Impact de la dynamique de peuplement sur la distribution des glossines et des trypanosomoses dans la boucle du Mouhoun (Burkina Faso)

In Burkina Faso, the Mouhoun river basin (formerly 'Black Volta") constitutes a historical focus of Human (HAT) and Animal (AAT) African Tryponosomoses, both transmitted by tsetse flies. Nowadays, HAT seems to have disappeared from this area, while AAT still causes severe economic losses. In order to explain these different epidemiological situations, we undertook a geographical study based on the analysis of aerial pictures between 1952 and 2007, and field surveys to collect medical, entomological, and veterinary data on trypanosomoses. Our results suggest that in this area, landscapes have been dramatically modified as a consequence of population growth, and in turn have had an impact on the number and distribution of tsetse flies. Combined with the historical medical action on HAT which probably led to the disappearance of T. b. gambiense, this environmental degradation and the development of hydrological structures provide explanations for the local disappearance of HAT, and for the maintenance of AAT. It appears necessary to extrapolate these studies to other areas in order to identify the factors explaining the presence/absence of trypanosomoses in the context of human population growth and climatic changes, in orde

Réseau d'EpidémioSurveillance de la Chimiorésistance aux trypanocides et aux acaricides en Afrique de l'Ouest (RESCAO)

Epidemiological Monitoring Network of Chemoresistance to Trypanocidal and Acaricides Drugs in West Africa (RESCAO). To better coordinate the efforts against trypanocidal and acaricides drugs resistance, the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) of Antwerp and the "Centre International de Recherche-Développement sur l'Elevage en zone Subhumide (CIRDES)" of Bobo Dioulasso, established in April 2009 an epidemiological surveillance network of chemoresistance to trypanocidal and acaricides drugs in Western Africa, named RESCAO. Its main objective is to contribute to the improvement of the livestock health and of the productivity of agriculture in tropical Africa, through both an efficient strategic control of trypanosomosis and tick born diseases, including a rational use of the available therapeutic drugs. RESCAO is headed by a regional steering committee based at CIRDES. This committee meets on a yearly basis to overview the on-going activities and to identify new strategies for action. Moreover, molecular analyzes performed on samples from seven West African's countries, members of RESCAO, have shown that resistance to diminazeneaceturate was widespread in Trypanosoma congolense with percentages ranging from 67.85 (19/28) for Burkina Faso to 100% (9/9) for Ghana

Genetic Diversification and Selection Strategies for Improving Sorghum Grain Yield Under Phosphorous-Deficient Conditions in West Africa

Sorghum, a major crop for income generation and food security in West and Central Africa, is predominantly grown in low-input farming systems with serious soil phosphorus (P) deficiencies. This study (a) estimates genetic parameters needed to design selection protocols that optimize genetic gains for yield under low-phosphorus conditions and (b) examines the utility of introgressed backcross nested association mapping (BCNAM) populations for diversifying Malian breeding materials. A total of 1083 BC1F5 progenies derived from an elite hybrid restorer “Lata-3” and 13 diverse donor accessions were evaluated for yield and agronomic traits under contrasting soil P conditions in Mali in 2013. A subset of 298 progenies were further tested under low-P (LP) and high-P (HP) conditions in 2014 and 2015. Significant genetic variation for grain yield was observed under LP and HP conditions. Selection for grain yield under LP conditions was feasible and more efficient than the indirect selection under HP in all three years of testing. Several of the BCNAM populations exhibited yields under LP conditions that were superior to the elite restorer line used as a recurrent parent. The BCNAM approach appears promising for diversifying the male parent pool with introgression of diverse materials using both adapted Malian breed and unadapted landrace material from distant geographic origins as donors

Le syndrome des jambes sans repos : fréquence et facteurs de risque chez l’hémodialysé

Le syndrome des jambes sans repos (SJSR) ou syndrome d'impatience musculaire est un trouble moteur caractérisé par des sensations désagréables dans les jambes. Les causes sont mal connues et sa fréquence est estimée entre 25% et 75% chez les hémodialysés. Il s'agit d'une étude transversale monocentrique menée au centre d'hémodialyse du CHU Hassan II de Fès (hôpital Al Ghassani) entre décembre 2012 et janvier 2013. Nous avons défini le syndrome de jambes sans repos selon la définition de l'international restless legs study group de 2003 reposant sur 4 critères essentiels au diagnostic. L'international restless legs  syndrome scale (IRLES) a été coté par un même néphrologue pour  mesurer la sévérité du syndrome des jambes sans repos. 84 hémodialysés ont répondu au questionnaire avec 41,7% de cas de SJSR dont 6,6% de formes graves. Nous avons retrouvé une association entre le SJSR et la carence martiale p(0,018), la néphropathie initiale p(0,041), l'HTA  p(0,026) et le sexe féminin p(0,024). Dans notre série, il ressort que la carence martiale et l'HTA sont les principaux facteurs de risque modifiables de ce syndrome chez nos patients. Les facteurs traditionnels comme le tabagisme, l'âge supérieur à 50 ans et la dialyse inadéquate ne sont pas associés à ce trouble dans notre série

Le Concept des Nano-robots et leurs applications

La nano-robotique est une discipline scientifique qui devient de plus en plus populaire compte tenu des perspectives qu’elle ouvre à travers beaucoup d’applications. Les champs d’application de la nano-robot sont immense : la technologie des matériaux, le spatial, l'écologie, l'informatique, l'électronique, les communications, la chimie etc. Mais La discipline qui est en train d’être révolutionnée par ces nouvelles applications de la nano-robotique est la médecine et la pharmacie. C’est pourquoi dans cet article, après un survol sur la théorie du nano-monde, le reste du document a été centré sur les applications en médecine. Les dernières avancées remarquables sur l’application des nano-robots en médicine ont été compilées. Leurs avantages, radicalement révolutionnaires, sur le traitement de certaines maladies ont été montrés

Nianga, laboratoire de l'agriculture irriguée en moyenne vallée du Sénégal

Les actes de l'atelier "Nianga" réunissent des analyses et des points de vue de différents spécialistes qui s'interessent à l'expérience et au devenir de la culture irriguée dans la vallée alluviale de la région du fleuve Sénégal et de son insertion dans les sytèmes de productio

A molecular method to discriminate between mass-reared sterile and wild tsetse flies during eradication programmes that have a sterile insect technique component

Background The Government of Senegal has embarked several years ago on a project that aims to eradicate Glossina palpalis gambiensis from the Niayes area. The removal of the animal try-panosomosis would allow the development more efficient livestock production systems. The project was implemented using an area-wide integrated pest management strategy including a sterile insect technique (SIT) component. The released sterile male flies originated from a colony from Burkina Faso. Methodology/Principal Findings Monitoring the efficacy of the sterile male releases requires the discrimination between wild and sterile male G.p. gambiensis that are sampled in monitoring traps. Before being released, sterile male flies were marked with a fluorescent dye powder. The marking was however not infallible with some sterile flies only slightly marked or some wild flies contaminated with a few dye particles in the monitoring traps. Trapped flies can also be damaged due to predation by ants, making it difficult to discriminate between wild and sterile males using a fluorescence camera and / or a fluorescence microscope. We developed a molecular technique based on the determination of cytochrome oxidase haplotypes of G. p. gambiensis to discriminate between wild and sterile males. DNA was isolated from the head of flies and a portion of the 5' end of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I was amplified to be finally sequenced. Our results indicated that all the sterile males from the Burkina Faso colony displayed the same haplotype and systematically differed from wild male flies trapped in Senegal and Burkina Faso. This allowed 100% discrimination between sterile and wild male G. p. gambiensis. Conclusions/Significance This tool might be useful for other tsetse control campaigns with a SIT component in the framework of the Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) and, more generally, for other vector or insect pest control programs