Zika Virus Epidemiology in Selected West African Countries between 2007 and 2012

Before its recent spread, serological investigations conducted between the 1960s and the 1990s showed the wide presence of Zika virus in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, the entire Africa continent is at risk of Zika outbreak due to the presence of the virus, competent vectors, and the low capacity for surveillance and containment of an epidemic. However, limited data are available on the recent prevalence in the African population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunity against Zika virus in samples of a selected cohort from West Africa, in order to investigate the circulation of the virus in the region during the first years of its emergence in the Pacific. Human serum samples were collected in 2007 and between 2011 and 2012 from a cohort of subjects from Mali, Senegal, and The Gambia. The samples were tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection kit and positives were further confirmed by microneutralization test. The results indicate that Zika virus is present and actively circulating in Senegal and The Gambia, with prevalence values of 13.7% and 6.9% in 2012, respectively. Although no significant differences in prevalence were found for the considered time period, seroconversion of some subjects showed the active circulation of Zika virus in the West African area. Analysis by age showed an increase in immunity in relation to increasing age, demonstrating that the population is consistently exposed to the virus throughout life and with a high possibility of being infected during reproductive age. In conclusion, the obtained results allow for better knowledge of the circulation of Zika virus within three different ecological and demographic contexts, and represent an update to the limited data currently available.

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Zika Virus in West Africa: A Seroepidemiological Study between 2007 and 2012

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v12060641 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 641 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Serena Marchi ◽

Simonetta Viviani ◽

Emanuele Montomoli ◽

Yuxiao Tang ◽

Adele Boccuto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Zika Virus ◽

The Gambia ◽

Data Availability ◽

World Health ◽

African Continent ◽

Serum Samples ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Microneutralization Test

According to the World Health Organization, the entire African continent is at risk of a Zika outbreak. To increase data availability on the epidemiology of Zika virus circulation in Africa, we evaluated the immunity to Zika virus in a selected cohort of subjects from West Africa between 2007 and 2012. Human serum samples were collected in 2007 and in 2011/2012 from a cohort of 2–29-year-old subjects from Mali, Senegal, and The Gambia. A sample that tested positive by Zika virus IgG ELISA and by Zika virus microneutralization test was defined as positive. In 2007, the highest prevalence was 21.9%, found in Senegal among 18–29-year-old subjects. In 2011/2012, the highest prevalence, 22.7%, was found still in Senegal, but in 11–17-year-old subjects. During both study periods, the lowest prevalence was found in Mali, where few positive cases were found only in 18–29-year-old subjects. The Gambia showed an intermediate prevalence. In the three countries, prevalence was strongly associated with increasing age. This study contributes to understanding Zika virus circulation within three different ecological and demographic contexts with scarce or no data currently available. Results showed that Zika virus circulated actively in West Africa between the period 2007 and 2011/2012, but with some geographic specificity.

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Advances in Diagnostic Methods for Zika Virus Infection

Journal of Medical Devices ◽

10.1115/1.4041086 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Carlos A. Herrada ◽

Md. Alamgir Kabir ◽

Rommel Altamirano ◽

Waseem Asghar

Keyword(s):

Reverse Transcription ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Genome Structure ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

World Health ◽

Health Concern ◽

Localized Surface Plasmon ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Health Organization

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is one of the most infamous mosquito-borne flavivirus on recent memory due to its potential association with high mortality rates in fetuses, microcephaly and neurological impairments in neonates, and autoimmune disorders. The severity of the disease, as well as its fast spread over several continents, has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare ZIKV a global health concern. In consequence, over the past couple of years, there has been a significant effort for the development of ZIKV diagnostic methods, vaccine development, and prevention strategies. This review focuses on the most recent aspects of ZIKV research which includes the outbreaks, genome structure, multiplication and propagation of the virus, and more importantly, the development of serological and molecular detection tools such as Zika IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Zika MAC-ELISA), plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensors, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). Additionally, we discuss the limitations of currently available diagnostic methods, the potential of newly developed sensing technologies, and also provide insight into future areas of research.

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Diagnosis of Dengue Virus Infection by the Visual and Simple AuBioDOT Immunoglobulin M Capture System

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology ◽

10.1128/cdli.10.6.1074-1077.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1074-1077 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Susana Vázquez ◽

Gilda Lemos ◽

Maritza Pupo ◽

Oscar Ganzón ◽

Daniel Palenzuela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virus Infection ◽

Dengue Virus ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

World Health ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Dengue Virus Infection ◽

Capture Elisa ◽

Igm Antibodies ◽

Health Organization

ABSTRACT The Dengue IgM Capture ELISA (MAC-ELISA) is the immunoenzymatic system recommended by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization for the serological diagnosis of dengue virus infection due to its high sensitivity, ease of performance, and use of a single acute-phase serum sample. However, tests with this enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system are time-consuming and require equipment for washing, incubation, and reading of the results. AuBioDOT is a multistep visual diagnostic immunoassay that uses technology based on the immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture ELISA principle. This system uses white polyethylene opaque plates as the solid phase, colloidal gold as the marker, and silver ion amplification. It does not require special equipment, it is totally manually operated, and it can be performed in less than 1 h. The sensitivity and specificity of AuBioDOT for the detection of anti-dengue virus IgM antibodies were studied with a panel of 336 serum samples (150 serum samples from patients with suspected or serologically confirmed dengue virus infection, 186 serum samples from healthy blood donors and patients without dengue virus infection). The results were compared with those obtained by the MAC-ELISA. A sensitivity of 97.7% and a specificity of 97.1% were obtained. The concordance of the two tests was 97.3%, with a kappa index of 0.94. The application of AuBioDOT for the detection of anti-dengue virus IgM antibodies is recommended as an alternative method for the diagnosis of dengue virus infection, both for clinical diagnosis and for seroepidemiological surveillance. The system is useful under field conditions and in laboratories and requires little equipment.

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Community hygiene against lassa fever disease and its predictors in a Nigerian rural settlement

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.588 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

A A Gobir ◽

C L Ejembi ◽

A A Aliyu ◽

M B Garba ◽

C J C Igboanusi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sampling Technique ◽

Lassa Fever ◽

West African ◽

World Health ◽

Food Storage ◽

African Countries ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Effective Prevention ◽

Viral Haemorrhagic Fever ◽

Hygiene Measures

Abstract Background Lassa fever disease (LFD) is a viral haemorrhagic fever that is endemic in some West african countries where an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 cases and 5000 deaths occur yearly. The World Health Organization described it as a global health threat. At community level, its prevention relies on promoting good “community hygiene”. This study was conducted to assess practice of community hygiene measures against LFD and its associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional, community based descriptive study conducted during a LFD epidemic in a a rural community of Nigeria. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 556 adult respondents, selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results A majority of the respondents were females (52.9%). Educational attainment was significantly associated with safe food storage at the multivariate level (aOR= 1.31, 95% CI: 1.10-1.54,P= 0.002) while having a good knowledge of LFD was a significant predictor of maintaining good housing standards (aOR= 3.73, 95% CI: 1.09-12.80,P=0.036). Conclusions Predictors of practice of community hygiene against LFD include education and having an excellent knowledge of LFD. To improve community hygiene practices in the community, there is need for a comprehensive LFD behavior change communication intervention. Key messages Cubing the global threat of LFD depends on its effective prevention in endemic West African communities. This study shows that such preventive measures are poor and there is need for more response to address the problem.

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A Scoping Review of Policies Related to the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Africa

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13114028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 4028

Author(s):

Theodosia Adom ◽

Anniza De Villiers ◽

Thandi Puoane ◽

André Pascal Kengne

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Population Level ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

African Countries ◽

Food Industries ◽

Nutrition And Diet ◽

Health Organization ◽

And Control

To address the issue of obesity, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a set of comprehensive programmes aimed at changing the obesogenic environments to provide opportunities for healthy food options and increased physical activity in the school, home, and at the population level. The objectives of this study were to examine the nature and range of policies related to overweight and obesity prevention in Africa, and to assess how they align with international guidelines. An existing methodological framework was adapted for this scoping review. A search of publicly available national documents on overweight/obesity, general health, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was undertaken from relevant websites, including WHO, ministries, and Google Scholar. Additional requests were sent to key contacts at relevant ministries about existing policy documents. The documents were reviewed, and the policies were categorised, using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework. The framework categorises the environmental drivers of obesity into four domains (physical, economic, legislative, and socio-cultural) and two scales: macro (national, regional, sectors, food industries, media, etc.) and micro (household, institutional, and community). This review included documents from 41 African countries. The policy initiatives to prevent overweight/obesity target the school, family and community settings, and macro environments, and broadly align with global recommendations. The NCD documents were in the majority, with only two on obesity. The majority of the documents detailed strategies and key interventions on unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. The physical, legislative, and sociocultural domains were largely featured, with less emphasis on the economic domain. Additionally, nutrition- and diet-related policies were in the majority. Overlaps and interactions of policies were observed in the application of the ANGELO framework. This study has provided information on national policies and programmes in Africa and can be useful as a first point of call for policymakers. The overlapping and interaction in the initiatives demonstrate the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships in providing supportive environments for healthy behaviours.

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Antibody titers measured by commercial assays are correlated with neutralizing antibody titers calibrated by international standards

10.1101/2021.07.16.21260618 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yu-An Kung ◽

Chung-Guei Huang ◽

Sheng-Yu Huang ◽

Kuan-Ting Liu ◽

Peng-Nien Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Neutralizing Antibody ◽

Diagnostic Techniques ◽

International Standards ◽

World Health ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Antibody Titers ◽

Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of an international standard (IS) for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titer detection, with the aim of calibrating different diagnostic techniques. In this study, IS was applied to calibrate neutralizing antibody titers (IU/mL) and binding antibody titers (BAU/mL) in response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Serum samples were collected from participants receiving the Moderna (n = 20) and Pfizer (n = 20) vaccines at three time points: pre-vaccination, after one dose, and after two doses. We obtained geometric mean titers of 1404.16 and 928.75 IU/mL for neutralizing antibodies after two doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, respectively. These values provide an important baseline for vaccine development and the implementation of non-inferiority trials. We also compared three commercially available kits from Roche, Abbott, and MeDiPro for the detection of COVID-19 antibodies based on binding affinity to S1 and/or RBD. Our results demonstrated that antibody titers measured by commercial assays are highly correlated with neutralizing antibody titers calibrated by IS.

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Assessment of Water Quality in Kuntaur, Central River Region, The Gambia

The Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry Research ◽

10.21776/ub.jpacr.2020.009.03.497 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 233-243

Author(s):

Oladele Oyelakin ◽

◽

Mustapha Conteh ◽

Osaro Iyekowa ◽

Adjivon Anthony ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

The Gambia ◽

World Health ◽

Sampling Locations ◽

River Region ◽

National Environment ◽

Environment Agency ◽

Health Organization ◽

Nitrite Nitrate

The study deals with twelve water quality parameters on twenty-four sampling locations in Kuntaur. Samples were collected from the both surface water and groundwater. Twelve parameters were: temperature, pH, conductivity, acidity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, iron, nitrite, nitrate, sulphate and phosphorus (orthophosphate). Nearly all the measured parameters fell within the standard reference of the various parameters. The standards were: National Environment Agency, NEA, (The Gambia), World Health Organization, WHO and European Union, EU, Standards.

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Zika Virus Awareness and Prevention Practices Among University Students in Miami: Fall 2016

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198118760687 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (6) ◽

pp. 967-976 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

William Darrow ◽

Chintan Bhatt ◽

Cassandra Rene ◽

Lakisha Thomas

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

World Health ◽

Local Public Health ◽

School Officials ◽

Institutional Review ◽

First Case ◽

Blackboard Learn ◽

Multistage Sampling ◽

Health Organization ◽

High Level

In January 2016, the first case of mosquito-borne Zika infection in the mainland United States was confirmed in Miami, Florida. The first locally acquired case was reported 6 months later. Local public health and school officials began warning students of the outbreak on their return to the classroom in August 2016. In November–December 2016, we conducted a survey of students attending a large public university in Miami to determine how well informed they were about Zika. A multistage sampling design was used to contact teaching assistants and ask them for help in recruiting their students. Eligible students had to be 18 years of age or older and enrolled in at least one three-credit course during fall semester. A 25-item questionnaire based on the World Health Organization Zika Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Resource Pack was developed, pretested, and approved by the university’s institutional review board before it was made available to eligible students through Blackboard Learn or a survey link. About half (50.4%) of the 139 respondents had heard about Zika prior to 2016. Only one student was unaware of Zika before our survey. Most (47.1%) first learned about Zika through television, 18.8% from family or friends, and 15.2% from the Internet, social media, or university e-mail. Two thirds (66.2%) believed Zika could be prevented, 15.1% thought it might be prevented, and 85.7% had taken some precautions. A high level of awareness of the risk of Zika infection was apparent. Most students reported taking steps to avoid exposure to the Zika virus.

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Roles and strategies of international humanitarian organisations in handling the Liberia Ebola outbreak

10.21203/rs.2.17695/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jia Bainga Kangbai ◽

Ahmed Alameldeen

Keyword(s):

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

World Health Organisation ◽

West African ◽

World Health ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

African Countries ◽

History Of ◽

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Abstract Background In Early August 2014, the World Health Organisation declared an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the region of West Africa. The West African EVD outbreak was the largest, most severe, and complex in the nearly four-decade history of this disease. The management of EVD cases in Liberia was similar to the other affected West African countries. Methods We reviewed the method and strategies used by some of the international humanitarian organisations in handling the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Liberia. This report is a collection of personal field experiences in Liberia as well as personal interviews of healthcare personnel working for some of these international organisations working on the Ebola emergency in Liberia. Findings Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) was the first humanitarian NGO to deploy medical staff to the field in Liberia during the 2013-2016 EVD outbreak. MSF staffs were already operating in Liberia even before the declaration of the outbreak in August 2014.Conclusions The slow response by the international humanitarian organisations to lend their support in bringing the EVD outbreak to and exhibited the fear the international community have for deadly infectious diseases more than armed conflicts.Recommendations We recommend regularly training in public health emergency preparedness for third world countries that are highly susceptible to health emergencies such as Ebola outbreak to help prepared them ahead of such outbreak.

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miR-9-1 Is a New Circulating Biomarker for Higher-grade Meningioma Regulated via the EGFR-FOS Network

10.21203/rs.3.rs-52124/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniele Baiz ◽

Caterina Negroni ◽

Sara Ferluga ◽

Emanuela Ercolano ◽

Claire L Adams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Grade ◽

World Health ◽

Tumor Growth Rate ◽

Low Grade ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Circulating Biomarker ◽

Mirna Array ◽

Malignant Grade ◽

Health Organization

Abstract Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary CNS tumors. According to the World Health Organization Classification (WHO), they are classified as benign (grade I), atypical (grade II), and anaplastic/malignant (grade III). Chemotherapy has proven ineffective in treating these tumors, which are primarily managed by surgery, radiotherapy, or a combination of them. Morbidity and mortality correlate with meningioma grade. Currently, risk assessment for treatment is based on the radiological assessment of tumor size, tumor growth rate, and/or clinical progression of symptoms. Methods: We performed a cancer miRNA array in an in vitro model of meningioma in order to identify circulating biomarkers in meningioma patients. We validated the miRNA biomarker candidate in cells and tissues and analyzed its regulation. We then investigated expression in tissues and blood. Results: We identified miR-9-1 as significantly overexpressed in atypical and anaplastic cells compared to benign. We further demonstrated that miR-9-1 overexpression is due to increased levels of FOS via upregulation of the EGFR receptor, and showed that miR-9-1 and FOS are upregulated in a cohort of higher-grade meningioma biopsies. Next, we isolated circulating exosomes from meningioma patients’ serum samples, and found higher levels of miR-9-1 in higher-grade compared to low-grade meningiomas patients. Conclusions: Overall, our study shows overexpression and the mechanism of miR-9-1 regulation and suggests miR-9-1 as a novel circulating biomarker candidate to identify tumor grade in meningioma.

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