Ebola Virus Epidemiology and Evolution in Nigeria.

Containment limited the 2014 Nigerian Ebola virus (EBOV) disease outbreak to 20 reported cases and 8 fatalities. We present here clinical data and contact information for at least 19 case patients, and full-length EBOV genome sequences for 12 of the 20. The detailed contact data permits nearly complete reconstruction of the transmission tree for the outbreak. The EBOV genomic data are consistent with that tree. It confirms that there was a single source for the Nigerian infections, shows that the Nigerian EBOV lineage nests within a lineage previously seen in Liberia but is genetically distinct from it, and supports the conclusion that transmission from Nigeria to elsewhere did not occur.

A survey of chloroquine use for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Background: Rampant chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine poisoning in Nigerian hospitals following suggestions of its possible efficacy in the treatment and prevention of the newly emerged COVID-19 disease informed this survey. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of the Nigerian populace on the use of chloroquine in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done by administering an electronic questionnaire created using Google Docs, through social media cascade methods including the WhatsApp application software to capture data on chloroquine use between April 20 and June 20, 2020. Results: Six hundred and twenty-eight people responded to the questionnaire (response rate 99.2%, mean age 41.05 ± 12.3) from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria with 556 (88.5%) having tertiary level education. Only 21 (3.3%) of the respondents took chloroquine for treatment or prevention. Respondents from the North-west geopolitical zones used chloroquine 5.8 (95% CI: 1.55, 21.52, p=0.02) more times than other zones while the age group 20-29 were 8.8 times more likely to use chloroquine than any other age group (95% CI: 3.53, 21.70, p = 0.00). Female respondents were 2.3 times more likely to use chloroquine than the males (OR 2.26 95% CI: 0.90-5.68; p=0.08) and those in the income bracket of N75,000-99,000, 2.5 times more than other income groups. Conclusion: Young adults, North-western geopolitical zone, and female gender should be target groups for education on rational chloroquine use. The danger of chloroquine overdose should be communicated to the general population in Nigeria.

Time to establish an international vaccine candidate pool for potential highly infectious respiratory disease: a community's view.

In counteracting highly infectious and disruptive respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, vaccination remains the primary and safest way to prevent disease, reduce the severity of illness, and save lives. Unfortunately, vaccination is often not the first intervention deployed for a new pandemic, as it takes time to develop and test vaccines, and confirmation of safety requires a period of observation after vaccination to detect potential late-onset vaccine-associated adverse events. In the meantime, nonpharmacologic public health interventions such as mask-wearing and social distancing can provide some degree of protection. As climate change, with its environmental impacts on pathogen evolution and international mobility continue to rise, highly infectious respiratory diseases will likely emerge more frequently and their impact is expected to be substantial. How quickly a safe and efficacious vaccine can be deployed against rising infectious respiratory diseases may be the most important challenge that humanity will face in the near future. While some organizations are engaged in addressing the World Health Organization's "blueprint for priority diseases", the lack of worldwide preparedness, and the uncertainty around universal vaccine availability, remain major concerns. We therefore propose the establishment of an international candidate vaccine pool repository for potential respiratory diseases, supported by multiple stakeholders and countries that contribute facilities, technologies, and other medical and financial resources. The types and categories of candidate vaccines can be determined based on information from previous pandemics and epidemics. Each participant country or region can focus on developing one or a few vaccine types or categories, together covering most if not all possible potential infectious diseases. The safety of these vaccines can be tested using animal models. Information for effective candidates that can be potentially applied to humans will then be shared across all participants. When a new pandemic arises, these pre-selected and tested vaccines can be quickly tested in RCTs for human populations.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infections among Women in Lagos, Nigeria.

Regional variations exist in HPV prevalence worldwide despite reports of high prevalence rates among African women. Limited data on genital HPV prevalence necessitated this study with the aim of determining the prevalence of genital HPV and associated risk factors among women in Lagos, Nigeria. Exfoliated cervical cells were collected with consent from 165 women using a cervical brush. Viral DNA was extracted and amplified by nested PCR using two sets of consensus primers (MY09/11 and GP5+/6+). An unconditional logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of HPV positivity. The HPV prevalence was 81.82% in all women and 87.59% in women with normal cytology. The risk of HPV infection was significantly increased among women who had a history of STI (odds ratio (OR) 3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.51-10.25, p = 0.005) while there was a significantly reduced risk of HPV infection among those who used condoms (odds ratio (OR) 3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18-0.91, p = 0.03). The HPV prevalence observed shows an increased transmission of the virus in Lagos, Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need for intense public awareness and the implementation of early detection tests, treatment, and vaccination to prevent an increase in cervical cancer cases in Lagos, Nigeria.

Melioidosis in Africa: Time to Raise Awareness and Build Capacity for Its Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

Melioidosis is a tropical infectious disease caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei with a mortality of up to 50% in low resource settings. Only a few cases have been reported from African countries. However, studies on the global burden of melioidosis showed that Africa holds a significant unrecognized disease burden, with Nigeria being at the top of the list. The first World Health Organization African Melioidosis Workshop was organized in Lagos, Nigeria, with representatives of health authorities, microbiology laboratories, and clinical centers from across the continent. Dedicated hands-on training was given on laboratory diagnostics of B. pseudomallei. This report summarises the meeting objectives, including raising awareness of melioidosis and building capacity for the detection, diagnosis, biosafety, treatment, and prevention across Africa. Further, collaboration with regional and international experts provided a platform for sharing ideas on best practices.

Probable mechanisms involved in the antiepileptic activity of Clerodendrum polycephalum Baker (Labiatae) leaf extract in mice exposed to chemical-induced seizures.

The leaves of Clerodendrum polycephalum Baker (Labiatae) are used as a dietary legume supplement and applied ethnomedicinally for the management of epilepsy, convulsion, and spasms. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of Clerodendrum polycephalum (CP) leaf extract on chemical-induced seizures in mice and the possible mechanisms of action. Swiss albino mice were pretreated with CP (50, 100, or 500 mg/kg, p.o.) prior to intraperitoneal injection of picrotoxin (PTX) or pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). However, the most effective dose was used to elucidate the role of GABAergic and nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO-cGMP) signaling mechanisms in mice brains. Accordingly, we evaluated the preventive and reversal effects of CP on kainic acid (KA)-induced temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), oxidative stress, and neuroinflammatory in mice. The pretreatment of mice with CP delayed the latencies to PTX and PTZ-induced seizures and decrement in the period of tonic-clonic attacks. Interestingly, CP (100 mg/kg) completely prevented PTZ-induced tonic-clonic seizures. Contrastingly, flumazenil (benzodiazepine receptor antagonist), NG -nitro-L-Arginine (L-NNA) (10 mg/kg., neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), and methylene blue (MB) (2 mg/kg, a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor) but not L-arginine (150 mg/kg., nitric oxide precursor) reversed CP-induced anticonvulsant-like effect in PTZ model. Furthermore, KA-elicited TLE was prevented by CP treatment. CP also attenuated KA-induced oxidative stress, cyooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) elevated expressions in the hippocampus. The study revealed that the ethanolic leaf extract of CP produced anticonvulsant actions through enhancement of antioxidant defense, GABAergic, and NO-cGMP signaling pathways as well as attenuation of inflammatory processes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The leaves of Clerodendrum polycephalum Baker (Labiatae) are used as a dietary legume supplement and applied ethnomedicinally for the management of epilepsy, convulsion, and spasms. For this reason, we believe that supplementation of the Clerodendrum polycephalum leaf extract would prevent epileptic-related disorders in mice induced with epileptic conditions using kainic acid and other behavioral phenotypic models. Here, our findings clearly revealed that Clerodendrum polycephalum leaf extract protects against conditions of epileptic-related disorders and thus might be relevant as a dietary supplement in the prevention or delay of the onset of seizures and epileptic behavior.

Cnestis ferruginea Vahl ex DC (Connaraceae) downregulates expression of immediate early genes in kainic acid-induced temporal lobe epilepsy in mice.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the influence of Cnestis ferruginea (CF) on kainic acid (KA)-induced immediate early genes (IEGs) associated with hippocampal sclerosis in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in mice. METHODS: Animals were randomly divided into preventive treatment; vehicle (10 mL/kg, p.o.) or CF (400 mg/kg, p.o.) for three consecutive days before KA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) on days 4 and 5. In the reversal model, KA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered on days 1 and 2 before CF (400 mg/kg) administration on days 3-5. Animals were euthanized on day 5, 6 h after KA exposure in preventive model and 1 h after CF administration in reversal model to estimate markers of IEGs. RESULTS: KA upregulated the expression of c-Fos protein by 3.32-, 9.45-, 8.13-, and 8.66-fold in the hippocampal CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG regions, respectively. Also, KA elevated inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression by 10.9-, 10.6-, 9.78-, and 9.51-fold. Besides, mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factors and heat shock protein was increased by 2.38- and 1.39-fold, respectively, after exposure to KA which were attenuated by CF. CONCLUSIONS: CF attenuated KA-induced IEGs and could be used as an adjunct in TLE.

Prevalence of Factor V Leiden G1691A and Prothrombin G20210A Gene Mutation Among Pregnant Women: Experience from a Multi-Center Study in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Inherited thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been closely linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia/eclampsia contributing to increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is, however, little genetic data from Africa including Nigeria that explores the prevalence of common VTE genetic risk markers such as factor V Leiden mutation (FVL G1691A) and prothrombin gene mutation (F2 G20210A) among pregnant women in Nigeria. PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and distribution of FVL G1691A and F2 G20210A in pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among pregnant women between 1 July 2019 and 31 August 2020. The genotype of interest was determined through amplification by polymerase chain reaction using G1691A of FV and prothrombin A20210G specific primers. Descriptive data were presented using Stata version 15 (Stata Corp) statistical software. RESULTS: Of the 400 recruited participants, 397 and 389 samples were successfully processed for FVL G1691A and F2 G20210A mutations, respectively. Three participants had FVL heterozygous mutation; thus, the prevalence of heterozygous mutation of FVL among the study participants was 0.76%, 95% CI: 0.002-0.023%, n=3/397. There was no F2 G20210A mutation detected among the study participants. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that screening for factor V Leiden mutation and prothrombin gene mutation in pregnancy might not be of any clinical significance among Nigerian women. However, carrying out a genome-wide associated study is recommended to determine the true impact of these two common inherited thrombophilias in this population.

Prevalence and Presentation of Paediatric Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among children (≤18 years) evaluated for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection at a testing centre in Lagos, Nigeria. Methodology. This was a retrospective study. Data on the sociodemographic, clinical characteristics and SARS-CoV-2 results of participants at a modified drive-through centre for COVID-19 test sample collection over four months were retrieved from the electronic medical records (EMR). Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS: A total of 307 children (≤18 years) were evaluated in this review. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the paediatric population was 16.3%. The median age (interquartile range (IQR)) was 9 (4-14) years. Common symptoms reported by the positive cases were fever (40.0%), cough (32.9%), sore throat (17.1%), and runny nose (15.7%). The majority of the positive cases had mild symptoms. Fever and sore throat were associated with the positive cases. CONCLUSION: Fever and sore throat were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among our cohort which buttresses the need for a high level of suspicion and clinical acumen in the management of common febrile diseases in paediatric settings.

Low level SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected in plasma samples from a cohort of Nigerians: Implications for blood transfusion.

The present global pandemic triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has lingered for over a year in its devastating effects. Diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently established with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test by means of oropharyngeal-, nasopharyngeal-, anal-swabs, sputum and blood plasma. However, oral and nasal swabs are more commonly used. This study, therefore, assessed sensitivity and specificity of plasma as a diagnostic in comparison with a combination of oral and nasal swab samples, and the implications for blood transfusion. Oropharyngeal (OP) and nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples were obtained from 125 individuals suspected to have COVID-19 and stored in viral transport medium (VTM) tubes. Ten millilitres of blood samples in EDTA were also obtained by venepuncture and spun to obtain plasma. Viral RNA was obtained from both swabs and plasma by manual extraction with Qiagen QIAamp viral RNA Mini Kit. Detection was done using a real time fluorescent RT-qPCR BGI kit, on a QuantStudio 3 real-time PCR instrument. Average age of study participants was 41 years, with 74 (59.2%) being male. Out of the 125 individuals tested for COVID-19, 75 (60%) were positive by OP/NP swab. However, only 6 (4.8%) had a positive plasma result for COVID-19 with median Ct value of 32.4. Sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 test using plasma was 8% and 100% respectively. There was no false positive recorded, but 69 (55.2%) false negatives were obtained by plasma. SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was detected, albeit low (4.8%) in plasma. Plasma is likely not a suitable biological sample to diagnose acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. The implication of transfusing blood in this era of COVID-19 needs further investigations.

Full length genomic sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Nigeria.

In an outbreak, effective detection of the aetiological agent(s) involved using molecular techniques is key to efficient diagnosis, early prevention and management of the spread. However, sequencing is necessary for mutation monitoring and tracking of clusters of transmission, development of diagnostics and for vaccines and drug development. Many sequencing methods are fast evolving to reduce test turn-around-time and to increase through-put compared to Sanger sequencing method; however, Sanger sequencing remains the gold standard for clinical research sequencing with its 99.99% accuracy This study sought to generate sequence data of SARS-CoV-2 using Sanger sequencing method and to characterize them for possible site(s) of mutations. About 30 pairs of primers were designed, synthesized, and optimized using endpoint PCR to generate amplicons for the full length of the virus. Cycle sequencing using BigDye Terminator v.3.1 and capillary gel electrophoresis on ABI 3130xl genetic analyser were performed according to the manufacturers' instructions. The sequence data generated were assembled and analysed for variations using DNASTAR Lasergene 17 SeqMan Ultra. Total length of 29,760bp of SARS-CoV-2 was assembled from the sample analysed and deposited in GenBank with accession number: MT576584. Blast result of the sequence assembly shows a 99.97% identity with the reference sequence. Variations were noticed at positions: nt201, nt2997, nt14368, nt16535, nt20334, and nt28841-28843, which caused amino acid alterations at the S (aa614) and N (aa203-204) regions. The mutations observed at S and N-gene in this study may be indicative of a gradual changes in the genetic coding of the virus hence, the need for active surveillance of the viral genome.

The use of DIY (Do it yourself) sampling and telemonitoring model for COVID-19 qPCR testing scale up.

The first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was recorded on February 27, 2020, being an imported case by an Italian expatriate, to the country. Since then, there has been steady increase in the number of cases. However, the number of cases in Nigeria is low in comparison to cases reported by other countries with similar large populations, despite the poor health system prevailing in the country. This has been mainly attributed to the low testing capacity in Nigeria among other factors. Therefore, there is a need for innovative ways to increase the number of persons testing for COVID-19. The aim of the study was to pilot a nasopharyngeal swab self-sample collection model that would help increase COVID-19 testing while ensuring minimal person-to-person contact being experienced at the testing center. 216 participants took part in this study which was carried out at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research between June and July 2020. Amongst the 216 participants, 174 tested negatives for both self-collected samples and samples collected by Professionals, 30 tested positive for both arms, with discrepancies occurring in 6 samples where the self-collected samples were positive while the ones collected by the professionals were negative. The same occurred in another set of 6 samples with the self-collected samples being negative and the professional-collected sample coming out positive, with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 96.7%. The results of the interrater analysis are Kappa = 0.800 (95% CI, 0.690 to 0.910) which implies an outstanding agreement between the two COVID-19 sampling methods. Furthermore, since p< 0.001 Kappa (k) coefficient is statistically different from zero, our findings have shown that self-collected samples can be reliable in the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Parasitic helminth infections in humans modulate Trefoil Factor levels in a manner dependent on the species of parasite and age of the host.

Helminth infections, including hookworms and Schistosomes, can cause severe disability and death. Infection management and control would benefit from identification of biomarkers for early detection and prognosis. While animal models suggest that Trefoil Factor Family proteins (TFF2 and TFF3) and interleukin-33 (IL-33) -driven type 2 immune responses are critical mediators of tissue repair and worm clearance in the context of hookworm infection, very little is known about how they are modulated in the context of human helminth infection. We measured TFF2, TFF3, and IL-33 levels in serum from patients in Brazil infected with Hookworm and/or Schistosomes, and compared them to endemic and non-endemic controls. TFF2 was specifically elevated by Hookworm infection in females, not Schistosoma or co-infection. This elevation was correlated with age, but not worm burden. TFF3 was elevated by Schistosoma infection and found to be generally higher in females. IL-33 was not significantly altered by infection. To determine if this might apply more broadly to other species or regions, we measured TFFs and cytokine levels (IFNγ, TNFα, IL-33, IL-13, IL-1ß, IL-17A, IL-22, and IL-10) in both the serum and urine of Nigerian school children infected with S. haematobium. We found that serum levels of TFF2 and 3 were reduced by infection, likely in an age dependent manner. In the serum, only IL-10 and IL-13 were significantly increased, while in urine IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-13, IL-1ß, IL-22, and IL-10 were significantly increased in by infection. Taken together, these data support a role for TFF proteins in human helminth infection.

Parvovirus B19 DNA detection in treatment-naïve HIV anemic patients in Lagos, Nigeria: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Parvovirus B19 (B19) has tropism for cells of the erythroid lineage, which may lead to transient inhibition of erythropoiesis. Several studies and case reports suggested that B19 infection may contribute significantly to severe chronic anemia in HIV infected persons. OBJECTIVE: To detect parvovirus B19 DNA in treatment-naïve HIV patients. METHODS: This was a case control retrospective study. One hundred nineteen anemic and 81 non-anemic treatment-naïve HIV infected patients participated in the study at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect B19 DNA. RESULTS: Out of 200 patients analysed, 13(6.5%) had parvovirus B19 DNA. Eight HIV patients with anemia had B19 DNA while five non-anemic HIV patients had B19 DNA. This suggests that the presence of B19 DNA in the blood of HIV positive individuals may contribute to anemia because the majority (61.5%) who were positive for B19 DNA had anemia as compared to the non-anemic control group (38.5%). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the presence of B19 DNA in anemic HIV infected patients is not associated with chronic anaemia in HIV infection because no significant association exist.

Molecular confirmation and phylogeny of Lassa fever virus in Benin Republic 2014-2016.

BACKGROUND: The changing epidemiology of the Lassa virus from endemic areas to other parts of West Africa has been reported. However, there have been no documented Lassa fever transmission chains in the Benin Republic. Two outbreaks of Lassa fever (November 2014 and January 2016) in the Benin Republic were characterised by a high number of deaths (more than 50%) among 27 confirmed and other unconfirmed cases. OBJECTIVES: We report the detection, confirmation and relatedness of the Lassa virus strains from the Benin Republic with other isolates within the West African Sub-region. METHODS: A total of 70 blood samples (16 from 2014 and 54 from 2016) from suspected cases with signs and symptoms suggestive of viral haemorrhagic fever were received for molecular analysis at the Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. With the detection of the Lassa virus RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed using the Sanger dideoxy sequencing technology platform and the MEGA6 software. RESULTS: S segments of the Lassa virus RNA genome were detected in 5 (7.1%) of the 70 samples analysed. Sequencing and a phylogenetic tree construction confirmed that the strain of Lassa virus had close relationships with strains previously isolated from Nigeria. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the presence of the Lassa virus in the Benin Republic, with 2 strains having molecular epidemiological links with Lineage I and II strains from Nigeria. To reduce the likelihood of outbreaks, there is a need for heightened awareness and strengthened surveillance systems about Lassa fever, particularly in the sub-region.

Evaluation of the toxicity potential of acute and sub-acute exposure to the aqueous root extract of Aristolochia ringens Vahl. (Aristolochiaceae).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Aristolochia ringens Vahl. (Aristolochiaceae) is used traditionally in Nigeria for managing a number of ailments including gastrointestinal disturbances, rheumatoid arthritis, pile, insomnia, oedema, and snake bite venom. Some studies in our laboratory have demonstrated a scientific justification for some of such uses. This study aims at investigating the toxicological actions of the aqueous root extract of Aristolochia ringens (AR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brine shrimp lethality assay was carried out using 10, 100 and 1000 µg/ml of the extract. Oral and intraperitoneal acute toxicity tests were carried out using mice. The effect of sub-acute (30 days) repeated oral exposure to the extract at 10, 50 and 250 mg/kg in rats was also evaluated via weekly assessments of body weights and general observations as well as end of exposure haematological, biochemical and histological examinations of blood and tissue samples of treated rats. Phytochemical analyses to determine the presence of aristolochic acid I in the extract was also carried out using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: The aqueous root extract of A. ringens showed potential for biological activity and cytotoxicity with an LC50 of 175 µg/ml in brine shrimps. AR was found to be relatively safe on acute oral exposure with LD50 estimated to be greater than 10 g/kg, while its LD50 on intraperitoneal administration was 407.38 mg/kg. Upon 30 days sub-chronic exposure, AR induced significant weight loss in female rats, enlargement of male rats' stomach, oxidative stress in male and female rats' kidney and liver tissues and disruption of leukocytes level in female rats. It also showed evidence of kidney and liver injuries inducible by oxidative damage and the potential to cause male sterility. HPLC revealed the presence of 0.003 mg/1 g of aristolochic acid in AR. CONCLUSION: These results show that AR contains detectible aristolochic acid I and has potential to induce toxic responses. Caution must therefore be exercised in its medicinal application especially when required for a prolonged use.

Ameliorative influence of Cnestis ferruginea vahl ex DC (Connaraceae) root extract on kainic acid-induced temporal lobe epilepsy in mice: Role of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE: the root decoction of Cnestis ferruginea Vahl ex DC (Connaraceae) is widely used in traditional African medicine for the treatment of various ailments including pain, inflammation and epilepsy. We have earlier reported anticonvulsant effect of Cnestis ferruginea root extract in mice. AIM OF THE STUDY: to evaluate the effect of ethanolic root extract of Cnestis ferruginea (CF) on kainic acid (KA)-induced temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in mice as well as the involvement of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: mice were randomly divided into preventive treatment (vehicle (normal saline) or CF (400 mg/kg, p.o.) for 3 consecutive days before KA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) on days 4 and 5. In the reversal model, KA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered on days 1 and 2 before vehicle or CF (400 mg/kg) administration on days 3-5. The effect of treatments on seizure severity was recorded using Racine scale. Animals were euthanized on day 5, 6 h after last KA exposure in preventive model and 1 h after CF administration in reversal model to estimate markers of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. RESULTS: exposure of mice to KA induced TLE evidenced in increased severity of seizures which was significantly reduced by the pre- and post-treatment of mice with CF. Moreso, KA-induced malondialdehyde/nitrite generation and GSH deficit in the brain were attenuated by CF treatments. KA-induced up-regulation of inflammatory transcription factors; cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear facor-kappaB (NF-κB) in the CA1, CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus regions were attenuated by CF treatments. CONCLUSION: findings from this study showed that Cnestis ferruginea root extract ameliorated KA-induced TLE through enhancement of antioxidant defense mechanism and attenuation of neuro-inflammatory transcription factors. Thus, could possibly be a potential phytotherapeutic agent in the management of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Lassa virus RNA detection from suspected cases in Nigeria, 2011-2017.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of Lassa fever is crucial to confirm cases, as well as to control/prevent nosocomial and community-based transmission and initiation of treatment, which is still limited in the country. Thus, we aimed at providing some information on the laboratory detection of Lassa from suspected cases in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of seasonal Lassa fever outbreaks data from 1,263 samples analyzed using Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) at the Virology Research Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital between year 2011 and 2017. Data were analyzed using the 21st edition of SPSS statistical software (2015). RESULTS: The RT-PCR test confirmed the presence of Lassa in 112 (8.9%) comprising 61 (54.4%) males, 48 (42.9%) females and 3 (2.7%) individuals without gender information. Those aged between 18 and 49 years were mostly affected. There was a decline in the detection of Lassa from 4.7% in 2011/2012 to less than 1% by the 2014/2015. However, during the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons the detection rates increased to 10.4% and 15.1% respectively. The Northern region of Nigeria reported high confirmed cases of Lassa. The South Western region also witnessed an increased Lassa fever positivity rate of 13.4% of which Lagos and Ogun states being the focal state of Lassa activity in the region. CONCLUSION: These established the need for heightening the continued surveillance for Lassa as well as the establishment of other testing facilities within these endemic regions for prompt diagnosis of Lassa fever.

Biosafety level-2 laboratory diagnosis of Zaire Ebola virus disease imported from Liberia to Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Global travel is an efficient route of transmission for highly infectious pathogens and increases the chances of such pathogens moving from high disease-endemic areas to new regions. We describe the rapid and safe identification of the first imported case of Ebola virus disease in a traveler to Lagos, Nigeria, using conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a biosafety level (BSL)-2 facility. CASE PRESENTATION: On 20 July 2014, a traveler arrived from Liberia at Lagos International Airport and was admitted to a private hospital in Lagos, with clinical suspicion of Ebola virus disease. METHODOLOGY AND OUTCOME: Blood and urine specimens were collected, transported to the Virology Unit Laboratory at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, and processed under stringent biosafety conditions for viral RNA extraction. RT-PCR was set-up to query the Ebola, Lassa and Dengue fever viruses. Amplicons for pan-filoviruses were detected as 300 bp bands on a 1.5% agarose gel image; there were no detectable bands for Lassa and Dengue viral RNA. Nucleotide BLAST and phylogenetic analysis of sequence data of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) gene confirmed the sequence to be Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV/Hsap/NGA/2014/LIB-NIG 01072014; Genbank: KM251803.1). CONCLUSION: Our BSL-2 facility in Lagos, Nigeria, was able to safely detect Ebola virus disease using molecular techniques, supporting the reliability of molecular detection of highly infectious viral pathogens under stringent safety guidelines in BSL-2 laboratories. This is a significant lesson for the many under-facilitated laboratories in resource-limited settings, as is predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa.