Zéphyrin Fokam

[Revision of of the subfamily of Metaracoelophryinae de Puytorac 1972 (Oligohymenophora: Hoplytophryida: Hoplytophryidae), astome ciliates of the digestive tract of Oligochaeta worms of Africa: description of five new species].

Cinq nouvelles espèces de ciliés astomes, présentes dans le tube digestif de vers oligochètes du genre Alma du Cameroun, ont été décrites. Les techniques utilisées sont : l’observation vitale, la coloration au DAPI, la microscopie électronique à balayage et les imprégnations argentiques selon Fernandez Galiano, 1966. Ce travail confirme la présence des genres Paracoelophrya et Dicoelophrya dans le tube digestif des oligochètes du genre Alma du Gabon et du Cameroun ; il permet de faire une synthèse récapitulative de la sous-famille des Metaracoelophryinae. De plus, est confirmée l’homogénéité de ce groupe, et est reposée la question de la parenté phylogénétique des Hoplitophryida.

Viruses and bacteria microfauna of the soil and the digestive tract of earthworms (Oligochaetes annelids) of Cameroon: highlighting, quantification and importance.

A is located in the center of Rajasthan (INDIA) between 25 0 38 “ and 26 0 58 “ north Latitude and 73 0 54 “ and 75 0 22” east longitude covering a geographical area of about 8481sq km hemmed in all sides by Aravalli hills . About 7 miles from the city is Pushkar lake created by the touch of lord Brahma. The Dargah of khawaja Moinuddinchisti is holiest shrine next to Mecca in the world. Ajmer has hot dry summer and cold bracing winter. The winter extends from November to February and summer extends from March to June followed by rainy season till mid-September. The temperature varies from 2oC in winter and 490 C in summer. The normal annual rainfall is 527.3mm. The seasons of viral diseases are March and September. In year 2015 more than 200 cases of Dengue (breakbone fever) were registered. Dengue is mosquito born tropical disease. Virus is +ssRNA enveloped. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, skin rash. It can be life threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever resulting in bleeding, low level blood platelets and plasma leakage. In dengue shock syndrome dangerously low B.P. occurs. In the present study cases of dengue were studied in Ajmer with reference to different age groups.H cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection still represents the most common with potentially serious viral complication in humans and is a major cause of congenital anomalies’ in infants. This study was aimed to detect HCMV in infants with congenital anomalies. Study subjects consisted of infants born with neural tube defect, hydrocephalus (HC) and microcephaly. Fifty serum specimens (20 males, 30 females) were collected from different hospitals in Khartoum state. The sera were investigated for Cytomegalovirus specific immunoglobin M (IgM) antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and for Cytomegalovirus DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Out of the 50 sera tested, one patient’s (2%) sample showed HCMV IgM but with no detectable DNA by using PCR, another 4 (8.2%) sera were positive for HCMV DNA by using PCR but with no detectable IgM using ELISA. Various diagnostic techniques should be considered to evaluate HCMV disease and routine screening for HCMV should be introduced for pregnant women in this setting. It is vital to initiate further research work with many samples from different area to assess prevalence and characterize HCMV and evaluate its maternal health implications.V infections account for 15 million deaths per year, one-third of all mortalities worldwide. The most effective medical approach to combat viral diseases and reduce deaths is vaccinations, which have less adverse side effects than drugs while inducing longer lasting protection from re-infection. Live attenuated, inactivated or subunit vaccine approaches have been successfully utilized to combat mortalities caused by infectious diseases such as yellow fever, varicella, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, smallpox, polio, rabies, hepatitis A and B and human papillomavirus. Viruses themselves have also been used as vectors (either replication competent or replication deficient) for development of vaccines against both infectious and non-infectious diseases. The most important factor in the construction of effective viral vectors is finding the right balance between safety and immunogenicity. Although live viral vaccine vectors are highly efficacious, there is also a greater potential risk involved with their broader usage because they are replication-competent. Vaccines based on replication-incompetent viruses are perceived to be safer but there is not yet any vaccine on the market for human use. In this talk, characteristics of both replication-deficient and replication-competent viral vectors and barriers for their developments will be discussed. The talk will specifically focus on a few vector examples that have either generated marketed products or have successfully completed their phase 3 efficacy trials.N disease (ND) is the most important infectious viral disease of poultry. The world-wide economic loss from it is 2 to 3 billion USD per year. The industrial poultry farming is rapidly developing in Ukraine. Geographically Ukraine is located in the center of Europe, on the crossing of migration routes of various wild birds; the main natural reservoir of ND agents. Using of vaccines is the most radical method of preventing the ND. It is necessary to control the intensity of post-vaccination immunity and the timing of revaccinations. OIE recommends hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test to assess the level of antibodies following vaccination. Based on HI assay develop and create a test kit for detection of antibodies to ND virus (NDV). We prepared hemagglutinating antigen from strain “LaSota” using embryonated SPF fowl eggs. In order to ensure a high degree of specificity for the antigen, special attention was given to a stabilizer for freeze-drying. The specific hemagglutination activity of the obtained antigen amounted to 10-11 log2. The test was performed using the 4HA units of the antigen. Positive control serum activity was in the range of 79 log2. Negative control serum did not give results more than 2 log2. The estimation of the quality indexes of the components of the diagnostic test-kit was performed using harmonized methods. The use of the developed HI test kit for detection of antibodies to NDV helps to maintain the disease-free status of the Ukrainian poultry industry with regard to ND.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at Jimma Model Clinic of Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia from September 11, 2013 to October 11, 2013. Pertinent data of 334 screened clients were transferred to Epidata version 3.1 using checklist, double data entry verification done and exported to SPSS version 16.0. After cleaning the data, descriptive analysis was done and logistic regression model employed to identify predictors of VIA positive result. Statistical Significance was declared at P<0.05.Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) functions have been studied extensively in hemodialysis (HD) patients; however, results are contradictory and the mechanisms that modulate phagocytosis and oxidative burst are not completely understood. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a frequent complication of HD that may be associated with disturbed PMN function; however, the impact of HCV infection on neutrophil oxidative burst function in HD patients is unknown. We investigated Neutrophil oxidative burst function in 24 HD patients (15 HCV-positive and, 9 HCV-negative patients) before and after dialysis. HCV-RNA was detected by RT-nested PCR while, quantitative measurement of oxidative burst function was assessed by flowcytometry. Neutrophil Oxidised burst function was significantly diminished in HD patients as comapred to controls (P = 0.001, oxidised PMN (%); P = 0.02 mean flueresnce intensity, MFI), and in pre-dialysis as compared to post-dialysis samples (oxidised PMNs (%): 60.5 +/- 3.2 vs. 72.1 +/- 3.9, P = 0.02); (MFI: 352 +/- 42 vs. 500 +/- 50, P = 0.03). Alteration in Neutrophil oxidative burst function in the pre-dialysis samples was significant in HCV-positive patients as compared to HCV-negative patients (oxidized PMNs (%): 50 +/- 2.9 vs. 63 +/- 5.1, P = 0.02); (MFI: 291 +/- 31 vs. 438 +/- 64, P = 0.006). Marked reduction in E. coli induced burst in pre-dialysis samples compared to post-dialysis was found in HCV-positive when compared to HCV-negative patients (oxidized PMNs (%): 50 +/- 2.9 vs. 74.8 +/- 4.7, P = 0.001), (MFI: 291 +/- 31 vs. 493 +/- 63, P = 0.002). In conclusion, a possible role of concomitant HCV infection in alteration of Neutrophil oxidative burst function is highly suggested.Liying Ma1, Xiaoxi Zhang4, Yang Jiao1, 2, Chen Wang2, Shuming Li2, Li Li2, Jie Liu2, Katharine J Bar3, Huamian Wei1, Yao Hu2, Ping Huang2, Zhaoli Zeng2, Shulin Jiang2, Jialiang Du4, David Metzger3 and Yiming Shao1 1National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, China 2Beijing Chaoyang District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, China 3University of Pennsylvania, USA 4National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, ChinaH B virus (HBV) has ten genotypes (A-J) and 34 subtypes. These genotypes differ in geographic distribution, HBeAg seroconversion rate, clinical outcome, prognosis and response to antiviral treatment. The prognosis of chronic HBV (CHB) infection includes hepatic failure, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The introduction of mandatory vaccination in Saudi Arabia have reduced the prevalence in young Saudis, but the prevalence in individuals more than 25 years is about 4%. Studies exploring the evolutionary aspect and molecular variations of HBV in correlation with the development of HCC in Saudi Arabia are very limited. Deep next generation sequencing is more frequently used to investigate low frequency mutations in HBV that might be associated with resistance to antiviral treatment or the development of HCC. We performed deep sequencing on samples from 20 HBV chronically infected patients from Saudi Arabia. Subjects were all of genotype D, positive for HBsAg and negative for HBeAg. A common finding in all samples was the 33 base deletions in the preS region in all cases. Low frequency mutations in the rt-region related to antiviral resistance together with mutations in the pre-core and core regions associated with the development of HCC were detected. The results of these studies as well as their clinical data will be presented.