African Journal of Parasitology, Mycology and Entomology

Background—Mali was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to initiate a National Schistosomiasis Control Program (NSCP) in 1982. The WHO’s 2021–30 roadmap sets out the criteria for eliminating and controlling schistosomiasis as a public health problem. Our study aimed to assess the impact of annual mass drug distribution (MDD) of praziquantel (PZQ) on the prevalence and intensity in school-aged children (SAC) at NSCP sentinel sites (SSs). Methods—This study took place at twelve SSs in the Kayes and Koulikoro regions. Two-round cross-sectional studies were carried out in December 2014–2015 and in April 2018 after four to five years of annual MDD. Our sample size was 2439 schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years, i.e., 485 in the first round (2014), 246 in the second round (2015) and 1708 in the third round (2018). Urine filtration and the Kato–Katz method were used for determining Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni eggs, respectively. Results—A total of 1708 samples were successfully examined. Of the twelve SSs treated from 2014–2015, one met the criterion for elimination of S. haematobium as a public health problem (prevalence of heavy-intensity infections (PHI) < 1%) (i.e., ≥50 S. haematobium eggs per 10 mL of urine or ≥400 S. mansoni eggs per g of stool) and four met the morbidity control criterion (PHI < 5%), while two sites remained below the morbidity control criterion (PHI > 5%). Five SSs had no heavy-intensity infections. The prevalence of S. mansoni was less than 1%. Conclusion—The impact of MDD of praziquantel in the SSs of the NSCP highlights that it has significantly reduced the PHI of schistosomiasis. However, the high prevalence of schistosomiasis or its increase in some sites requires in-depth studies. Full article

Introduction. In Côte d’Ivoire, current policy recommends the introduction of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria, including in the private sector, to facilitate effective case management. The main objective of the study was to examine the impact of introducing RDTs in private pharmacies with regard to national recommendations. Patients and methods. In order to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices after a few years of practice, a cross-sectional study was carried out from August to December 2015 among 300 professionals from private pharmacies (PPs) in the northern zone of the city of Abidjan. Results. Overall, PPs performing RDTs accounted for 25.1%. Fever (63.3%), headache (17.7%) and body aches (16.1%) were the main signs that led pharmacists to perform the test. The main criteria determining the choice of RDT are good sensitivity and specificity (45.6%), easy handling (42.6%) and lowest cost (11.8%). In 57.4% of cases, pharmacists performing RDTs said that the cost of the test (CFA 2000 or EUR 3 on average) is the main reason for non-acceptance by customers. In 97.1% of cases, the measures taken in the event of negative results were symptomatic treatment counselling followed by a medical consultation. In 2.9% of cases, some pharmacists recommended an antimalarial. On the other hand, in 92.6% of cases, the measures taken in the event of a positive result were antimalarial treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). For pharmacies that did not carry out RDTs (74.9%), low customer demand was cited in 56.1% of cases. Conclusion. It would be appropriate for private pharmacy outlets to comply with the legislation by not carrying out RDTs within their pharmacies. Pending the implementation of these texts, it is imperative to improve on the shortcomings revealed. Full article

Introduction: Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma are common causes of sexually transmitted infections, but limited prevalence data are available in Senegal. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis and genital mycoplasma infection among women in Dakar. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out between 2016 and 2021 among women referred to the microbiology laboratory of the Military Hospital of Ouakam for vaginal discharge. Mycoplasma was detected by a commercial Mycoplasma EIS Kit using the endocervical swab. A wet mount smear and Gram staining were performed to detect T. vaginalis. Results: We analyzed a group of 1889 women, ranging in age from 14 to 81, with a mean age of 32.5 years (+/− 8.3 years). Our findings showed that 18.5% (95% CI (16–20)) of the women were infected with Mycoplasma hominis, while 50.5% (95% CI (48–53)) had Ureaplasma urealyticum. Trichomonas vaginitis was found in 3.5% (95% CI (2.7–4.5)) of the women. Out of the 66 patients with trichomoniasis, 68.2% were also infected with Mycoplasma hominis and 36.4% with U. urealyticum. We also observed that 88% of the women with M. homininis infection had U. urealyticum. Conclusion: Our study revealed a significant co-infection rate between Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma. This highlights the need for systematic mycoplasma screening in patients with urogenital trichomoniasis. Full article

Introduction: Schistosomiasis is classically described as a rural parasitic infection affecting deprived communities. In Mali, where Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni are endemic, the disease is also spreading to urban areas. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence and schistosomiasis maintenance factors in the district of Bamako. Materials and methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in April 2023 involving schoolchildren randomly selected aged 6 to 14 years from Taliko (a peri-urban area crossed by the Woyowayanko river known as an important breeding and infestation habitat of snails) and Missabougou (an area subjected to social and environmental changes, including the development of the canal serving the district). Data on sociodemographics, symptoms, and human–water contact activities were recorded through a structured questionnaire. Filtration and Kato–Katz techniques were used for S. haematobium and S. mansoni diagnosis. Overall, 736 urine samples and 668 stool samples were examined. Multivariate logistic analysis was employed to test for associations between variables. Results: The prevalence of S. haematobium was 18.2% [95% CI: 14.5–21.8%] and that of S. mansoni was 8.1% [95% CI: 4.2–11.9%]. This prevalence was significantly higher in Taliko than in Missabougou: 34.4% [95% CI: 29.1–39.6%] versus 2.4% [95% CI: 0–8.0%] (p = 0.001) for S. haematobium and 12.1% versus 4.3% for S. mansoni (p = 0.001). In Taliko, children frequenting the river were significantly more affected with S. haematobium and hematuria and had higher parasite intensity (p < 0.05). Children with macroscopic hematuria who attended a school close to the river (p = 0.018) in Taliko, as well as children who used to urinate in water, were more infected (p < 0.05). In Missabougou, no significant variation in human–water contact activities was recorded. Conclusion: Our results show that S. haematobium and S. mansoni were still rampant in the district of Bamako; they also highlight that the use of water from the Woyowayanko river appears to be the major risk factor for the maintenance of schistosomiasis in the district of Bamako. Full article

Background: In Mali, Chloroquine has been abandoned in 2005 because of the high in vivo and in vitro resistance rate of Plasmodium falciparum to this molecule. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are currently recommended to treat uncomplicated malaria. Few antimalarials are in development. Assessing the prevalence of known antimalarial drug resistance markers might help in designing new combination regimens. This study aims to measure the dynamics of molecular markers of chloroquine in Kolle before, during and after chloroquine withdrawal. Method: Dried blood spot samples collected from previous drug efficacy studies conducted in Kolle between 2001 and 2015 were selected and Pfcrt and Pfmdr genes were genotyped for SNPs conferring resistance to chloroquine. Results: A total of 652 samples were analyzed. The overall prevalences of the mutant alleles Pfcrt 76T and Pfmdr1 86Y were 72.9% and 20%, respectively. The yearly prevalence rate for both mutant alleles remained constant from 2001 to 2015 (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of the Pfcrt mutant allele remained high from 2001 to 2015 in Mali, although the prevalence of the Pfmdr1 mutant allele was low. Full article

Introduction: The incidence of Candida infections is increasing worldwide. In clinical laboratories of resource-constrained countries, Candida speciation is commonly limited to germ tube tests and culture onto a chromogenic medium. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of Chromogenic Candida Lab-Agar^® (CCL) in identifying Candida species from clinical samples. Methods: We evaluated the diagnostic performance of CCL with 83 yeast isolates collected from 73 clinical samples at the laboratory department of Sourô Sanou University Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Clinical specimens included vaginal swabs, urine, and blood cultures. After preliminary isolation on Sabouraud chloramphenicol agar, yeast isolates were inoculated onto the CCL medium and incubated at 35 °C for 48 h. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing were used as reference methods. Results: Among yeast species, Candida albicans was the most prevalent (43.4%), followed by C. krusei (13.3%), C. glabrata (12.0%), C. kefyr (8.4%), and C. tropicalis (7.2%). The overall agreement rate of CCL was 56.6% and varied across Candida species; it was 94.4% for C. albicans, 50% for C. glabrata, 18.2% for C. krusei, and 33.3% for C. tropicalis. Conclusions: This study showed that CCL had moderate accuracy in identifying Candida at the species level from clinical specimens in a routine laboratory in Burkina Faso. The misidentification of non-albicans species may expose patients to inadequate antifungal treatment. Therefore, identifying yeast in a routine based on CCL is not enough and should be associated with more accurate methods. Full article