Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from children under age five with and without diarrhea in Central Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is a serious health problem in children, with the highest mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is among the major bacterial causes of diarrhea in children under age five. The present study aims to determine molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of DEC and identify contributing factors for acquisition among children under age five in Central Ethiopia. METHODS: A health facility-centered cross-sectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa and Debre Berhan, Ethiopia, from December 2020 to August 2021. A total of 476 specimens, 391 from diarrheic and 85 from non-diarrheic children under age five were collected. Bacterial isolation and identification, antimicrobial susceptibility, and pathotype determination using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were done. RESULTS: Of the 476 specimens analyzed, 89.9% (428/476) were positive for E. coli, of which 183 were positive for one or more genes coding DEC pathotypes. The overall prevalence of the DEC pathotype was 38.2% (183/476). The predominant DEC pathotype was enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) (41.5%, 76/183), followed by enterotoxigenic E. coli (21.3%, 39/183), enteropathogenic E. coli (15.3%, 28/183), enteroinvasive E. coli (12.6%, 23/183), hybrid strains (7.1%, 13/183), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (1.6%, 3/183), and diffusely-adherent E. coli (0.6%, 1/183). DEC was detected in 40.7% (159/391) of diarrheic and 28.2% (24/85) in non-diarrheic children (p = 0.020). The majority of the DEC pathotypes were resistant to ampicillin (95.1%, 174/183) and tetracycline (91.3%, 167/183). A higher rate of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (58%, 44/76), ciprofloxacin (22%, 17/76), ceftazidime and cefotaxime (20%, 15/76) was seen among EAEC pathotypes. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in 43.2% (79/183) of the pathotypes, whereas extended spectrum ß-lactamase and carbapenemase producers were 16.4% (30/183) and 2.2% (4/183), respectively. CONCLUSION: All six common DEC pathotypes that have the potential to cause severe diarrheal outbreaks were found in children in the study area; the dominant one being EAEC with a high rate of MDR.

Corrigendum: Genotype heterogeneity of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in Ethiopia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1116685.].

Genotype heterogeneity of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in Ethiopia.

Cervical cancer is a vaccine-preventable sexually transmitted disease. In the year 2020, there were an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths worldwide. Although its incidence is global, it is much higher in sub-Saharan African countries. In Ethiopia, there is a scarcity of data about the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection and its association with cytological profiles. Therefore, this study was conducted to fill this information gap. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 26 to August 28, 2021, and enrolled 901 sexually active women. Socio-demographic and other relevant bio-behavioral and clinical data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Visual inspection with acetic acid [VIA] was done as an initial screening method for cervical cancer. The cervical swab was then collected using L-Shaped FLOQSwabs in eNAT nucleic acid preservation and transportation medium. A Pap test was done to determine the cytological profile. Nucleic acid was extracted using STARMag 96 ProPrep Kit on SEEPREP32. A Real-time multiplex assay was performed to amplify and detect the HPV L1 gene used for genotyping. The data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 software and exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. A total of 901 (age range from 30 to 60 years, mean age = 34.8 years, and SD± 5.8) women were screened for cervical cancer using VIA and 832 women had a valid co-testing (Pap test and HPV DNA testing) results for further process. The overall prevalence of hr HPV infection was 13.1%. Out of 832 women, 88% of them had normal and 12% had abnormal Pap test results. The proportion of high risk HPV was significantly higher among women with abnormal cytology (X 2 = 688.446, p < 0.001) and younger age (X 2 = 15.3408, p = 0.018). Among 110 women with hr HPV, 14 genotypes (HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -39, -45, -51, -52, -56, -58, -59, -66, and -68) were identified while HPV-16, -31, -52, -58, and -35 genotypes were highly prevalent. The high risk HPV infection continues to be a significant public health problem among women 30-35 years old. The presence of high-risk HPV irrespective of genotypes is highly correlated with cervical cell abnormalities. Genotype heterogeneity is observed suggesting the importance of periodic geospatial genotyping surveillance for vaccine effectiveness.

A comprehensive review of the ethnomedicine, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities of the genus Kniphofia.

CONTEXT: Kniphofia (Asphodelaceae) is found mainly in South Africa and Tropical Africa. Malaria, hepatitis B, blood purifier, cancer, eczema, and female infertility have all been traditionally treated using this genus. OBJECTIVE: The current review provides a complete and up-to-date compilation of documented traditional medicinal uses, phytochemicals, and pharmacological activities of the genus. METHOD: Relevant literature was collected by searching the major electronic scientific databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using appropriate keywords ethnomedicinal studies, phytochemical investigations, and pharmacological activities of Kniphofia species. The search strategy included all articles with descriptors that were available until November 30, 2021. Only published works in English were used for this study. The data were collected using textual descriptions of the studies, tabulation, grouping, and figures. RESULT: At present, more than 40 compounds have been isolated from different parts of Kniphofia species. The major compounds isolated from the Kniphofia species are monomeric anthraquinones and dimeric anthraquinones. Pharmacologically the extracts and isolated compounds showed antioxidant, antimalarial, antiproliferative, anti-HIV-1, anti-leukotriene, and cytotoxic activity. The genus afforded exemplary drug leads such as knipholone and knipholone anthrone with anti-HIV-1, antimalarial and cytotoxicity activity. CONCLUSIONS: Kniphofia species have traditionally been used to treat a variety of diseases. Pharmacological actions of phytochemicals were shown to be promising. Despite this, considering the genus's inclusion on the red data list of South Africa, it deserves more attention. In order to find novel drug candidates, more studies on promising crude extracts and compounds are needed.