Plasmodiasis in Relation to Haematological Parameters among Children in the Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPS) within Maiduguri, Nigeria

Introduction: Malaria parasite is a protozoan disease that is transmitted by female anopheles mosquito which infects humans regardless of age, sex and status. It has a worldwide distribution and often prevalent in the developing countries and areas with poor environmental hygiene this study focuses on the incidence of plasmodiasis in relation to haematological parameters among children in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp. Methods: blood samples were collected via venipuncture for thick blood film and was stained with giemsa diluted 1:10 and rapid diagnostic techniques (RDT), while the hematological parameter were analyzed by auto analyzer machine. Results: a total of two hundred and one (201) samples were obtained from two different camps in the study area. 87 were obtained from Stadium IDPs camp and 114 from Bakassi camp. From the Stadium IDPs camp 25(12.4%) were malaria positive and 62(30.8%) were negative. Similarly, from Bakassi IDPs camp, 58(28.9%) were positive and 56(27.9%) were negative. Conclusions: Males were shown to have eosinophilia compared to the females, due to an increase in the eosinophil count in them which can be used to predict the intensity of malaria infection, and a decrease in the eosinophil in females. There was a partial negative correlation due to a decrease in the monocyte and lymphocyte with increasing parasite density count.

Inverse association of falciparum positivity with endemic Burkitt lymphoma is robust in analyses adjusting for pre-enrollment malaria in the EMBLEM case-control study

Background Falciparum and endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) are co-endemic in Africa, but the malaria experience in eBL patients is unknown. A lower prevalence of falciparum has been reported in eBL patients, but those results are anecdotally attributed to pre-enrollment anti-malaria treatment. Methods We studied 677 eBL patients and 2920 community controls aged 0–15 years enrolled in six regions in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya during 2010–2016. Falciparum was diagnosed using thick blood film microscopy (TFM) and antigen-capture rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Guardians of the children answered a 40-item structured questionnaire about their child’s pre-enrollment lifetime malaria history and treatment, demographics, socioeconomics, animal exposures, fevers, and hospitalizations. We utilized exploratory factor analysis to reduce the 40 questionnaire variables into six factors, including Inpatient malaria and Outpatient malaria factors that were surrogates of pre-enrollment anti-malaria treatment. The six factors accounted for 83–90% of the variance in the questionnaire data. We calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR 95% CI) of association of eBL with falciparum positivity, defined as positive both on TFM or RDTs, or only RDTs (indicative of recent infection) or TFM (indicative of current falciparum infection) versus no infection, using multivariable logistic regression, controlling for group of age (0–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–11 and 12–15 years), sex, and study site and the afore-mentioned pre-enrollment factors. Results The prevalence of falciparum infection was 25.6% in the eBL cases and 45.7% in community controls (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.47; P < 0.0001). The results were similar for recent falciparum infection (6.9% versus 13.5%, aOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.50; P < 0.0001) and current falciparum infection (18.7% versus 32.1%, aOR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.51; P < 0.0001). These aORs for any, recent and current falciparum infection did not change when we adjusted for pre-enrollment factors (aORs = 0.46, =0.44, and = 0.51, respectively) were significantly lower in stratified analysis for any infection in children < 5 years (aOR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.75) or ≥ 10 years (aOR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.71). Conclusion Our study results reduce support for pre-enrollment antimalaria treatment as a sole explanation for the observed lower falciparum prevalence in eBL cases and open a space to consider alternative immunology-based hypotheses.

Investigation of HRPF2 Gene Deletion in Plasmodium Falciparum in Northwestern Nigeria

Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) plays an important role in malaria management and control. The Pf HRP2 based RDT kit is the most widely used RDT for malaria diagnosis in Nigeria but is affected by the deletion of HRP2 gene in Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Therefore, identifying the prevalence and distribution of Plasmodium falciparum parasites with deleted Pf HRP2 is important for malaria control. Pf HRP2 gene deletion was assessed in this study by first carrying out Giemsa stained thick blood film microscopy and Pf HRP2 RDT strip test. The samples were further analyzed for molecular examination by PCR assay for multiple single–copy genes (Pf Cox3, Pf HRP2, Pf HRP3 and Pf Beta tubulin). This study found the existence of eight (8) Plasmodium falciparum isolates lacking the HRP2 gene in the samples analyzed, this necessitates the need to develop a unique RDT Kit targeting other housekeeping genes unique for Plasmodium falciparum with far greater sensitivity than the current ones as to reduce the chances of false negative RDT result as well as developing unique RDT Kits targeting both PfHRP2 and PfHRP3 genes concomitantly in order to reduce the chances of having a false positive RDT results.

DIAGNOSTICS OF PHARYNX MYCOSIS

Aim - to characterize different methods for diagnosis of mycotic lesions of the pharynx used in medical practice. Materials and methods. This article describes various methods of laboratory diagnostics of tonsillopharyngeal mycosis and their indications; and presents the analysis of 117 adult cases of tonsillopharyngeal mycosis confirmed by the analysis of thick blood film after the incubation in thermoregulator combined with blood agar inoculation. In addition, this method includes a microflora test which in most chronical cases accompanies pharyngeal mycosis. Results. The study revealed relevant advantages of the presented methods of pharynx mycosis diagnostics, which not only detect the presence of mycelium and its morphology, but also evaluate its role in the inflammatory process. In addition, this method includes bacterial culture test that in most chronical cases accompanies pharynx mycosis. Out of 100% only 17.9% of observations (21 patients) showed Candida fungus in parasitic phase as mono-infection, the other 82.1% of cases proved bacterial presence. The most frequent combination was Candida and Streptococcus spp (including pneumococcus) that made up 41.9% of total observations. In 10.3% of cases Staphylococcus spp was detected. Other patients had more than two kinds of microorganisms. The following combinations were revealed: fungi, streptococci and staphylococci in 17.9% cases; fungi and streptococci with Klebsiella and\or Moraxella catarrhalis or other opportunistic pathogenic microflora in 12% cases. Conclusions. The most effective method of research of upper airway mycosis is the one that enables to reveal Candida fungi presence and concentration as well as to identify their status (saprophitic or parasitic) in the patient's body using thick blood microscopy. The value of this method increases with simultaneous evaluation of associated microflora and its relation to macroorganism. Being simple, cost-effective and highly informative, complex method of diagnostics of upper airway mycosis can be widely used in medical practice.

Chromatin Detection in Malaria Thick Blood Film Using Automated Image Processing

Malaria is a serious global health problem and rapid, accurate diagnosis is required to control the disease. An image processing algorithm to aid the diagnosis of malaria on thick blood films is developed. Morphological and automatic threshold selection techniques are applied on two color components from the HSI color model to identify chromatins of P. Falciparum and P. Vivax malaria species on the images. Chromatins are positively identified with good sensitivities for both species. After identifying the position of chromatins, the algorithm splits the image into small sub-images, each with a chromatin in the center. These small images can subsequently be used by technician to classify malaria species more conveniently.