Publications by authors named "Cheikh Fall"

Background and objectives Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat, with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPEs) representing a critical public health challenge. Rapid and accurate detection of CPEs is essential for controlling fatal bacterial AMR infections. This study evaluated the performance of MacConkey media supplemented with ertapenem (MacErt1 and MacErt2) for the detection of CPEs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-) bacteria are a major public health issue due to their widespread resistance to multiple antibiotics, particularly among broiler chickens in Dakar, Senegal.
  • A study found that 61.7% of broilers carried ESBL- in their cecum, with antibiotic tests revealing high resistance rates to various β-lactam antibiotics but full susceptibility to imipenem.
  • The research indicates significant multidrug resistance and the presence of multiple ESBL genes, highlighting the risk of human transmission through the food supply and the need for better surveillance and intervention strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * In this study, two bacteriophages, vAbBal23 and vAbAbd25, were isolated from wastewater in Dakar, Senegal, and extensively characterized for their effectiveness against extremely drug-resistant strains of A. baumannii.
  • * Both phages showed strong antibacterial properties across various pH levels and temperatures, with the ability to attack both active and biofilm forms of the bacteria, indicating their potential as safe therapeutic agents devoid of harmful genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACT) stand as the most potent antimalarial treatments. In response to the emergence of ACT-resistant malaria parasites in Southeast Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of ACT and other antimalarials. To address this need, we collected dried blood spots from malaria patients during a 42-days drug efficacy trial evaluating the efficacy of Artesunate plus Amodiaquine (ASAQ), Artemether Plus Lumefantrine (AL) and Dihydroarthemisinine plus Piperaquine (DHAPQ) on simple malaria in 2017.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat. Quality data are needed to address the rise of multidrug-resistant clones, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we analysed the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance profile, and presence of genes encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-) and (ESBL-) in environmental samples from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: Urine volatile organic compound (VOC) testing for early detection of urological cancers is a minimally invasive and promising method. The objective of this review was to present the results of recently published work on this subject.

Recent Findings: Organic volatile compounds are produced through oxidative stress and peroxidation of cell membranes, and they are eliminated through feces, urine, and sweat.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Dengue cases in Senegal are on the rise, making rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) essential for managing outbreaks effectively.
  • The study assessed the performance of Dengue NS1 and IgM/IgG RDTs in both laboratory and field settings, showing high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing dengue.
  • Results indicated that RDTs are valuable tools for quick diagnosis during outbreaks, even without a confirmatory lab test, supporting their use in areas with high dengue prevalence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Zika virus (ZIKV) shows an enigmatic epidemiological profile in Africa. Despite its frequent detection in mosquitoes, few human cases have been reported. This could be due to the low infectious potential or low virulence of African ZIKV lineages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa. In Senegal, the disease is endemic in all regions of the country. Recently, WHO strongly recommended including pre-school children and women of reproductive age during a mass drug administration campaign.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dengue virus (DENV) was detected in Senegal in 1979 for the first time. Since 2017, unprecedented frequent outbreaks of DENV were noticed yearly. In this context, epidemiological and molecular evolution data are paramount to decipher the virus diffusion route.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global public health threat. Experts agree that unless proper actions are taken, the number of deaths due to AMR will increase. Many strategies are being pursued to tackle AMR, one of the most important being the development of efficient vaccines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The control of snails intermediate hosts remains an effective strategy to limit schistosomiasis transmission despite the widespread mass de-worming campaign based on praziquantel. Therefore, the study of snail biology could help to improve snails control strategies. This study evaluated the development of , and in various water sources and their resistance to salinity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two sequential batch reactors (R1 and R2) of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were inoculated with activated sludge of different origins. The objective was to investigate the granulation and the consistency between the structure of the microbial communities (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) in each reactor and their metabolic performance (removal of C, N, and P). Both reactors were fed with acetate-based synthetic wastewater, targeting an anaerobic-aerobic cycle reputed to favor the phosphorus- and glycogen-accumulating organisms (PAO and GAO).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In Senegal, malaria morbidity has sharply decreased over these past years. However, malaria epidemiology remains heterogeneous with persistent transmission in the southeastern part of the country and many cases among older children and adolescents. Little is known about factors associated with clinical malaria among this group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Salmonella enterica is the most common foodborne pathogen worldwide. It causes two types of diseases, a self-limiting gastroenteritis and an invasive, more threatening, infection. Salmonella gastroenteritis is caused by several serotypes and is common worldwide.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Zoonotic spillover and hybridization of parasites are major emerging public and veterinary health concerns at the interface of infectious disease biology, evolution, and control. Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of global importance caused by parasites of the genus, and the spp. system within Africa represents a key example of a system where spillover of animal parasites into human populations has enabled formation of hybrids.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Freshwater snails of the genera Biomphalaria, Bulinus, and Oncomelania are intermediate hosts of schistosomes that cause human schistosomiasis, one of the most significant infectious neglected diseases in the world. Identification of freshwater snails is usually based on morphology and potentially DNA-based methods, but these have many drawbacks that hamper their use. MALDI-TOF MS has revolutionised clinical microbiology and has emerged in the medical entomology field.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hybridization of infectious agents is a major emerging public and veterinary health concern at the interface of evolution, epidemiology, and control. Whilst evidence of the extent of hybridization amongst parasites is increasing, their impact on morbidity remains largely unknown. This may be predicted to be particularly pertinent where parasites of animals with contrasting pathogenicity viably hybridize with human parasites.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Dengue fever is a mosquito born disease associated with self-limited to life threatening illness. First detected in Senegal in the nineteenth century, and despite its growing incidence this last decade, significant knowledge gaps exist in our knowledge of genetic diversity of circulating strains. This study highlights the circulating serotypes and genotypes between January 2017 and December 2018 and their spatial and temporal distribution throughout all regions of Senegal.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In this work, a platform was developed and tested to allow to detect a variety of candidate viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens, for acute fever of unknown origin. The platform is based on a centrifugal microfluidic cartridge, the LabDisk ("FeverDisk" for the specific application), which integrates all necessary reagents for sample-to-answer analysis and is processed by a compact, point-of-care compatible device.

Methodology/principal Findings: A sample volume of 200 μL per FeverDisk was used.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grading is subjective and affected by substantial rates of discordance among pathologists. Although recent studies have suggested that p16INK4a may be a useful surrogate biomarker of cervical neoplasia, Ki-67 and human papillomavirus testing have also been shown to be useful in detecting neoplasia. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression of p16INK4a and Ki-67 in cervical neoplasia and its correlations with cofactors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Past and recent outbreaks have highlighted the vulnerability of humans to infectious diseases, which represent serious economic and health security threats. A paradigm shift in the management of sanitary crises is urgently needed. Based on lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the Praesens Foundation has developed an all-terrain mobile biosafety laboratory (MBS-Lab) for effective field diagnostics capabilities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of global medical and veterinary importance. As efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem and interrupt transmission gather momentum, the potential zoonotic risk posed by livestock Schistosoma species via viable hybridisation in sub-Saharan Africa have been largely overlooked. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, distribution, and multi-host, multiparasite transmission cycle of Haematobium group schistosomiasis in Senegal, West Africa.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With the growing success of controlling malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, the incidence of fever due to malaria is in decline, whereas the proportion of patients with non-malaria febrile illness (NMFI) is increasing. Clinical diagnosis of NMFI is hampered by unspecific symptoms, but early diagnosis is a key factor for both better patient care and disease control. The aim of this study was to determine the arboviral aetiologies of NMFI in low resource settings, using a mobile laboratory based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF