Diagnostic Capacity for Fungal Infections in Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria and Ghana - An Onsite Baseline Audit of 9 Sites.

Objectives: To assess diagnostic mycology capacity and available fungal diagnostic services of microbiology laboratories in eight tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and one in Ghana.

Methods: On-site audits were performed in the microbiology laboratories of nine tertiary hospitals using a structured observation checklist.

Results: A total of nine tertiary hospitals' laboratories in Nigeria and Ghana were assessed between June 2022 and December 2023.

Performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems globally. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for COVID-19 have been widely used in Nigeria.

An assessment of COVID-19 vaccine knowledge and acceptability among healthcare workers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2021 among eligible HCWs using a self-administered questionnaire.

Setting: The study was conducted in a southern Nigerian tertiary hospital.

: A Systematic Review of a Globally Emerging Fungal Pathogen in Africa.

is a World Health Organization critical priority fungal pathogen. We conducted a systematic review to describe its epidemiology in Africa. PubMed and Google scholar databases were searched between January 2009 and September 2023 for clinical studies on cases and/or isolates from Africa.

Case Report: Ophthalmomyiasis Externa Caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga Masquerading as a Lid Abscess.

Myiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the larvae of dipterous flies. Cutaneous infestation is the predominant type documented in sub-Saharan Africa, and ocular involvement is uncommon. We report the rare occurrence of a case of eyelid ophthalmomyiasis caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga in a Nigerian female to raise awareness among practitioners in both tropical and nonendemic areas.

Instituting coronavirus disease 2019 testing: opportunities and challenges of molecular laboratory diagnosis in a Southern Nigerian teaching hospital.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic emphasised the importance of laboratory preparedness, including molecular diagnostic capacity, in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. This article reflects on diagnostic capacity-building opportunities presented by the pandemic, the challenges experienced along the way and the lessons learned from the perspective of a university teaching hospital in Southern Nigeria. We advocate for these lessons to inform strategic planning for laboratory preparedness at subnational, national and continental levels.

Fungal diseases in Africa: Closing the gaps in diagnosis and treatment through implementation research and advocacy.

Fungal diseases impose an escalating burden on public health in Africa, exacerbated by issues such as delayed diagnosis, inadequate therapy, and limited access to healthcare resources, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Effectively tackling these challenges demands a comprehensive approach encompassing research, training, and advocacy initiatives. Recent clinical mycology surveys conducted by Global Action for Fungal Infection (GAFFI) and the European Confederation of Medical Mycology/International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ECMM/ISHAM) have underscored gaps in fungal diagnostics and the availability and accessibility of antifungal therapy in Africa.

The Nairobi Declaration 2023: A commitment to address deadly yet neglected fungal diseases in Africa.

On May 30th and 31st, 2023, delegates representing various African subregions, together with global representatives from the International Society of Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM), the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM), the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Global Action for Fungal Infections (GAFFI), convened in Nairobi, Kenya under the aegis of the Pan African Mycology Working Group, a working group of ISHAM. The meeting objectives were, amongst others, to deliberate on a continental response to the World Health Organisation Fungal Priority Pathogen List and facilitate interaction between global and regional leaders. Country delegates and international speakers addressed Africa's fungal disease burden; capacity for diagnosis and management; ongoing surveillance; knowledge gaps and trends in invasive fungal diseases such as Candida auris, mucormycosis, aspergillosis, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-related mycoses; and current laboratory practice.

Correction: Implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool in a southern Nigerian tertiary health facility.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.

Gastrointestinal Histoplasmosis: A Descriptive Review, 2001-2021.

Gastrointestinal histoplasmosis (GIH) is infrequently described in people without underlying HIV infection. We aimed to compare the clinical presentation of GIH in people with and without HIV infection. We conducted a literature search of published cases of GIH from 2001-2021 and found 212 cases.

A multicenter survey of asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Nigeria.

As of 2018, cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease (AHD) was not routinely implemented in Nigeria despite being recommended in the national HIV treatment guidelines. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia in adult people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Nigeria to advocate for the implementation of routine CrAg screening. A descriptive cross-sectional study and CrAg screening of consecutive adult PLHIV with CD4 counts ≤200 cells/μL was conducted from April 2018 to April 2019 at HIV clinics in eleven tertiary hospitals spread across Nigeria's six geopolitical regions.

Implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool in a southern Nigerian tertiary health facility.

Screening for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in emergency rooms of health facilities during outbreaks prevents nosocomial transmission. However, effective tools adapted for use in African countries are lacking. This study appraised an indigenous screening and triage tool for COVID-19 deployed at the medical emergency room of a Nigerian tertiary facility and determined the predictors of a positive molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19.

Mucormycosis in Africa: Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

Mucorales fungi cause mucormycosis, an invasive and rapidly progressive disease which increasingly affects mostly immunocompromised but also immunocompetent individuals. The objective of this study was to highlight the epidemiology, diagnostic modalities, treatment and overall survival of mucormycosis in Africa. We searched for relevant publications in PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journal Online databases covering the period 1960-2022.

Distinct pattern and prevalence of dihydropteroate synthase gene mutations in children with sickle cell anaemia and haemoglobin AA in Benin City, Nigeria: the impact of HbAA.

Introduction: specific mutations on the Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase (Pfdhps) gene mediate sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) resistance and thus, pose a threat to the efficacy of SP-Intermittent Preventive Therapy (SP-IPT) in malaria chemoprevention in children, including those with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). This study determined the distinct pattern and prevalence of Pfdhps mutations in children with SCA and in those with homozygous haemoglobin A (HbAA) in Benin City, Nigeria; showing the impact of haemoglobin phenotype.

Methods: this was a cross-sectional study involving children with SCA and HbAA.

Fatal cryptococcal meningitis in the Non-HIV infected: A case report.

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is underreported in the immunocompetent, the disease being more commonly associated with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. We report the diagnosis, management, and eventual fatal outcome of CM in a non-HIV-infected man. Late presentation, delayed diagnosis, difficulties in accessing medications, and raised intracranial pressure (ICP) were contributory to his demise.

Prevalence of Histoplasmosis among Persons with Advanced HIV Disease, Nigeria.

We sought to determine the prevalence of probable disseminated histoplasmosis among advanced HIV disease (AHD) patients in Nigeria. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 10 sites across 5 of 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria. We identified patients with urinary samples containing CD4 cell counts <200 cells/mm or World Health Organization stage 3 or 4 disease who also had >2 clinical features of disseminated histoplasmosis, and we tested them for Histoplasma antigen using a Histoplasma enzyme immune assay.

Improving awareness, diagnosis and management of invasive fungal infections in Ghana: establishment of the Ghana Medical Mycology Society.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) and medical mycology receive little attention in Ghana. However, the present evolution of biomarker assays for IFIs, offers an opportunity for an increased access to fungal laboratory testing in resource-limited settings, and probably make a case for availability of essential antifungal agents. Using surveys and personal communications, the state of medical mycology and IFI in Ghana were highlighted.

First Cases of Sars-cov-2 Reinfection Coinciding with the Covid-19 Second Wave, Benin City, Nigeria.

Background: Reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has important public health implications pertaining to herd immunity and durability of protection from vaccines. A small but growing number of cases have been reported globally but none from Africa. This is due, in part, to adherence to definitions based on genetic sequencing, the capabilities of which are in short supply on the continent.

Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Manifestations of Fungal Infections Misdiagnosed as Tuberculosis: The Need for Prompt Diagnosis and Management.

Fungal infections commonly present with myriad symptoms that mimic other clinical entities, notable amongst which is tuberculosis. Besides histoplasmosis and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, which can mimic TB, this review has identified several other fungal infections which also do. A total of 80 individual cases misdiagnosed as TB are highlighted: aspergillosis ( = 18, 22.

Laboratory Diagnostic Capacity for Fungal Infections in Nigerian Tertiary Hospitals: A Gap Analysis Survey.

Background: An estimated 11.8% of Nigerians suffer from invasive fungal infections (IFIs) yearly. Laboratory capacity to diagnose IFIs in Nigeria has not been objectively assessed.

Mapping of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Africa.

Africa has a high burden of tuberculosis, which is the most important risk factor for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). Our goal was to systematically evaluate the burden of CPA in Africa and map it by country. We conducted an extensive literature search for publications on CPA in Africa using the online databases.