Assessment of animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) vulnerability in cattle-owning communities of sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is one of the biggest constraints to livestock production and a threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to optimise the allocation of resources for AAT control, decision makers need to target geographic areas where control programmes are most likely to be successful and sustainable and select control methods that will maximise the benefits obtained from resources invested. Methods: The overall approach to classifying cattle-owning communities in terms of AAT vulnerability was based on the selection of key variables collected through field surveys in five sub-Saharan Africa countries followed by a formal Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to identify factors explaining the variations between areas. To categorise the communities in terms of AAT vulnerability profiles, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was performed. Results: Three clusters of community vulnerability profiles were identified based on farmers’ beliefs with respect to trypanosomiasis control within the five countries studied. Cluster 1 communities, mainly identified in Cameroon, reported constant AAT burden, had large trypanosensitive (average herd size = 57) communal grazing cattle herds. Livestock (cattle and small ruminants) were reportedly the primary source of income in the majority of these cattle-owning households (87.0 %). Cluster 2 communities identified mainly in Burkina Faso and Zambia, with some Ethiopian communities had moderate herd sizes (average = 16) and some trypanotolerant breeds (31.7 %) practicing communal grazing. In these communities there were some concerns regarding the development of trypanocide resistance. Crops were the primary income source while communities in this cluster incurred some financial losses due to diminished draft power. The third cluster contained mainly Ugandan and Ethiopian communities which were mixed farmers with smaller herd sizes (average = 8). The costs spent diagnosing and treating AAT were moderate here. Conclusions: Understanding how cattle-owners are affected by AAT and their efforts to manage the disease is critical to the design of suitable locally-adapted control programmes. It is expected that the results could inform priority setting and the development of tailored recommendations for AAT control strategies

Newborn screening for haemoglobinopathies in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

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Les cancers colorectaux en milieu hospitalier à Ouagadougou : aspects épidémiologiques et diagnostiques, approche endoscopique (à propos de 43 cas)

le but de l’étude est de décrire les aspects épidémiologiques et  diagnostiques des cancers colorectaux en milieu hospitalier à ouagadougou. il s’est agi d’une étude rétrospective et transversale sur une durée de 9 ans et 6 mois. elle a concerné les malades porteurs d’une lésion colorectale suspecte de malignité à la coloscopie. les variables étudiées étaient  sociodémographiques, cliniques, endoscopiques et  histologiques. l’étude a été réalisée dans 5 structures sanitaires et 3  laboratoires d’anatomie pathologique. 43 lésions suspectes ont été  histologiquement confirmées. la fréquence annuelle était de 4,53  nouveaux cas, le sexratio de 0,87 et l’âge moyen de 49,56 ans. les femmes au foyer (30,09%) et les employés subalternes (20,37 %) étaient les professions les plus concernées. il était retrouvé 26 cancers coliques (60,47 %) et 17 cancers du rectum (39,53 %). les formes bourgeonnantes (47,06 %) étaient les plus visualisées pour le cancer du rectum et ulcéro-bourgeonnantes, ulcéro-bourgeonnantes et sténosantes (26,92 % chacune) pour le côlon. l’adénocarcinome était le plus retrouvé (86,42 %). l’histologie et l’endoscopie étaient concordantes dans 65,49 % des cas. enfin les cancers colorectaux semblent rares dans notre pays. Toutefois, seule la mise en place d’un registre des cancers pourrait permettre d’en déterminer l’incidence réelle.Mots-clés : cancer, côlon, rectum, endoscopie, ouagadougou. The colorectal cancers in hospitals in Ouagadougou : epidemiological and diagnostic  aspects, endoscopic approach (About 43 cases) The colorectal cancers in hospitals in Ouagadougou : epidemiological and diagnostic aspects, endoscopic approach (About 43 cases)Purpose of the study is to describe the epidemiological and diagnostic  aspects of colorectal cancer in hospitals in ouagadougou. This was a retrospective and cross-sectional study over a period of 9 years and 6 months. it concerned patients with colorectal lesions suspected of malignancy at colonoscopy. The variables studied were sociodemographic, clinical, endoscopic and histological. The study was carried out in 5 health structures and 3 pathology laboratories. 43 suspicious lesions were histologically confirmed. The annual frequency was 4.53 new cases, the sex ratio of 0.87 and the mean age of 49.56 years. housewives (30.09%) and lower-level employees (20.37%) were the most affected occupations. Twenty-six colonic cancers (60.47%) and 17 rectal cancers (39.53%) were found. The budding forms (47.06%) were the most visualized for rectal cancer and ulcero-budding, ulcero-budding and stenosing (26.92% each) for the colon. adenocarcinoma was the most recovered (86.42%). histology and endoscopy were concordant in 65.49% of cases. Colorectal cancers  seem rare in our country. however, only the establishment of a cancer  registry could make it possible to determine the actual impact.Keywords: cancer, colon, rectum, endoscopy, ouagadougou

Determinants and causes of mortality in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Burkina Faso: a five-year retrospective cohort study.

In this study, we investigated the causes of death and the factors associated with mortality in a cohort of patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Burkina Faso, an African country with limited resources. This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 15 years and older who started HAART for the first time between January 2003 and December 2008 in 14 health districts. We used survival analyses, including the Kaplan-Meier method, to examine potential predictors of death and two Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios for death, first from baseline covariates and then from time-dependent covariates. A total of 6641 patients initiated HAART during this period; of these, 5608 were included in the analysis. By the end of the study period, 4310 of those patients were still receiving HAART, 690 had died, 207 had been transferred and 401 were lost to follow-up. The median duration of follow-up was 23.2 months [interquartile range (IQR): 12.4-36.9], and the overall incidence of mortality was 6 per 100 person-years. The clinical stage, CD4 count, body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin level, HAART regimen, gender, age, profession and year of initiation were the primary risk factors associated with death. In the multivariate analysis, BMI, clinical stage, treatment regimen and CD4 count remained significantly associated with death. The most frequent causes of death were wasting syndrome, tuberculosis and anaemia. This result highlights the already advanced stage of immunodeficiency among patients in Burkina Faso when they start HAART. Testing patients for HIV and starting antiretroviral therapy earlier are necessary to further reduce the mortality of patients living with HIV. This study provides a solid evidence base with which future evaluations of HAART in Burkina Faso can be compared.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Short tandem repeat (STR) based genetic diversity and relationship of indigenous Niger cattle

The diversity of cattle in Niger is predominantly represented by three indigenous breeds: Zebu Arabe, Zebu Bororo and Kuri. This study aimed at characterizing the genetic diversity and relationship of Niger cattle breeds using short tandem repeat (STR) marker variations. A total of 105 cattle from all three breeds were genotyped at 27 STR loci. High levels of allelic and gene diversity were observed with an overall mean of 8.7 and 0.724 respectively. The mean inbreeding estimate within breeds was found to be moderate with 0.024, 0.043 and 0.044 in Zebu Arabe, Zebu Bororo and Kuri cattle respectively. The global F statistics showed low genetic differentiation among Niger cattle with about 2.6 % of total variation being attributed to between-breed differences. Neighbor-joining tree derived from pairwise allele sharing distance revealed Zebu Arabe and Kuri clustering together while Zebu Bororo appeared to be relatively distinct from the other two breeds. High levels of admixture were evident from the distribution of pairwise inter-individual allele sharing distances that showed individuals across populations being more related than individuals within populations. Individuals were assigned to their respective source populations based on STR genotypes, and the percent correct assignment of Zebu Bororo (87.5 to 93.8 %) was consistently higher than Zebu Arabe (59.3 to 70.4 %) and Kuri (80.0 to 83.3 %) cattle. The qualitative and quantitative tests for mutation drift equilibrium revealed absence of genetic bottleneck events in Niger cattle in the recent past. High genetic diversity and poor genetic structure among indigenous cattle breeds of Niger might be due to historic zebu–taurine admixture and ongoing breeding practices in the region. The results of the present study are expected to help in formulating effective strategies for conservation and genetic improvement of indigenous Niger cattle breeds

Local ancestry to identify selection in response to trypanosome infection in Baoulé x Zebu crossbred cattle in Burkina Faso

The genomes of crossbred (admixed) individuals are a mosaic of ancestral haplotypes formed by recombination in each generation. The proportion of these ancestral haplotypes in certain genomic regions can be responsible for either susceptibility or tolerance against pathogens, and for performances in production traits. Using a medium-density genomic marker panel from the Illumina Bovine SNP50 BeadChip, we estimated individual admixture proportions for Baoulé x Zebu crossbred cattle in Burkina Faso, which were tested for trypanosome infection by direct ELISA from blood samples. Furthermore, we calculated local ancestry deviation from average for each SNP across 29 autosomes to identify potential regions under selection in the trypanotolerant Baoulé cattle and their crossbreds. We identified significant deviation from the local average ancestry (above 5 and 10% genome-wide thresholds) on chromosomes 8 and 19 in the positive animals, while the negative ones showed higher deviation on chromosomes 6, 19, 21, and 22. Some candidate genes on chromosome 6 (PDGFRA) and chromosome 19 (CDC6) have been found associated to trypanotolerance in West African taurines. Screening for FST outliers in trypanosome positive/negative animals we detected seven variants putatively under selection. Finally, we identified a minimum set of highly ancestry informative markers for routine admixture testing. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis of trypanotolerance in Baoulé cattle and their crossbreeds. Furthermore, we provide a small informative marker set to monitor admixture in this valuable indigenous breed. As such, our results are important for conserving the genetic uniqueness and trypanotolerance of Baoulé cattle, as well as for the improvement of Baoulé and Zebu crossbreds in specific community-based breeding programs