Prevalence and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among parturients and newborns from Luanda, Angola

SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China in December 2019, creating a massive public health concern. Although previous studies have identified SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women, the possibility of transmission to newborns remains uncertain. Herein, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk factors among parturients and newborns. This was a cross-sectional study carried out with 3633 parturients from Luanda, Angola, between January and April 2021, with an age ranging from 13 to 48 years. SARS-CoV-2 infection of the parturients was further confirmed with RT-PCR after COVID-19 Ag Rapid Testing. About 0.4% of parturients tested positive on the day of delivery. Surprisingly, parturients from urbanized areas (OR: 0.18, p = 0.025) had a low chance of infection. None of the newborns tested positive in the first 24 h after birth, while one (9.1%, 1/10) of the newborns tested positive with pharyngeal swabs seven days after birth. However, whether the case was due to vertical transmission from mother to child remains to be confirmed. The mother’s residence, education level, antenatal follow-up, and delivery category were related to SARS-CoV-2 transmission (p < 0.05). Our findings showed a relatively low SARS-CoV-2 infection from parturients to newborns, regardless of the severity of the maternal disease. Furthermore, these findings are an early assessment of COVID-19 cases in late pregnancy, which could indicate the need for intensive management of SARS-CoV-2 infection among parturients in Angola. Further studies are needed on the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 among pregnant women and neonates from Angola.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The impact of the ABO/Rh blood group on susceptibility and severity among COVID-19 patients in Luanda, Angola

SARS-CoV-2 is a public health concern worldwide. Identification of biological factors that could influence transmission and worsen the disease has been the subject of extensive investigation. Herein, we investigate the impact of the ABO/Rh blood group on susceptibility and severity among COVID-19 patients in Luanda, Angola. This was a multicentric cohort study conducted with 101 COVID-19 patients. Chi-square and logistic regression were calculated to check factors related to the worsening of the disease and deemed significant when p<0.05. Blood type O (51.5%) and Rh-positive (93.1%) were the most frequent. Patients from blood type O had a high risk to severe disease [OR: 1.33 (95% CI: 0.42 - 4.18), p=0.630] and hospitalization [OR: 2.59 (95% CI: 0.84 - 8.00), p=0.099]. Also, Rh-positive blood type presented a high risk for severe disease (OR: 10.6, p=0.007) and hospitalization (OR: 6.04, p=0.026). We find a high susceptibility, severity, hospitalization, and mortality, respectively, among blood group O and Rh-positive patients, while blood group AB presented a low susceptibility, severity, hospitalization, and mortality, respectively. Our findings add to the body of evidence suggesting that ABO/Rh blood groups play an important role in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clinical features related to severity and mortality among COVID-19 patients in a pre-vaccine period in Luanda, Angola

Background: Infection due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with clinical features of diverse severity. Few studies investigated the severity and mortality predictors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Africa. Herein, we investigated the clinical features of severity and mortality among COVID-19 patients in Luanda, Angola. Methods: This multicenter cohort study involved 101 COVID-19 patients, between December 2020 and April 2021, with clinical and laboratory data collected. Analysis was done using independent-sample t-tests and Chi-square tests. The results were deemed significant when p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of patients was 51 years (ranging from 18 to 80 years) and 60.4% were male. Fever (46%), cough (47%), gastrointestinal symptoms (26.7%), and asthenia (26.7%), were the most common symptoms. About 64.4% of the patients presented coexistent disorders, including hypertension (42%), diabetes (17%), and chronic renal diseases (6%). About 23% were non-severe, 77% were severe, and 10% died during hospitalization. Variations in the concentration of neutrophil, urea, creatinine, c-reactive protein, sodium, creatine kinase, and chloride were independently associated with severity and/or mortality (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Several factors contributed to the severity and mortality among COVID-19 patients in Angola. Further studies related to clinical features should be carried out to help clinical decision-making and follow-up of COVID-19 patients in Angola.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How hydroxyurea alters the gut microbiome: a longitudinal study involving Angolan children with sickle cell anemia

FCT/Aga Khan (project no. 330842553).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited hematological disorder and a serious global health problem, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although hydroxyurea (HU) is the leading treatment for patients with SCA, its effects on the gut microbiome have not yet been explored. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate this association by characterizing the gut microbiome of an Angolan SCA pediatric population before and after 6 months of HU treatment. A total of 66 stool samples were obtained and sequenced for the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 regions). Significant associations were observed in alpha and beta-diversity, with higher values of species richness for the children naïve for HU. We also noticed that children after HU had higher proportions of several beneficial bacteria, mostly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) producing species, such as Blautia luti, Roseburia inulinivorans, Eubacterium halli, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus, Lactobacillus rogosae, among others. In addition, before HU there was a higher abundance of Clostridium_g24, which includes C. bolteae and C. clostridioforme, both considered pathogenic. This study provides the first evidence of the HU effect on the gut microbiome and unravels several microorganisms that could be considered candidate biomarkers for disease severity and HU efficacy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A retrospective study

Funding Information: Thanks to the research team of INIS/CISA (Joana Sebastião, Joltim Quivinja, Joana Paixão, António Mateus, and Zinga David), Instituto Nacional de Sangue (Eunice Manico, Alberto Sozinho, and Deodete Machado), and Clínica Girassol (Alice Teixeira, Domingos Alfredo, and Ngueza Loureiro) for the data collection, technical/administrative support, and testing. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.Background and Aims: Hypertension is a public health concern, mainly in resource-limited countries. We investigated the characteristics and risk factors related to high blood pressure in healthy blood donors from, Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Methods: This was a retrospective study that included 343 healthy donors from December 2019 to September 2020. Results: The mean age was 32 ± 9 years. Men represented 93% of the population. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 131 ± 12.3 mmHg (ranging from 100 to 160 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 80.1 ± 9.72 mmHg (from 56.0 to 100 mmHg). DBP was related to age and gender (p 140/90 mmHg). Age between 20 and 40 years (odds ratio [OR]: 2.52, p = 0.043), women (OR: 1.87, p = 0.548), nonurbanized areas (OR: 0.39, p = 0.067), high educational level (OR: 0.76, p = 0.637), employed (OR: 0.49, p = 0.491), voluntary donors (OR: 0.87, p = 0.799), blood group B (OR: 2.06, p = 0.346), and Rh- (OR: 0.26, p = 0.104), were potentially related with high-pressure. The high-pressure cases increased from December 2019 (4%) to September 2020 (28%) (p = 0.019). Conclusion: We showed high pressure among the healthy blood donors population. Demographic characteristics, ABO/Rh blood group, and year period are features that should be considered in cardiovascular disease control strategies. Biological and nonbiological features related to blood pressure changes should be considered for further studies in the Angolan population.publishersversionpublishe

Immune profile of healthcare professionals six months after vaccination or exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 in Angola

Abstract Background and Aims Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection is a public health concern. Until 2021, more than 2 million cumulative deaths were reported worldwide. Herein, we investigated the immune profile of healthcare professionals 6 months after vaccination or exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 in Angola. Methods This was a prospective study conducted with 1068 Angolan healthcare professionals between August and December 2021. Participants were screened for the presence of IgG and IgM against SARS‐CoV‐2. Results About 9.6% and 98.2% of the participants had prior exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 or vaccination against it, respectively. Participants aged between 20 and 40 years (11.2%), female (12.4%), with higher educational level (12.8%), from Luanda (60.3%), and nonhealthcare professionals (8.1%) were the most affected by the SARS‐CoV‐2. Gender, education, and local residence were related to SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure (p 3 months. Individuals who received only the first dose regardless of the type of vaccine had a higher immunity duration (>3 months) than those who received two doses. For individuals who received the Sputnik and Johnson, the average immunity was lower (<3 months), especially among those who were older (over 40 years old) and exposed to SARS‐CoV‐2. Conclusion We observed a high adherence rate to vaccination and a long immunity duration. The immunity duration depended on the type of vaccine. Further studies on the immunity profile in the population exposed to SARS‐CoV‐2 must be carried out in the general population from Angola to assess antibody‐waning periods

Sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in Luanda, Angola.

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics related to SARS-CoV-2 in Luanda, Angola. A total of 622 individuals were screened for SARS-CoV-2 from January to September 2020. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to identify the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and SARS-CoV-2. Of the 622 tested, 14.3% tested positive. The infection rate was the same for both genders (14.3%). Individuals ≥40 years old, from non-urbanized areas, and healthcare professionals had a higher frequency of infection. The risk of infection was very high in individuals ≥60 years old (AOR: 23.3, 95% CI: 4.83-112), in women (AOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.76-2.04), in Luanda (AOR: 7.40, 95% CI: 1.64-33.4), and healthcare professionals (AOR: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.60-2.71), whereas a low risk was observed in individuals from urbanized areas (AOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26-0.75). Our results suggest that Angolan authorities should implement a greater effort in non-urbanized areas and among healthcare professionals since when these individuals presented any indication for a COVID-19 test, such as fever/cough/myalgia, they were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 than having some other cause for symptoms

Early Genomic Detection of Cosmopolitan Genotype of Dengue Virus Serotype 2, Angola, 2018

We used portable genome sequencing to investigate reported dengue virus transmission in Angola. Our results show that autochthonous transmission of dengue serotype 2 (cosmopolitan genotype) occurred in January 2018