Eric Delaporte

High level of hepatitis C endemicity in Gabon, equatorial Africa

To assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a community-based study was performed in eastern Gabon on 1172 subjects over 5 years of age. The prevalence of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) detected using second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and confirmed by an immunoblot assay (RIBA 2), was 6.5%. Anti-HCV prevalence increased with age but was related to neither sex nor ethnic group. Among 30 subjects with positive ELISA results, 14 had HCV viraemia as shown by the polymerase chain reaction (11/12 RIBA positive, 2/15 RIBA negative, 1/3 RIBA indeterminate). We conclude that HCV is highly endemic in western equatorial Africa and that a high proportion of the population may be viraemic.

High prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies in a Cameroon rural forest area☆

Sera of 807 people living in a rural forest area in southern Cameroon were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; 101 (12.5%) gave positive results and were confirmed by line immunoassay. There was a highly significant difference between subjects aged over 40 years and those under 40 years, with the former having a much higher prevalence of antibodies. There were also significant differences between antibody prevalences among subjects aged > 40 years in the 3 ethnic groups studied--Baka Pygmies (6%), Fangs (30%) and Boulous (44%). Further studies are necessary to determine the reasons for these differences.

Age-related prevalence of antibody response against three different, defined Plasmodium falciparum antigens in children from the Haut-Ogooué province in Gabon

The kinetics of the humoral response to defined Plasmodium falciparum antigens was studied in 543 children, 1 month to 15 years old, living in an area endemic for malaria. The antigens used for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were (i) the synthetic peptide (NANP)40 representing the immunodominant repeated region of the circumsporozoite protein, and (ii) the fusion peptide 31.1, representing the N-terminal portion of the 83 kDa polypeptide expressed at the surface of merozoites which is a processed product of the 190-200 kDa glycoprotein. In addition, glutaraldehyde-fixed infected red blood cells (RBC) were used to detect ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) and unfixed infected RBC to detect intra-erythrocytic asexual form (IEF) antigens by immunofluorescence. In the 1 to 2 months age group, 50%, 26% and 21% of the children had antibodies for IEF, (NANP)40 and 31.1 respectively, but none had anti-RESA antibodies. The proportions of positive subjects decreased until 3 to 6 months and then increased progressively for the 4 antigens, approaching, but not reaching, adult values by the age of 15 years. Antibodies against specific antigens were acquired concomitantly. Children born from (NANP)40-positive mothers showed enhanced anti-(NANP)40 IgG responses.

Treatment regimens of STD patients in Cameroon : a need for intervention

Background and Objectives The management of patients with STDs is an important element in the fight against AIDS. To define effective STD control strategies a survey was carried out to understand the attitudes of STD patients and the treatment regimens they follow. Study Design The study was based on interviews with male patients with typical symptoms of urethritis leaving private pharmacies in Douala and Yaoundé. Each case was asked to answer a questionnaire comprising the origin of the therapeutic choice, the nature and cost of the treatment and any advice received. Results Fifty-six men in Douala and 86 in Yaoundé were recruited. The sources of prescription were dispensary (38%, 54%) private MD (9%, 15%) pharmacist (7%, 9%), diverse (46%, 21%) in Douala and Yaoundé respectively. At least two medicines were recommended in three-quarters of the patients. The most frequently used antibiotics were aminoglycosides and penicillin. The cost of the treatment ranged from

Population-based study of serum hepatitis B virus DNA in Gabon

3.50 to

The Use of a Line Probe Assay as a Tool to Detect New Types or Subtypes of the Hepatitis C Virus

110. The more “medical” the initial visit, the higher was the cost of the prescribed treatment. In Douala only 49% of the prescribers advised the patients to treat their partners and condom promotion was done by 21% of the prescribers. Conclusion This survey provides useful data on the care of patients with urethritis. Such surveys are simple, rapid, reasonable inexpensive (about

Rapid Confirmation of the Zaire Ebola Virus in the Outbreak of the Equateur Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Implications for Public Health Interventions

10,000) and contribute to the efficient design of STD control strategies. In addition, repeat survey to monitor the impact of the strategies are simple to carry out.

Classification of hepatitis C viruses based on phylogenetic analysis of the envelope 1 and nonstructural 5B regions and identification of five additional subtypes

The prevalence of serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was measured in a Gabonese community at high risk for HBV infection. Among 698 subjects 5 to 24 years old, the prevalence of HBsAg was 11.1% vs. 57.9% for anti-HBs and 7.2% for anti-HBc alone. The prevalence of HBeAg among HBsAg-positive subjects was 26.5% vs. 59.5% for anti-HBe. The prevalence of HBV DNA tested by a hybridization spot test was 2.1% in the overall population and 18.7% among HBsAg-positive subjects. HBV DNA was found in 15 of 21 HBeAg-positive subjects but in none of the subjects positive for anti-HBe or negative for both HBeAg and anti-HBe. HBV DNA was not detected in any HBsAg negative subjects. The prevalence of HBV DNA decreased with age. This low prevalence of HBV DNA contrasts with the high level of endemicity in the study population.

Epidemiology of HTLV-I in Gabon (Western Equatorial Africa).

We developed a Line Probe Assay (LiPA) based on the reverse hybridization principle which enables genotyping of up to 48 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected serum samples in less than two days, thus establishing a very sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the 5′ non-translated region of the HCV genome. After hybridization to type-specific oligonucleotides, the position of the bound biotinylated amplification product was visualized with a streptavidin/ alkaline phosphatase conjugate, and using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate (BCIP) as chromogens. A total of 472 serum samples originating from Brazil (114 sera), Gabon (39 sera), Belgium/ Netherlands (196 sera), and Belgium (another 123 sera) were tested. Of them, 97% could be typed, either as type 1a (related to HCV-1), type 1b (related to HCV-J), type 2a (related to HC-J6), type 2b (related to HC-J8), type 3 (related to E-b1 and Ta), type 4 (related to EG-29), or type 5 (related to SA-3). However, a clear discrimination between type 4 and 5 is not yet possible with the current LiPA format. Three percent of the sera, mostly originating from Africa, were not recognized by one of the typing probes. This prototype HCV-LiPA performs exceptionally well in sera from most non-African countries, where the majority of HCV genotypes belong to either group 1, 2, or 3.

Demographic Factors Associated with HTLV-1 Infection in a Gabonese Community

Abstract Ten days after the declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rapid identification of the species Zaire Ebola virus using partial gene amplification and nanopore sequencing backed up the use of the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus–Zaire Ebola virus vaccine in the recommended ring vaccination strategy.