APOBEC3G variants and protection against HIV-1 infection in Burkina Faso

Studies on host factors, particularly the APOBEC3G gene, have previously found an association with AIDS progression in some populations and against some HIV-1 strains but not others. Our study had two main objectives: firstly, to screen a population from Burkina Faso for three variants of APOBEC3G previously described, and secondly to analyze the effect of these three variants and their haplotypes on HIV-1 infection with Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRFs) present in Burkina Faso. This case control study involved 708 seropositive and seronegative individuals. Genotyping was done by the TaqMan allelic discrimination method. Minor allele frequencies of rs6001417 (p<0.05), rs8177832 (P<0.05), and rs35228531 (P<0.001) were higher in seronegative subjects. The rs6001417 and rs8177832 SNPs were associated with HIV-1 infection in an additive model (P<0.01). Furthermore the SNP rs35228531 was also associated with HIV-1 infection in a dominant model (P<0.001). Odds ratio analysis of genotypes and alleles of the different APOBEC3G variants showed that there is a strong association between the minor genetic variants, genotype of the three SNPs, and HIV-1 status. Haplotype analysis demonstrated that rs6001417, rs8177832, and rs35228531 are in linkage disequilibrium. The haplotype GGT from the rs6001417, rs8177832 and rs35228531 respectively has a protective effect OR = 0.54 [0.43-0.68] with P<0.001. There was also associations between the haplotypes GGC OR = 1.6 [1.1;-2.3] P<0.05, and CGC OR = 5.21 [2.4-11.3] P<0.001, which increase the risk of infection by HIV-1 from almost two (2) to five (5) fold. This study demonstrates an association of rs6001417, rs8177832, and rs35228531 of APOBEC3G with HIV-1 infection in a population from Burkina Faso

Professions and the social order: some lessons from Burkina Faso?

The study of professions has been dominated by Anglo-American models, with their focus on a small group of legally-licensed occupations. The field has recently shifted, mainly through studies of European experience, to a wider examination of the social management of expert workers. Very little has been written about developments in Africa and their implications for the way in which we might think about professions. This paper presents a case study of the role and practices of the medical profession in Burkina Faso, which has a relatively open market for the supply of healing services and limited regulation of the suppliers, whether physicians or traditional practitioners. The study returns to classic questions about the extent to which practice is shaped by the nature of occupational niches within the division of labour or to the development of a distinctive moral character among the workers within that niche

Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus in Children under Five in Africa (2006-2016): A Systematic Review

Group A human rotaviruses (RVA) are the most common causes of severe viral gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. The available vaccines, while effective in Europe and North America have shown a reduced efficacy in Africa. One issue raised is the genetic variability of RVA. The objective of this study was to perform a literature review of molecular epidemiology to determine the prevalence of RVA genotypes circulating in Africa so as to establish a mapping of reliable data on these various genotypes. The search for articles was done from the National Institutes of Health (PUBMED) using three set of keywords. Articles were selected with inclusion criteria such as the date of publication, the age of the children, the sample size and the diagnostic techniques (standardized laboratory techniques). The data were imported into STATA SE version 11 software. Specific prevalence was estimated with Confidence Intervals (CI) of 95%. A total of 326 published studies were initially retrieved, out of which 27 studies were finally selected for the systematic review. The selected studies cover 20 African countries. The most encountered genotypes in Africa during this period were G1 (32.72%), followed by G2 (17.17%), G3 (9.88%), G9 (8.61%) and G12 (7.56%) among the G-types. The most common P-types were P[8] (48.71%) followed by P[6] (22.60%) and P[4] (11.58%) and the G1P[8] combination (22.64%) was the most encountered followed by G2P[4] (8.29%), G9P[8] (6.95%) and G2P[6] (5.00%). North Africa presented the highest prevalence of the P[8] genotype (65.70%). This review provides a comprehensive view of the current circulating rotavirus strains in Africa, which can be important in light of the new rotavirus vaccinations. Indeed, in Africa, the pursuit of national and continental studies for epidemiological surveillance of circulating rotavirus strains is vital for the promotion of future successful vaccines.</p

Productivity, family planning and reproductive health in Burkina Faso 2013-2014

(1)Quantitative data from a prospective cohort study of 839 pregnant and/or postpartum women who were between seven months gestation and three months postpartum at recruitment. Participants were interviewed three times over a nine month period. The cohort is a population-representative sample of parturient women in the commune of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Data were collected relating to socio-demographic characteristics; household assets; reproductive history; women’s work and occupation including both income-generating and non-income generating activities; birth and postpartum preparedness; characteristics of the index delivery; contraceptive history and current use; fertility preferences; health-related functioning (ability to carry out usual daily activities); haemoglobin level; mental health measured through the K10 scale; time use diary; household food security scale. (2) qualitative data (transcripts of 56 in-depth interviews and 3 focus group discussions) from a nested cohort of women recruited from within PopDev, and their husband/partners. Key themes discussed in these qualitative data are women’s work, use of family planning, and the factors that facilitated or were challenging during their return to work during the postpartum period. Interviews with policy makers and key stakeholders also conducted Our previous ESRC-funded research in Burkina Faso showed the adverse effects of serious illnesses during pregnancy and the high costs of care on women's lives. The aim of this new project is to gain a detailed understanding of how the arrival of a new baby affects women’s productivity and how family planning and other reproductive health services can help women returning to good health and work. This multi-disciplinary project includes three sub-studies. Sub-study A is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected in Burkina Faso from 2001-2006. Sub-study B is a cohort study of women identified in the community during pregnancy and the first trimester after childbirth. Over a period of nine months, women will be interviewed three times about their health, preparations they made for childbirth and the period after childbirth, changes in paid work (or education) and domestic work, fertility intention and contraceptive needs. Interviewers will measure women's blood pressure and whether they have anaemia. In sub-study C, qualitative methods will document how women and their family make decisions on work, childbirth and family planning. Sub-study C will re-interview a sub-sample of cohort women, observe some of them in their daily activities, and interview men, policy makers as well as health care providers

Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Pathogenic Enterobacteria Strains from Three Biotopes in the City of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Sanhitouo Charlemagne Dabiré,1,2 Marius K Somda,2 Léon W Nitièma,3 Dinanibè Kambiré,1 Samiratou Kiemtoré,1 Serge Théophile Soubeiga,1 Abdou Azaque Zouré,1 Konan Kouakou Toussaint Yao,2 Tegwindé Rebeca Compaoré,1 Henri Gautier Ouedraogo,1 Mamoudou H Dicko2 1Département Biomédical et Santé publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé ́(IRSS)/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 2Département de Biochimie Microbiologie, Ecole Doctorale Sciences Et Technologies (EDST)/Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 3Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoCorrespondence: Sanhitouo Charlemagne Dabiré, Email [email protected]: The emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae is a public health problem in tropical countries such as Burkina Faso. Antibiotic resistance could be identified using a variety of approaches. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pathogenic enterobacteria strains from three sources, as well as their antibiotic resistance profile to biotope and climatic season.Material and Methods: The methodological approach consisted of identifying Enterobacteriaceae from human (urine, stool), animal (eggs, milk, fish), and environmental (soil, lettuce) samples, followed by assessing their antibiotic susceptibility. Samples were collected from February to December 2023. Bacterial species were isolated and phenotypically identified (morphologically, culturally, biochemically, and antigenically) using standard methods. The prevalence of bacterial susceptibility to ten antibiotics was determined using the agar disk diffusion method. The collected data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software.Results: A total of 615 Enterobacteriaceae isolates were collected, including 300, 168, and 147 samples from human, animal, and environmental sources respectively. Phenotypic characteristics allowed to partially identify 43 species, among these 29.76% belonged to Escherichia coli, 24.72% to Enterobacter cloacae, 13. 82% to Klebsiella pneumoniae, 3.41% to Enterobacter sakazakii and 2.6% to Klebsiella oxytoca. Bacterial resistance rates were: aminopenicillins (54.8%), first-generation cephalosporins (35.3%), sulfonamides (33.3%), third-generation cephalosporins (30.7%), fourth-generation cephalosporins (22.5%), fluoroquinolones (21.8%), phenicols (16.8%), and carbapenems (16.2%). The distribution of antibiotic resistance was 45.3% from human sources, 19.3% from animal sources, and 13.8% from environmental sources.Conclusion: The results indicate that resistant bacteria can come from any of the three biotopes, with human origin being the most frequent. The high prevalence of resistance to the antibiotics tested in isolated bacteria raises interest in investigating the genetic factors responsible.Keywords: pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae, biotopes, resistance, antibiotics, Burkina Fas

Residual risk of HIV, HCV, and HBV transmission by blood transfusion between 2015 and 2017 at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Arzouma Paul Yooda,1&ndash;3 Salam Sawadogo,3 Serge Th&eacute;ophile Soubeiga,1,2 Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah,4 Koumpingnin Nebie,3 Abdoul Karim Ouattara,1,2 Birama Diarra,1,2 Abibou Simpore,3 Yetema Dieudonn&eacute; Yonli,3 Abdoul-Guaniyi Sawadogo,3 Bia Emile Drabo,3 Seimbou Zalla,3 Anita Pierrette Siriti&eacute;,3 Rodrigue Sosth&egrave;ne Nana,3 Honorine Dahourou,3 Jacques Simpore1,2 1Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics (LaBioGene), Training and Research Unit in Life and Earth Sciences, University Ouaga I Professor Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 2Pietro Annigoni Biomolecular Research Center (CERBA), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 3National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 4Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, the high endemicity of blood-borne infections is a serious threat to transfusion safety. In order to improve transfusion safety, Burkina Faso has undertaken in recent years a reorganization of its blood-transfusion system through the creation of a National Blood Transfusion Center, which is the only blood operator in the whole country. This study aimed to estimate the residual risk of transmission of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) by blood transfusion at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center (RBTC) of Ouagadougou.Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the RBTC of Ouagadougou between 2015 and 2017. Prevalence of infectious markers was calculated for first-time donors and incidence rates calculated for repeat donors who had made at least two donations of blood over the study period. Residual risks were estimated for the three viruses (HIV, HBV, and HCV) by multiplying the incidence rate per 100,000 person-years by the respective durations of serological windows.Results: Between 2015 and 2017, of a total of 84,299 blood donors, 68,391 (81.13%) were first-time donors compared to 15,908 (18.87%) repeat donors. The seroprevalence of HBV (8.56%) was twice that of HCV (4.40%) and fourfold that of HIV (1.80%). Incidence rates were 1,215, 2,601, and 1,599 per 100,000 donations for HIV, HCV, and HBV, respectively. In contrast, the estimated residual risk for HCV (1 in 213 donations) was double that of HBV (1 in 408 donations) and four times that of HIV (1 in 1,366).Conclusion: The residual risk of transmission of these viruses by blood transfusion remains high in repeat donors. An effective donor-retention and education policy could help to reduce this residual risk. Keywords: infectious diseases, prevalence, incidence, residual transfusion ris