Publications by authors named "Betrand Msemwa"

Article Synopsis
  • High-risk HPV types 16 and 18 are linked to various cancers, while low-risk types 6 and 11 are associated with anogenital warts and other benign conditions; the study focuses on understanding the prevalence of these viruses among pregnant women in Tanzania.* -
  • A study at Bugando Medical Centre included 255 pregnant women, utilizing a structured questionnaire and ELISA testing to assess seroprevalence of HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18.* -
  • Results showed a 63.9% overall seropositivity rate, with significant exposure to all four HPV types; the findings highlight the need for vaccination programs to mitigate HPV-related health issues in pregnant women.*
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Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 198 women were tested, revealing that nearly all participants (98% for HCMV and 96.7% for RV) were seropositive for the respective viruses, while HSV-2 had a lower seropositivity at 14.4%.
  • * The findings suggest a significant presence of these viral infections in women with unfavorable pregnancy outcomes, indicating the need for further research to explore their potential impact on pregnancy
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Background: Urogenital pathogens such as and have been reported to cause pyuria, however they are not routinely cultured from urine samples of patients clinically diagnosed to have urinary tract infections (UTI). In this study, pathogen specific PCR was done to identify the urogenital pathogens in the urine samples among clinically diagnosed UTI patients with negative routine urine culture.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 227 archived urine samples from clinically diagnosed UTI patients with positive leucocyte esterase but negative urine culture results.

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Background: There is a growing body of evidence on the potential involvement of coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) in causing urinary tract infections (UTIs). The aim of this study was to delineate virulence potential, antimicrobial resistance genes, and sequence types of CoNS isolated from patients with UTI symptoms and pyuria in Tanzania.

Methods: CoNS from patients with UTI symptoms and more than 125 leucocytes/μL were retrieved, subcultured, and whole-genome sequenced.

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Leptospirosis is a zoonotic neglected tropical disease with a worldwide distribution caused by the pathogenic spirochetes of the genus . Despite being a widespread disease in tropical regions, it has never been considered in the routine diagnostic panel for febrile patients. This study determined seropositivity and factors associated with antibodies among febrile adult patients in Mwanza, Tanzania.

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Introduction: diagnosis, prevention, and surveillance of diseases relies on high quality laboratory services. However, accessibility and availability of the quality laboratory services among healthcare facilities remains a serious challenge among sub-Saharan African countries. This study investigated the preparedness of district clinical laboratories for ISO 15189: 2012 accreditation scheme using Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklistin Lake Zone, Tanzania.

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Data on colonization and hospital contamination of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB) are limited in low- and middle-income countries. We designed this study to determine the prevalence and co-existence of carbapenemase genes among CR-GNB isolated from clinical, colonization, and hospital environmental samples at a tertiary hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania. The modified Hodge test (MHT), the combined disk test (CDT), and the double-disk synergy test (DDST) were used for the phenotypic detection of carbapenemases.

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This study investigated seroepidemiology of serovars among the dog keepers and their dogs in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania. A total of 205 dog keepers and 414 dogs were tested for antibodies using a microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The median age of the dog keepers was 26 (inter quartile range (IQR): 17-40) years and median duration of keeping dogs was 36 (IQR: 24-120) months.

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Accuracy in the diagnosis is a key step to identify HIV infected individuals for appropriate management. Insufficient supply of manufacturer´s buffers in relation to the number of strips per kit has negative impact on patient´s results hence improper patient´s management. In resource limited settings, some laboratory staff use different substitute buffers which has never been validated on their reliability.

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Background: HIV-syphilis co-infection can enhance the rapid progression of early or late latent syphilis to neurosyphilis and can cause catastrophic neurological complications. In studies in Mwanza, syphilis affects ~ 8% of healthy outpatients and studies done in the 1990s have suggested that up to 23.5% of HIV-syphilis co-infected patients also have neurosyphilis.

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Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the vaccination against Hepatitis B virus in all infants and children up to the age of 18 years. In addition, adults in high-risk groups should also be vaccinated. This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections among health professional students in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania in order to provide data that can assist in devising prevention and control strategies in this special group.

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Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a global health problem with increased risk and morbidities during pregnancy. This study investigated the magnitude of viral STIs among pregnant women from three rural hospitals/clinics providing antenatal care in Mwanza region, Tanzania.

Methods: Between February and May 2018, a total of 499 pregnant women were enrolled and tested for Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) using rapid immunochromatographic tests and for syphilis using non-treponemal and treponemal antibody test.

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