Assessment of handwashing impact on detection of SARS-CoV-2, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli on hands in rural and urban settings of Côte d'Ivoire during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Handwashing is the first line of hygiene measures and one of the oldest methods of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Despite its efficacy in the health system, handwashing is often inadequately practiced by populations. This study aimed to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2, Escherichia coli (E.

Reported antibiotic use among patients in the multicenter ANDEMIA infectious diseases surveillance study in sub-saharan Africa.

Background: Exposure to antibiotics has been shown to be one of the drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is critical to address when planning and implementing strategies for combatting AMR. However, data on antibiotic use in sub-Saharan Africa are still limited. Using hospital-based surveillance data from the African Network for Improved Diagnostics, Epidemiology and Management of Common Infectious Agents (ANDEMIA), we assessed self-reported antibiotic use in multiple sub-Saharan African countries.

Functional host-specific adaptation of the intestinal microbiome in hominids.

Fine-scale knowledge of the changes in composition and function of the human gut microbiome compared that of our closest relatives is critical for understanding the evolutionary processes underlying its developmental trajectory. To infer taxonomic and functional changes in the gut microbiome across hominids at different timescales, we perform high-resolution metagenomic-based analyzes of the fecal microbiome from over two hundred samples including diverse human populations, as well as wild-living chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. We find human-associated taxa depleted within non-human apes and patterns of host-specific gut microbiota, suggesting the widespread acquisition of novel microbial clades along the evolutionary divergence of hosts.

HIV viral load testing and monitoring in Côte d'Ivoire: A survival analysis of viral load testing and suppression, and evaluation of adherence to national recommendations.

Routine viral load (VL) monitoring is the standard of care in Côte d'Ivoire and allows for effective treatment guidance for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to reach viral load suppression (VLS). For VL monitoring to be effective in reducing the impact of HIV, it must be provided in accordance with national guidance. This study aimed to evaluate VL testing, VLS rates and adherence to national guidance for VL testing using data collected from three national laboratories.

Multicountry study of SARS-CoV-2 and associated risk factors among healthcare workers in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and South Africa.

Background: Reports on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread across Africa have varied, including among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study assessed the comparative SARS-CoV-2 burden and associated risk factors among HCWs in three African countries.

Methods: A multicentre study was conducted at regional healthcare facilities in Côte d'Ivoire (CIV), Burkina Faso (BF) and South Africa (SA) from February to May 2021.

-An Emerging One Health Pathogen?

The -related complex is formed by the , , , and . Within this complex, is the only species mainly found in African wildlife, but it is rarely detected as a colonizer in humans or as a contaminant of fomites. The few detections in humans are most likely spillover events after contact with wildlife.

Antibody escape and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage A.27.

In spring 2021, an increasing number of infections was observed caused by the hitherto rarely described SARS-CoV-2 variant A.27 in south-west Germany. From December 2020 to June 2021 this lineage has been detected in 31 countries.

The African Network for Improved Diagnostics, Epidemiology and Management of common infectious Agents.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, acute respiratory infections (ARI), acute gastrointestinal infections (GI) and acute febrile disease of unknown cause (AFDUC) have a large disease burden, especially among children, while respective aetiologies often remain unresolved. The need for robust infectious disease surveillance to detect emerging pathogens along with common human pathogens has been highlighted by the ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The African Network for Improved Diagnostics, Epidemiology and Management of Common Infectious Agents (ANDEMIA) is a sentinel surveillance study on the aetiology and clinical characteristics of ARI, GI and AFDUC in sub-Saharan Africa.

Implementation of Automated Blood Culture With Quality Assurance in a Resource-Limited Setting.

Blood cultures (BC) have a high clinical relevance and are a priority specimen for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. Manual BC are still most frequently used in resource-limited settings. Data on automated BC performance in Africa are scarce.

Primate phageomes are structured by superhost phylogeny and environment.

Humans harbor diverse communities of microorganisms, the majority of which are bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. These gut bacterial communities in turn host diverse bacteriophage (hereafter phage) communities that have a major impact on their structure, function, and, ultimately, human health. However, the evolutionary and ecological origins of these human-associated phage communities are poorly understood.

Pharyngeal Carriage of Beta-Haemolytic Species and Seroprevalence of Anti-Streptococcal Antibodies in Children in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.

The pharynx of the child may serve as a reservoir of pathogenic bacteria, including beta-haemolytic group A streptococci (GAS), which can give rise to upper airway infections and post-streptococcal diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of beta-haemolytic spp. in pharyngeal samples stemming from children aged 3-14 years in Bouaké, central Côte d'Ivoire.

Serological evidence for human exposure to Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis in the villages around Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire.

Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva) is an untypical anthrax-causing pathogen responsible for high wildlife mortality in Taï National Park (TNP), Côte d'Ivoire. However, nothing is known about its effect on the rural population living in the region bordering TNP. Contact to bushmeat is a known risk factor for exposure to a variety of zoonotic pathogens, but no human infections with Bcbva were noted so far.

High prevalence of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in clinical samples from central Côte d'Ivoire.

Objectives: Infections caused by multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales pose a significant challenge to clinical patient care, particularly in resource-constrained settings where epidemiological data on antimicrobial resistance are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-(ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae among clinical samples from a teaching hospital in Bouaké, central Côte d'Ivoire.

Methods: Clinical specimens were collected from sterile and non-sterile body sites and were subjected to microbiological diagnostics (April 2016-June 2017).

Detection of possible spillover of a novel hantavirus in a Natal mastomys from Guinea.

To date, only two rodent-borne hantaviruses have been detected in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we report the detection of a yet unknown hantavirus in a Natal mastomys (Mastomys natalensis) in Méliandou, Guinea, in 2014. The phylogenetic placement of this virus suggests that it might represent a cross-order spillover event from an unknown bat or eulipotyphlan host.

Highly diversified shrew hepatitis B viruses corroborate ancient origins and divergent infection patterns of mammalian hepadnaviruses.

Shrews, insectivorous small mammals, pertain to an ancient mammalian order. We screened 693 European and African shrews for hepatitis B virus (HBV) homologs to elucidate the enigmatic genealogy of HBV. Shrews host HBVs at low prevalence (2.

Cytomegaloviruses in a Community of Wild Nonhuman Primates in Taï National Park, Côte D'Ivoire.

Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) are known to infect many mammals, including a number of nonhuman primates (NHPs). However, most data available arose from studies led on captive individuals and little is known about CMV diversity in wild NHPs. Here, we analyzed a community of wild nonhuman primates (seven species) in Taï National Park (TNP), Côte d'Ivoire, with two PCR systems targeting betaherpesviruses.

A Cross-Sectional Serosurvey of Anti-Orthopoxvirus Antibodies in Central and Western Africa.

Since the eradication of smallpox and the subsequent discontinuation of the worldwide smallpox vaccination program, other Orthopoxviruses beside Variola virus have been increasingly representing a risk to human health. To investigate the extent of natural contact with Orthopoxviruses and possible demographic risk factors for such an exposure, we performed a cross-sectional serosurvey of anti-Orthopoxvirus IgG antibodies in West and Central Africa. To this end, people living in forest regions in Côte d'Ivoire (CIV, = 737) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD, = 267) were assigned into groups according to their likely smallpox vaccination status.

Epidemiology of paediatric meningitis in central Côte d'Ivoire after the implementation of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination.

Infectious meningitis accounts for enormous morbidity worldwide, but there is a paucity of data on its regional epidemiology in resource-constrained settings of sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we present a study on the aetiology of paediatric meningitis in central Côte d'Ivoire. Between June 2012 and December 2013, all cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples drawn at the University Teaching Hospital Bouaké were examined for the presence of bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Bushmeat Hunting and Zoonotic Transmission of Simian T-Lymphotropic Virus 1 in Tropical West and Central Africa.

Simian T-lymphotropic virus 1 (STLV-1) enters human populations through contact with nonhuman primate (NHP) bushmeat. We tested whether differences in the extent of contact with STLV-1-infected NHP bushmeat foster regional differences in prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1). Using serological and PCR assays, we screened humans and NHPs at two Sub-Saharan African sites where subsistence hunting was expected to be less (Taï region, Côte d'Ivoire [CIV]) or more (Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) developed.

Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Infection Among a Rural Population of Côte d'Ivoire.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a betaherpesvirus that can be pathogenic to humans. In particular, immunocompromised patients can develop life-threatening symptoms. In the present study, HCMV seroprevalence was investigated in a rural population of Western Côte d'Ivoire.

Human Infections by Non-Rodent-Associated Hantaviruses in Africa.

Various hantaviruses have been discovered in unconventional hosts (shrews and bats) in Africa. Up to now, it was unknown whether these viruses pose a threat for human health. In this study, using newly established serological assays, we demonstrated evidence of shrew-borne hantavirus infections in humans from Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon.