Allergic Disorders in Africa and Africans: Is it Primarily a Priority?

In Africa, the burden of some diseases has been a problem for centuries. The spectrum of African diseases includes allergies, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and natural disasters. Efforts made by scientists to search for possible means of disease control have been outstanding; however, in some infections, solutions are still out of reach. In disease control programs, it might be worthwhile to pay attention to the most striking diseases than merely follow a holistic approach. This short review tackles the problems of allergy and allergens in Africa as compared with other disease burdens that may suggest the need for a more balanced approach based on priority

Prevalence of atopy, asthma and COPD in an urban and a rural area of an African country

SummaryThe objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of asthma, atopy and COPD in Rwanda and to identify risk factors. The survey was conducted in Kigali, the Capital of Rwanda, and in Huye District, a rural area located in southern Rwanda.MethodsA total of 2138 subjects were invited to participate in the study.1920 individuals (90%) answered to questionnaires on respiratory symptoms and performed spirometry, 1824 had acceptable spirograms and performed skin-prick test. In case of airflow obstruction (defined as pre-bronchodilator ratio FEV1/FVC < LLN) a post bronchodilator spirometry was performed. Reversibility was defined as an increase in FEV1 of 200 ml and 12% above baseline FEV1 after inhalation of 400 mcg of salbutamol.ResultsThe mean age was 38.3 years; 48.1% of participants were males and 51.9% females. Airflow obstruction was found in 256 participants (14%); 163(8.9%) subjects were asthmatics and 82 (4.5%) had COPD. COPD was found in 9.6% of participants aged 45 years and above. 484 subjects had positive skin-prick tests (26.5%); house dust mite and grass pollen mix were the main allergens. Risk factors for asthma were allergy, female gender and living in Kigali. COPD was associated with cigarette smoking, age and male sex.Conclusionthis is the first study which shows the prevalence of atopy, asthma and COPD in Rwanda. Asthma and COPD were respectively diagnosed in 8.9% and 4.5% of participants. COPD was diagnosed in 9.6% of subjects aged ≥45 years.The prevalence of asthma was higher in urban compared to rural area

Looking ahead at the potential benefits of biotechnology-derived allergen therapeutics

While biotechnology-derived allergen therapeutics show promise in improving the safety of immunotherapy, they may prove to have additional benefits in comparison to conventional allergenic extracts that deserve commentary. These issues range from product stability and compatibility to medical practice issues, which will be the focus of this article

Food allergies and perceptions towards food allergen labelling in Mauritius

There remains a paucity of research in food allergies in Sub-saharan Africa. It is the aim of this study 4 to determine the self-reported prevalence of food allergies and consumers’ perceptions towards food 5 allergen labelling in Mauritius. A survey was conducted in four supermarkets in the Municipalities of 6 Vacoas-Phoenix, Quatre-Bornes and Moka during the period of September to November 2017. The 7 questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and administered using a face-to-face 8 interview approach to increase completion rate. Descriptive analysis and one-way ANOVA between 9 subjects design were conducted. Shellfish was reported as the most common causative agent 10 followed by fish, egg and peanut. Respondents were satisfied with the current font size and general 11 information provided in food labels. Respondents agreed that it could be problematic to identify 12 suitable foods for individuals suffering from food allergies or intolerances. Variations of PAL 13 statements and generic terms provided in food labels, and location of allergy warnings were cause for 14 concern. More than 80% of the respondents felt that allergens in ingredient list should be emphasised 15 (e.g. bold font) and plain English or French language should be used to describe allergenic 16 ingredients. The findings in this study provide practical insights on food allergen labelling issues for 17 policy makers and stakeholders in the food supply chain. Determining the prevalence of food allergies 18 in the country will inform policy makers to consider adding shellfish and other major allergenic 19 ingredients to the list of ingredients requiring mandatory allergen warning label in Mauritiu

Antigen processing and presentation by dendritic cells is independent of coronin 1

Coronin 1, which is a member of the evolutionary conserved coronin protein family that is highly expressed in all leukocytes is involved in the activation of the Ca(2+)/calcineurin signaling pathway following cell surface stimulation in T cells, B cells as well as macrophages. Mice deficient for coronin 1 have strongly reduced peripheral T cell numbers as a result of a lack of pro-survival signals for naïve T cells. Whether or not impaired antigen processing and presentation in the absence of coronin 1 expression contributes to this reduction of T cell numbers is unknown. We here show that coronin 1-deficient bone marrow-derived dendritic cells develop normally, and that wild type and coronin 1-deficient dendritic cells were equally able to induce antigen-specific proliferation of T cells. Furthermore, upon immunization, in vivo proliferation of adoptively transferred antigen-specific T cells was comparable in wild type and coronin 1-deficient mice. Finally, infection of wild type and coronin 1-deficient dendritic cells with an ovalbumin-expressing Listeria monocytogenes strain induced comparable levels of ovalbumin-specific T cells responses. Together these results suggest that coronin 1 is dispensable for antigen processing and presentation by dendritic cells