141 results match your criteria: "Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF)[Affiliation]"

Seroconversion surveys of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies provide accurate estimates of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This nationwide population-based cross-sectional serosurvey aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among residents in Gabon and compare the estimated cumulative number of COVID-19 cases with the officially registered number of laboratory-confirmed cases up to December 2021. Households in each province were randomly selected.

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Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, understanding of the immune process associated with the COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma neopterin concentrations and COVID-19 infection, focusing on changes over time and age-related changes in immune response.

Methods: A retrospective case study was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 from March to August 2020.

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Investigation of caliciviruses and astroviruses in Gabonese rodents: A possible influence of national and international trade on the spread of enteric viruses.

Infect Genet Evol

August 2024

Unité de Recherche en Écologie de la Santé (URES), Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, BP 769, Gabon; Département d'Anthropologie, Université de Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • - Caliciviruses and astroviruses are major causes of non-bacterial foodborne illnesses and gastroenteritis in humans, with rodents being key hosts for these viruses and many zoonotic pathogens that can affect humans.
  • - A study screened 245 rodent intestine samples for these viruses, finding no caliciviruses but detecting astroviruses in 18 samples, specifically from the Rattus rattus species.
  • - Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the detected astroviruses are closely related to strains found in Gabon, Kenya, and Asia, indicating that transportation methods may promote the spread of these viruses through rodent populations.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the need for non-invasive diagnostic methods for detecting malaria, as traditional blood sampling is invasive and challenging.
  • Saliva and stool samples were examined to see if they could effectively contain detectable DNA from malaria infection, using tests like microscopy and nested PCR.
  • Results showed that while blood samples had 100% detection of malaria DNA, saliva and stool samples were significantly less effective, indicating that they cannot replace blood tests for accurate malaria diagnosis.
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Background: Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, but particularly affects women living in sub-Saharan Africa. Screening and vaccination programs are two prevention approaches that can reduce cervical cancer incidence. However, effective vaccination campaigns require better knowledge of the prevalence of the main human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes reported in high-grade neoplastic lesions and invasive carcinomas in women.

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Although antibiotic resistance is a major issue for both human and animal health, very few studies have investigated the role of the bacterial host spectrum in its dissemination within natural ecosystems. Here, we assessed the prevalence of methicillin resistance among (MRSA) isolates from humans, non-human primates (NHPs), micromammals and bats in a primatology center located in southeast Gabon, and evaluated the plausibility of four main predictions regarding the acquisition of antibiotic resistance in this ecosystem. MRSA strain prevalence was much higher in exposed species (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Human T-Cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) significantly increases the risk of opportunistic infections and accelerates the progression to AIDS in individuals co-infected with HIV-1 compared to those infected with only one virus.
  • * In Gabon, high rates of HTLV-1 and HIV-1 co-infections are alarming due to underdiagnosis and associated pathologies, posing serious hurdles for achieving HIV/AIDS elimination goals by 2030.
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Background: Evaluating malaria control strategies for pregnant women is essential. The objective of this study was to determine the factors influencing antenatal care (ANC) visit attendance, complete intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) and its impact on the health of pregnant women and their newborn babies living in semi-urban and rural areas of southeastern Gabon.

Methods: This transversal study was performed at the Centre Hospitalier Régional Paul Moukambi de Koula-Moutou (CHRPMK).

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The recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and arising complications during treatments have highlighted and demonstrated again the evolving ability of microorganisms, especially viral resistance to treatment as they develop into new and strong strains. The search for novel and effective treatments to counter the effects of ever-changing viruses is undergoing. Although it is an approved procedure for treating cancer, photodynamic therapy (PDT) was first used against bacteria and has now shown potential against viruses and certain induced diseases.

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Chronic liver diseases still represent a worrying public health issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, emphasis is generally made on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) albeit liver cirrhosis (LC) is also responsible for an important death toll. Very few studies have compared the presentation and etiologies of cancer and cirrhosis of the liver in Middle Africa.

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Background: The national malaria control policy in the Central African Republic (CAR) promotes basic, clinical, and operational research on malaria in collaboration with national and international research institutions. Preparatory work for the elaboration of National Strategic Plans for the implementation of the national malaria control policy includes developing the research component, thus requiring an overview of national malaria research. Here, this survey aims to provide an inventory of malaria research as a baseline for guiding researchers and health authorities in choosing the future avenues of research.

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The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Science

October 2022

Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Article Synopsis
  • A lot of money has been spent on studying the COVID-19 virus in Africa, leading to over 100,000 virus samples being analyzed to understand the spread of the disease.
  • *More countries in Africa are now able to do these studies themselves, which helps them get results faster and keep a close watch on the virus.
  • *To keep fighting COVID and other diseases, more funding and support for testing and research in Africa is really important for the future.
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Article Synopsis
  • Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) co-infection is common in Gabon, and co-infected individuals tend to progress more rapidly to AIDS.
  • * The study involved 299 individuals, revealing a 7.7% prevalence of HTLV-1 infection, with women and older age being risk factors for co-infection.
  • * Results indicated higher CD4+ cell counts and a lower HIV-1 viral load in co-infected individuals compared to those with just HIV-1, emphasizing the need for improved prevention and management strategies for co-infections.
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Objectives: Good-quality and sufficient DNA is essential for diagnostics and vaccine development. We aimed to compare six DNA extraction techniques applied to Loa loa microfilariae in order to evaluate the purity and integrity of extracts in terms of quality and quantity.

Methods: The microfilariae were purified via a Percoll gradient procedure with blood from hyper-microfilaremic individuals (> 30,000 microfilaria [mf]/ml).

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A year of genomic surveillance reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic unfolded in Africa.

Science

October 2021

KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Article Synopsis
  • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Africa has varied significantly across countries, and its overall impact remains unclear.
  • An analysis of 8,746 genomes from 33 African countries indicated that most outbreaks originated from Europe before international travel restrictions took effect.
  • As the pandemic continued, increased movement and local transmission led to the emergence of several variants within Africa, emphasizing the need for a strong pandemic response on the continent to prevent becoming a source of new variants.
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In the battle to quickly identify potential yellow fever arbovirus outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, active syndromic surveillance of acute febrile jaundice patients across the country is a powerful tool. However, patients who test negative for yellow fever virus infection are too often left without a diagnosis. By retroactively screening samples for other potential viral infections, we can both try to find sources of patient disease and gain information on how commonly they may occur and co-occur.

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Monkeypox is an emerging infectious disease, which has a clinical presentation similar to smallpox. In the two past decades, Central Africa has seen an increase in the frequency of cases, with many monkeypox virus (MPXV) isolates detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR). To date, no complete MPXV viral genome has been published from the human cases identified in the CAR.

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Background: The aetiologies of fever are poorly understood in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to assess the burden of malaria and bacteria in Côte d'Ivoire.

Methods: Blood samples from 438 febrile and 346 afebrile people were screened using molecular tools.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study examined the prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) in Gabon by analyzing nearly 6,000 clinical samples and anal swabs from various hospitals between January 2016 and March 2018.
  • - Findings revealed an ESBL-PE prevalence of 11.8% in clinical samples and 16.7% in anal swabs, with most isolates coming from urine, and the most common resistance genes identified were from the CTX-M group.
  • - Although the prevalence of ESBL-PE in Gabon is currently not alarming, the study emphasizes the need for corrective measures and ongoing monitoring to prevent their spread.
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Surgical Treatment of spp. Nodular Infection in a Chimpanzee at the CIRMF Primatology Center, Gabon.

Case Rep Vet Med

March 2021

Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.

Oesophagostomosis is a zoonotic disease caused by nematodes of the genus in the intestinal walls of many species, including ruminants, pigs, humans, and nonhuman primates. Although great apes appear to tolerate the parasite in the wild, they can develop a clinical form that can lead to death in captivity and the natural environment. At the Primatology Centre of the International Centre for Medical Research in Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon, we recorded 4 deaths of chimpanzees () caused by spp.

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Objectives: Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) is a complex form of malaria. To prevent PAM, several African countries have adopted intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (IPT-SP). However, resistance to SP has been reported, associated with mutations in the genes Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase (Pfdhps) and P.

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Background: The projected UNAIDS goal of ending AIDS by 2030 requires significant global efforts to improve current and future ART strategies. In this study, we assessed viral load (VL) suppression and acquired drug resistance, as well as future efficacy of dolutegravir-based combinations for patients living in semi-rural regions of Gabon.

Methods: Eligible study participants were adults receiving ART and recruited between 2018 and 2019 in Franceville, Gabon.

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Natural infection of free-ranging mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) by enteroviruses and astroviruses in southern Gabon.

Microb Pathog

January 2021

Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC), UMR5290, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Université de Montpellier, 34394, Montpellier, France; Centre de Recherche en Ecologie et Evolution de la Santé (CREES), 34000, Montpellier, France.

Enteroviruses (Picornaviridae) and astroviruses (Astroviridae) cause various diseases in humans and animals, including in non-human primates (NHPs). Some enteroviruses and astroviruses detected in NHPs are genetically related to those infecting humans, indicating the occurrence of interspecies transmissions. In this study, we screened 200 fecal samples of 56 free-ranging mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) by nested reverse transcription-PCR with primers targeting the VP1 and RdRp genes, to evaluate the diversity of enterovirus and astrovirus infection, respectively, and the associated zoonotic risk.

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Background: There is little information on the social perception of malaria and the use of preventative measures in Gabon, especially in rural areas. Adequate knowledge of malaria prevention and control can help in reducing the burden of malaria among vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women and children under 5 years old living in malaria-endemic settings. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of malaria and the knowledge and attitude towards this disease in households in Nyanga Province.

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