[Epidemic meningitis in 2013 in Republic of Guinea: Nesseria meningitidis W135 emergence]. / Epidémie de méningite en République de Guinée en 2013 : émergence de Nesseria meningitidis W135.

A prospective study conducted from 1 January to 31 December 2013 described a meningitis epidemic in Republic of Guinea. The identification of the germs was based on Gram stain, latex agglutination and culture. During the study period, 480 suspected cases of meningitis were reported by 21 health districts. The average age was 18±8 years and 62.5% were men. The vaccination status was unknown in all patients. The largest attack rates were found in Siguiri (3.2 per 10,000), Kankan (2.6 per 10,000) and Dabola (3.9 per 10,000). The locality of Kintinian in Siguiri was the only one to cross the epidemic threshold. The identified microorganisms were Haemophilus influenzae (1 time), Pneumococcus (2 times), Neisseria meningitidis A (4 times) and W135 (10 times) with a total of 17 positive samples. All of these germs were sensitive to chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. The average hospital stay was 6.5±2 days. The lethality was 13.8%. This meningitis epidemic was characterized by the emergence of Neisseria meningitidis W135. The monitoring of this serogroup should be increased and future vaccination strategies must include it presence.

Tolérance et observance aux ARVs chez les personnes vivant avec le VIH suivis au service des maladies infectieuses de l'hôpital national Donka de Conakry, Guinée

Introduction : L'initiative Guinéenne d'accès aux ARV promulguée en 2003, a apporté un véritable élan de prise de conscience sur la nécessité que toutes les Personnes Vivant avec le VIH (PVVIH) du pays accèdent à un traitement. Les objectifs de ce travail étaient de déterminer la fréquence des effets indésirables (EI) survenus chez les PVVIH en fonction des régimes thérapeutiques, d'évaluer le niveau d'observance ainsi que d'identifier les facteurs associés à l'inobservance aux ARV.Matériels et méthodes : Il s'agissait d'une étude transversale qui s'est déroulée du 1er juillet au 30 septembre 2014 dans le service des maladies infectieuses de l'hôpital National Donka de Conakry. Pour une file active de 2341 PVVIH, 2118 étaient sous ARV (90,47%). Seuls 1325 (56,6%) répondaient à nos critères d'inclusion.Résultats : La moyenne d'âge était de 37,8 ± 11,1 ans et 67,3% était des femmes. L'AZT+3TC+NVP (59,9%) suivi de TDF+3TC+EFV (28,2%) étaient les principaux schémas thérapeutiques prescrits. La durée du traitement était inférieure à un an chez 30,7%, comprise entre 1 et 5 ans chez 62,4%. Les effets indésirables du traitement ont été retrouvés chez 13,4% des patients. L'anémie, le rash cutané, la fièvre étaient les principaux effets indésirables retrouvés chez les patients sous AZT+3TC+NVP. Ceux soumis à l'AZT+3TC+EFV présentaient essentiellement une anémie. L'inobservance globale au traitement a été rapportée chez 15,8% des patients. Les principaux facteurs associés à cette inobservance étaient la durée du traitement (p = 0,009) et l'altération de l'état général (p = 0,000001). Conclusion : Le maintien voire l'amélioration de ces résultats nécessite une surveillance régulière des effets indésirables ainsi que de l'observance

Clinical predictors of mortality in patients with Ebola virus disease.

In an observational cohort study including 89 Ebola patients, predictive factors of death were analyzed. The crude mortality rate was 43.8%. Myalgia (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.04; P = .02), hemorrrhage (adjusted OR, 3.5; P = .02), and difficulty breathing (adjusted OR, 5.75; P = .01) were independently associated with death.

[Thoracic tumor-like fungal mycetoma: interest of large surgery with terbinafine]. / Un mycétome fongique tumoral dorsal: intérêt de la chirurgie large associée à la terbinafine.

Fungal mycetoma are inflammatory pseudo-tumors of subcutaneous tissues and possibly bones due to exogenous fungi. They have a chronic course, often poly-fistulated with an emission of fungal grains. We report the case of a 65-year-old farmer with a thoracic fungal mycetoma discovered incidentally, associated with bone involvement. The diagnosis was confirmed by the positive culture to Madurella mycetomatis. The outcome was favorable with terbinafine 1g per day for 12 months associated with complete excision of oncologic type followed by a skin graft.

[Epidemiology of bacillary pulmonary tuberculosis according to HIV status of patients followed in the department of infectious diseases Conakry (Guinea)]. / Épidémiologie de la tuberculose pulmonaire bacillifère selon le statut VIH des patients suivis dans le service des maladies infectieuses de Conakry (Guinée).

Despite many efforts of prevention and the availability of free treatment, TB/HIV co-infection is still rampant in Guinea. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis according to HIV status among patients hospitalized in the infectious diseases department of Conakry University Hospital. This was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study of patient records admitted for pulmonary tuberculosis from January 2003 to December 2012. During this period, 1953 cases of tuberculosis were collected of which 346 (17.7%) were smear positive. There was a marked male predominance (59.7%). The average age was 38 ± 11 years. The majority of patients originated from the suburbs of Conakry and its surrounding prefectures (76.7%). People without profession were most represented (40.7%). A level of primary education was the most frequently reported (39.7%). Out of 325 patients tested for HIV, the serology was positive in 185 patients (56.9%). A contact with a TB patient was reported in 21.4% of HIV negative patients, and in 6.5% of the HIV-positive group (p = 0.0006). There was no difference between the two groups regarding clinical signs and symptoms. The mean CD4 count was comparable in both groups (p = 0.05). Lethality was higher among co-infected patients (30.4% against 15.56%; p = 0.00037). Strengthening the prevention of TB among PLWHA by the administration of isoniazide seems necessary and warrants further study on this subject in Guinea.

[Myelopathy due to Schistosoma mansoni]. / Myélopathie à Schistosoma mansoni.

INTRODUCTION: Neurological complications of schistosomiasis remain exceptional even in hyperendemic area. CASE REPORT: We report a 26-year-old Senegalese man, without past medical history, who was admitted for spastic paraplegia, acute retention of urine, and pain in low back and lower limbs. The final diagnosis was spinal cord schistosomiasis. Diagnosis was based on the endemic context, MRI medullar conus imaging, schistosoma serology in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and the absence of other cause of myelopathy. Treatment was based on praziquantel, corticosteroids and physiotherapy. The outcome was favorable after a 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Schistosomiasis should be included in the differential diagnosis of myelopathy in patients living actually, or even traveled in the past, in endemic tropical areas.

In vitro antioxidant and radical scavenging of Guinean kinkeliba leaf (Combretum micranthum G. Don) extracts.

The antioxidant properties of the water and ethanol leaf extracts of kinkeliba (Combretum micranthum) were investigated, including scavenging of the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (IC50 values: 8.02 ± 0.34 for the ethanol extract [KE] and 9.1 ± 0.28 for the water extract [KW]), the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical (IC(50) values: 7.4 ± 0.14 for KE and 11.8 ± 0.01 for KW) and the hydroxyl radical (58.1% for KE and 61.1% for KW). The ferric thiocyanate method, reducing power, metal chelating activity, an assay of protein oxidation and the ß-carotene-linoleic bleaching assay were also used. Butylated hydroxytoluene and ascorbic acid were used as the reference antioxidant compounds. At 20 mg mL⁻¹ concentration, KW and KE provided 36.8% and 75.1% inhibition of lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. The IC50 values of the ethanol extract in ABTS and DPPH tests were significantly lower than those from the water extract. Furthermore, crude polyphenols were extracted from kinkeliba leaf with 90% ethanol solution using a water bath treatment and then purified by a macroporous resin, AB-8. The polyphenols from kinkeliba leaf were subjected to analyses by RP-HPLC and ESI-MS. The dominant polyphenols in kinkeliba leaf were identified as gallic acid, rutin trihydrate, (+)-catechin and benzoic acid.