Ethnobotanical survey on medicinal plants used by Guinean traditional healers in the treatment of malaria.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The objective of the present study was to collect and document information on herbal remedies traditionally used for the treatment of malaria in Guinea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was carried out from May 2008 to September 2010 and targeted traditional medical practitioners and herbalists. The questionnaire and oral interviews were based on the standardized model which was prepared by the "Centre de Recherche et de Valorisation des Plantes Médicinales (CRVPM) - Dubréka". RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 258 people (141 males and 117 females) from which 150 traditional healers and 108 herbalists were interviewed. The age of informants ranged from 28 to 82 years old. 57% (149/258) of the interviewees were more than 50 years old. The respondents had good knowledge of the symptoms of malaria, and a fairly good understanding of the causes. One hundred thirteen plant species were recorded, out of which 109 were identified. They belonged to 84 genera and 46 families. The most frequently cited plants were Vismia guineensis, Parkia biglobosa, Nauclea latifolia, Harungana madagascariensis, Terminalia macroptera, Crossopteryx febrifuga, Terminalia albida, Annona senegalensis, and Nauclea pobeguinii. The leaves were most frequently used (80/113 species), followed by stem bark (38/113 species) and roots (4/113 species). The remedies were mostly prepared by decoction (111 species), followed by maceration (seven species). Only one species was prepared by infusion. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that traditional healers in Guinea have a consistent knowledge of antimalarial plants. Further research should be carried out to compare the anti-malarial activity of the different species, and to check if their use against malaria can be scientifically validated.

Ethnobotanical survey and antibacterial activity of some plants used in Guinean traditional medicine.

A total of 418 healers have been interviewed in Guinea, a coastal country of West Africa, ranging between 7 degrees 30 and 12 degrees 30 of northern latitude and 8 degrees and 15 degrees of western longitude. Plant species used by the local inhabitants to treat infectious diseases were identified using ethnobotanical, ethnographic and taxonomic methods. During these investigations, 218 plants were registered, of which the following were the most frequently used: Erythrina senegalensis, Bridelia ferruginea, Crossopteryx febrifuga, Ximenia americana, Annona senegalensis, Cochlospermum tinctorium, Cochlospermum planchonii, Lantana camara, Costus afer, Psidium guajava, Terminalia glaucescens, Uapaca somon and Swartzia madagascariensis. Most plants, and especially the leaves, were essentially used as a decoction. In order to assess antibacterial activity, 190 recipes were prepared and biologically tested, among which six showed activity (minimal inhibitory concentration<125 microg/ml) against Bacillus cereus, Mycobacterium fortuitum, Staphylococcus aureus, or Candida albicans, i.e., Entada africana, Chlorophora regia, Erythrina senegalensis, Harrisonia abyssinica, Uvaria tomentosa, and a mixture of six plants consisting of Swartzia madagascariensis, Isoberlinia doka, Annona senegalensis, Gardenia ternifolia, Terminalia glaucescens and Erythrina senegalensis.

[Four year management of HIV serology at the National Center of Blood Transfusion in Conakry]. / Bilan de 4 ans de sérologie VIH au Centre national de transfusion sanguine de Conakry.

From January 1997 to December 2000, 21145 blood donations have been collected and tested for anti-HIV antibodies by the National Center of Blood Transfusion of Conakry (NCBT). 347 were positive, confirmed by Western Blot (312 HIV-1, 20 HIV-2 and 15 HIV1-2). HIV seroprevalence in tested blood donations showed a slow decrease by year: 1.87% in 1997 to 1.79% in 2000. The distribution according to donation type was 1% for volunteer donors and 2% for family donors. Seropositivity HIV rates according to sex indicate that the female donors are more infected than male donors. Among 347 seropositive, 83% were more than 20 years old. The seroprevalence is higher in soldier blood donors 3.72% (53/1422) than in student donors 0.55% (43/7712). The number of seropositive results found during these 4 years is not really representative of the HIV spreading infection in Guinean population, but their distribution according to sex and age is very close to the distribution of the AIDS cases in Guinea.

[Evaluation of residual infectious risk among blood donors in National Center of Blood Transfusion in Conakry]. / Evaluation du risque infectieux résiduel chez les donneurs de sang au Centre national de transfusion sanguine de Conakry.

To estimate the risk of transmitting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) by blood transfusion. Residual risks for each of infections have been calculated from incidence cases number, rate incidence for 100,000 person-years has been estimated and multiplied by the period of mute serological window for each agent (22 days for HIV and 56 for HBV) in order to estimate the residual risk. This study shows that risk residual is 1/121 blood donations for HBV and 1/8562 blood donations for HIV. The obtained results show that the HIV and HBV transmission risk due to blood transfusion according to the present practice at the NCBT of Conakry is important.

[Prevalence of hypertension in Guinean rural areas]. / Prévalence de l'hypertension artérielle en milieu rural guinéen.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and awareness of HTA in Guinean rural populations with respect to age and gender. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional survey in rural Guinea: Köpèrè-Döfili (400 inhabitants) and Töbölön (900 inhabitants). PARTICIPANTS: 188 subjects (81 in Köpèrè-Döfili and 107 in Töbölön), 15 years and older were visited in their homes between November 2000 and April 2001. METHODS: The blood pressures were measured with an electronic tensiometer "Philips HF305". Awareness of HTA and risk factors were determined by interviews. HTA was defined as mean SBP/DBP = 140/90 mmHg. RESULTS: Overall, 69% (56/81) in Köpèrè-Döfili and 27% (29/107) in Töbölön were hypertensive. Among these, only 2 (Köpèrè) and 6 patients (Töbölön) were aware of their condition. HTA was strongly gender dependent in Köpèrè where 98% (44/45) of the males were concerned. In Köpèrè-Döfili, the combined systolo-diastolic hypertension (SDH) was predominant (80%; 45/56) and was associated to the male gender (80%; 36/45). In the hypertensive population of Töbölön, the isolated PAD (DH) was mainly associated with the female group (47%, 8/17). The grade III HTA (PAS/PAD > or = 180/110 mmHg) concerned both gender (41%, 18/44 for males; 42%, 5/12 for females) in Köpèrè-Döfili and mainly the female group in Töbölön (29%, 5/17). Smoking was the most frequently associated risk factor in the studied population of Köpèrè-Döfili (70%) and Töbölön (45%). The smokers were predominantly female in Köpèrè-Döfili (89%, 32/36) or male in Töbölön (51%, 24/47). Among the smokers, the hypertensive individuals were 96% (24/25) of the males and 38% (12/32) of the females in Köpèrè, 29% (7/24) of the males and 38% (9/24) of the females in Töbölön. CONCLUSION: Hypertension is highly prevalent in two Guinean rural localities where less than 5% of the studied population were aware of their conditions, suggesting the nationwide demand for preventing and controlling HTA in Guinea.