ABSTRACT
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen ESAT-6 has been proposed for tuberculosis immunodiagnosis. In The Gambia, 30% of community controls produced gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in response to ESAT-6. Increased proportions of responders and intensities of responses were found in household contacts. Responses that were initially low in tuberculosis patients increased after treatment. An ESAT-6 IFN-gamma assay will be of limited use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. Its role in contact tracing should be evaluated further.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Community-Acquired Infections/immunology , Endemic Diseases , Interferon-gamma/blood , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/immunology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Antigens, Bacterial/pharmacology , Bacterial Proteins , Biomarkers , Cells, Cultured , Female , Gambia/epidemiology , Humans , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/cytology , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Tuberculin Test , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/blood , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/transmissionABSTRACT
An individually randomised double-blind trial of PRP-T Hib conjugate vaccine was conducted in the Gambia between 1993 and 1995, in which 42,848 children were randomised into one of 10 groups, five corresponding to vaccine and five to placebo. Basic demographic data were collected on all children, and administration details of all doses of EPI vaccines were recorded. In addition, details on all doses of vaccines were recorded on each child's home-based health card; 2,681 episodes of possible Hib disease were investigated and for each episode detailed clinical data were collected. These investigations yielded 50 cases of confirmed Hib disease, which formed the basis of the final efficacy results. In all 50 cases, the data on the children's health card, describing the doses of study vaccine received exactly, matched the vaccination database which was filled with data returned from the clinics. The data-management procedures are described in detail in this paper.
Subject(s)
Database Management Systems , Haemophilus Vaccines/administration & dosage , Haemophilus influenzae , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods , Child, Preschool , Double-Blind Method , Gambia , Humans , Infant , Quality ControlABSTRACT
Examination of 20 samples of smoke-dried fish of the Ethmolosa sp. commonly called "Bonga", from homes and markets in Njala (Sierra Leone) revealed the presence of 4 Aspergilli species: A. flavus Links ex Fries, A. ochraceus Wilhelm, A. tamarii Kita and A. niger van Tieghem. Fresh or properly preserved smoke-dried fish showed no signs of fungal contamination. Mouldy fish extracts contained varying amounts of aflatoxins B1, G1, G2 and ochratoxin A. Isolates of A. flavus grown on yeast extract sucrose (YES) medium, produced considerable amounts of aflatoxin B1 and G1 and trace amounts of G2. On YES medium A. ochraceus produced large amounts of ochratoxin A but no penicillic acid.
