Determination of the prevalence of Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma species in Bacterial vaginosis patients in association with antibiotic resistance profile in Franceville, Gabon.

Background: Genital mycoplasma are only considered pathogenic at a certain level and are often associated with other pathological situations such as bacterial vaginosis (BV). They may lead to infertility as well as other gynaeco-obstetrical and neonatal problems. Despite numerous reported resistances, macrolides are required to treat pregnant women while non-pregnant women are managed with tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones.

Haematological values in steady-state sickle cell anaemia patients and matched heamoglobin AA Controls in a Rural Area of Eastern Gabon.

Background: In Gabon, universal neonatal screening of sickle cell disease is not carried out in rural areas, often leading to late detection of the disease. However, complete blood counts are available in rural areas.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the haematological parameters of 45 homozygous steady-state sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients and compared them with 45 sex- and age-matched Haemoglobin AA controls in Koula-Moutou, a rural area in Eastern Gabon.

Decline in the seroprevalence of syphilis markers among first-time blood donors in Libreville (Gabon) between 2004 and 2016.

Background: Very few studies have been conducted on the seroprevalence of syphilis in Gabon. According to the World Health Organization, the average seroprevalence of syphilis has declined from 5.5 to 1.

Ethnic differences in CD1E, but not CD1A, gene polymorphisms between Sub-Saharan Africans, West Asians and Europeans.

The five closely linked CD1A-E genes encode the human CD1 family of proteins. Few studies of the allele frequencies of these genes in African populations have been published so far. This study aimed to genotype CD1A and CD1E variants and to compare their frequencies in Sub-Saharan Africans from Gabon and Ivory Coast, and Non-Africans from Syria and France.

Assessment of rapid diagnostic tests and fourth-generation Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays in the screening of Human Immunodeficiency and Hepatitis B virus infections among first-time blood donors in Libreville (Gabon).

Background: Blood transfusion is a pathway for the transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) from donors to recipients in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Gabon. The study aimed to compare the performance of four rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs: Alere DETERMINE, BIOSYNEX Exacto Pro HIV, MEDIFF HIV 1&2, and BIOSYNEX IMMUNOQUICK HBsAg) with results of 4th-generation immunoenzymatic assays COBAS 6000 e601 and EVOLIS BioRad for the detection of HIV and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in blood donors in Libreville, Gabon.

Methods: Reactive and nonreactive blood samples for HIV and HBsAg were selected using fourth-generation ELISA COBAS 6000 e601 and EVOLIS BioRad.

Prevalent hepatitis B surface antigen among first-time blood donors in Gabon.

Despite chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection being the main cause of younger-onset complex liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Africa, very little is known regarding the seroprevalence of HBV in the Gabonese general population. This investigation aimed to provide strong epidemiological data and risk factors associated with HBV infection in first-time blood donors representative of the urban adult population. The screening of HBsAg was carried out using 4th generation ELISA kits.

Homozygosity for the CD1E*02 allele is associated with a resistance to Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in Gabonese school children.

Objective: To explore the possible association between polymorphisms in CD1 genes and both asymptomatic and mild Plasmodium falciparum infection.

Methods: Two clusters of 85 school children, from the village of Dienga (Gabon) were investigated. The first group was analysed for the prevalence and the multiplicity of asymptomatic P.

Haemoglobin F, A2, and S levels in subjects with or without sickle cell trait in south-eastern Gabon.

Background: Infant mortality due to sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa is high, necessitating a better understanding of the modulating factors of the disease in this region.

Methods: We assessed the hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin and α-thalassemia. We diagnosed 787 subjects, with or without sickle cell trait, by capillary electrophoresis in the Medical Diagnostic Laboratory of the CIRMF (Franceville, Gabon).

Patterns and risk factors of birth defects in rural areas of south-eastern Gabon.

Within the context of high neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, a retrospective study was conducted on the prevalence of congenital malformations and the association between maternal risk factors and birth defects in rural populations of south-eastern Gabon. Two populations were studied: a group of 3500 births recorded in rural area (Koula-Moutou) and a second group of 4212 births in a semi-rural area (Franceville) in Gabon. Our data showed an increasing prevalence in congenital anomalies from rural to urban areas (P < 0.

Genotyping of CCR5 gene, CCR2b and SDF1 variants related to HIV-1 infection in Gabonese subjects.

Objective: Given the magnitude of the HIV epidemic infection, many viral and human factors were analyzed, and the most decisive was the variant CCR5-Δ32. The presence of a low HIV prevalence (1.8%) in Gabon in the 1990s, compared to neighboring countries, represents a paradox that led us to search for viral and human genetic variants in this country.

Origin of Hb A2' (Hb B2) [delta16(A13)Gly --> Arg (GGC --> CGC)].

On a field trip to the Dogon country (le Pays Dogon) in central Mali, we detected a high frequency of the Hb A2 abnormality, reaching higher numbers among blacksmiths (up to 12.4%) living in the same villages. In this report, by direct nucleotide sequencing and employing a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism approach, we show that the Hb A2 variant observed in the Dogon population is indeed Hb A2', also called Hb B2, and that in all of the cases the abnormal delta-globin gene is linked to a unique haplotype.

Human genetic polymorphisms and asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Gabonese schoolchildren.

Several studies have focused their attention on the relationship between host genetic factors and susceptibility/resistance to severe malaria. However, there is a paucity of information concerning the role of host genetic factors in asymptomatic malaria, a form of low-grade Plasmodium falciparum infection without clinical symptoms. We investigated in this study the potential relationship between the host (human) genetic polymorphisms (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD], mannose binding lectin [MBL], tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFalpha](-308) and (-238), and nitric oxide synthase 2 [NOS2](-954)) and the prevalence and profile of asymptomatic P.