efficacy of essential oils against various species.

species are responsible for the most common fungal infections worldwide. We studied the antifungal activity of a large panel of essential oils (EOs) against various species. The EOs activity against spp.

Frailty and prefrailty phenotypes increase the odds of abnormal cognitive impairment screens in people with HIV.

Objective: Evaluate whether prefrail and frail people with HIV (PWH) have a higher risk of cognitive impairment on screens.

Methods: Analysis of PWH aged 70 or older included in the ANRS EP66 SEPTAVIH cohort, on antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 months and with a MoCA test at enrolment. Adjusted risk of a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) less than 26 was compared in frail/prefrail versus robust PWH.

In vitro efficacy of essential oils against Sarcoptes scabiei.

The mite Sarcoptes scabiei is responsible for scabies, a pruritic and contagious skin disease in humans. S. scabiei is also responsible for mange in a wide range of animal species.

Essential Oils as a Potential Treatment Option for Pediculosis.

Pediculosis is a prevalent ectoparasite infestation caused by lice. The head louse () and body louse () are obligatory parasites whose only known hosts are humans. Pediculosis is probably the most common ectoparasitic infestation, affecting up to 80% of the population in several countries, and particularly prevalent in the infant population worldwide.

Efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine in the treatment of falciparum uncomplicated malaria in Madagascar.

Background: Since 2006, the artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) are recommended to treat uncomplicated malaria including non Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Madagascar. Artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artemether-lumefantrine are the first- and second-line treatment in uncomplicated falciparum malaria, respectively. No clinical drug efficacy study has been published since 2009 to assess the efficacy of these two artemisinin-based combinations in Madagascar, although the incidence of malaria cases has increased from 2010 to 2016.

In vitro efficacy of five essential oils against Pediculus humanus capitis.

Treatment of head lice has relied mainly on the use of topical insecticides. Today, conventional topical pediculicides have suffered considerable loss of activity worldwide. There is increasing interest in the use of natural products such as essential oils for head louse control, and many of them are now incorporated into various over-the-counter products presented as pediculicides, often without proper evaluation.

Are humans the initial source of canine mange?

Background: Scabies, or mange as it is called in animals, is an ectoparasitic contagious infestation caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Sarcoptic mange is an important veterinary disease leading to significant morbidity and mortality in wild and domestic animals. A widely accepted hypothesis, though never substantiated by factual data, suggests that humans were the initial source of the animal contamination.

Sarcoptes scabiei mites in humans are distributed into three genetically distinct clades.

Scabies is an ectoparasitic infestation caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Currently, S. scabiei is taxonomically divided into different varieties on the basis of host origin.

Wombats acquired scabies from humans and/or dogs from outside Australia.

According to previous studies, Sarcoptes mites of wombats were relatively recently introduced into Australia by colonizers and/or their dogs. However, that affirmation has been called into question due to apparent flaws in the design of the phylogenetic studies. With the aim of providing a definitive answer to this question, a part of the mitochondrial gene coding for 12S rRNA of S.

Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium breve isolates from preterm and full term neonates: comparison of cell surface properties.

We compared autoaggregation, surface hydrophobicity and Caco-2 cells adhesion capabilities of independent Bifidobacterium breve (n = 22) and Bifidobacterium longum (n = 25) strains isolated from preterm (n = 20) and full term neonates (n = 27). Concerning strains properties, a correlation between autoaggregation and surface hydrophobicity was found for B. longum (r = 0.

Global analysis of Plasmodium falciparum Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (pfnhe-1) allele polymorphism and its usefulness as a marker of in vitro resistance to quinine.

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the worldwide genetic polymorphism of ms4760 alleles of the pfnhe-1 gene and to discuss their usefulness as molecular marker of quinine resistance (QNR). A new numbering of ms4760 allele, classification grouping ms4760 alleles according to the number of DNNND and DDNHNDNHNND repeat motifs in blocks II and V was also proposed. A total of 1508 ms4760 sequences from isolates, culture-adapted parasites or reference strains from various geographical regions were retrieved from GenBank (last update on 15th June 2012) or from publications and were used for genetic analyses.

Molecular survey of knockdown resistance to pyrethroids in human scabies mites.

There are growing concerns about the emergence of resistance of Sarcoptes scabiei to permethrin and other pyrethroid derivatives. Sarcoptes scabiei mites collected from 40 patients visiting two hospitals near Paris, France, were genotypically characterized considering two parts of their voltage-sensitive sodium channel gene. No nucleotide polymorphism resulting in a codon change at codon 733 or other positions associated with knockdown resistance in other arthropods has been identified.

Tolerance of Bifidobacterium human isolates to bile, acid and oxygen.

Bifidobacteria are part of the human gastrointestinal microbiota and are used as probiotics in functional food products because of their health promoting properties. However, only few data are available on the phenotypic characteristics displayed by human bifidobacteria strain populations. In this study we compared the in vitro tolerance to acid, bile and oxygen of the largest number of independent human intestinal strains.

Plasmodium falciparum Na+/H+ exchanger (pfnhe-1) genetic polymorphism in Indian Ocean malaria-endemic areas.

To date, 11 studies conducted in different countries to test the association between Plasmodium falciparum Na(+)/H(+) exchanger gene (pfnhe-1; PF13_0019) polymorphisms and in vitro susceptibility to quinine have generated conflicting data. In this context and to extend our knowledge of the genetic polymorphism of Pfnhe gene, we have sequenced the ms4760 locus from 595 isolates collected in the Comoros (N = 250; an area with a high prevalence of chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance) and Madagascar (N = 345; a low drug-resistance area). Among them, 29 different alleles were observed, including 8 (27%) alleles not previously described.

Possible association of the Plasmodium falciparum T1526C resa2 gene mutation with severe malaria.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum exports proteins that remodel the erythrocyte membrane. One such protein, called Pf155/RESA (RESA1) contributes to parasite fitness, optimizing parasite survival during febrile episodes. Resa1 gene is a member of a small family comprising three highly related genes.

In vitro susceptibility to pyrimethamine of DHFR I164L single mutant Plasmodium falciparum.

Background: Recently, Plasmodium falciparum parasites bearing Pfdhfr I164L single mutation were found in Madagascar. These new mutants may challenge the use of antifolates for the intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp). Assays with transgenic bacteria suggested that I164L parasites have a wild-type phenotype for pyrimethamine but it had to be confirmed by testing the parasites themselves.

[Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs: impact on malaria pre-elimination in Madagascar].

The purpose of this review was to provide up-to-date information on the resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to the main antimalarials used in Madagascar and to assist implementation of the malaria control and elimination program. In 2006, the failure rate for chloroquine treatment was 44% (n = 300) and was comparable to the rate observed in continental Africa. Most treatment failures occurred after the first week of follow-up.

High frequency of mutations associated with head lice pyrethroid resistance in schoolchildren from Bobigny, France.

Resistance of head lice to pyrethroids induces difficult therapeutic problems. Previous studies demonstrated that this resistance was present in a French urban area, but its prevalence needed to be more precisely evaluated in terms of genotyping lice collected from more infested children over a certain period of time. We monitored the presence of the head lice kdr-like haplotype of the voltage-gated sodium channel alpha-subunit gene in schoolchildren seen three times on a 6-wk period.

Chloroquine clinical failures in P. falciparum malaria are associated with mutant Pfmdr-1, not Pfcrt in Madagascar.

Molecular studies have demonstrated that mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene (Pfcrt) play a major role in chloroquine resistance, while mutations in P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene (Pfmdr-1) act as modulator. In Madagascar, the high rate of chloroquine treatment failure (44%) appears disconnected from the overall level of in vitro CQ susceptibility (prevalence of CQ-resistant parasites <5%) or Pfcrt mutant isolates (<1%), strongly contrasting with sub-Saharan African countries.

Association of microsatellite variations of Plasmodium falciparum Na+/H+ exchanger (Pfnhe-1) gene with reduced in vitro susceptibility to quinine: lack of confirmation in clinical isolates from Africa.

We sought to test the association of polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum nhe-1 (Pfnhe-1, gene PF13_0019) with in vitro susceptibility to quinine, which was previously reported in a limited number of reference strains or culture-adapted isolates. Determination of in vitro susceptibility to quinine, genotyping of Pfnhe-1 ms4760 microsatellite and polymorphism in codon 76 of Pfcrt were performed for 83 isolates obtained from symptomatic malaria-infected travelers returning from various African countries to France or from subjects living in Madagascar. Nineteen different ms4760 microsatellite profiles of Pfnhe-1 were found including 14 not previously described.

Origins of the recent emergence of Plasmodium falciparum pyrimethamine resistance alleles in Madagascar.

The combination of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended for use as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy and is deployed in Africa. The emergence and the spread of resistant parasites are major threats to such an intervention. We have characterized the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr (pfdhfr) haplotypes and flanking microsatellites in 322 P.

History and current status of Plasmodium falciparum antimalarial drug resistance in Madagascar.

Malaria remains a major health problem in Madagascar. Over past decades, the burden of malarial disease has fluctuated over time, partly in line with the successes and failures of antimalarial policy. In the 1950s and 1960s, a sharp decline in malaria transmission was observed in the central highlands due to indoor spraying with DDT and to the massive use of chloroquine by the population.