Mycobacterium africanum (Lineage 6) shows slower sputum smear conversion on tuberculosis treatment than Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Lineage 4) in Bamako, Mali.

OBJECTIVE: Ancestral M. tuberculosis complex lineages such as M. africanum are underrepresented among retreatment patients and those with drug resistance. To test the hypothesis that they respond faster to TB treatment, we determined the rate of smear conversion of new pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Bamako, Mali by the main MTBc lineages. METHODS: Between 2015 and 2017, we conducted a prospective cohort study of new smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Bamako. Confirmed MTBc isolates underwent genotyping by spoligotyping for lineage classification. Patients were followed at 1 month (M), 2M and 5M to measure smear conversion in auramine (AR) and Fluorescein DiAcetate (FDA) vital stain microscopy. RESULT: All the first six human MTBc lineages were represented in the population, plus M. bovis in 0.8% of the patients. The most widely represented lineage was the modern Euro-American lineage (L) 4, 57%, predominantly the T family, followed by L6 (M. africanum type 2) in 22.9%. Ancestral lineages 1, 5, 6 and M. bovis combined amounted to 28.8%. Excluding 25 patients with rifampicin resistance, smear conversion, both by AR and FDA, occurred later in L6 compared to L4 (HR 0.80 (95% CI 0.66-0.97) for AR, and HR 0.81 (95%CI 0.68-0.97) for FDA). In addition we found that HIV negative status, higher BMI at day 0, and patients with smear grade at baseline ≤ 1+ were associated with earlier smear conversion. CONCLUSION: The six major human lineages of the MTBc all circulate in Bamako. Counter to our hypothesis, we found that patients diseased with modern M. tuberculosis complex L4 respond faster to TB treatment than those with M. africanum L6.

Oral Hygiene: Knowledge and Practices of Students in Three Quranic Schools in Koutiala, Mali

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on oral hygiene (OH) of students of three Quranic schools of Koutiala, Mali. Material and Methods: It was carried out a descriptive prospective study with 300 students in three Quranic schools in the city of Koutiala, Mali. The data analyzed with the Epi Info 3.5.4 software. Results: The male sex was the most represented with 57.7% and the sex ratio = 0.73. The most represented age group was 8-12 with 52% with an average age of 17 years and minimum and maximum age of was 8 and 26 years. It was observed that 98.3% of students had a notion of knowledge about oral hygiene and this information was given by parents / elders in 60% of cases. They claimed that people who do not brush their teeth properly are the most likely to get tooth decay in 93.3% of cases. Regarding dental caries, 61.3% of students said that caries is transmitted by lack of oral hygiene; 33.3% of students said that using toothbrushes and having good oral hygiene are ways to avoid oral diseases. It was thought in 93.3% of cases that a good oral hygiene prevents oral diseases. The students brushed their teeth every day (98%) and they had a consultation with the dental surgeon in 8.7% of the cases. Conclusion: This study shows that students had knowledge of oral hygiene and preventive measures. Efforts should be made to promote, prevent, screen and manage oral diseases in Quranic schools while involving parents in the processes.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Doctors and Dental Surgeons in Bamako on the Relationship Between Periodontal Diseases and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases

Objective: To assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of doctors and dentists in Bamako on the relationship between chronic non-communicable diseases and periodontal diseases. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 420 physicians and dental surgeons was conducted from March to August 2016. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (frequency distribution). All statistical analyses were performed using the Epi Info 3.5.4 Software. Results: The male sex was the most represented with 58% for a sex ratio of 1.3. The most represented age group was 30-40 years old (48.8%) with an average age of 33 ± 8.2 years. General practitioners were the most represented in 93.6% of cases. Physicians with no knowledge of periodontal disease accounted for 60% of all cases, and all dental surgeons reported knowledge of chronic noncommunicable conditions in 100% of cases. Physicians and dental surgeons rated their knowledge levels of periodontal disease and chronic disease as inadequate in 98% and 90% of cases, respectively. Examination of the oral cavity by the doctors was "sometimes" carried out in 66% of the cases and the non-demand of the clinical signs of the gingival bleeding (64%) and dental migration (80.5%). They did not make recommendations on oral hygiene in 61.7% of cases. Conclusion: This study shows shortcomings among doctors and dentists in Bamako on the relationship between periodontal diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases. Capacity building and multidisciplinary collaboration are needed to support people's health.

The most frequent Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex families in mali (2006-2016) based on spoligotyping.

BACKGROUND: To identify strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) circulating in Bamako region during the past 10 years. METHODS: From 2006 to 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional study to identify with spoligotyping, clinical isolates from tuberculosis (TB)-infected patients at different stages of their treatments in Bamako, Mali. RESULTS: Among the 904 suspected TB patients included in the study and thereafter tested in our BSL-3 laboratory, 492 (54.4%) had MTBc and therefore underwent spoligotyping. Overall, three subspecies, i.e., MTB T1 (31.9%) and MTB LAM10 (15.3%) from lineage 4 and M. africanum 2 (16.8%) from lineage 6 were the leading causes of TB in Bamako region during the past 10 years. Other spoligotypes such as MTB T3, MTB Haarlem 2, MTB EAI3, and MTB family 33 were also commonly seen from 2010 to 2016. CONCLUSION: This study showed a high genetic diversity of strains isolated in Bamako region and highlights that M. tuberculosis T1 strain was the most prevalent. Furthermore, the data indicate an increasing proportion of primary drug resistance overtime in Bamako.

Screening new tuberculosis patients in Mali for rifampicin resistance at 2months.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The recent call for universal drug susceptibility testing (DST) for all tuberculosis (TB) patients will be difficult to meet in settings where Xpert rollout is limited, such as low prevalence of HIV and Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR) settings. As recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the success of TB treatment is measured by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) microscopy or auramine-rhodamine fluorescent microscopy (FM) on sputum, in which conversion to negative smear at 2months (M) is an important predictor of treatment success, defined as a negative smear at 5M. The sputum smear that fails to convert to negative at 5M are screened for rifampicin resistance. We tested in a prospective study whether an early screen for rifampicin resistance, based on FM results at 2M, could detect MDR patients early, rather than screening all patients with GeneXpert MTB/Rif at baseline. METHODS: Between February 2015 and August 2016, we enrolled new TB patients in an IRB-approved prospective cohort study at four health centers in Bamako district. Fresh sputum samples were collected at 2M and 5M to measure FM smear conversion. Patients who failed to show a decline in FM positivity at 2M (moderate or many Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)) had their sputum tested in GeneXpert to detect rifampicin resistance. Patients who had any AFB seen at 5M were also tested using GeneXpert. RESULTS: Of the 570 patients who were enrolled in the study, 22 (3.8%) died and 27 (4.7%) were lost to follow-up. The prevalence of HIV and TB coinfection was 12.4%, and 65.6% of the patients were male. At 2M, 32 out of 429 patients still had moderate or many AFBs in FM, and were screened by Xpert, of whom 5 (15.6%) tested rifampicin-resistant and were referred for MDR treatment. Of the 310 patients who completed 5M of treatment, 35 (11.3%) met the definition of failure (few or moderate AFB in FM) and had their sputum tested in Xpert; moreover, four (11.4%) demonstrated rifampicin resistance. In total, 67 (21.6% of 310) patients were screened by Xpert, of whom nine were detected to have MDR (or 13.4% of those screened). CONCLUSION: Although we cannot exclude additional MDR patients having been missed by our screening strategy, our screening algorithm at 2M detected five out of nine MDR patients. Detecting patients at 2M allowed for earlier referral, and potentially less acquired drug resistance and lower mortality. This strategy may be advantageous while awaiting further rollout of Xpert machines that will permit universal DST.