Prevalence of malaria in Arusha Region in the northern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported an estimated 249 million malaria cases globally in 2023, of which 94% were reported from Africa. Tanzania, a Sub-Saharan African country, has an exceptionally high malaria prevalence (3.6 million in 2023). The aim of the present study was to assess malaria prevalence rates in the Arusha Region, northern Tanzania. This region is famous for its national parks and wildlife reserves, and it is visited by thousands of tourists from all over the world each year. The assessment of malaria prevalence in the region is important in the context of the necessity to administer antimalarial chemoprophylaxis to international travellers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 101 people, residents of the Karatu District in the Arusha Region, aged between 1 and 73 years, who volunteered to participate in the screening. Phase I of the study was conducted in July 2022 in the Karatu Lutheran Hospital in Karatu Town (located close to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park). During this phase a venous blood sample was collected from each patient. The samples were tested for malaria using a rapid diagnostic test (mRDT); the same samples were also used to measure haemoglobin concentration and next they were applied onto the Whatman FTA micro cards for further molecular diagnostics in Poland (phase II). RESULTS: mRDT detected two (2.0%) infections caused by Plasmodium (the etiological factor of malaria), the molecular tests (RT-PCR) confirmed the two positive results by mRDT but also detected infections in six other samples (7.9% in total). The study found that six patients were infected with the Plasmodium falciparum species, while two other subjects had co-infections (P. falciparum + P. ovale, P. falciparum + P. vivax + P. malariae). CONCLUSIONS: The study findings confirm the prevalence of malaria in areas located close to national parks in northern Tanzania and support the use of antimalarial chemoprophylaxis in international travellers visiting the area. The present study found co-infections caused by four different species of Plasmodium species which supports the prevalence of different parasitic species in Sub-Saharan Africa and is in line with CDC reports but contrary to WHO reports which estimate that 100% of malaria cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are caused by P. falciparum.

Sickle cell disease in the Zanzibar Archipelago, the Republic of Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most severe haemoglobinopathies, a group of blood disorders, typically inherited. The condition affects over 7.7 million people globally and results in more than 370,000 deaths per year. The highest morbidity and mortality rates are seen in Africa and most children with SCD are born in Tanzania. The available literature on SCD morbidity in Tanzania focus primarily on the residents of the mainland, while there is little data available on SCD morbidity among residents of the Tanzanian islands in the Indian Ocean. The aim of the present study was to confirm the presence of sickle cell disease among residents of the Zanzibar Archipelago. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 27 people, residents of Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago, aged between 2 months and 26 years old, whose at least one parent has been diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia. Blood samples collected from the study participants were tested using HemoTypeSCTM, a rapid, point-of-care diagnostic test. The tests were performed at the Amal Hospital (Chake Chake town, Pemba Island) in June 2023. RESULTS: Sickle cell disease was diagnosed in 11 study subjects (40.7%); their haemoglobin concentration ranged between 6.6 and 8.5 g/dL. The presence of the sickle cell trait (HbAS phenotype) was confirmed in 14 patients (51.9%). Only two of the tested patients had normal haemoglobin phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study support the necessity to introduce large-scale population- -based screening for SCD in the Zanzibar Archipelago, especially in infants whose family members have sickle cell anaemia. The introduction of such a programme will help monitor the number of new SCD cases in the region and may potentially reduce infant mortality due to SCD as well as minimize complications from SCD in older children through the adoption of effective disease prevention measures.

Concentrations of PGE2 and TXB2 in the Eyes of Mice with Disseminated Acanthamoebiasis.

Previous studies have shown that Acanthamoeba spp. may invade the eyes by migrating along the optic nerve to the eyes from the brain. This study aimed to confirm the presence of inflammation in the eyes of mice with disseminated acanthamoebiasis by examining prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentrations in the eyes of immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice intranasally inoculated with Acanthamoeba spp. The PGE2 concentration was statistically significantly lower in the immunocompromised amoebae-infected mice on 8 dpi compared with the noninfected group of animals, and it was higher in the eyes of immunosuppressed amoebae-infected mice on 16 dpi than in the control group of animals. There was a statistically significant lower TXB2 concentration in the eyes of immunocompetent infected mice compared with the noninfected group on 8 dpi. However, on 24 dpi, we noted statistically significant higher TXB2 levels in the immunocompetent infected mice than in the control group. In immunocompromised mice, there was a lower TXB2 level on 8 dpi than in control mice. This study confirmed the existence of an inflammatory process in the eyes of immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice infected with Acanthamoeba spp. without damaged corneas.