African Journal of Parasitology, Mycology and Entomology

Background: Fungi are common in indoor environments and can cause various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the extent of fungal contamination in hospital rooms and to assess the susceptibility of mold species isolated from indoor air to cycloheximide. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2023 to February 2024 in five departments of the Sourô Sanou Teaching Hospital, Burkina Faso. Fifty-seven indoor air samples were collected using the passive sedimentation method. The samples were incubated at 30 °C for 24 h, and the resulting colonies were purified. Fungal identification was performed based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, and the isolated molds were tested for susceptibility to cycloheximide (0.4 mg/mL). Results: Overall, fungi were recovered from 70.2% (40/57) of air samples, with molds representing the majority of the fungal isolates (99.1%, 224/226). Among the 224 mold isolates identified, A. niger was the most prevalent species (48.7%, 109/224), followed by A. flavus (14.7%, 33/224), Rhizopus spp. (12.5%, 28/224), and A. fumigatus (6.7%, 15/224). The overall cycloheximide inhibition rate was 71.4% (160/224). Lower inhibition rates were observed for A. fumigatus (46.7%), A. versicolor (33.3%), A. flavus (27.3%), Penicillium spp. (27.3%), whereas A. terreus showed complete resistance. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of environmental monitoring in preventing and controlling hospital-acquired fungal infections. They also indicate that molds are not uniformly inhibited by cycloheximide, which may influence the accuracy of culture-based diagnostics. Full article

Introduction: Head lice infestations are widespread in Senegal and widely distributed throughout the world with high proportions. Recent studies involving classical treatment modalities and alternative ivermectin treatment indicated the existence of an ivermectin-resistant head lice population. Method: Our study involved oral combination of ivermectin with azithromycin to prevent mutant-resistant lice to treatment with oral ivermectin alone. Each infested participant weighing at last 15 kg was administered orally a single dose of 333 µg/kg of ivermectin combined with one or two 250 mg tablets of azithromycin and/or one 500 mg, repeated on day 7 if lice infestation persisted. Result: Of 315 participants, 308 and 304 patients were respectively followed-up on days 7 and 15, with a respective reduction in infestation of 27.6% and an effectiveness of 66.4% (p ˂ 0.001). On day 28, 280 were no longer infested with lice or living eggs, revealing 96.2% (280/291) effectiveness (p ˂ 0.001) achieved without any participant stopping treatment. Conclusion: After conducting PCR-RFLP assays and sequencing the two mutation sites, no mutation for either polymorphism occurred and no resistant lice were found. Resistant lice subjected to oral ivermectin treatment alone is not likely to be apparent in an infested population treated with oral ivermectin and azithromycin combination. Full article