HIV self-testing: A highly acceptable and feasible strategy for reconnecting street adolescents with HIV screening and prevention services in Togo (The STADOS study).

Introduction: HIV self-testing is a complementary screening strategy that could facilitate access to HIV care services for street adolescents. The objectives of this study were to assess the acceptability and feasibility of HIV self-testing and their associated factors, to estimate HIV prevalence among street adolescents in Togo, and to describe the sexual behavior of this population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2021 and May 2022 in Lomé and Kara (Togolese cities with the highest number of street adolescents).

Street adolescents in low income setting exposed to hepatitis B and C, and disadvantaged by lifestyle: a Togolese cross-sectional study.

Background: In Togo, few data are available on viral hepatitis in street adolescents, a vulnerable population due to their lifestyle. The aim of this study was to describe the lifestyle of street adolescents (sexual practices and drug use), to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses, and to describe their HBV immunization profile in Togo.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lomé (Togo) in July 2021.

Development and field evaluation in African and Asian countries of an hepatitis B virus PCR on open polyvalent platforms to determine treatment eligibility: results from the "Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida et les hépatites" 12327 study.

Objectives: Widespread testing and treatment are essential to eliminate hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as a public health concern. However, in resource-limited countries, access to HBV PCR is limited. In this study, we developed a quantitative HBV PCR assay on open molecular platforms and evaluate its performance in diagnosing clinically significant HBV DNA thresholds as defined by the WHO (2000 IU/mL, 20 000 IU/mL, and 200 000 IU/mL).

Severe Acute Bacterial Infections in Children With Sickle Cell Disease in Togo.

Background: Bacterial infections are considered a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients, especially children, with sickle cell disease.

Objectives: This study aims at determining, a year after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine the distribution of severe acute bacterial infections and germs in children with sickle cell disease.

Patients And Methods: Records of children 0 to 15 years of age and admitted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019 (5 y), were examined retrospectively in the four sickle cell monitoring units in Lomé.

High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among street adolescents in Lomé, Togo, 2021.

Background: There is almost no data on the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among street adolescents. We conducted a study to document the immunization status of street adolescents in Togo against different variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2021 in Lomé, the city with the highest number of COVID 19 cases in Togo (60%).

SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in Togo: a national cross-sectional household survey, May-June, 2021.

Background: The extent of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in African countries is still unclear. Seroprevalence studies are a common approach to epidemiological surveillance, allowing estimation of the proportion of people who have had contact with the virus. We aimed at estimating the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and associated factors in Togo at the national level in 2021 according to age groups, gender, and place of residence (rural or urban).

and Antimicrobial Resistance Among a Cohort of West African Men Who Have Sex With Men Using Preexposure Prophylaxis (CohMSM-PrEP ANRS 12369-Expertise France Study).

Background: Antimicrobial resistance to macrolides and fluoroquinolones in (MG) among men who have sex with men (MSM) is worryingly high in high-resource countries. Data in Africa are lacking. We aimed to assess the burden of MG including the presence of resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) in MG among MSM using human immunodeficiency virus preexposure prophylaxis in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Togo.

[Trends of HIV and syphilis prevalence among pregnant women in antenatal clinics in Togo: Analysis of sentinel serosurveillance results between 2008 and 2016].

Introduction: The aim of our work was to analyse the trends of HIV infection and syphilis among pregnant women in prenatal consultation (PNC) in healthcare facilities in Togo.

Methods: This was an analytical retrospective study, covering the period from 2008 to 2016 and focusing on pregnant women aged 15 to 49 seen in PNC for the first time in maternal and child health services in Togo.

Results: During the study period, 41,536 pregnant women were registered in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2016, respectively 8079, 8572, 8430, 7920 and 8535.

HIV testing uptake and prevalence among hospitalized older adults in Togo: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe HIV testing uptake, as well as HIV prevalence and its associated factors among older adults aged ≥50 years in health facilities in Togo.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February 2018 to June 2019 among hospitalized older adults aged ≥50 years in tertiary and secondary hospitals in Togo. HIV testing was performed according to the national algorithm.

To Pool or Not to Pool Samples for Sexually Transmitted Infections Detection in Men Who Have Sex With Men? An Evaluation of a New Pooling Method Using the GeneXpert Instrument in West Africa.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) using preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Therefore, PrEP services should include regular screening for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) at urethra, anorectum, and pharynx. However, financial and logistic challenges arise in low-resource settings.

Challenges of scale-up to dolutegravir-based regimens in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: Evaluate the potential effectiveness of the implementation of dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens in patients on failing current antiretroviral treatment (ART) given the high levels of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) resistance in Togo.

Design: Patients on ART attending health facilities for routine follow-up visits and for whom HIV viral load test was performed were consecutively included.

Methods: Protease, reverse transcriptase and integrase fragments were sequenced and analyzed for presence of drug resistance mutations for patients with viral load more than 1000 copies/ml.

Etiology of Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Pre- and Post-PCV13 Introduction Among Children Under 5 Years Old in Lomé, Togo.

Background: Pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM) causes severe morbidity and mortality within Togo. Thus, as a member of the World Health Organization coordinated Invasive Bacterial Vaccine Preventable Diseases network, Togo conducts surveillance targeting Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae, at a sentinel hospital within the capital city, Lomé, in the southernmost Maritime region.

Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years with suspected PBM admitted to the Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital.

Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Togo: A National Cross-sectional Survey.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is a region of both high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and anal cancer incidence. We conducted the first national study in Togo to assess human papillomavirus (HPV), HIV, and other sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted among MSM recruited in 4 Togolese cities.

Evidence of the impact of monovalent rotavirus vaccine on childhood acute gastroenteritis hospitalization in Togo.

Background: Monovalent rotavirus vaccine (RV1) was introduced in the immunization schedule of Togo in June 2014. We evaluated the impact of rotavirus vaccines on acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and rotavirus-associated hospitalizations in Togolese children.

Methods: Sentinel surveillance for AGE (defined as ≥3 liquid or semi-liquid stools/24 h lasting <7 days) hospitalizations among children <5 years of age was conducted in two sites in the capital city, Lome.

Half of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolated from tuberculosis patients in Sub-Saharan Africa have concomitant resistance to pyrazinamide.

Background: Besides inclusion in 1st line regimens against tuberculosis (TB), pyrazinamide (PZA) is used in 2nd line anti-TB regimens, including in the short regimen for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients. Guidelines and expert opinions are contradictory about inclusion of PZA in case of resistance. Moreover, drug susceptibility testing (DST) for PZA is not often applied in routine testing, and the prevalence of resistance is unknown in several regions, including in most African countries.

The emerging threat of pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in West Africa: preparing for large-scale tuberculosis research and drug resistance surveillance.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem. Adequate management requires baseline drug-resistance prevalence data. In West Africa, due to a poor laboratory infrastructure and inadequate capacity, such data are scarce.