Do mosquito-associated bacteria of the genus Asaia circulate in humans?

Symbiotic bacteria of the genus Asaia have been proposed as tools for control of mosquito-borne diseases, specifically malaria. However, safety issues are a major concern for paratransgenesis strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate, with immunofluorescence assays and quantitative PCR experiments, whether Asaia spp. is circulating among humans. All human sera and whole blood samples analyzed were negative for Asaia spp., thus suggesting that this organism could be utilized, in the future, as a malaria control tool.

[Epidemiology, characterization of genotypes of human papillomavirus in a population of women in Ouagadougou]. / Épidémiologie et caractérisation des génotypes de papillomavirus humain dans une population de femmes à Ouagadougou.

OBJECTIVES: This work was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of different HPV genotypes in a population of women attending gynecological consultation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May to June 2010, cervical samples were obtained from 300 women attending gynecological consultation in two health centers in Ouagadougou. The strains of HPV genotyping was done using the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse hybridization on nitrocellulose strips. RESULTS: Among the 73 women(24.3%) infected with HPV, only 27.4% (20/73) of them were infected with a HPV low risk (BR), the 72.6% (53/73). Other women were infected with at least one high risk HPV (HR). By combining the HPV genotypes found without taking into account the number of infected women, we found a total of 84 HPV among whom we have high-risk HPV : HPV-50'S(26/84 or 31.0%), HPV-18 (12/84 or 14.3%), HPV-16 (9/84 or 10.7%), HPV-30'S (5/84 or 5.9%), HPV-HR (5/84 or 5.9%) and HPV-45 (3/84 or 3.6%) and low-risk HPV: HPV-6 (15/84 or 17.9%) and HPV-BR (9/84 or 10.7%). We have found no HPV-11. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HPV found in our series is comparable to that found in the world. To complete this study, it would be necessary to investigate the prevalence of HPV found in cervical lesions in Burkina Faso.

Mother-to-child HIV and HHV-8 transmission in neonates at Saint Camille Medical Centre in Burkina Faso.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, many HIV infected people are co-infected with Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8). Therefore, the present study aimed to: (1) identify the pregnant women co-infected by HIV and HHV-8 at Saint Camille Medical Centre; (2) use three molecules (Zidovudine, Nevirapine and Lamivudine) to interrupt the vertical transmission of HIV and (3) use the PCR technique to diagnose children, who were infected by these viruses, in order to offer them an early medical assistance. A total of 107 pregnant women, aged from 19 to 42 years were diagnosed to be HIV positive at Saint Camille Centre; among them 13 were co-infected with HHV-8. All included women received the HAART. Two to six months after childbirth their babies underwent PCR diagnosis for HIV and HHV-8. The results revealed that, among these mothers, 68.2% were housewives, 34.6% were illiterates and 60.7% did not have university degree. The prevalence of HHV-8 among these pregnant women was 12.15% and the rate of vertical transmission of both HIV and HHV-8, was 0.0%. The issue of this study revealed that the antiretroviral therapy increased the mother CD4 T-cells, prevented the transcription of the mRNA of HHV-8 and blocked HIV vertical transmission.

P. falciparum malaria recrudescence in a cancer patient.

Persons living for long periods of time in malaria hyper-endemic areas may suffer from hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly (HMS), a frequent cause of splenomegaly in such areas. Splenomegaly and sub-microscopic P. falciparum parasitaemia are hallmarks of HMS. Spleen has been suggested to play a protective antimalarial role and splenectomy may trigger symptomatic malaria attacks. Other causes of immune suppression may possibly reactivate latent malaria parasites. We report the case of an Italian 60-year-old male, who had spent 33 years in sub-Saharan Africa, who experienced a P. falciparum malaria attack 12 months after his return to Italy, concomitantly with a diagnosis of lung carcinoma possibly impairing his immune system.

Old and new targets for innovative antimalarial compounds: the different strategies of the Italian Malaria Network.

Clinical treatment-failures to affordable drugs encouraged new investigation for discovery and development of new prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against malaria. The Drug Discovery Cluster (DDcl) of the Italian Malaria Network gathers several highly integrated and complementary laboratories from different Italian Institutions to identify, synthesise, screen in vitro and in vivo new antimalarial molecules directed against the intraerythrocytic stage of P. falciparum parasites and/or with transmission blocking activity to select lead compounds for further development. Complementary research activities, both in vitro and in the clinics, aim at investigating the pathogenetic mechanisms of severe malaria anaemia and the different manifestations of the disease in malaria-HIV co-infected patients to identify new therapies and improve survival.