Co-infection of Toxoplasma gondii with HBV in HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women in Burkina Faso.

Toxoplasma gondii infections can induce serious complications in HIV-infected pregnant women, leading to miscarriage; favour the mother-to-child transmission of HBV and HIV and birth defects. The purposes of this study were: (1) to quantify IgM and IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in HIV-seropositive and seronegative pregnant women, (2) to identify hepatitis B antigens (HBsAg) in pregnant women and (3) to determine T. gondii and HBV co-infections among these patients. The study was conducted at Centre Medical Saint Camille, in Burkina Faso from January to June 2009. A total of 276 HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women were included. All women had less than 32 weeks of amenorrhoea and were aged from 19 to 42 years. Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and HBsAg were detected using ELISA method. In addition, women freely agreed to answer a questionnaire. The results of our investigations revealed that, among these pregnant women, 38.8% were illiterates, 50.4% were housewives and only 5.4% were civil servants. Positive T. gondii-specific IgM (4.7%) and IgG (27.2%) were detected. In this study, we found that HIV-seropositive status seem to be associated with great prevalence rates of both T. gondii (31.9 vs. 22.5%) and HBV (13.0 vs. 5.8%). The elevated co-infection rate in HIV-positive women suggested that they are exposed to T. gondii and HBV infections prevalently because of their immune depression. Therefore, to reduce the prevalence of T. gondii and HBV among HIV-seropositive pregnant women, lamivudine could be included in their HEART and women should follow healthy lifestyle formation.

Aetiology of acute gastro-enteritis in children at Saint Camille Medical Centre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

UNLABELLED: The present study aims at identifying the infectious agents responsible for child Acute GastroEnteritis (AGE) in Ouagadougou. From May 5 2006 to June 22 2008, 648 children aged from 2 to 41 months, with at least an average of 3 loose stools per day have been enrolled for coproculture, parasitology and virology test. Among them, 34 (5.25%) were HIV seropositive. A single sample of faeces from each child was used to identify enteropathogens. An infectious aetiology was identified in 41.20% of cases. The pathogenic agents detected as responsible for the AGE are: Rotavirus 21.1%; Adenovirus 1.9%; Giardia 7.6% Entamoeba; 1.08%; entero-pathogenic E. coli 41.7%; Salmonella 3.40%; Shigella 1.85% and Yersinia 1.70%. CONCLUSION: Therefore, these AGE etiologic agents constitute a problem of public health in Burkina Faso. Their control for the child would require: (1) a regular paediatric and clinical follow up; (2) health education of the population for food hygiene and (3) in case of absence of HIV infection in the mother, a promotion of exclusive breast-feeding up to the age of 4 months.

Dynamics of population of five parasitic Monogeneans of Oreochromis niloticus Linné, 1757 in the dam of Loumbila and possible interest in intensive pisciculture.

The study of the gill fishes of 176 Oreochromis niloticus (L.) was undertaken in the dam of Loumbila (Burkina Faso), in order to obtain the first information on the dynamics of population of the Monogeneans parasites in a population of wild hosts. These data are essential in the search for means to avoid the enormous losses that often occur in intensive pisciculture. This analysis revealed the presence of five species of Monogeneans (Cichlidogyrus tilapiae, Cichlidogyrus halli, Cichlidogyrus thurstonae, Cichlidogyrus rognoni and Scutogyrus longicornis). On the levels of the recorded infestations, these species taken individually probably do not control the population of Oreochromis niloticus. In the dam of Loumbila, the fluctuations of parasitic abundances are neither seasonal nor cyclic. The size either does not have an influence on parasitism. However, the sex effect was noted with C. halli, the females thus were more infested than the males. O. niloticus is parasitized all the year, because the recruitment of these organisms, although relatively weak, is continuous; this logically results in their accumulation in this fish.

[Thelohanellus bicornei n. sp. Myxosporidie (Myxosporea, Bivalvulida) a gill parasite of Labeo coubie Rüppel, 1832 (Osteichthyen, Cyprinidae) from Burkina Faso, West Africa]. / Thelohanellus bicornei n. sp. Myxosporidie (Myxosporea, Bivalvulida) parasite des branchies de Labeo coubie Rüppel, 1832 (Osteichthyen, Cyprinidae) au Burkina Faso, Afrique de l'Ouest.

Thelohanellus bicornei n. sp. (Myxosporea, Bivalvulida) is described from gill of Labeo coubie (Rüppel, 1832) (Osteichthyen, Cyprinidae) in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The cysts are small and their length is 150 to 350 microns. White, linked together they are rounded shape. The spores are ovoids with smooth valvar surface. Their posterior end is rounded and their anterior part shows two "horns like" expansions. Spores measured 13.5 +/- 0.56 (13-14) microns in length and 8.43 +/- 0.49 (8-9) microns in width. Horns length is 1 to 1.5 microns long. Polar capsule is piriform, it's length is 7.24 +/- 0.45 microns and the width 3.75 +/- 0.32 microns. The polar filament formed 10 turns.

Camallanus polypteri n. sp. (Nematoda:Camallanidae) in freshwater fishes from Burkina Faso.

Camallanus polypteri n. sp.is described from Polypterus bichir (type host), Synodontis schall and Clarias anguillaris in Lake Tingrela, Burkina Faso. It differs from the other African species of the subfamily Camallaninae parasitizing freshwater fishes, in that it lacks tridents. All species of the subfamily Camallaninae that lack tridents differ from the new species by at least one of the two following characters: a greater number of longitudinal ridges on the inner surface of the buccal capsule; and a muscular oesophagus shorter than the glandular oesophagus. In accordance with the classification of Petter (1979), the new species is placed in the genus Camallanus Railliet & Henry, 1915, owing to the length of the posterior chamber of the buccal capsule, which is less than one third of the length of the anterior chamber.