Assessment of the effect of Schistosoma haematobium co infection on malaria parasites and immune responses in rural populations in Gabon: study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Malaria and helminth co infection are common in tropical and subtropical areas where they affect the life of millions of people. While both helminth and malaria parasites have immunomodulatory activities, little is known about the consequence of co-infections on malaria antigen specific immune responses. METHOD/DESIGN: This study will be conducted in two rural areas of the Moyen Ogooué province in Gabon, endemic for both Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma haematobium infections. Participants, 5 to 50 years old, will be enrolled and grouped according to their infection status. S. haematobium and malaria parasites will be detected, demographic and clinical data will be recorded and blood will be collected for hematological as well as for immunological assays. The level of antibody specific to Plasmodium falciparum blood stage and gametocyte antigens will be measured using ELISA. PBMC will be isolated for phenotyping of different T cell subsets ex vivo by flow cytometry and for culture and cytokine response assessment. DISCUSSION: We will provide a comprehensive picture of the interaction between schistosomes and malaria parasites which co-localize in peripheral blood. We will test the hypothesis that schistosome infection has an impact on specific humoral as well as on cellular immune responses to malaria antigens.

No clinical or biological difference between Chikungunya and Dengue Fever during the 2010 Gabonese outbreak.

Chikungunya (CHIKV) and Dengue (DENV) viruses, both arboviruses, have caused multiple outbreaks worldwide. Their clinical features are poorly described in Africa and there is no comparative study, although Chikungunya is considered as a dengue-like disease. We conducted a comparative study of clinical and biological data from CHIKV and DENV positive patients during the 2010 Gabonese outbreak. Patients consulting with general symptoms and having laboratory confirmation for CHIKV or DENV were included. Clinical and biological data were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info. A P value < 0.05 was considered significant. In all, 270 CHIKV+, 53 DENV+ and 20 co-infected patients were included in the study. Headaches, hemorrhage, leukopenia and lymphopenia were significantly (P respectively 0.01, 0.001, 0.02 and 0.001) more frequent in DENV+ patients than in CHIKV+. There was no additive effect of the two viruses.These clinical and hematological disorders are non specific and cannot assist for the differential diagnosis. These diseases are clinically indistinguishable, and need for laboratory confirmation.