Hepatitis C virus among blood donors in Lubumbashi, DRC: Seroprevalence and molecular characterisation.

To date, no study has been done yet on the distribution of Hepatitis C virus genotypes in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. The objective of this work was to determine the seroprevalence and study the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes among blood donors in Lubumbashi, DRC. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study among blood donors. The detection of anti-HCV antibodies was carried out by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) then confirmed by Chemiluminescent immuno-assay (CLIA). Viral load was determined by Nucleic Acid Amplification test (NAT) on Panther system and genotyping by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) on Sentosa platform. The obtained seroprevalence was 4.8%. Genotypes 3a (5.0%), 4 (90.0%) and 7 (5.0%) and a few drug resistance mutations were identified in the study population. Significant disturbances of some studied biochemical parameters (HDL-cholesterol, direct bilirubin, transaminases, ALP, GGT and albumin) have been observed in positive HCV blood donors. Irregular family and volunteer donors have been found as the socio-demographic characteristics associated with hepatitis C. With a seroprevalence of 4.8% obtained among blood donors, Lubumbashi is in an area with medium endemicity for HCV, highlighting the need to implement strategies aiming to improve transfusion safety among blood recipients in Lubumbashi. This study reports for the first time the presence of HCV strains of genotypes 3a, 4 and 7. These results might allow better therapeutic management of HCV infections and contribute to the development of the mapping of HCV genotypes in Lubumbashi and DRC as well

Isolation and expeditious morphological, biochemical and kinetic characterization of propolis-tolerant ruminal bacteria Isolamento e caracterização expedita morfológica, bioquímica e cinética de bactérias ruminais tolerantes a própolis

It was aimed in this work to evaluate bacterial strains tolerant to products based on propolis (LLOS) through the isolation, morphological and biochemical characterization techniques in diets with roughage:concentrate ratio 100:0 and 50:50. For roughage diets, the products LLOSC1 and LLOSB3 were evaluated, and for 50:50% diets, the products LLOSC1, LLOSD1, LLOSA2, and LLOSC3, which differed in alcoholic concentrations (1, 2 and 3) and propolis (A, B, C and D) concentrations. The ruminal liquid was anaerobically incubated at 39°C for 6 days in medium containing LLOS. After isolation, the strains were submitted to Gram staining and the bacterial growth was monitored by photospectrometer. It was evaluated the strain growth in the presence of the following subtracts: arabinose, cellulose, glucose, cellobiose, xylose, fructose, and lactose. In roughage diets, strains tolerant to LLOSC1 and LLOSB3 were similar to carbohydrates degradation, except lactose in which LLOSC1 was superior to strains tolerant to LLOSB3. For diets with 50:50 roughage:concentrate ratio, the products LLOSC3 and LLOSA2 stood out because they selected the highest number of strains able to degrade most of the tested carbohydrates. The results suggest that tolerance to propolis is higher in Gram-positive strains with several growth metabolic levels.<br>Objetivou-se avaliar cepas bacterianas tolerantes a produtos à base de própolis pelas técnicas de isolamento, caracterização morfológica e bioquímica, em dietas com relação volumoso: concentrado de 100:0 e 50:50. Para dietas volumosas foram avaliados os produtos LLOSC1 e LLOSB3 e, para dietas 50:50% os produtos LLOSC1, LLOSD1, LLOSA2 e LLOSC3, diferentes quanto aos teores alcoólicos (1, 2 e 3) e as concentrações de própolis (A, B, C e D). O líquido ruminal foi incubado anaerobiamente a 39°C durante 6 dias em meio contendo LLOS. Após o isolamento, as cepas foram submetidas à coloração de Gram e o crescimento bacteriano foi monitorado por espectrofotômetro. Foi avaliado o crescimento das cepas na presença dos substratos: arabinose, celulose, glicose, celobiose, xilose, frutose e lactose. Em dietas volumosas as cepas tolerantes a LLOSC1 e LLOSB3 foram semelhantes na degradação dos carboidratos, exceto lactose no qual LLOSC1 foi superior às cepas tolerantes a LLOSB3. Para dieta 50:50 de volumoso:concentrado, destacaram-se os produtos LLOSC3 e LLOSA2, que selecionaram maior número de cepas capazes de degradar a maioria dos carboidratos testados. Os resultados sugerem que a tolerância à própolis foi maior nas cepas Gram-positivas, com níveis metabólicos de crescimento diversos

The Chemical and Biological Properties of Propolis

The term propolis comes from two Greek words, pro (which means for or in defence of) and polis (which means the city); thus, propolis means in defence of the city or beehive. Propolis is a sticky resinous substance, which is gathered from buds and the bark of trees. It is also known as "bee glue" as bees use it to cover surfaces, seal holes and close gaps in their hives, thus providing a sterile environment that protects them from microbes and spore-producing organisms, including fungi and molds. It can be considered to be a potent chemical weapon against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogenic microorganisms that may invade the bee colony. Also, bees use propolis as an embalming substance, to mummify invaders such as other insects, that have been killed and are too heavy to remove from the colony. Thus, propolis is important for bee health but it also has activity against many human diseases. It is a powerful anti-oxidant and can modulate the activity of reactive oxygen species within the human body. The most studied aspect of propolis is its anti-bacterial activity, which is almost always present at a moderate to high level depending on the exact type of propolis. It is in general more active against Gram positive than Gram negative bacteria, but activity against Gram negative bacteria has been observed. Propolis has been found to be active against a range of viruses and also is almost always active against protozoa such as Tryanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani. Propolis also shows activity against cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and has immunomodulatory effects. Anti-cancer activity has also been observed. In summary, propolis is remarkable for its range of biological activities and for the variety of its chemical composition. It may be of great importance both to bees and humans