Publications by authors named "Paul Alain Tagnouokam-Ngoupo"

Article Synopsis
  • The Central African Republic (CAR) is experiencing a significant HIV epidemic with diverse and unique strains, particularly atypical non-M HIV-1 strains.
  • In a study analyzing over 6,000 HIV-positive samples, researchers identified six rare atypical strains, including three HIV-1 group O and three HIV-2 strains, each linked to different years and areas.
  • The findings stress that while HIV-1/M remains the most prevalent type in CAR, the presence of rare strains highlights the necessity for updated surveillance and management practices to address the challenges posed by HIV's genetic diversity.
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While treatment options for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have expanded considerably over the past decade thanks to the development of pan-genotypic therapies, genotype testing remains a prerequisite for treatment in sub-Saharan African countries, including Cameroon, where multiple HCV genotypes and subtypes exist. The main objective of this study was to describe the trend in the distribution of HCV genotypes and subtypes from 2013 to 2023 in the Cameroonian population. Viral loads were determined using the Abbott real-time assay, and genotyping/subtyping was based on nested and semi-nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of the regions encoding the core and non-structural protein 5B (NS5B) regions, respectively, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.

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Introduction: Global monitoring of severe acute respiratory syndrome related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic sequences and associated metadata is essential for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response. Therefore, Sanger's partial genome sequencing technique was used to monitor the circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 in Cameroon.

Methodology: Nasopharyngeal specimen was collected from persons suspected of SARS-CoV-2 following the national guidelines between January and December 2021.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Madagascar, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic (CAR), with each experiencing multiple waves by mid-2022. This study aimed to evaluate immunity against SARS-CoV-2 strains Wuhan (W) and BA.2 (BA.

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Background: Febrile jaundice is a common indicator of certain infectious diseases, including hepatitis E. In Cameroon, the yellow fever virus is the only pathogen that is monitored in patients who present with this symptom. However, more than 90% of the samples received as part of this surveillance are negative for yellow fever.

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Background: Healthcare workers (HWs) are at a high risk of exposure to emerging health threats. Following the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Cameroon, we explored the presence and persistence of naturally acquired antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the factors associated with seropositivity in HWs.

Methods: Staff at two referral hospitals in Yaoundé or two Health District Hospitals in Obala and Mbalmayo were included in a 6-month prospective cohort analysis or cross-sectional survey, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • HIV is a significant public health issue in Africa, particularly affecting pregnant women, which impacts both maternal and child health.
  • The study reviewed 248 articles to determine the overall HIV seroprevalence among pregnant women in Africa, finding a rate of 9.3%, with notable regional differences.
  • The highest seroprevalence was in Southern Africa (29.4%), while Northern Africa had the lowest (0.7%), indicating considerable variation in HIV rates across the continent.
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Over a period of about 9 months, we conducted three serosurveys in the two major cities of Cameroon to determine the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 antibodies and to identify factors associated with seropositivity in each survey. We conducted three independent cross-sectional serosurveys of adult blood donors at the Central Hospital in Yaoundé (CHY), the Jamot Hospital in Yaoundé (JHY) and at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala (LHD) who consented in writing to participate. Before blood sampling, a short questionnaire was administered to participants to collect their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

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During the COVID 19 pandemic, round-the-clock demand for COVID -19 laboratory tests exceeded capacity, placing a significant burden on laboratory staff and infrastructure. The use of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to streamline all phases of laboratory testing (preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical) has become inevitable. The objective of this study is to describe the architecture, implementation, and requirements of PlaCARD, a software platform for managing patient registration, medical specimens, and diagnostic data flow, as well as reporting and authentication of diagnostic results during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID -19) in Cameroon.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cameroon faces ongoing challenges in controlling the COVID-19 outbreak, with official case numbers potentially underestimating the true extent of infections.
  • A study estimated that around 7.45 million COVID-19 cases occurred from March 2020 to May 2021, which is significantly higher than reported figures, indicating a gap of about 94 times.
  • Forecasting suggests that without intervention, Cameroon could experience multiple future waves of COVID-19, emphasizing the need for improved monitoring of health measures and increased vaccination efforts.
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The geographic and evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1), which was first detected mid-November 2021 in Southern Africa, remain unknown. We tested 13,097 COVID-19 patients sampled between mid-2021 to early 2022 from 22 African countries for BA.

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Background: In most studies, the virological response is assessed during the first two years of antiretroviral treatment initiated in HIV-infected infants. However, early initiation of antiretroviral therapy exposes infants to very long-lasting treatment. Moreover, maintaining viral suppression in children is difficult.

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Objective: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the virological failure (VF) and drug resistance among treated HIV-infected children after five years follow-up in the ANRS-Pediacam cohort in Cameroon.

Methods: From November 2007 to October 2011, HIV-infected children born to HIV-infected mothers were included in the ANRS-PEDIACAM study and followed-up for more than 5 years. Plasma viral load (VL) was measured at each visit (every three months until month 24 and every 6 months thereafter).

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Article Synopsis
  • In Cameroon, the study focuses on identifying viral causes of meningoencephalitis (ME), particularly herpesviruses and enteroviruses, as current diagnoses mainly detect bacterial and fungal infections.
  • Conducted from February to May 2018, the research included 81 adult patients in Yaounde, revealing that 18.51% were positive for herpesviruses, primarily Epstein-Barr virus, especially among HIV-positive individuals.
  • A high mortality rate of 60.5% was observed, with risk factors like HIV-positive status and altered consciousness linked to increased death rates, highlighting the need for improved awareness and management of CNS infections in Cameroon.
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Background: Current HCV treatments are genotype specific although potential pan-genotype treatments have recently been described. Therefore, genotyping is an essential tool for the therapeutic management of HCV infection and a variety of technologies have been developed for HCV genotypes determination. Sequences analysis of HCV sub-genomic regions is considered as gold standard and is widely used for HCV genotyping.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to update the data on the prevalence of anti-HDV antibodies in Cameroon.

Results: Antibodies against hepatitis Delta virus (Anti-HDV) were found in 16.48% (95% CI 11.

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Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the performance of three CE-marked rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs): Multisure-HCV, First Response and Toyo; for screening anti- HCV antibody using plasma samples.

Results: Overall, 200 plasma samples were used. Sensibility and specificity of these RDTs range from 71 to 99 and 78 to 100% respectively.

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HIV-1 group N (HIV-1/N) remains rare and mainly restricted to Cameroon. In this study, we report a new HIV-1/N infected case identified during routine HIV screening activities in Yaounde. The genetic characterization of the near full-length genome of this virus strain revealed that it is genetically distinct to all HIV-1/N described to date.

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