Medical countermeasures during the 2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak in the North Kivu and Ituri Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a rapid genomic assessment.

Background: The real-time generation of information about pathogen genomes has become a vital goal for transmission analysis and characterisation in rapid outbreak responses. In response to the recently established genomic capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we explored the real-time generation of genomic information at the start of the 2018 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu Province.

Methods: We used targeted-enrichment sequencing to produce two coding-complete Ebola virus genomes 5 days after declaration of the EVD outbreak in North Kivu.

The HPAfrica protocol: Assessment of health behaviour and population-based socioeconomic, hygiene behavioural factors - a standardised repeated cross-sectional study in multiple cohorts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction: The objective of the Health Population Africa (HPAfrica) study is to determine health behaviour and population-based factors, including socioeconomic, ethnographic, hygiene and sanitation factors, at sites of the Severe Typhoid Fever in Africa (SETA) programme. SETA aims to investigate healthcare facility-based fever surveillance in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar and Nigeria. Meaningful disease burden estimates require adjustment for health behaviour patterns, which are assumed to vary among a study population.

An international perspective on hospitalized patients with viral community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Who should be tested for viruses in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP), prevalence and risk factors for viral CAP are still debated. We evaluated the frequency of viral testing, virus prevalence, risk factors and treatment coverage with oseltamivir in patients admitted for CAP.

Methods: Secondary analysis of GLIMP, an international, multicenter, point-prevalence study of hospitalized adults with CAP.

[Anemia in patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Vichy Hospital center].

Introduction: Objectives were to determine the clinical, epidemiological and biological profile of the patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome and presenting the anaemia, the determinants of variation of the haemoglobin rate, and to estimate the impact of the anaemia on the prognosis of these patients.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective and observational study conducted in the cardiology department of Vichy Hospital in France. All patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted from 31 of October 2015 to 30 of April 2016 were selected.

Rapid Confirmation of the Zaire Ebola Virus in the Outbreak of the Equateur Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Implications for Public Health Interventions.

Ten days after the declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rapid identification of the species Zaire Ebola virus using partial gene amplification and nanopore sequencing backed up the use of the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-Zaire Ebola virus vaccine in the recommended ring vaccination strategy.

[Antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp strains isolated from blood cultures in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo].

Introduction: Typhoid fever is a major public health problem in developing countries because of the obsolescence of health infrastructure and of an almost non-existent water distribution network. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in general, and in Bukavu, in particular, blood culture is inaccessible to the majority of patients. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of Salmonella spp to antibiotics commonly used for the tratment of typhoid fever in Bukavu.

Identification of Dengue and Chikungunya Cases Among Suspected Cases of Yellow Fever in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For more than 95% of acute febrile jaundice cases identified through surveillance for yellow fever, a reemerging arthropod-borne viral disease, no etiological exploration is ever done. The aim of this study was to test for other arthropod-borne viruses that can induce the same symptoms in patients enrolled in the yellow fever surveillance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Of 652 patients included in the surveillance of yellow fever in DRC from January 2003 to January 2012, 453 patients that tested negative for yellow fever virus (YFV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies were selected for the study.

Treatment of elephantiasis of the leg by fasciotomy and lymphangiectomy with skin preservation in a resource-limited setting: a case report and review.

The author reports the surgical management of a patient with elephantiasis of the leg in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A fasciotomy and lymphangiectomy with skin preservation, combined with compression therapy, resulted in significant cosmetic, functional, and social improvement. Although challenging in a resource-limited setting, development of surgical management may make it possible to reduce beliefs that elephantiasis is incurable or due to witchcraft and may reduce time to consultation.

Pediatric Acute Severe Neurologic Illness and Injury in an Urban and a Rural Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Empirical knowledge suggests that acute neurologic disorders are common in sub-Saharan Africa, but studies examining the true burden of these diseases in children are scarce. We performed this prospective, observational study to evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, treatment approaches, and outcomes of children suffering acute neurologic illness or injury (ANI) in an urban and rural site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over 12 months, 471 out of 6,563 children admitted met diagnostic criteria for ANI, giving a hospital-based prevalence of 72/1,000 admissions.

Need for surgical treatment of epilepsy and excision of tumors and post-traumatic epileptogenic lesions in Kinshasa, RDC.

Surgery is a treatment to consider in epilepsy when the condition is refractory or epileptic events are related to a clearly identified brain abnormality. The tropical climate of the DRC explains the high risk of epilepsy and the potentially large number of refractory cases. The number of patients with epilepsy in Kinshasa is estimated to be at least 120 000, and almost one third may be refractory.

[Association between the viruses of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and the hepatitis C virus among young blood donors in Kinshasa: Retrospective analysis of 10 years].

Study Objectives: The screening of anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus antibodies is mandatory in every blood donor admitted to the Blood Bank of Kinshasa University Clinics since 1984. However, no compiled data are available to date. The objective of this study was to establish the trend, prevalence, viral co-infections, and determinants of Human Immunodeficiency anti-Virus serology in blood donors admitted between 2003-2006 and 2008-2013.

Divergent HIV-1 strains (CRF92_C2U and CRF93_cpx) co-circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Phylogenetic insights on the early evolutionary history of subtype C.

Molecular epidemiological studies revealed that the epicenter of the HIV pandemic was Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa. All known subtypes and numerous complex recombinant strains co-circulate in the DRC. Moreover, high intra-subtype diversity has been also documented.

[Role of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test in the screening for pulmonary tuberculosis at the General Referral Provincial Hospital of Bukavu, in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: balance after 10 months of use].

Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are inadequate and are essentially based on microscopy. They constitute a real obstacle to the control of tuberculosis. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test compared to classical Ziehl-Neelsen staining at the the general referral provincial hospital of Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 10 months of use.

[Literature review on human influenza epidemics occurred before the implementation plan for sentinel surveillance program in the DRC].

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several influenza epidemics are ignored because they are confused with other infectious diseases which have similar symptoms. Our study aims to assess influenza epidemics occurred in the DRC before 2008, year of the implementation of the influenza surveillance program in the DRC. We searched all the documents [articles, report,…] about influenza epidemic or acute respiratory infections [ARI] in the DRC before 2008 by using chosen key words.

Central and Peripheral Nervous System Disorders Following Ivermectin Mass Administration: A Descriptive Study Based on the Democratic Republic of Congo Pharmacovigilance System.

Introduction: The mainstay of onchocerciasis control currently is mass administration of ivermectin; however, this may be associated with serious adverse events, including deaths, when administered in areas where onchocerciasis and loiasis are co-endemic.

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to describe the central and peripheral nervous system disorders that occurred after mass administration of ivermectin in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study involving a review of data on adverse events related to mass administration of ivermectin.

Full Genome Characterization of a New Simian Immune Deficiency Virus Lineage in a Naturally Infected Cercopithecus ascanius whitesidei in the Democratic Republic of Congo Reveals High Genetic Diversity Among Red-Tailed Monkeys in Central and Eastern Africa.

Our knowledge on simian immune deficiency virus (SIV) diversity and evolution in the different nonhuman primate species is still incomplete. In this study, we report the full genome characterization of a new SIV from a red-tailed monkey (2013DRC-I8), from the Cercopithecus ascanius whitesidei subspecies, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The new full-length genome is 9,926 bp long, and the genomic structure is similar to that of other SIVs with the absence of vpx and vpu genes.

High Prevalence and Diversity of Hepatitis Viruses in Suspected Cases of Yellow Fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The majority of patients with acute febrile jaundice (>95%) identified through a yellow fever surveillance program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) test negative for antibodies against yellow fever virus. However, no etiological investigation has ever been carried out on these patients. Here, we tested for hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis D (HDV), and hepatitis E (HEV) viruses, all of which can cause acute febrile jaundice, in patients included in the yellow fever surveillance program in the DRC.

[Predictors of physical incapacity degree to chronic hemodialysis patients in Kinshasa : Key role of the residual diuresis].

Objective: Identifying predictors of physical incapacity degree in patients on chronic hemodialysis in Kinshasa.

Methods: Bicentric analytical study, between January 2007 and July 2013. Degree of physical handicap was evaluated at 6months of hemodialysis based on the scale of Rosser.

Genetic diversity of STLV-2 and interspecies transmission of STLV-3 in wild-living bonobos.

There are currently four known primate T-cell lymphotropic virus groups (PTLV1-4), each of which comprises closely related simian (STLV) and human (HTLV) viruses. For PTLV-1 and PTLV-3, simian and human viruses are interspersed, suggesting multiple cross-species transmission events; however, for PTLV-2 this is not so clear because HTLV-2 and STLV-2 strains from captive bonobos () form two distinct clades. To determine to what extent bonobos are naturally infected with STLV, we screened fecal samples (n = 633) from wild-living bonobos (n = 312) at six different sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the presence of STLV nucleic acids.

[Iron deficency and anemia among donors in Kinshassa].

Introduction: In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the practice of blood transfusion is common with more than two hundred thousand one million blood donation per year has been made between 2007 and 2011. However, no report on iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia as a result of a donation blood in DS is available in this country. This study aimed to estimate the extend of iron deficiency, anemia and iron deficiency anemia in volunteer blood donors (DS) in the National Blood Transfusion Center (CNTS) in Kinshasa, DRC.

Polymorphisms of Estrogen Metabolism-Related Genes and Prostate Cancer Risk in Two Populations of African Ancestry.

Background: Estrogens are thought to play a critical role in prostate carcinogenesis. It has been suggested that polymorphisms of genes encoding enzymes involved in estrogen metabolism are risk factors for prostate cancer. However, few studies have been performed on populations of African ancestry, which are known to have a high risk of prostate cancer.