Hepatitis B and C viral coinfections and their association with HIV viral load suppression among HIV-1 infected patients on ART at Mekelle hospital, northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Although Ethiopia is endemic to viral hepatitis and HIV, data that could guide population-specific interventions are limited. In this study, we determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and assessed their associations with HIV-1 viral load suppression among HIV-1 infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at Mekelle hospital in northern Ethiopia. METHODS: Between February and April 2020, blood samples were collected from 439 participants. Samples were screened for HBsAg and anti-HCV on the immunochromatographic test and confirmed using the Enzyme-Linked Immuno-sorbent assay (Beijing Wantai Co. China). HIV-1 viral load was quantified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on the Abbott platform. Binary and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify potential predictors. RESULTS: Overall, 10% (44/439) and 3.6% (16/439) of the participants were coinfected with HBV and HCV, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, being illiterate (AOR = 6.57; 95% CI 1.04-41.6), and having a history of sexually transmitted infections (AOR = 4.44; 95% CI 1.31-15.0) and multiple sexual partners (AOR = 29.9; 95% CI 7.82-114.8) were associated with HBV infection. On the other hand, participants with a history of chronic non-communicable diseases (AOR = 10.6, 95% CI 1.61-70.1), and those reporting a history of sexually transmitted infections (AOR = 5.21, 95% CI 1.39-19.5) were more likely to be infected with HCV. In further analysis, HCV infection status was significantly associated with decreased viral load suppression rate (AOR = 7.14; 95% CI 2.18-23.3) whereas no significant association was observed with the HBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: The HBV coinfection rate in our study is high and, as per WHO's standard, corresponds to a hyperendemic level. The HCV coinfection rate is also substantially high and urges attention given its influence on the viral load suppression of HIV patients on ART at our study site. Our findings suggest the need to adopt universal screening and vaccination of people with HIV against HBV and screening for HCV at our study site and in Ethiopia at large, which contributes to Ethiopia's progress towards the 2030 global target of reducing the HBV infection.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus among blood donors of Mekelle blood bank, Northern Ethiopia: A three-year retrospective study.

Blood transfusion services are a vital and integral part of modern healthcare services. However, the risk of transfusion transmittable infections (TTI) has been a major handicap. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among blood donors. A retrospective study was conducted to collect data about the blood donors who consecutively donated blood from October 2011 to 2014. A three-year retrospective study was conducted in Mekelle Blood Bank. A data abstraction format was used to collect the sociodemographic and clinical data, and the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV was determined. Data were analyzed using STATA version 10 analytical software. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant in all the analyses. A total of 10 728 blood donors, median (interquartile range) of age 30 (23-45) years and 3750 (34.9%) males were enrolled in this study. Of the participants 407(3.79%), 143(1.33%), and 111(1.03%) blood donors were positive for HBV, HCV, and HIV, respectively. HBV-HIV coinfections were found 10 (1.93%) blood donors, followed by HBV-HCV and HIV-HCV. A significant association between sex and marital status with HBV and HIV infection was found. However, significant association of HCV was observed among sex ( X 2 = 33.18, P < 0.001) and occupational ( X 2 = 84.33, P < 0.001). A significant percentage of HBV, HCV, and HIV among blood donors was observed. To select a donor and collect safe blood risk factors exposing blood donor should be studied, and community-based prevalence studies on TTI are also required.

Review on emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR & XDR-TB) and its molecular diagnosis in Ethiopia.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem and ranks as the second leading cause of death among deaths caused by infectious diseases worldwide. Although the availability of short-course regimens as first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, the emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains pose a major challenge to the prevention and control efforts of national tuberculosis programs (NTPs). M. tuberculosis changes its cellular environment with the mechanisms that have been evolved since prehistoric times. The interactions between the bacteria and the host environment have been studied well. However, the studies at molecular level began to emerge recently including expression profiling of micro RNA (miRNA) and literature survey revealed that researchers find more information about their regulatory role in biological processes including immune response to infectious agents like mycobacteria. In developing countries, including Ethiopia, the burden of tuberculosis and or drug resistance profile of M. tuberculosis remains largely unexplored, mainly due to lack of quality controlled second-line laboratory tests and also lack of knowledge on molecular diagnostics. This review describes the disease etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, molecular mechanism and advanced molecular diagnostics for precision MDR-TB diagnosis.

Hepatitis B and C viral coinfection and associated factors among HIV-positive patients attending ART clinics of Afar regional state, northeast Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) coinfection are the major causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality among people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The burden of hepatitis among HIV-positive individuals has not been studied in the Afar region. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV coinfection and associated factors among HIV-positive patients in Afar Regional State, northeast Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 477 HIV-positive patients between February 2019 and May 2019. A structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and associated factors. Five milliliters of blood was collected, and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HCV antibodies were detected using rapid test kits. Positive samples were confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors. Statistical significance was set at P <0.05. RESULTS: Among the 477 study participants, 320/477(67.1%) of them were females and 157(32.9%) males. The overall prevalence of HIV-HBV and HIV-HCV coinfection was 25(5.2%) and 7(1.5%), respectively. Multi-sexual practice was significantly associated with HIV-HBV coinfection (AOR = 5.3; 95% CI: 1.2-24.4, P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of both HIV-HBV and HIV-HCV coinfection was intermediate. Multi-sexual practice was significantly associated with HIV-HBV coinfection. Screening of all HIV-positive patients for HBV and HCV and health education regarding the transmission modes should be considered.

Aloe adigratana Reynolds: Preliminary Phytochemical Screening, Proximate Content, Essential Oil Analysis, and In Vitro Antifungal Activity Studies of Its Leaf Peels and Gel.

Background: Aloe species are among the most significant plants with several applications. Many of the species, however, are underexplored, owing to their scarcity and limited geographical distribution. A. adigratana Reynolds, which is common in Ethiopia, is one of the little-studied and endangered Aloe species. Objective: This preliminary study focuses on the phytochemical screening, proximate analysis, essential oil content, and antifungal activities of A. adigratana leaf peels. Antifungal activities were also tested on the gels of the plant for comparison. Methods: Standard procedures were used for phytochemical and proximate composition studies. Essential oil analysis was performed using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument. Using the well-diffusion method, investigations on antifungal activity were performed on three clinically isolated specimens of dandruff-causing fungus; namely, Malassezia furfur, Malassezia restricta, and Malassezia globosa. Results: The leaf peels of A. adigratana contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenes. The mean moisture, ash, and crude fat levels were 85.69, 92.20, and 8.00%, respectively, whereas the mean total protein and mean total carbohydrate values were 2.59 and 3.04%. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry investigation confirmed the presence of fifteen essential oils. The most prevalent essential oil component was discovered to be phytol (33.78%), followed by decane (11.29%). In a dose-dependent way, the leaf latex and gel extracts prevented the growth of three dandruff-causing Malassezia fungal species (M. furfur, M. restricta, and M. globosa). Both the latex and gel demonstrated the maximum activity on M. globosa, the most prevalent fungus in the research area, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.24 and 0.48 mg/mL and minimum fungicidal concentrations of 0.48 and 0.97 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: In general, the proximate and essential oil compositions of A. adigratana leaves were comparable to those of other Aloe species widely used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, implying that A. adigratana could be a potential future plant for such industries.

Bacterial contaminants of stored blood and blood components ready for transfusion at blood banks in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: Bacterial contamination of donated blood and blood components is a major public health problem globally. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate and spectrum of bacterial contaminations and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of contaminants in stored blood and blood components. RESULTS: A total of 196 blood and blood components (concentrated red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets) were included. Bacterial contamination was observed in 18 (9.2%) of the blood and blood components, of which 14 (77.8%) and 4 (22.2%) were gram positive and gram negative bacteria, respectively. The predominantly isolated bacteria were Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Bacillus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Majority of isolated gram-negative bacteria isolates showed resistance to tetracycline and doxycycline. Multidrug resistance was observed in 12 (66%) of the isolates.

Bacterial Isolates and Drug Susceptibility Pattern of Sterile Body Fluids from Tertiary Hospital, Northern Ethiopia: A Four-Year Retrospective Study.

This study was conducted in Ayder comprehensive specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia, to determine the bacterial profiles and drug susceptibility pattern from body fluids. A total of 218 patients were investigated, of which 146 (67%) were males. The age of the study subjects ranged from 2 days to 80 years with 96(44%) in the age group of 15 years and above. The overall bacterial infection was 44 (20.2 %) of which gram positive bacteria were prevalent, 23 (52.3%) than gram negative bacteria 21 (47.7%). The predominantly isolated bacteria were S. pneumonia, followed by K.pneumoniae, S. aureus, and E coli. Multidrug resistance was observed in 12 (100%) of the isolated gram positive bacteria and in 6 (75%) of the isolated gram negative bacteria.