ABSTRACT
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) caused by the bacterium Rickettsia conorii is one of the oldest known tick-borne diseases. It is transmitted by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus and occurs mainly in the Mediterranean area. MSF usually presents with a skin rash, high fever, and characteristic eschar at the site of the tick bite. The course of this disease may be benign or life-threatening. Focal neurological manifestations are unusual. We report the case of a patient who presented with an isolated peripheral facial nerve palsy complicating R conorii conorii infection.
Subject(s)
Boutonneuse Fever , Rhipicephalus sanguineus , Rickettsia conorii , Animals , Boutonneuse Fever/complications , Boutonneuse Fever/diagnosis , Boutonneuse Fever/drug therapy , Dogs , Facial Nerve , Humans , Paralysis , Rhipicephalus sanguineus/microbiologyABSTRACT
This study demonstrates for the first time HIV-1 resistance mutations to all classes of antiretroviral drugs available in Algeria (NRTIs, NNRTIs, PIs) in treated patients at failure. Moreover, it is shown that mutations to NRTIs and PIs can be observed in untreated patients in this country where there is high HIV-1 diversity.
Subject(s)
Drug Resistance, Viral , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/drug effects , HIV-1/genetics , Mutation, Missense , RNA, Viral/genetics , Algeria , Anti-HIV Agents/pharmacology , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , HIV Protease/genetics , HIV Reverse Transcriptase/genetics , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Humans , Phylogeny , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sequence Homology , Treatment FailureABSTRACT
We have sequenced different genes of HIV-1 strains from infected individuals recruited in various geographic parts of Algeria; phylogenetic trees were constructed yielding molecular characterization of these strains. Subtype B accounts for 56% of the samples studied and is therefore the predominant subtype, particularly in the north part of the country; but there is a high diversity of the virus including CRF02_AG, CRF06_cpx, CRF02/CRF06 interrecombinants, and different other intersubtype and/or inter-CRF recombinants. The prevalence of these non-B viruses increases in the south part of Algeria that borders sub-Saharan African countries. The high diversity of HIV-1 in Algeria has implications for virological follow-up, resistance surveys, and vaccine design.
