie et DFG est plus forte si CKD-EPI que CG (0,961 vs 0,632 ; Z0α=7,02). Ainsi, la formule la mieux adaptée pour la détermination du DFG serait CG chez les DT1 et CKD-EPI chez les DT2, sachant que CKD-EPI est équivalent à MDRD quel que soit le type de diabète.Mots clés : Cockroft et Gault - MDRD - CKD-EPI – débit de filtration glomérulaire (DFG) – diabète

In vivo transcriptional profiling of Plasmodium falciparum

BACKGROUND: Both host and pathogen factors contribute to disease outcome in Plasmodium falciparum infection. The feasibility of studying the P. falciparum in vivo transcriptome to understand parasite transcriptional response while it resides in the human host is presented. METHODS: A custom made oligonucleotide array with probes based on the P. falciparum 3D7 laboratory strain chromosome 2 sequence was used to detect in vivo P. falciparum transcripts. This study analyzed transcripts from total RNA derived from small blood samples of P. falciparum infected patients and compared the in vivo expression profile to the in vitro cultivated 3D7 strain transcriptome. RESULTS: The data demonstrated that in vivo transcription can be studied from a small blood sample, despite the abundance of human RNA. The in vivo transcriptome is similar to the 3D7 ring stage transcriptome, but there are significant differences in genes encoding a sexual stage antigen and surface proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Whole genome transcription analysis of P. falciparum can be carried out successfully and further studies in selected patient cohorts may provide insight into parasite in vivo biology and defense against host immunity

Prevalence of Mutations in the \u3ci\u3ePfdhfr\u3c/i\u3e, \u3ci\u3ePfdhps\u3c/i\u3e, and \u3ci\u3ePfmdr1\u3c/i\u3e Genes of Malarial Parasites Isolated from Symptomatic Patients in Dogondoutchi, Niger

The effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) depends not only on that of artemisinin but also on that of partner molecules. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of mutations in the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes from isolates collected during a clinical study. Plasmodium genomic DNA samples extracted from symptomatic malaria patients from Dogondoutchi, Niger, were sequenced by the Sanger method to determine mutations in the Pfdhfr (codons 51, 59, 108, and 164), Pfdhps (codons 436, 437, 540, 581, and 613), and Pfmdr1 (codons 86, 184, 1034, and 1246) genes. One hundred fifty-five (155) pre-treatment samples were sequenced for the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes. A high prevalence of mutations in the Pfdhfr gene was observed at the level of the N51I (84.97%), C59R (92.62%), and S108N (97.39%) codons. The key K540E mutation in the Pfdhps gene was not observed. Only one isolate was found to harbor a mutation at codon I431V. The most common mutation on the Pfmdr1 gene was Y184F in 71.43% of the mutations found, followed by N86Y in 10.20%. The triple-mutant haplotype N51I/C59R/S108N (IRN) was detected in 97% of the samples. Single-mutant (ICS and NCN) and double-mutant (IRS, NRN, and ICN) haplotypes were prevalent at 97% and 95%, respectively. Double-mutant haplotypes of the Pfdhps (581 and 613) and Pfmdr (86 and 184) were found in 3% and 25.45% of the isolates studied, respectively. The study focused on the molecular analysis of the sequencing of the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes. Although a high prevalence of mutations in the Pfdhfr gene have been observed, there is a lack of sulfadoxine pyrimethamine resistance. There is a high prevalence of mutation in the Pfmdr184 codon associated with resistance to amodiaquine. These data will be used by Niger’s National Malaria Control Program to better monitor the resistance of Plasmodium to partner molecules in artemisinin-based combination therapies

Comparative genomics shows differences in the electron transport and carbon metabolic pathways of Mycobacterium africanum relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and suggests an adaptation to low oxygen tension

YesThe geographically restricted Mycobacterium africanum lineages (MAF) are primarily found in West Africa, where they account for a significant proportion of tuberculosis. Despite this phenomenon, little is known about the co-evolution of these ancient lineages with West Africans. MAF and M. tuberculosis sensu stricto lineages (MTB) differ in their clinical, in vitro and in vivo characteristics for reasons not fully understood. Therefore, we compared genomes of 289 MAF and 205 MTB clinical isolates from the 6 main human-adapted M. tuberculosis complex lineages, for mutations in their Electron Transport Chain and Central Carbon Metabolic pathway in order to explain these metabolic differences. Furthermore, we determined, in silico, whether each mutation could affect the function of genes encoding enzymes in these pathways. We found more mutations with the potential to affect enzymes in these pathways in MAF lineages compared to MTB lineages. We also found that similar mutations occurred in these pathways between MAF and some MTB lineages. Generally, our findings show further differences between MAF and MTB lineages that may have contributed to the MAF clinical and growth phenotype and indicate potential adaptation of MAF lineages to a distinct ecological niche, which we suggest includes areas characterized by low oxygen tension.European Research CouncilINTERRUPTB starting grant nr. 311725 (to BdJ, FG, CM, LR, BO, MA) and The UK Medical Research Council and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) Grant No. CB. 2007. 41700.007.Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, January 2020