Publications by authors named "Tito T Melachio-Tanekou"

Tsetse flies are the sole cyclic vectors of African trypanosomes, which cause human and animal African trypanosomiases in Africa. Tsetse fly control remains a promising option for disease management. The sterile insect technique (SIT) stands as an environmentally friendly tool to control tsetse populations.

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Novel vector control tools against African trypanosomiases require a deep understanding of the factors driving tsetse vector fitness or population resilience in their ecosystems. Following evidence of microbiota-mediated host fitness or traits shaping, including insecticide resistance in arthropod populations, we undertook a comparative study of the microbiota in wild-caught tsetse flies during vector control with deltamethrin-impregnated traps called Tiny Targets. The bacterial microbiome composition of tsetse flies collected before and after 6, 12, and 18 months of vector control were characterized using high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and compared.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vector control is essential for preventing trypanosome infections in humans and livestock, which is crucial for eliminating African sleeping sickness.
  • Researchers in Cameroon updated the identification and distribution of tsetse fly species by capturing specimens and performing morphological and DNA analysis.
  • The study revealed distinct morphologic features for different tsetse species, confirmed through DNA sequencing, and updated their geographic distribution, noting changes in species presence in specific regions.
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Background: Significant progress has been made towards African sleeping sickness elimination in the last decade. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) global goal of eliminating the chronic form of the disease as a public health problem was achieved in 2020 (i.e.

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Sleeping sickness is still prevalent in Campo, southern Cameroon, despite the efforts of World Health Organization and the National Control Programme in screening and treating cases. Reducing disease incidence still further may need the control of tsetse vectors. We update entomological and parasitological parameters necessary to guide tsetse control in Campo.

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A good understanding of tsetse fly population structure and migration is essential to optimize the control of sleeping sickness. This can be done by studying the genetics of tsetse fly populations. In this work, we estimated the genetic differentiation within and among geographically separated Glossina palpalis palpalis populations from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ivory Coast.

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Background: Snails of the genus Biomphalaria are intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni, the causative agent of the human intestinal schistosomiasis. Two Biomphalaria species (Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Biomphalaria camerunensis) are involved in the transmission in Cameroon, where the disease is present nationwide. However, difficulty in the identification of both vectors impedes proper assessment of the epidemiological burden caused by each species.

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Background: Tsetse flies are vectors of human and animal African trypanosomiasis. In spite of many decades of chemotherapy and vector control, the disease has not been eradicated. Other methods like the transformation of tsetse fly symbionts to render the fly refractory to trypanosome infection are being evaluated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Blastocystis spp. is a common protist found in stool samples of both HIV positive and negative individuals; its role as a pathogen is still unclear.
  • A study involving 283 HIV+ and 245 HIV- subjects found an overall infection rate of 8.7%, with slightly higher prevalence among HIV- individuals; no significant difference in symptoms was linked to HIV status.
  • The findings suggest that while Blastocystis spp. is associated with digestive issues, there is no definitive connection between its infection and HIV, indicating it may not be an opportunistic pathogen.
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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Crateva adansonii DC is a plant traditionally used in Cameroon to treat constipation, asthma, snakebites, postmenopausal complaints and cancers.

Aim: The anticancer potential of the dichloromethane/methanol extract of C. adansonii stem barks was investigated using human breast cancer cell and 7,12 dimethylbenz(a)anththracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumorigenesis model in rats.

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