Publications by authors named "Marie-Claire Okomo"
Article Synopsis
- The study examined SARS-CoV-2 immunity in Cameroon from August 2021 to September 2022, assessing changes in antibody levels, mortality rates, and vaccination.
- Seroprevalence surged from 11.2% to nearly 60% while COVID-19-related deaths dropped dramatically, indicating improved immunity without a corresponding rise in vaccinations.
- The findings suggest that high vaccination rates may not be necessary for controlling outbreaks in Africa, urging policymakers to consider local research for better epidemic management strategies.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in 10 Regional Capitals of Cameroon, October-December 2020.
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
April 2024
Article Synopsis
- Cameroon experienced significant COVID-19 impact, but the real extent of SARS-CoV-2 infections was unclear during the pandemic's first wave.
- A seroepidemiological survey conducted from October to December 2020 tested over 10,000 people across 10 regional capitals, revealing a seroprevalence of 10.5% among participants aged 5 and older.
- The study indicated that there were over 2 million SARS-CoV-2 infections in these capitals, vastly outnumbering the official case count, emphasizing the need for ongoing serosurveys to better understand COVID-19 spread in areas with limited testing.
About 90% of new HIV-1 infections in children occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where treatment monitoring remains suboptimal. We sought to ascertain factors associated with immunovirological responses among an ART-experienced paediatric population in Cameroon. A laboratory-based and analytical study was conducted from January 2017 throughout December 2020 wherein plasma viral load (PVL) analyses and CD4 cell counts were performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile the SARS-CoV-2 dynamic has been described globally, there is a lack of data from Sub-Saharan Africa. We herein report the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineages from March 2020 to March 2022 in Cameroon. Of the 760 whole-genome sequences successfully generated by the national genomic surveillance network, 74% were viral sub-lineages of origin and non-variants of concern, 15% Delta, 6% Omicron, 3% Alpha and 2% Beta variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study examined the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Cameroon before the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals using 288 stored plasma samples.
- Results showed an overall seropositivity of 13.5%, with a slightly lower rate among HIV-positive individuals (11.0%) compared to HIV-negative individuals (16.8%).
- Additionally, higher CD4 counts and lower viral loads in people living with HIV were associated with increased seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, suggesting possible cross-immunity in tropical regions.
Despite successful combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), persistent low-grade immune activation together with inflammation and toxic antiretroviral drugs can lead to long-lasting metabolic flexibility and adaptation in people living with HIV (PLWH). Our study investigated alterations in the plasma metabolic profiles by comparing PLWH on long-term cART(>5 years) and matched HIV-negative controls (HC) in two cohorts from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), Cameroon, and India, respectively, to understand the system-level dysregulation in HIV-infection. Using untargeted and targeted LC-MS/MS-based metabolic profiling and applying advanced system biology methods, an altered amino acid metabolism, more specifically to glutaminolysis in PLWH than HC were reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe the coding-complete genome sequence of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain obtained in Cameroon from a 58-year-old French patient who arrived from France on 24 February 2020. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this virus, named hCoV-19/Cameroon/1958-CMR-YAO/2020, belongs to lineage B.1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrom May 2016 to March 2017, 22 poultry outbreaks of avian influenza A(H5N1) were reported in Cameroon, mainly in poultry farms and live bird markets. No human cases were reported. In this study, we sought to describe the 2016 A(H5N1) outbreak strain and to investigate the risk of infection in exposed individuals.
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