Evolution of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions in Equatorial Guinea between the pre- and post-RDT introduction.

Background: Pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions are threatening Plasmodium falciparum malaria diagnosis by rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) due to false negatives. This study assesses the changes in the frequencies of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions (pfhrp2 and pfhrp3, respectively) and the genes in their flaking regions, before and after RDT introduction in Equatorial Guinea.

Methods: A total of 566 P.

HIV diagnosis in Equatorial Guinea. Keys to reduce the diagnostic and therapeutic delay.

Background: In Equatorial Guinea, only 54 % of people living with HIV know their HIV status. There are no confirmatory or molecular diagnostic techniques for early diagnosis or monitoring of infection in the country. Rapid diagnostic tests can induce false-positive diagnoses if used as a confirmatory technique.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention in a context of high presumed sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance: malaria morbidity and molecular drug resistance profiles in South Sudan.

Background: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SP-AQ), is a community-based malaria preventive strategy commonly used in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa. However, to date it has not been implemented in East Africa due to high SP resistance levels. This paper is a report on the implementation of SMC outside of the Sahel in an environment with a high level of presumed SP-resistance: five cycles of SMC using SPAQ were administered to children 3-59 months during a period of high malaria transmission (July-December 2019) in 21 villages in South Sudan.

Sub-Lineage 4.2.2/SIT149 as Dominant Drug-Resistant Clade in Northwest Ethiopia 2020-2022: In-silico Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis.

Introduction: Drug resistance (DR) in complex (MTBC) is mainly associated with certain lineages and varies across regions and countries. The Beijing genotype is the leading resistant lineage in Asia and western countries. (Mtb) (sub) lineages responsible for most drug resistance in Ethiopia are not well described.

Rural-Urban Inequities in Tuberculosis-Related Practices in Equatorial Guinea.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of mortality from a single infectious disease agent. Equatorial Guinea is a country with high estimated TB incidence in 2021 (275 cases per 100,000 population) and low TB case detection (42%). Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for TB control.

Screening for K13-Propeller Mutations Associated with Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum in Yambio County (Western Equatoria State, South Sudan).

Artemisinin-combined treatments are the recommended first-line treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, but they are being threatened by emerging artemisinin resistance. Mutations in pfk13 are the principal molecular marker for artemisinin resistance. This study characterizes the presence of mutations in pfk13 in P.

Comparative whole-genome sequence analysis of isolated from pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous lymphadenitis patients in Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the complex (MTBC), is a chronic infectious disease with both pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms. This study set out to investigate and compare the genomic diversity and transmission dynamics of () isolates obtained from tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN) and pulmonary TB (PTB) cases in Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted using two groups of samples collected between February 2021 and June 2022 (Group 1) and between June 2020 and June 2022 (Group 2) in Northwest Ethiopia.

Diagnostic pathways of Chagas disease in Spain: a qualitative study.

Background: Due to the mobility of the population in recent years and the spread of Chagas disease (CD) to non-endemic regions, early diagnosis and treatment of CD has become increasingly relevant in non-endemic countries. In order for screening to be effective, health system accessibility must be taken into consideration. This study uses Tanahashi's Health Service Coverage model to gain a deeper understanding of the main diagnostic pathways for Chagas disease in a non-endemic country and the barriers and bottlenecks present in each pathway.

High Drug Resistance Levels Compromise the Control of HIV Infection in Pediatric and Adult Populations in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

A lack of HIV viral load (VL) and HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa has led to an uncontrolled circulation of HIV-strains with drug resistance mutations (DRM), compromising antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study updates HIVDR data and HIV-1 variants in Equatorial Guinea (EG), providing the first data on children/adolescents in the country. From 2019−2020, 269 dried blood samples (DBS) were collected in Bata Regional Hospital (EG) from 187 adults (73 ART-naïve/114 ART-treated) and 82 children/adolescents (25 HIV-exposed-ART-naïve/57 ART-treated).

Plasmodium falciparum pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 Gene Deletions in Malaria-Hyperendemic Region, South Sudan.

Pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions threaten the use of Plasmodium falciparum malaria rapid diagnostic tests globally. In South Sudan, deletion frequencies were 15.6% for pfhrp2, 20.

Deletion patterns, genetic variability and protein structure of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3: implications for malaria rapid diagnostic test in Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Background: Although rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) play a key role in malaria-control strategies, their efficacy has been threatened by deletion and genetic variability of the genes pfhrp2/3. This study aims to characterize the deletion, genetic patterns and diversity of these genes and their implication for malaria RDT effectiveness, as well as their genetic evolution in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.

Methods: The study included 354 isolates from symptomatic patients from the Amhara region of Ethiopia who tested positive by microscopy.

Trends in COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Spain, September 2020‒May 2021.

To analyze factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Spain, over time. We used data from a national study that included 5 online surveys carried out every 2 months from September 2020 to May 2021. Each round recruited a sample of 1000 participants aged 18 years or older.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Stigma: The Perceptions of Tuberculosis in Equatorial Guinea.

Tuberculosis remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Equatorial Guinea, with an estimated incidence of 280 per 100,000 inhabitants, an estimated mortality rate of 96 per 100,000 inhabitants, and a treatment non-adherence rate of 21.4%. This study aimed to identify the factors associated to TB-related knowledge, attitudes, and stigma in order to design community intervention strategies that could improve TB diagnostic and treatment adherence in Equatorial Guinea.

Comparison of three PCR-based methods to detect Loa loa and Mansonella perstans in long-term frozen storage dried blood spots.

Objectives: Loa loa and Mansonella perstans are two very common filarial species in Africa. Although microscopy is the traditional diagnostic method for human filariasis, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods have emerged as an alternative approach for identifying filarial parasites. The aim of this study is to compare three molecular methods and decide which is the most suitable for diagnosing human loiasis and mansonellosis in non-endemic regions using dried blood spot (DBS) as a medium for sample collection and storage.

Colorimetric and Real-Time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) for Detection of DNA in Human Blood Samples.

Loiasis, caused by the filarial nematode , is endemic in Central and West Africa. has been associated with severe adverse reactions in high -infected individuals receiving ivermectin during mass drug administration programs for the control of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Diagnosis of loiasis still depends on microscopy in blood samples, but this is not effective for large-scale surveys.

Identification and Distribution of Human-Biting Ticks in Northwestern Spain.

Ticks transmit a wide diversity of pathogens to a great variety of hosts, including humans. We conducted a tick surveillance study in northwestern Spain between 2014 and 2019. Ticks were removed from people and identified.

Evaluation of five diagnostic methods for Strongyloides stercoralis infection in Amhara National Regional State, northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal parasite that can cause chronic infection, hyperinfection and/or a dissemination syndrome in humans. The use of techniques targeting ova fails to detect S. stercoralis, as only larvae of the parasite are excreted in faeces.

Feature importance: Opening a soil-transmitted helminth machine learning model via SHAP.

In the field of landscape epidemiology, the contribution of machine learning (ML) to modeling of epidemiological risk scenarios presents itself as a good alternative. This study aims to break with the "black box" paradigm that underlies the application of automatic learning techniques by using SHAP to determine the contribution of each variable in ML models applied to geospatial health, using the prevalence of hookworms, intestinal parasites, in Ethiopia, where they are widely distributed; the country bears the third-highest burden of hookworm in Sub-Saharan Africa. XGBoost software was used, a very popular ML model, to fit and analyze the data.

Evaluation of LAMP for the diagnosis of Loa loa infection in dried blood spots compared to PCR-based assays and microscopy.

Background: Loa loa is a filarial species found exclusively in West and Central Africa. Microscopy is the traditional diagnosis method for human loiasis. Several molecular methods have developed as an alternative approach for identification of L.

Mapping health behaviour related to Chagas diagnosis in a non-endemic country: Application of Andersen's Behavioural Model.

Background: Chagas disease has become a challenge for non-endemic countries since population mobility has increased in recent years and it has spread to these regions. In order to prevent vertical transmission and improve the prognosis of the disease, it is important to make an early diagnosis. And to develop strategies that improve access to diagnosis, it is important to know the factors that most influence the decision of the population to know their serological status.

Temporal evolution of the resistance genotypes of Plasmodium falciparum in isolates from Equatorial Guinea during 20 years (1999 to 2019).

Background: Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, particularly in Africa. As such, resistance to anti-malarial drugs is one of the most important problems in terms of global malaria control. This study assesses the evolution of the different resistance markers over time and the possible influence of interventions and treatment changes that have been made in Equatorial Guinea.

Scabies in Spain? A comprehensive epidemiological picture.

Introduction: Scabies is a neglected disease stablished worldwide with a fairy well determined incidence. In high-income countries, it often causes outbreaks affecting the residents and staff of institutions and long-term facilities, usually hard to detect and control due to the difficult diagnosis and notification delay. This study aim at characterizing the affected population, geographical distribution, and evolution of scabies in Spain from 1997-2019 as well as to describe the main environments of transmission using different data sources.