[Drug use for abortifacient purposes among teenage hairdressers and seamstresses in one suburb of Lome]

The use of drugs is not solely determined by its therapeutic properties but refers to diversions of these properties.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the level of knowledge of the diversion of drugs for abortifacient purposes among hairdressers and seamstresses of the suburb of Togblékopé.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We conducted a cross-sectional study among hairdressers and seamstresses living in Togblékopé, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Lomé.

RESULTS

Of the 114 respondents, 74.6% knew that drugs were diverted for abortion, mostly among older young people, singles and apprentices. In addition, 70.6% reported having at least once attended a drug abortion by someone. Thus, drugs such as paracetamol, chloroquine and acetylsalicylic acid have been reported for abortifacient purposes' diversion, most often purchased on the street and responsible for serious side effects.

CONCLUSION

This study has highlighted the knowledge of drugs' use for abortifacient purposes among hairdressers and seamstresses. It is necessary to carry out actions that will aim at teaching the risks of drug intoxication and reduce the risk of pregnancy through family planning.

Genetic diversity of hepatitis viruses in West-African countries from 1996 to 2018

The severity of hepatic pathology and the response to treatment depend on the hepatitis virus genotype in the infected host. The objective of this review was to determine the distribution of hepatitis virus genotypes in West African countries. A systematic review of the literature in PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct was performed to identify 52 relevant articles reporting hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G viruses genotypes. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E with a prevalence of 90.6% (95%CI: 0.891-0.920) found in this review, is characterized by low genetic diversity. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 2 represented 96.4% of HCV infections in West African countries, while hepatitis delta virus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis G virus genotypes 1 and HEV genotype 3 were reported in some studies in Ghana and Nigeria. HBV genotype E is characterized by high prevalence, low genetic diversity and wide geographical distribution. Further studies on the clinical implications of HBV genotype E and HCV genotypes 1 and 2 are needed for the development of an effective treatment against this viral hepatitis in West African countries. Surveillance of the distribution of different genotypes is also needed to reduce recombination rates and prevent the emergence of more virulent viral strains.

Prevalence, genetic variants and clinical implications of G-6-PD deficiency in Burkina Faso: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

It is now well-known that some antimalarials such as primaquine may induce severe hemolytic anemia in people with G-6-PD deficiency. Antimalarial drug prescriptions must, therefore take into account the patient's G-6-PD status in malaria endemic areas such as Burkina Faso, where the prevalence of this genetic abnormality is relatively high. Although great clinical heterogeneity is observed depending on the molecular nature of the deficiency and the residual enzyme activity in the red blood cell, there is very poor data on the prevalence of G-6-PD deficiency and the distribution of involved genetic variants in Burkina Faso. In this systematic review, we present a synthesis of the various studies carried out on the G-6-PD deficiency in Burkina Faso in order to determine its prevalence, probable distribution of the genetic variants involved and their clinical implications for a national systematic screening policy among the groups most vulnerable to malaria.

METHODS

A systematic review was carried out to analyze available published data on the prevalence, phenotypes and mutations responsible for G-6-PD deficiency in Burkina Faso. The key words used were "G-6-PD deficiency AND Burkina Faso" or "Déficit en G-6-PD AND Burkina Faso" in French. To identify the relevant articles, two independent reviewers reviewed the titles, abstracts and the full text of the selected papers.

RESULTS

An average prevalence of 16.6% (183/1100; CI 95%: 0.145-0.190) and 6.5% (69/1066; CI 95%: 0.051-0.081) of G-6-PD deficiency was found respectively in men and women in this systematic review. Although the predominance (99.8% of G-6-PD deficient cases) of 202A/376G G-6-PD A- variant, the Santamaria and Betica Selma variants were identified in Burkina Faso. Independently of the method used, the enzymatic deficiency was significantly higher in males (2.5-20.5%) compared to females (3.3-12.3%).

CONCLUSION

This systematic review suggests that despite the ubiquity of the 202A/376G G-6-PD A- variant in Burkina Faso, it will be necessary to consider the Santamaria and Betica Selma variants although their frequencies remain to be specified. A systematic screening of the G-6-PD deficiency is also needed to prevent the occurrence of iatrogenic hemolytic accidents.

Molecular diagnosis of the human immunodeficiency, Hepatitis B and C viruses among blood donors in Lomé (Togo) by multiplex real time PCR

This study aimed to compare the sensitivity of multiplex PCR to ELISA technique in the instantaneous detection of HBV, HCV and HIVin blood samples from donors of the National blood Transfusion Centre in Togo. A total of 440 blood samplesfrom volunteer were collected and tested by ELISA and multiplex PCR for HBV, HCV and HIV detection. Among the 440 volunteer blood donors, 83% were female and 17% were male. Age range of 20-29 years was more represented (73%). Whereas, multiplex PCR detected more cases of HBV than ELISA (50% vs 33%, P=0.0155);ELISA more detected HCV than PCR (34% vs 3%, P<0.0001) and HIV (26% vs 7%, P<0.0001). Confirming these observations our data showed that multiplex PCR was more sensitive in the detection of HBV. The sensitivity of ELISA for the detection of HCV and HIV was elevated compared to multiplex PCR. Multiplex PCR was more specific that ELISA for the detection of HCV and HIV.Interestingly, our data showed that the gender do not influenced the sensitivity of either ELISA or multiplex PCR to detect these viruses. This study showed the limit of both ELISA and multiplex PCR in the detection of HBV, HCV and HIV.

Epidemiology and antibiotic resistance of bacterial meningitis in Dapaong, northern Togo

OBJECTIVE

To assess the seasonality of the bacterial meningitis and the antibiotic resistance of incriminated bacteria over the last three years in the northern Togo.

METHODS

From January 2007 to January 2010, 533 cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) samples were collected from patients suspected of meningitis in the Regional Hospital of Dapaong (northern Togo). After microscopic examination, samples were cultured for bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility.

RESULTS

The study included 533 patients (306 male and 227 female) aged from 1 day to 55 years [average age (13.00±2.07) years]. Bacterial isolation and identification were attempted for 254/533 (47.65%) samples. The bacterial species identified were: Neisseria meningitidis A (N. meningitidis A) (58.27%), Neisseria meningitidis W135 (N. meningitidis W135) (7.09%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) (26.77%), Haemophilus influenza B (H. influenza B) (6.30%) and Enterobacteriaceae (1.57%). The results indicated that bacterial meningitis occur from November to May with a peak in February for H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae and March for Neisseriaceae. The distribution of positive CSF with regards to the age showed that subjects between 6 and 12 years followed by subjects of 0 to 5 years were most affected with respective frequencies of 67.82% and 56.52% (P<0.001). Susceptibility tests revealed that bacteria have developed resistance to several antibiotics including aminosides (resistance rate >20% for both bacterial strains), macrolides (resistance rate > 30% for H. influenzae) quinolones (resistance rate >15% for H. influenzae and N. meningitidis W135). Over three years, the prevalence of S. pneumoniae significantly increased from 8.48% to 73.33% (P<0.001), while the changes in the prevalence of H. influenzae B were not statistically significant: 4.24%, vs. 8.89%, (P = 0.233).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that data in African countries differ depending on geographical location in relation to the African meningitis belt. This underlines the importance of epidemiological surveillance of bacterial meningitis.