Pneumococcal colonization and coinfecting respiratory viruses in children under 5 years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a prospective case-control study.

A comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization in conjunction with respiratory virus infections is essential for enhancing our knowledge of the pathogenesis and advancing the development of effective preventive strategies. Therefore, a case-control study was carried out in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to investigate the colonization rate of S. pneumoniae and its coinfection dynamics with respiratory viruses among children under the age of 5 years. Samples from the nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal, along with socio-demographic and clinical information, were collected from 420 children under 5 years old (210 cases with lower respiratory tract infections and 210 controls with conditions other than respiratory infections.). A one-step Multiplex real-time PCR using the Allplex Respiratory Panel Assays 1-4 was performed to identify respiratory viruses and bacteria. Data analysis was conducted using STATA software version 17. The overall colonization rate of S. pneumoniae in children aged less than 5 years was 51.2% (215/420). The colonization rates in cases and controls were 54.8% (115/210) and 47.6% (100/210), respectively (p = 0.14). Colonization rates were observed to commence at an early age in children, with a colonization rate of 48.9% and 52.7% among infants younger than 6 months controls and cases, respectively. The prevalence of AdV (OR, 3.11; 95% CI [1.31-8.19]), RSV B (OR, 2.53; 95% CI [1.01-6.78]) and HRV (OR, 1.7; 95% CI [1.04-2.78]) tends to be higher in children who tested positive for S. pneumoniae compared to those who tested negative for S. pneumoniae. Further longitudinal research is needed to understand and determine interaction mechanisms between pneumococci and viral pathogens and the clinical implications of this coinfection dynamics.

Burden of respiratory syncytial virus diseases among under 5 children in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) in young children. To design preventive efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, a better knowledge of the true role of RSV in pediatric ALRIs is required. Therefore we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies to estimate the etiological role of RSV to ALRIs in under 5 years children in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This study was done according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Sciences databases, and Google Scholar were used to retrieve articles. STATA software version 17 was used for data analysis. The results of all the included studies were standardized to odds ratios (ORs) with accompanying 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) and the pooled estimates of ORs, attributable fraction among the exposed (AFE), and population attributable fraction (PAF) were reported. The heterogeneity was assessed using Cochrane chi-square (I 2) statistics. Result: A total of 6200 cases and 4986 controls from 14 articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. The pooled prevalence of RSV among cases and controls was 23.52 % [95 % CI (20.68-26.47)] and 4.33 % [95 % CI (3.11-5.73)], respectively. The pooled OR is 7.04 [95 % CI (4.41-11.24)], which indicated a significant association between RSV and ALRI. Among ALRIs cases positive for RSV, the proportion of disease that was not attributable to the background rate (AFE) was 85.8 % [95 % CI (77.3-91.1)]. The fraction of ALRIs children that can be attributed to RSV (PAF) was 20.2 % [95 % CI (16-24.1)]. Conclusion: This study showed clear associations between RSV and ALRI hospitalization in young children in sub-Saharan Africa indicating the need for prophylactic measures against RSV in this age group.

Bacterial profile and antimicrobial resistance patterns of infected diabetic foot ulcers in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The number of diabetic foot ulcer patients is substantially increasing, with the rapidly rising burden of diabetic mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa. The data on the regional prevalence of diabetic foot ulcer infecting bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance patterns is crucial for its proper management. This systematic review and meta-analysis determined the pooled prevalence of bacterial profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of infected diabetic foot ulcers in sub-Saharan Africa. A comprehensive search of the literature was performed on CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Critical appraisal was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute's tool for prevalence studies. A pooled statistical meta-analysis was conducted using STATA Version 17.0. The I2 statistics and Egger's test were used to assess the heterogeneity and publication bias. The pooled prevalence and the corresponding 95% confidence interval of bacterial profiles and their antimicrobial resistance patterns were estimated using a random effect model. Eleven studies with a total of 1174 study participants and 1701 bacteria isolates were included. The pooled prevalence of the most common bacterial isolates obtained from DFU were S. aureus (34.34%), E. coli (21.16%), and P. aeruginosa (20.98%). The highest pooled resistance pattern of S. aureus was towards Gentamicin (57.96%) and Ciprofloxacin (52.45%). E.coli and K. Pneumoniae showed more than a 50% resistance rate for the most common antibiotics tested. Both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were associated with diabetic foot ulcers in sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings are important for planning treatment with the appropriate antibiotics in the region. The high antimicrobial resistance prevalence rate indicates the need for context-specific effective strategies aimed at infection prevention and evidence-based alternative therapies.

Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among school children in South Ethiopia: post-vaccination era.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate nasopharyngeal carriage rate and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae among school children. RESULTS: Three hundred eleven (43.8%) became culture positive for S. pneumoniae. The carriage rate among children, 3-5 years old was 62.5%, which was higher than the carriage rate of 38.6% among 6-13 years old children. Age ≤ 5 years and co-sleeping with siblings remained significantly associated with S. pneumoniae carriage. 155 (49.8%) of the isolates were resistant to co-trimoxazole, 152 (48.9%) of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline, and 88 (28.3%) of isolates were resistant to oxacillin. Multi drug resistant S. pneumoniae was observed in 90 (28.9%) of isolates. There is high prevalence of S. pneumoniae in primary school children in our study area. Relatively high carriage rate of resistance to oxacillin, tetracycline and co-trimoxazole were observed. These findings provide baseline data for future studies to further compare pneumococcal carriage rates and antibiotic resistance patterns.

Burden of intestinal pathogens and associated factors among asymptomatic food handlers in South Ethiopia: emphasis on salmonellosis.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess the burden of intestinal parasites and Salmonellosis among asymptomatic food handlers at meal serving facilities in Sodo town. Antibiotic resistance was also common and increasing among Salmonella isolates with multidrug resistance as current concern. RESULT: Community based cross-sectional study was carried out from 387 food handlers working in meal serving facilities. Food handlers, 159(41%) had one or more intestinal parasites. A. lumbricoides was the most prevalent parasite 30(7.8%), followed by Taenia species 26(6.7%) and Hook worm 23(5.9%). A total number of 35 Salmonella isolates were found of which Sero-group D was the most frequent, 17(48.5%) followed by Sero-group C, 12(34.3%), and B 6(17.1%). Ten (2.5%) isolates were Salmonella typhi. Raw meat eating, hand washing after toilet and after touching dirty materials showed significant association with intestinal pathogens. Salmonella isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin (85.7%), amoxicillin and tetracycline 74.3% each. Multidrug resistance prevalence of 81.8% was identified. Periodic screening of food handlers is important in order to prevent the transmission of intestinal parasites and Salmonellosis. Treatment needs to be based on accurate laboratory detection to mitigate the spread of drug resistant Salmonella strains.

Transfusion-Transmissible Infections among Voluntary Blood Donors at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Referral Hospital, South Ethiopia.

Background. Transfusion-transmissible infections, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and syphilis are among the greatest threats to blood safety and pose a serious public health problem. Objective. To determine the magnitude of blood borne infections among blood donors at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Referral Hospital. Methods and Materials. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 10/11/2015 up to 10/12/2015. 390 donors were consecutively included and data on donor's age, sex, blood type, and serum screening results were obtained by structured questionnaire and laboratory investigation. The collected data were entered into Epi Data version 1.4 and then exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Result. The seroprevalence of blood borne pathogens is 29.5% of which HCV, HBV, HIV, and syphilis account for 8.5%, 9.5%, 6.4%, and 7.5%, respectively. Multiple infections were observed among 2.8% of the infected individuals. In addition, age ≥ 30 has a significant association with HCV. Conclusion. Significantly higher prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections was identified from blood donors and they remain to be the greatest threat to blood safety, so comprehensive screening of donors' blood for HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis using standard methods is highly recommended to ensure the safety of blood recipient.