Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis and associated risk factors in pregnant women at the Protestant Hospital, Mbouo-Bandjoun, Cameroon

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a common worldwide infection caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. In Cameroon, several recent studies have reported high seroprevalence of this parasitosis in various hospitals (Douala, Limbe, Njinikom and Yaoundé). The aim of this study was to determine whether this high prevalence of toxoplasmosis might occur in other regions of the country. Methodology: Serological tests by the indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for IgG and IgM were carried out on 200 pregnant women (36 HIV-positive and 164 HIV-negative) at the Protestant Hospital of Mbouo-Bandjoun in western Cameroon to determine the presence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and to identify the risk factors associated with seropositivity of the subjects. Results: The overall seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies was 45.5%. The prevalence rate was 80.5% in the HIV-positive group (47.2% IgG, 22.2% IgM and 11.1% IgG + IgM) and 37.8% in the HIV-negative group (25.6%, 9.7% and 2.4% respectively). Using a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the secondary level of educational, presence of HIV infection, and frequency of close contacts with cats were significantly associated with the prevalence of IgG and/or IgM antibodies. Conclusion: Compared with previous reports of human toxoplasmosis in Cameroon, the prevalence in our study showed a decrease in the disease occurrence. Further studies are needed to determine whether this decrease is localised to our study or a general phenomenon currently affecting the country

Comparison of two diagnostic techniques to determine the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infections in Cameroonian school children

Background: The Kato-Katz technique is recommended for diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection by the World Health Organization. However, egg counts are subject to variability. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in school children using two different techniques and to recommend the technique that should be routinely used in the diagnosis of this infection. Methodology: Field investigations on faecal samples from 299 Cameroonian school children were carried out in 2016 to compare the effectiveness of the Kato-Katz and Formalin-ether techniques in diagnosis of S. mansoni infections. Results: Schistosome eggs were detected in 37 (12.3%) samples with the Kato-Katz technique and 61 (20.4%) samples with the Formalin-ether technique. The difference between the prevalence observed for the two techniques was significant in males and age group 10 - 12 years (p < 0.5). Conclusion: The Formalin-ether technique was more sensitive than the Kato-Katz method for detecting S. mansoni eggs in faecal matter. Despite its cost, the Formalin-ether technique can be routinely used in the laboratory for epidemiological studies of intestinal schistosomiasis