[Comparison of Kinyoun, auramine O, and Ziehl-Neelsen staining for diagnosing tuberculosis at the National Tuberculosis Center in Burkina Faso]. / Comparaison des performances des colorations de Kinyoun et à l'auramine O, avec celle de Ziehl-Neelsen pour le diagnostic de la tuberculose au Centre national de lutte antituberculeuse du Burkina Faso.

CONTEXT: This study was conducted at the National Tuberculosis Center in Burkina Faso from October 2007 through May 2008. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to compare the diagnostic performance of three staining methods: Kinyoun, auramine O, and Ziehl-Neelsen. METHODS: Ziehl-Neelsen staining served as the reference method to assess the diagnostic performance of Kinyoun and auramine O staining. In all, 616 sputum smears from 233 patients were read with each method to detect acid-fast bacilli. SPSS was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results of auramine O staining showed positive diagnoses in 15.9% of the samples; sensitivity was 100%, specificity 95.6%, and the positive and negative predictive values 75.7% and 100% respectively. Kinyoun staining produced a positive diagnosis rate of 12%, sensitivity of 96.4%, specificity of 99.5%, and positive and negative predictive values of 96.4% and 99.5%. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that auramine O staining had a better sensitivity for detecting acid-fast bacilli than Kinyoun staining. Accordingly, the use of auramine O staining should increase the detection rate for pulmonary tuberculosis in Burkina Faso.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug-resistance in previously treated patients in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis drug-resistance becomes common in sub-Saharan Africa; however, very few data are available in Burkina Faso. The aim of this study is to assess the acquired resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains identified in TB patients to four first-line drugs in Ouagadougou. METHODS: One hundred and ten (110) pulmonary tuberculosis patients with acid-fast bacilli-positive sputum and in situation of failure, relapse, or treatment abandonment were included in the study. Ninety six strains, including 92 (95.8%) M. tuberculosis and 4 (4.2%) M. africanum, were isolated from the sputum samples of these patients. Their drug susceptibility testing was performed using the proportion method. The first-line drugs tested were isoniazid (INH), streptomycin (STR), ethambutol (EMB), and rifampicin (RIF). RESULTS: The overall drug-resistance rate of M. tuberculosis was 67.4% (n=60), including 3.4% to one drug, 18% to two, 10.1% to three, and 35.9% to four drugs. The resistance to INH, RIF, EMB, and STR were 67.4%, 51.7%, 50.6%, and 44.9%, respectively. Two strains of M. africanum were resistant to all drugs. Forty-six (51.7%) strains were multidrug-resistant (resistant to at least INH and RIF). CONCLUSIONS: In previously treated patients, the level of resistance of M. tuberculosis complex to commonly used anti-tuberculosis drugs is very high in Ouagadougou. Our results showed that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis could be a public health problem in Burkina Faso.

[Strangulated umbilical hernia in children (Burkina Faso): differences with developed countries]. / Hernies ombilicales étranglées chez l'enfant au Burkina Faso: différences avec les pays développés.

Umbilical hernias occur frequently in children but complications are rarely reported. This study assesses the incidence of complicated umbilical hernias in our patients, evaluates data for risk factors, and shows dissimilarities with those encountered in developed countries. This study reports all children operated for complications due to strangulated umbilical hernia over a period of 3 years. On the whole, 162 children had umbilical hernias treated during this period. Thirty (18.5%) of these had complicated hernias. The average age of the complicated group was 3(1/2) years. Twenty-nine cases had a painful irreducible umbilical mass. Twenty-four children had bowel obstruction, while stercoral fistula occurred in one child. The average diameter of the hernia ranged between 1 and 1.5 cm. Five patients had ischemic intestine that required resection. One patient died. When active observation and follow-up after 1 year is difficult or not feasible when the wall defect diameter is 1.5 cm or less, and in suspicion of incarceration (unexplained abdominal pain, and irreducibility), umbilical hernia should be operated.