Publications by authors named "Sadeuh-Mba Serge Alain"
Rabies is a viral zoonosis that causes an estimated 60,000 human deaths each year, mainly in Africa and Asia. The etiological agent of rabies, the Rabies Lyssavirus or Rabies Virus (RABV) has been characterized in dog populations in Cameroon, in previous studies. However, the dynamics of RABV maintenance and propagation in dogs are still to be documented in Cameroon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: 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.
Article Synopsis
- - The study examined the presence and genetic diversity of Human Parechoviruses (HPeVs) in 200 children under 15 with Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in Cameroon from 2018 to 2019.
- - HPeV RNA was found in 11% of the stool samples, with specific genotypes (A1, A4, A5, A10, A14, A15, A17, and A18) identified through advanced genetic sequencing.
- - Results indicated significant genetic variability among the HPeVs detected, suggesting multiple genotypes circulate in Cameroon without associated outbreaks.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated the presence of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in 15 species of non-human primates in Cameroon.
- RVFV antibodies were found in 3.7% of chimpanzees and 1.4% of unidentified non-human primate species.
- This research marks the first examination of RVFV in monkeys within the region.
Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is a major public health problem, causing a range of illnesses from hand-foot-and-mouth disease to severe neurological manifestations. EV-A71 strains have been phylogenetically classified into eight genogroups (A to H), based on their capsid-coding genomic region. Genogroups B and C have caused large outbreaks worldwide and represent the two canonical circulating EV-A71 subtypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContemporary epidemiological data of Rift Valley fever virus in humans, mosquitoes and other animal species in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Vet Med Sci
September 2023
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a severe zoonotic mosquito-borne disease that represents an important threat to human and animal health, with major public health and socioeconomic impacts. This disease is endemic throughout many African countries and the Arabian Peninsula. This systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to determine the RVF prevalence in humans, mosquitoes and other animal species in Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRabies is a worldwide zoonotic disease mainly transmitted to humans by an infected dog bite. Despite the endemicity of rabies in dogs and few documented cases in Cameroon, there is still not enough data on frequency of rabies cases in animals. The present study aims to update data on the circulation of rabies in animals screened at the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon (CPC) between 2014 and 2021.
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- Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a serious mosquito-borne disease affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife, especially in Africa; this study focuses on its prevalence in animals at a slaughterhouse in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
- A cross-sectional study conducted in March 2020 involved testing blood samples from 191 sheep and goats, revealing a 5.2% positive rate for RVFV IgG antibodies, with higher prevalence in females and sheep.
- The findings indicate RVFV circulation in local ruminants and underscore the importance of establishing a surveillance system for monitoring the virus across humans, livestock, wildlife, and vectors in Cameroon.
A substantial amount of epidemiological data has been reported on Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infections after the 2014 outbreak. Our goal was to map the case fatality rate (CFR) and prevalence of current and past EV-D68 infections. We conducted a systematic review (PROSPERO, CRD42021229255) with published articles on EV-68 infections in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Global Index Medicus up to January 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRabies is transmitted to humans mainly by dogs but also by other animal species. Reliable data on the incidence of Rabies virus (RABV) in humans, dogs, and other animal species in Africa, could be essential in the implementation of a global strategic plan to eliminate the RABV by 2030 as adopted by the WHO, OIE, and FAO. We searched the Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, African Journal Online, and African Index Medicus databases for relevant studies that report data on the incidence of RABV in Africa up to February 17, 2020.
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.
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- - The study focuses on the prevalence and types of Rhinoviruses (RVs) and Enteroviruses (EVs) causing acute respiratory infections (ARI) in Cameroon over a three-year period, from 2011 to 2014.
- - Out of 974 nasopharyngeal swabs collected, 16.4% tested positive for RVs and/or EVs, with a higher prevalence in patients with influenza-like illness compared to those with severe acute respiratory infections.
- - The research found that both RVs and EVs circulated year-round, with a noticeable spike during rainy and cold seasons, and a diverse range of RV and EV types were identified among young children, who made up the majority of the study participants
Article Synopsis
- - Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is a major cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) and has the potential to cause serious neurological issues, with various genogroups classified based on genetic sequences.
- - Despite genogroups B and C causing major outbreaks, genogroups E and F are recently identified with limited knowledge about their circulation in Africa, highlighting the need for effective detection methods.
- - A newly developed real-time RT-PCR assay can accurately detect all genogroups of EV-A71 in biological samples, showing strong sensitivity and reproducibility, and has identified multiple strains in a study of enterovirus samples from Africa.
Article Synopsis
- The researchers analyzed data from various databases spanning from 1969 to 2020, ultimately reviewing 109 reports which contributed to 291 prevalence records across 25 countries.
- The overall CFR for humans was found to be 29.7%, with a pooled prevalence of 8.7% in humans, 3.2% in rodents, and 0.7% in other mammals, indicating significant regional disparities and higher risks in Western Africa.
Detection of herpesviruses and enteroviruses in patients with suspected infectious meningoencephalitis in three referral hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon.
J Med Virol
December 2020
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.
Rabies is a neglected but preventable zoonotic disease that predominantly affects the most vulnerable populations living in remote rural areas of resource-limited countries. To date, every country on the African mainland is considered endemic for dog-mediated rabies with an estimated 21'500 human rabies deaths occurring each year. In 2018, the United Against Rabies collaboration launched the Global Strategic Plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
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- - The Enterovirus D (EV-D) species, particularly EV-D68 and EV-D70, have caused outbreaks in humans for decades but have received little research attention until recent severe respiratory diseases linked to EV-D68.
- - Newly identified EV-D types (EV-D94, EV-D111, and EV-D120) were discovered in Africa but have not been reported elsewhere, with some strains suggesting a possible zoonotic origin from non-human primates.
- - Genetic analysis of EV-D111 strains indicates recent zoonotic transmission and potential genetic recombination with EV-D94, raising concerns about misclassification during poliovirus detection in Central Africa, where both viruses coexist.
Background: A wide range of Nipah virus (NiV) encephalitis case fatality rates (CFR) have been reported. Data on the involvement of several potential risk factors in Nipah virus transmission remain controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled CFR of NiV encephalitis and to assess the risk factors for NiV infection.
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- The study investigated the presence of poliovirus types in urban sewage in Cameroon following the withdrawal of Sabin type 2 from immunization in 2016.
- From January 2016 to December 2017, 517 sewage samples were tested, finding no wild or vaccine-derived polioviruses, but vaccine strains were still detected.
- The disappearance of Sabin type 2 from June 2016 onwards indicates successful elimination of WPVs and VDPVs in Cameroon, highlighting the need for ongoing environmental surveillance.
Article Synopsis
- Enteroviruses (EVs), including Non-Polio Enteroviruses (NPEVs) and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs), are prevalent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), but their genetic diversity was previously understudied.
- This research analyzed EVs from both healthy children and Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) patients, focusing on the genetic characteristics of these viruses and investigating the potential reasons behind the emergence of cVDPVs in the region.
- Findings revealed that a significant percentage of healthy children were infected by EVs, with evidence of genetic recombination in cVDPVs, suggesting complex viral evolution and interactions in the local population.
A monkeypox virus was detected from a human clinical case in 2018 in Cameroon; a country where no human cases were reported since 1989. The virus exhibited close genetic relatedness with another monkeypox virus isolated in Nigeria during the 2017-2018 outbreak. Although our molecular findings argue in favor of an extension of the monkeypox outbreak from Nigeria into Cameroon, the possibility that the monkeypox virus detected could be indigenous to Cameroon cannot be ruled out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanine rabies is endemic in Cameroon, but human rabies exposures and cases are likely underreported because of inadequate surveillance. In 2014, the surveillance network in the West region of Cameroon was reinforced by introducing a new anti-rabies center, a framework for data collection and evaluation, provisions for sample collecting and laboratory confirmation, and training for health professionals. The objective of this observational cohort study was to describe the incidence and characteristics of reported exposures and human and animal rabies cases following this reinforcement of the existing rabies surveillance system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Rift Valley Fever Phlebovirus (RVFV) and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Orthonairovirus (CCHFV) specific antibodies had been documented among humans in urban settings of the southwestern and northern Cameroon in the late 1980s. Recently, evidence for enzootic circulation of RVFV was reported among livestock in both rural and urban settings in Cameroon. However, current estimates of human exposure to RVFV and CCHFV are still to be documented in Cameroon, especially in rural areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHIV-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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- Researchers studied genome sequences from 8 enterovirus A71 isolates (EV-A71) to investigate their genetic characteristics.
- Findings confirmed the presence of genogroup C and identified a new genogroup E in West Africa.
- The analysis revealed significant geographic spread and genetic mixing between EV-A71 and local enteroviruses, which could lead to the development of more harmful strains.