Seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency and hepatitis b viruses among patients at a health facility in Freetown; Sierra Leone

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) constitute serious public health problems worldwide. In Sierra Leone; information on both viral infections remains scanty. This study estimated the seroprevalence of HIV and HBV infections and a possible co-infection in one hundred and ninety-eight (198) patients seeking diagnosis at a private laboratory in Freetown; Sierra Leone. Blood plasma was collected from each patient after informed consent was obtained. The samples were assayed for antibodies to HIV virus and HBV antigen using appropriate assays. Male patient accounts for 52of the population examined. Thirty-one (31) of the 198 patients examined (15.7) were positive for HIV. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) was present in 17 (39.5) females and 26 (60.5) males. Thirteen (13) (6.6) patients were co-infected with HIV and HBsAg. This is the first documented evidence of HBsAg and HIV co-infection in Sierra Leoneans. Larger population based studies are however needed to confirm the findings

Nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus and antibiotic susceptibility pattern among children in Freetown; Sierra Leone

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus has been demonstrated to be a major risk factor for invasive S. aureus infections in various population including children. The extent of S. aureus carriage in Sierra Leonean children is largely unknown. To determine the prevalence and pattern of antibiotic susceptibility of nasal S. aureus among children in Freetown; Sierra Leone; samples were collected from anterior nares of children less than two years at the Ola During Children's Hospital between October 2008 and April 2009. Of the 116 children screened during the study period; S. aureus isolates were found in the nasal specimens of 40 (34.5) of the children. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing to norfloxacin; gentamycin; erythromycin; trimethoprim-sulfamethazole; doxycycline; tetracycline and amoxycillin-clavulanic acid were observed to be 95; 35; 30; 20; 15; 7.5 and 2.5respectively. All the isolates were susceptible to oxacillin and resistant to chloramphenicol; penicillin G; amoxycillin and ampiclox. Regular monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern may be useful