RESUMO
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with clinical manifestation cases are almost similar to those of common respiratory viral infections. This study determined the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and other acute respiratory viruses among patients with flu-like symptoms in Bukavu city Democratic republic of Congo. We screened 1352 individuals with flu-like illnesses seeking treatment in 10 health facilities. Nasopharyngeal swabs specimens were collected to detect SARS-CoV-2 using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 10 common respiratory viruses were detected by multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. Overall, 13.9% (188/1352) patients were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2. Influenza A 5.6% (56/1352), and Influenza B 0.9% (12/1352) were the most common respiratory viruses detected. Overall more than two cases of the other acute respiratory viruses were detected. Frequently observed symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity were shivering (47.8%; OR= 1.8; CI: 0.88-1.35), cough (89.6%; OR=6.5, CI: 2.16-28.2), myalgia and dizziness (59.7%; OR=2.7; CI: 1.36-5.85). Moreover, coinfection was observed in 12 (11.5%) specimens. SARS-CoV-2, and Influenza A were the most co-occurring infections, accounting for 33.3% of all positive cases. This study demonstrates cases of COVID-19 infections co-occurring with other acute respiratory infections in Bukavu city during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. These data emphasize the need for routine testing of multiple viral pathogens for better prevention and treatment plans.
RESUMO
Although domestic cavies are widely used in sub-Saharan Africa as a source of meat and income, there are only a few studies of their population structure and genetic relatedness. This seminal study was designed with the main objective to assess the genetic diversity and determine the population structure of cavy populations from Cameroon to guide the development of a cavy improvement program. Sixteen microsatellite markers were used to genotype 109 individuals from five cavy populations (Wouri, Moungo and Nkongsamba in the Littoral region, and Mémé and Fako in the Southwest region of Cameroon). Twelve markers worked in the five populations with a total of 17 alleles identified, with a range of 2.9 to 4.0 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity (from 0.022 to 0.277) among populations was lower than expected heterozygosity (from 0.42 to 0.54). Inbreeding rates between individuals of the populations and between individuals in each population were 59.3% and 57.2%, respectively, against a moderate differentiation rate of 4.9%. All the tested loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, except for locus 3. Genetic distances between populations were small (from 0.008 to 0.277), with a high rate of variability among individuals within each population (54.4%). Three distinct genetic groups were structured. This study has shown that microsatellites are useful for the genetic characterization of cavy populations in Cameroon and that the populations investigated have sufficient genetic diversity that can be used to be deployed as a basis for weight, prolificacy and disease resistance improvement. The genetic of diversity in Southern Cameroon is wide and constitute an opportunity for cavy breeding program.
