scholarly journals Reliability of Morphological and PCR Methods for the Official Diagnosis of Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae): A European Inter-Laboratory Comparison

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Franco ◽  
Nicolas Cougoule ◽  
Amandine Tison ◽  
Aurélie Del Cont ◽  
Cristina Gastaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aethina Tumida ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Small Hive Beetle ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
National Reference ◽  
Sub Saharan

The Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida Murray, 1867) is an invasive scavenger of honeybees. Originally endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, it is regulated internationally in order to preserve the areas still free from this species. To ensure the reliability of official diagnoses in case of introduction, an inter-laboratory comparison was organised on the identification of A. tumida by morphology and real-time PCR. Twenty-two National Reference Laboratories in Europe participated in the study and analysed 12 samples with adult coleopterans and insect larvae. The performance of the laboratories was evaluated in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity was satisfactory for all the participants and both types of methods, thus fully meeting the diagnostic challenge of confirming all truly positive cases as positive. Two participants encountered specificity problems. For one, the anomaly was minor whereas, for the other, the issues concerned a larger number of results, especially real-time PCR, which probably were related to inexperience with this technique. The comparison demonstrated the reliability of official diagnosis, including the entire analytical process of A. tumida identification: from the first step of the analysis to the expression of opinions. The performed diagnostic tools, in parallel with field surveillance, are essential to managing A. tumida introduction.

scholarly journals Analytical Performances of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 RNA-Based Amplix® Real-Time PCR Platform for HIV-1 RNA Quantification

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Christian Diamant Mossoro-Kpinde ◽  
Ralph-Sydney Mboumba Bouassa ◽  
Mohammad-Ali Jenabian ◽  
Serge Tonen Wolyec ◽  
Leman Robin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Absolute Bias ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hiv 1

Objectives. We evaluated the performances of Amplix real-time PCR platform developed by Biosynex (Strasbourg, France), combining automated station extraction (Amplix station 16 Dx) and real-time PCR (Amplix NG), for quantifying plasma HIV-1 RNA by lyophilized HIV-1 RNA-based Amplix reagents targeting gag and LTR, using samples from HIV-1-infected adults from Central African Republic. Results. Amplix real-time PCR assay showed low limit of detection (28 copies/mL), across wide dynamic range (1.4–10 log copies/mL), 100% sensitivity and 99% specificity, high reproducibility, and accuracy with mean bias < 5%. The assay showed excellent correlations and concordance of 95.3% with the reference HIV-1 RNA load assay (Roche), with mean absolute bias of +0.097 log copies/mL by Bland-Altman analysis. The assay was able to detect and quantify the most prevalent HIV-1 subtype strains and the majority of non-B subtypes, CRFs of HIV-1 group M, and HIV-1 groups N and O circulating in Central Africa. The Amplix assay showed 100% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity to diagnose virological failure in clinical samples from antiretroviral drug-experienced patients. Conclusions. The HIV-1 RNA-based Amplix real-time PCR platform constitutes sensitive and reliable system for clinical monitoring of HIV-1 RNA load in HIV-1-infected children and adults, particularly adapted to intermediate laboratory facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Accuracy of Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections and Genital Mycoplasmas Screening by Multiplex Real-Time PCR Using a Self-Collected Veil among Adult Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Zita Aleyo Nodjikouambaye ◽  
Fabrice Compain ◽  
Damtheou Sadjoli ◽  
Ralph-Sydney Mboumba Bouassa ◽  
Hélène Péré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Sampling Device ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Genital Mycoplasmas

Background. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Genital self-sampling may facilitate the screening of STIs in hard-to-reach remote populations far from large health care centers and may increase screening rates. The cross-sectional GYNAUTO-STI study was carried out to assess the performance of a novel genital veil (V-Veil-Up Gyn Collection Device, V-Veil-Up Pharma, Ltd., Nicosia, Cyprus) as a genital self-sampling device to collect genital secretions to diagnose STIs by molecular biology as compared to reference clinician-collected genital specimens, in adult African women. Methods. Adult women living in N’Djamena, the capital city of Chad, were recruited from the community and referred to the clinic for women’s sexual health “La Renaissance Plus”. A clinician obtained an endocervical specimen using flocked swab. Genital secretions were also obtained by self-collection using veil. Both clinician- and self-collected specimens were tested for common curable STIs (including Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis) and genital Mycoplasma spp. by multiplex real-time PCR (Allplex™ STI Essential Assay, Seegene, Seoul, South Korea). Test positivities for both collection methods were compared by assessing methods agreement, sensitivity, and specificity. Results. A total of 251 women (mean age, 35.1 years) were prospectively enrolled. Only seven (2.8%) women were found to be infected with at least one common STIs [C. trachomatis: 3 (1.2%), N. gonorrhoeae: 1 (0.4%), M. genitalium: 4 (1.6%) and T. vaginalis: 1 (0.4%)], while the prevalence of genital mycoplasmas was much higher (54.2%) with a predominance of Ureaplasma parvum (42.6%). Self-collection by veil was non-inferior to clinician-based collection for genital microorganisms DNA molecular testing, with “almost perfect” agreement between both methods, high sensitivity (97.0%; 95%CI: 92.5-99.2%), and specificity (88.0%; 95%CI: 80.7-93.3%). Remarkably, the mean total number of genital microorganisms detected per woman was 1.14-fold higher in self-collected specimens compared to that in clinician-collected specimens. Conclusions. Veil-based self-collection of female genital secretions constitutes a convenient tool to collect in gentle way cervicovaginal secretions for accurate molecular detection of genital bacteria. Such sampling procedure could be easily implemented in STIs clinics in sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Biological beetle small cell (Aethina tumida: Nitidulidae: Coleoptera )

2019 ◽  
pp. 408-435
Author(s):  
Alhashami. A. Agleyo
Keyword(s):  
Small Cell ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aethina Tumida ◽  
Small Hive Beetle ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Exotic Pest ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Very High

Small hive beetle (SHB) Aethina tumida (Order Coleoptera، Family Nitidulidae ) is an exotic pest of honeybee colonies، native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been found in several of the world over the past few decades. Adults are small، their color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown (almost black) ، and its life cycle passes through four stages، egg، larva and adult after pupping period in the soil. The beetles are attracted to a number of odors from bee colonies، and can multiply to huge numbers within infested colonies where it eat brood، honey and pollen. In certain conditions، the (SHB) destroys combs and cause comb damage and honey spoilage through feeding and defecation. If beetle infestation is very high and uncontrolled، they ultimately destroy colonies or cause them to abscond.

scholarly journals The small hive beetle Aethina tumida: A review of its biology and control measures

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 644-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G. S. Cuthbertson ◽  
Maureen E. Wakefield ◽  
Michelle E. Powell ◽  
Gay Marris ◽  
Helen Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aethina Tumida ◽  
Small Hive Beetle ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control

Abstract The small hive beetle Aethina tumida is an endemic parasitic pest and scavenger of colonies of social bees indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. In this region this species rarely inflicts severe damage on strong colonies since the bees have developed strategies to combat them. However, A. tumida has since ‘escaped’ from its native home and has recently invaded areas such as North America and Australia where its economic impact on the apiculture industry has been significant. Small hive beetle, should it become established within Europe, represents a real and live threat to the UK bee keeping industry. Here we review the biology and current pest status of A. tumida and up to-date research in terms of both chemical and biological control used against this honey bee pest.

scholarly journals Occurrence of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) in Melipona rufiventris colonies in Brazil

Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 6021
Author(s):  
Sérgio Nogueira Pereira ◽  
Luis Henrique Soares Alves ◽  
Renata Falcão Rabello da Costa ◽  
Fábio Prezoto ◽  
Erica Weinstein Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aethina Tumida ◽  
Small Hive Beetle ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Sub Saharan

Several traits make stingless bees attractive to parasites of honey bee colonies. The small hive beetle (SHB) Aethina tumida, a honey bee colony scavenger/parasite native to sub-Saharan Africa, where is considered only a minor pest, is now present on almost all continents, including the Latin America region in South America. SHB has been recorded in Brazil since 2016 in Africanized honey bees and generaly the beetle does not seem cause negative impacts. European honey bees, on the other hand, suffer considerable damage when parasitized by SHB, suggesting a potential threat to other susceptible social bees. The present study reports the first occurrence of SHB in stingless bees in Brazil, and is an alert to authorities and stingless beekeepers to prevent infestations.

scholarly journals Low levels of frailty in HIV-positive older adults on antiretroviral therapy in northern Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Bristow ◽  
Grace George ◽  
Grace Hillsmith ◽  
Emma Rainey ◽  
Sarah Urasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Clinical Frailty Scale ◽  
Frailty Phenotype ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract There are over 3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) aged 50 and over living with HIV. HIV and combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) exposure may accelerate the ageing in this population, and thus increase the prevalence of premature frailty. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of frailty in an older HIV + population in SSA and screening and diagnostic tools to identify frailty in SSA. Patients aged ≥ 50 were recruited from a free Government HIV clinic in Tanzania. Frailty assessments were completed, using 3 diagnostic and screening tools: the Fried frailty phenotype (FFP), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Brief Frailty Instrument for Tanzania (B-FIT 2). The 145 patients recruited had a mean CD4 + of 494.84 cells/µL, 99.3% were receiving cART and 72.6% were virally suppressed. The prevalence of frailty by FFP was 2.758%. FFP frailty was significantly associated with female gender (p = 0.006), marital status (p = 0.007) and age (p = 0.038). Weight loss was the most common FFP domain failure. The prevalence of frailty using the B-FIT 2 and the CFS was 0.68%. The B-FIT 2 correlated with BMI (r = − 0.467, p = 0.0001) and CD4 count in females (r = − 0.244, p = 0.02). There is an absence of frailty in this population, as compared to other clinical studies. This may be due to the high standard of HIV care at this Government clinic. Undernutrition may be an important contributor to frailty. It is unclear which tool is most accurate for detecting the prevalence of frailty in this setting as levels of correlation are low.

scholarly journals Readiness of Sub-Saharan Africa Healthcare Systems for the New Pandemic, Diabetes: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Nuche-Berenguer ◽  
Linda E. Kupfer
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Diabetes Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Care Health ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background. Effective health systems are needed to care for the coming surge of diabetics in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Objective. We conducted a systematic review of literature to determine the capacity of SSA health systems to manage diabetes. Methodology. We used three different databases (Embase, Scopus, and PubMed) to search for studies, published from 2004 to 2017, on diabetes care in SSA. Results. Fifty-five articles met the inclusion criteria, covering the different aspects related to diabetes care such as availability of drugs and diagnostic tools, the capacity of healthcare workers, and the integration of diabetes care into HIV and TB platforms. Conclusion. Although chronic care health systems in SSA have developed significantly in the last decade, the capacity for managing diabetes remains in its infancy. We identified pilot projects to enhance these capacities. The scale-up of these pilot interventions and the integration of diabetes care into existing robust chronic disease platforms may be a feasible approach to begin to tackle the upcoming pandemic in diabetes. Nonetheless, much more work needs to be done to address the health system-wide deficiencies in diabetes care. More research is also needed to determine how to integrate diabetes care into the healthcare system in SSA.

scholarly journals Development of Conventional Multiplex PCR: A Rapid Technique for Simultaneous Detection of Soil-Transmitted Helminths

Pathogens ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivornpun Sanprasert ◽  
Ruthairat Kerdkaew ◽  
Siriporn Srirungruang ◽  
Sarit Charuchaibovorn ◽  
Kobpat Phadungsaksawasdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiplex Pcr ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Simultaneous Detection ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Multiple Infections ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Soil Transmitted Helminths ◽  
Stool Samples

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are the most common intestinal parasites infecting humans worldwide. STH infections are a major cause of morbidity and disability. Accurate diagnostic tools are pivotal for assessing the exact prevalence of parasitic infections. Microscopic examination and culture techniques have been used to observe the presence of eggs or larvae of parasites in stool samples, but they are time-consuming and have low sensitivity. Therefore, accurate, simple, and inexpensive diagnostic techniques are still required for simultaneous detection of STH infections. Although molecular-based techniques, such as real-time PCR and multiplex real-time PCR, have been developed, they are not suitable for routine diagnosis due to the requirement for expensive reagents and instruments. In this study, we established a conventional multiplex PCR for simultaneous rapid detection of Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, and Strongyloides stercoralis in stool samples. Our results show that the multiplex PCR could detect the DNA of STHs at a very low target gene concentrations (lower than 1 pg) with no cross-amplification. Multiplex PCR had five times higher sensitivity than the formalin–ethyl acetate concentration technique (FECT) in the detection of multiple infections, and two times higher for detection of S. stercoralis. However, multiplex PCR was comparable to FECT in the detection of A. lumbricoides and N. americanus. In conclusion, this method could be used as an alternative method for the detection of STHs, especially for S. stercoralis.

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