Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus in Burkina Faso: Screening, vaccination and evaluation of post-vaccination antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen in newborns

The low rate of screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women is a highrisk factor for its vertical transmission. The objectives of this study were: i) to screen pregnant women for HBV infection; ii) vaccinate all children from birth against HBV regardless their mother HBV status; and iii) evaluate after 7 months of birth the level of their AbHBs among babies who received HBV vaccine at birth. Serological markers of HBV (HBsAg, HBeAg, AbHBs, AbHBe, and AbHBc) were determined on venous blood samples from 237 pregnant women and their children using the Abon Biopharm Kit. One hundred and two (102) children received the three doses of the EUVAX B® vaccine respectively at birth, two months and four months of life. Seven months after delivery, venous blood samples were collected from mothers and their children. Antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (AbHBs) were measured in vaccinated children using the ELISA Kit AbHBs Quantitative EIA. DNA extraction was performed on samples from HBV-seropositive mothers and their children using the Ribo Virus (HBV Real-TM Qual) Kit and for Real Time PCR, the HBV Real-TM Qual Kit was used. Serological diagnosis in pregnant women revealed 22 (9.28%) hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive samples of which 21 were positive for viral DNA by real-time PCR. Among the 22 HBsAg+ women, five (05) transmitted the virus to their children with a vertical transmission rate of 22.73%. A transmission rate of 23.81% (5/21) was found with the PCR method. Analysis of AbHBs levels revealed that 98.31% of the children had an average concentration of 218.07 ± 74.66 IU/L, which is well above the minimum threshold for protection (11 IU/L). This study has confirmed that vertical transmission of HBV is a reality in Burkina Faso and that vaccination at birth would significantly reduce this transmission

Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1) variants and breast cancer risk in Burkina Faso

Breast cancer remains the most common cause of cancer mortality in women. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between genetic variability in GSTM1 and GSTT1 and susceptibility to breast cancer

Role of Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes in stages of HIV-1 infection among patients from Burkina Faso

A cluster of specialized KIR genes of specialized KIR genes has been shown to be associated with susceptibility or resistance to viral infections in humans. Therefore, this pilot study, this pilot investigation sought to determine the frequencies of KIR genes human immunodeficiency virus type 1( HIV-1) patients and establish their potential clinical involvement in disease progression and staging

Carrying SNP rs17506395 (T > G) in TP63 gene and CCR5Δ32 mutation associated with the occurrence of breast cancer in Burkina Faso

Genetic alterations in the TP63 (GenBank: NC_000003.12, ID: 8626) and CCR5 (receptor 5 chemokine co-receptor) (GenBank: NC_000003.12, ID: 1234) genes may increase the risk of developing breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the probable involvement of polymorphisms rs17506395 in the TP63 (tumour protein 63) gene and the CCR5Δ32 mutation in the occurrence of breast cancer in Burkina Faso. This case–control study included 72 patients and 72 controls. Genotyping of SNP rs17506395 (TP63) was performed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism, and genotyping of the CCR5Δ32 mutation was performed by allele-specific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction. For SNP rs17506395 (TP63), the genotypic frequencies of wild-type homozygotes (TT) and heterozygotes (TG) were, respectively, 27.72 and 72.22% in cases and 36.11 and 63.89% in controls. No mutated homozygotes (GG) were observed. For the CCR5Δ32 mutation, the genotypic frequencies of wild-type homozygotes (WT/WT) and heterozygotes (WT/Δ32) were 87.5 and 13.5%, respectively, in the cases and 89.29 and 10.71%, respectively, in the controls. No mutated homozygotes (Δ32/Δ32) were observed. None of the polymorphisms rs17506395 of the TP63 gene (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 0.69–3.17, P = 0.284) and the CCR5Δ32 mutation (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.46–3.77; P = 0.79) were associated with the occurrence of breast cancer in this study