Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of V.cholerae O1 strains isolated in Democratic Republic of Congo in sanctuaries areas

International audienc

Ebola virus outbreaks in Africa: Past and present

Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is a zoonosis affecting both human and non-human primates (NHP). Outbreaks in Africa occur mainly in the Congo and Nile basins. The first outbreaks of EHF occurred nearly simultaneously in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, former Zaire) and Sudan with very high case fatality rates of 88% and 53%, respectively. The two outbreaks were caused by two distinct species of Ebola virus named Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) and Sudan ebolavirus (SEBOV). The source of transmission remains unknown. After a long period of silence (1980–1993), EHF outbreaks in Africa caused by the two species erupted with increased frequency and new species were discovered, namely Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus (CIEBOV) in 1994 in the Ivory Coast and Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BEBOV) in 2007 in Uganda. The re-emergence of EHF outbreaks in Gabon and Republic of the Congo were concomitant with an increase in mortality amongst gorillas and chimpanzees infected with ZEBOV. The human outbreaks were related to multiple, unrelated index cases who had contact with dead gorillas or chimpanzees. However, in areas where NHP were rare or absent, as in Kikwit (DRC) in 1995, Mweka (DRC) in 2007, Gulu (Uganda) in 2000 and Yambio (Sudan) in 2004, the hunting and eating of fruit bats may have resulted in the primary transmission of Ebola virus to humans. Human-to-human transmission is associated with direct contact with body fluids or tissues from an infected subject or contaminated objects. Despite several, often heroic field studies, the epidemiology and ecology of Ebola virus, including identification of its natural reservoir hosts, remains a formidable challenge for public health and scientific communities

Oral fluid for the serological and molecular diagnosis of measles.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;OBJECTIVES: &lt;/b&gt;Since measles presents mostly in children, a non-invasive sample collection technique such as oral fluid sampling would be very useful in the early detection of measles RNA and antibodies. The aim of this study was to validate the detection of anti-measles IgM and measles virus RNA in oral fluid and to make a comparison with the gold standard methods of ELISA using serum (Enzygnost(®) anti-Measles IgM) and in-house nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using nasopharyngeal secretions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;METHODS: &lt;/b&gt;Three samples each from 73 measles-positive and 44 measles-negative subjects (serum, oral fluid, and nasopharyngeal secretions) were analyzed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;RESULTS: &lt;/b&gt;The anti-measles IgM ELISA (MicroImmune) on oral fluid was validated against the IgM ELISA (Siemens) for serum and this resulted in a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 100%. A molecular nested RT-PCR using oral fluid was validated against the standard assay on nasopharyngeal secretions and gave a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;CONCLUSIONS: &lt;/b&gt;The results confirm that both serological and molecular oral fluid assays are suitable for routine use. The use of oral fluid samples for the detection of measles virus may encourage patients, general practitioners, and pediatricians to participate in the Belgian measles surveillance system and other epidemiological studies in the framework of the World Health Organization elimination program.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Vers la microbiologie du XXIe siècle en Afrique

Les maladies infectieuses émergentes sont récurrentes et représentent un enjeu de sécurité sanitaire planétaire. Le continent africain est particulièrement exposé aux risques infectieux épidémiques à cause du nombre d'agents infectieux qui y circulent, en particulier dans la faune, mais aussi de par des facteurs sociaux et environnementaux qui favorisent leur diffusion épidémique. Les épidémies à virus Ebola en Afrique de l'Ouest en 2014 et celles en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) ayant débuté en 2018 ont été l'occasion de mettre au point et de déployer de nouvelles techniques diagnostiques pour des laboratoires en Guinée et en RDC. Ces outils ont permis d'identifier rapidement l'agent infectieux, de retracer en temps réel les chaînes de contamination pour intervenir efficacement et développer un outil sérologique fiable permettant un diagnostic différentiel. Aujourd'hui, des structures équipées et fonctionnelles existent en Guinée et en RDC pour répondre aux risques d'émergence épidémique, pilotées par des chercheurs guinéens et congolais formés à des niveaux de compétence élevés et bénéficiant d'expérience et de connaissance de terrain unique

Epidemic increase in Salmonella bloodstream infection in children, Bwamanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo33985

Salmonella enterica is the leading cause of bloodstream infection in children in sub-Saharan Africa, but few data are available from Central-Africa. We documented during the period November 2011 to May 2012 an epidemic increase in invasive Salmonella bloodstream infections in HGR Bwamanda, a referral hospital in Equateur Province, DR Congo. Salmonella spp. represented 90.4 % (103 out of 114) of clinically significant blood culture isolates and comprised Salmonella Typhimurium (54.4 %, 56 out of 103), Salmonella Enteritidis (28.2 %, 29 out of 103) and Salmonella Typhi (17.5 %, 18 out of 103), with Salmonella Enteritidis accounting for most of the increase. Most (82 out of 103, 79.6 %) isolates were obtained from children &lt; 5 years old. Median ages of patients infected with Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis were 14 months (14 days to 64 years) and 19 months (3 months to 8 years) respectively. Clinical presentation was non-specific; the in-hospital case fatality rate was 11.1 %. More than two thirds (69.7 %, 53 out of 76) of children &lt; 5 years for whom laboratory data were available had Plasmodium falciparum infection. Most (83/85, 97.6 %) non-typhoid Salmonella isolates as well as 6/18 (33.3 %) Salmonella Typhi isolates were multidrug resistant (i.e. resistant to the first-line oral antibiotics amoxicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and chloramphenicol), one (1.0 %) Salmonella Typhimurium had decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility owing to a point mutation in the gyrA gene (Gly81Cys). Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (MLVA) analysis of the Salmonella Enteritidis isolates revealed closely related patterns comprising three major and four minor profiles, with differences limited to one out of five loci. These data show an epidemic increase in clonally related multidrug-resistant Salmonella bloodstream infection in children in DR Congo</p

External quality assessment of Giemsa-stained blood film microscopy for the diagnosis of malaria and sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

OBJECTIVE: To report the findings of a second external quality assessment of Giemsa-stained blood film microscopy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, performed one year after the first. METHODS: A panel of four slides was delivered to diagnostic laboratories in all provinces of the country. The slides contained: (i) Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes; (ii) P. falciparum trophozoites (reference density: 113 530 per µl); (iii) Trypanosoma brucei subspecies; and (iv) no parasites. FINDINGS: Of 356 laboratories contacted, 277 (77.8%) responded. Overall, 35.0% of the laboratories reported all four slides correctly but 14.1% reported correct results for 1 or 0 slides. Major errors included not diagnosing trypanosomiasis (50.4%), not recognizing P. falciparum gametocytes (17.5%) and diagnosing malaria from the slide with no parasites (19.0%). The frequency of serious errors in assessing parasite density and in reporting false-positive results was lower than in the previous external quality assessment: 17.2% and 52.3%, respectively, (P < 0.001) for parasite density and 19.0% and 33.3%, respectively, (P < 0.001) for false-positive results. Laboratories that participated in the previous quality assessment performed better than first-time participants and laboratories in provinces with a high number of sleeping sickness cases recognized trypanosomes more frequently (57.0% versus 31.2%, P < 0.001). Malaria rapid diagnostic tests were used by 44.3% of laboratories, almost double the proportion observed in the previous quality assessment. CONCLUSION: The overall quality of blood film microscopy was poor but was improved by participation in external quality assessments. The failure to recognize trypanosomes in a country where sleeping sickness is endemic is a concern