93 research outputs found
Spatial Distribution of Diarrhoea and Microbial Quality of Domestic Water during an Outbreak of Diarrhoea in the Tshikuwi Community in Venda, South Africa
Total microbial quality assessment and geographical information system were used for evaluating the quality of water and the spatial distribution of diarrhoea cases in Tshikuwi, a rural community in South Africa, during an outbreak of diarrhoea. The water-abstraction points included two groundwater storage tanks, namely Tank 1 and Tank 2 and the Khandanama river. Indicator microbial counts for total coliforms, faecal coliforms, enterococci, and heterotrophic bacteria exceeded the limit for no risk as stipulated by the South African water-quality guidelines for domestic use for Tank 1 and the Khandanama river. Vibrio, Salmonella, and Shigella species were prevalent in the Khandanama river. The spatial distribution of diarrhoea cases showed a hot-spot of diarrhoea cases close to Tank 1 and the Khandanama river. Results of chi-square analysis showed that the proportion of infection from each water source was different or that infection depends on the type of water source (α=0.05). The demonstrated spatial clustering of diarrhoea cases might have been influenced by the poor microbial quality of water used from Tank 1 and the Khandanama river. The results further highlight the urgent need of water-treatment facilities and monitoring of water quality in rural communities of South Africa
Further screening of Venda medicinal plants for activity against HIV type 1 reverse transcriptase and integrase
The use of medicinal plants for AIDS-related conditions is common in South Africa. In order to establish an antiviral rationale for the use of these plants we screened fractions of the methanol extracts of medicinal plants for activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN). The n-butanol fraction obtained from the crude methanol extracts of the roots of Bridelia micrantha (Hochst) Baill. (Euphorbiaceae) was observed to be as the most active inhibiting the RNA-dependent-DNA polymerization (RDDP) activity of HIV-1 RT with an IC50 of 7.3 g/ml. However, it had no activity on the 3â-end processing activity of HIV integrase. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the n-butanol fraction yielded friedelin and -sistosterol, which did not inhibit the RDDP of RT or 3â-end processing functions of IN even at a concentration of 500 M. An uncharacterized fraction obtained in the bioassay-guided fractionating process inhibited the RDDP with an IC50 of 9.6 g/ml, but had no inhibition on IN. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids and tannins in the uncharacterized fraction.Key words: HIV-1; reverse transcriptase; integrase; medicinal plants; inhibition; Venda; South Afric
Burden, clinical characteristics, risk factors, and seasonality of adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea in children in eight low-resource settings
Background: The application of molecular diagnostics has identified enteric group adenovirus serotypes 40 and 41 as important causes of diarrhea in children. However, many aspects of the epidemiology of adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea have not been described.Methods: We used data from the 8-site Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development Project birth cohort study to describe site- and age-specific incidence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and seasonality.Results: The incidence of adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea was substantially higher by quantitative polymerase chain reaction than enzyme immunoassay and peaked at âŒ30 episodes per 100 child-years in children aged 7-15 months, with substantial variation in incidence between sites. A significant burden was also seen in children 0-6 months of age, higher than other viral etiologies with the exception of rotavirus. Children with adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea were more likely to have a fever than children with norovirus, sapovirus, and astrovirus (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.62; 95% CI, 1.16-2.26) but less likely than children with rotavirus (aOR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49-0.91). Exclusive breastfeeding was strongly protective against adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85), but no other risk factors were identified. The seasonality of adenovirus 40/41 diarrhea varied substantially between sites and did not have clear associations with seasonal variations in temperature or rainfall.Conclusions: This study supports the situation of adenovirus 40/41 as a pathogen of substantial importance, especially in infants. Fever was a distinguishing characteristic in comparison to other nonrotavirus viral etiologies, and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding may reduce the high observed burden in the first 6 months of life
Erratum: Prevalence and distribution of selected cervical human papillomavirus types in HIV infected and HIV uninfected women in South Africa, 1989â2021: A narrative review
No abstract available
Prevalence of Antiretroviral Drug Resistance Mutations and HIV-1 Subtypes among Newly-diagnosed Drugna\uefve Persons Visiting a Voluntary Testing and Counselling Centre in Northeastern South Africa
Data on antiretroviral drug resistance among drug-na\uefve persons
are important in developing sentinel surveillance policies. This study
was conducted to determine the prevalence of antiretroviral drug
resistance mutations among drug-na\uefve HIV-infected individuals
attending a voluntary testing and counselling centre at the Mankweng
Hospital in northeastern South Africa. In total, 79 drug-na\uefve
HIV-positive individuals were sequentially recruited during February
2008-December 2008. Drug resistance mutations were determined using the
calibrated population resistance tool available on the Stanford HIV
drug resistance database. Viral DNA was obtained from 57 (72%) of the
79 individuals. Reliable nucleotide sequences were obtained for 54
reverse transcriptase (RT) and 54 protease (PR) gene regions from 54
individuals. Overall, five sequences (9.3%) harboured drug resistance
mutations (95% confidence interval -1.53 to 16.99). Four (7.4%) of
these were nucleoside RT inhibitor mutations (D67G, D67E, T69D, and
T215Y), and one (1.9%) was a PR inhibitor mutation (M46I). No major
non-nucleoside RT resistance mutation was detected. Several minor
resistance mutations and polymorphisms common in subtype C viruses were
observed in the PR and RT genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial
pol sequences showed that 52 (96%) of the 54 isolates were HIV-1
subtype C. One isolate (08MB08ZA) was HIV-1 subtype B while another
(08MB26ZA) was related to HIV-1 subtype J. HIV-1 subtype recombination
analysis with REGA assigned the pol sequence to HIV subtype J (11_cpx)
with a bootstrap value of 75%. The prevalence of drug resistance
mutations observed in the population studied was relatively higher than
previously reported from other parts of South Africa. In addition, this
is apparently the first report of an HIV-1 subtype J-like virus from
northeastern South Africa
Age and sex normalization of intestinal permeability measures for the improved assessment of enteropathy in infancy and early childhood: Results from the MAL-ED study
Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe changes in intestinal permeability in early childhood in diverse epidemiologic settings.Methods: In a birth cohort study, the lactulose:mannitol (L:M) test was administered to 1980 children at 4 time points in the first 24 months of life in 8 countries. Data from the Brazil site with an incidence of diarrhea similar to that seen in the United States and no growth faltering was used as an internal study reference to derive age- and sex-specific z scores for mannitol and lactulose recoveries and the L:M ratio.Results: A total of 6602 tests demonstrated mannitol recovery, lactulose recovery, and the L:M ratio were associated with country, sex, and age. There was heterogeneity in the recovery of both probes between sites with mean mannitol recovery ranging for 1.34% to 5.88%, lactulose recovery of 0.19% to 0.58%, and L:M ratios 0.10 to 0.17 in boys of 3 months of age across different sites. We observed strong sex-specific differences in both mannitol and lactulose recovery, with boys having higher recovery of both probes. Alterations in intestinal barrier function increased in most sites from 3 to 9 months of age and plateaued or diminished from 9 to 15 months of age.Conclusions: Alterations in recovery of the probes differ markedly in different epidemiologic contexts in children living in the developing world. The rate of change in the L:M-z ratio was most rapid and consistently disparate from the reference standard in the period between 6 and 9 months of age, suggesting that this is a critical period of physiologic impact of enteropathy in these populations
Malaria infection and anaemia in HIV-infected children in Mutengene, Southwest Cameroon: a cross sectional study
BACKGROUND: Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children and HIV infection as well as other factors may worsen the situation. This study was aimed at determining the factors influencing malaria parasite prevalence and density as well as anaemia in HIV-infected children in Mutengene, Cameroon from November, 2012 to April, 2013. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to record information on socio-demographic factors and use of preventive measures by caregivers of HIV-infected children aged 1â15 years and of both sexes. Venous blood was collected; blood films were prepared and Giemsa-stained for parasite detection and speciation. Haemoglobin concentration was measured and the anaemic status determined. Data was analysed using Epi Info 7 software. RESULTS: A total of 234 children were studied. The overall malaria parasite prevalence was 24.8Â % (58) and was significantly higher (31.9Â %, Pâ=â0 .004) in females, those who did not implement any preventive measure at all (66.7Â %, Pâ=â0.03) and children who used antiretroviral therapy (ART) (28.6Â %, Pâ=â0.02) when compared with their respective counterparts. Geometric mean parasite density (GMPD) was significantly higher (3098.4, Pâ=â0.02) in children who presented with fever, had CD4 T cells â„500 cells/ÎŒL (491.3, Pâ=â0.003) and those with moderate anaemia (1658.8, Pâ=â0.03) than their respective counterparts. Although there was no significant difference, GMPD was however higher in males (549.0); those not on ART (635.0) and highest in children <5Â years old (633.0) than their respective counterparts. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 49.6Â % (116). The value was significantly highest (58.3Â %, Pâ=â0.01) in the 11â15 years age group; those with CD4 T cell level 200â499 (72.7Â %, Pâ=â0.001) and children with fever (85.7Â %, Pâ=â0.01). CONCLUSION: Implementation of proper and integrated malaria preventive measures as well as frequent monitoring of anaemia on prescription of ART could likely improve the health conditions of HIV-infected children thus avoiding malaria-related morbidity and mortality
IS6110 Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing of Drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains from Northeast South Africa
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a deadly infectious disease affecting
millions of people worldwide; 95% of TB cases, with 98% of death occur
in developing countries. The situation in South Africa merits special
attention. A total of 21,913 sputum specimens of suspected TB patients
from three provinces of South Africa routinely submitted to the TB
laboratory of Dr. George Mukhari (DGM) Hospital were assayed for
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) growth and antibiotic
susceptibility. The genetic diversity of 338 resistant strains were
also studied. DNA isolated from the strains were restricted with Pvu
II, transferred on to a nylon membrane and hybridized with a
PCR-amplified horseradish peroxidase 245 bp IS6110 probe. Of the 338
resistant strains, 2.09% had less than 5 bands of IS6110, and 98% had 5
or more bands. Unique restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
patterns were observed in 84.3% of the strains, showing their
epidemiological independence, and 15.7% were grouped into 22 clusters.
Thirty-two strains (61.5%) from the 52 that clustered were from
Mpumalanga, 16/52 (30.8%) from Gauteng, and 4/52 (9.6%) from Limpopo
province. Clustering was not associated with age. However, strains from
male patients in Mpumalanga were more likely to be clustered than
strains from male patients in Limpopo and/or Gauteng province. The
minimum estimate for the proportion of resistant TB that was due to
transmission is 9.06% (52-22=30/331). Our results indicate that
transmission of drug-resistant strains may contribute substantially to
the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa
IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism typing of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from northeast South Africa
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a deadly infectious disease affecting millions of people worldwide; 95% of TB cases,
with 98% of death occur in developing countries. The situation in South Africa merits special attention.
A total of 21,913 sputum specimens of suspected TB patients from three provinces of South Africa routinely
submitted to the TB laboratory of Dr. George Mukhari (DGM) Hospital were assayed for Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MTB) growth and antibiotic susceptibility. The genetic diversity of 338 resistant strains were also
studied. DNA isolated from the strains were restricted with Pvu II, transferred on to a nylon membrane and
hybridized with a PCR-amplified horseradish peroxidase 245 bp IS6110 probe. Of the 338 resistant strains,
2.09% had less than 5 bands of IS6110, and 98% had 5 or more bands. Unique restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLP) patterns were observed in 84.3% of the strains, showing their epidemiological independence,
and 15.7% were grouped into 22 clusters. Thirty-two strains (61.5%) from the 52 that clustered
were from Mpumalanga, 16/52 (30.8%) from Gauteng, and 4/52 (9.6%) from Limpopo province. Clustering
was not associated with age. However, strains from male patients in Mpumalanga were more likely to be
clustered than strains from male patients in Limpopo and/or Gauteng province. The minimum estimate for
the proportion of resistant TB that was due to transmission is 9.06% (52-22=30/331). Our results indicate
that transmission of drug-resistant strains may contribute substantially to the emergence of drug-resistant
tuberculosis in South Africa.The National Research
Foundation of South Africahttp://www.jhpn.net/index.php/jhpnam2016Medical Microbiolog
Influences on catch-up growth using relative versus absolute metrics : evidence from the MAL-ED cohort study
Acknowledgements The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development Project (MAL-ED) was a collaborative project led by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. National Institutes of Health or Department of Health and Human Services. Funding The MAL-ED study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through grants to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, and with additional support from the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty Inter- national Center. The funder had no direct role in the writing of the manu- script or in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of study results. We are grateful to the children and caregivers who participated in the study for their invaluable contributions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
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