Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Ethiopia: A review article.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) belongs to the family Hepadnaviridae and is the smallest human DNA virus, with a genome that is only 3200 nucleotides long. The absence of proofreading function in HBV reverse transcriptase provides a wide range of genetic variants for targeted outgrowth at different stages of infection. A number of sub genotypes and ten HBV genotypes (A through J) have been identified through analyses of the divergence of HBV genomic sequences. Numerous clinical outcomes, including the emergence of chronicity, the course of the disease, the effectiveness of treatment, and the response to vaccination, have been related to differences in genotype between HBV isolates. There are just seven studies that have been done in Ethiopia that examine the molecular epidemiology of HBV. Moreover, these studies haven't been compiled and reviewed yet. In this review, we looked at the genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of HBV, the relationship between HBV genotypes and clinical outcomes, the immunopathogenesis of HBV, and finally the molecular epidemiology of HBV in Ethiopia. PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar search engines were used to find relevant articles for the review. By using HBV genotyping, clinicians can better tailor vaccination decisions and antiviral therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B who are more likely to experience the disease's progression.

Bacterial Etiology of Urinary Tract Infection and Antibiogram Profile in Children Attending Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Bacterial urinary tract infections are important public health problems in children. This study was conducted to identify the bacterial agents of urinary tract infections and antibiogram patterns in children. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study including 220 children was carried out between November 15, 2021, and March 10, 2022. Simple random sampling was used to enroll participants. The sociodemographic and clinically pertinent information was gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire. Every participant in the study who was ≤15 years old gave clean-catch midstream urine. Urine samples were inoculated onto a cystine lactose electrolyte-deficient agar using a calibrated inoculating loop with a 0.001 ml capacity and then incubated aerobically for 24 hours at 37°C. Subculturing for significant bacteriuria was done on MacConkey and blood agar. Gram staining, biochemical assays, and colony characteristics were used for bacterial identification. The disc diffusion method developed by Kirby and Bauer was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. SPSS software version 25 was used for data entry and analysis. To find the risk factors, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. An association was deemed statistically significant if the p value at the 95 percent confidence interval was less than 0.05. Results: In this study, the majority (50.5%) of the study participants were males. The mean age of the study participants was 6 ± 0.91 years. It was found that 31.8% of children had urinary tract infections. The most prevalent urinary pathogens among the isolates were E. coli (27.1%) and S. aureus (18.6%). Approximately 56% of the participants were infected with multidrug-resistant pathogens. Additionally, compared to children who have never had a urinary tract infection, children with a history of infection had 1.04 (95 percent confidence interval (CI): 0.39, 2.75) times higher risk of infection. Conclusion: This study has shown an alarming increase in the prevalence of pediatric urinary tract infections which warrants further investigation into multidrug-resistant bacterial infection.

Seroprevalence and Associated Factors of HBV and HCV among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Infections with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are worldwide problems that particularly place a heavy burden on developing nations. HBV and HCV infections during pregnancy have a high rate of vertical transmission and harmful consequences for both the mother and the child. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the seroprevalence and associated factors of HBV and HCV infections among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 15th to September 16th, 2022, at the Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital antenatal care clinic. Five milliliters of venous blood were collected from 422 pregnant women selected using a simple random sampling method. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors were collected using a prestructured questionnaire. A chi-square test, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the association between dependent and independent variables. p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections was found to be 13% and 0.5%, respectively. Undertaking blood transfusion (AOR = 14.2, CI = 5.81-34.526, p = 0.001), tattooing (AOR = 3.99, CI = 1.1-14.36, p = 0.034), and dental therapy (AOR = 4.9, CI = 1.41-17.025, p = 0.012) were significantly associated with HBV infection. Conclusion: HBV infection in pregnant women was shown to have a high endemicity (13%) in this investigation, whereas the seroprevalence of HCV infection was low (0.5%). HBV infection was significantly associated with a history of blood transfusions, tattooing, and dental therapy. Screening pregnant women for HBV and HCV infections and providing effective therapy would ensure better outcomes for the newborn. In addition, health education must be used to increase knowledge of screening and modes of transmission.