Elevated rates of horizontal gene transfer in the industrialized human microbiome.

Industrialization has impacted the human gut ecosystem, resulting in altered microbiome composition and diversity. Whether bacterial genomes may also adapt to the industrialization of their host populations remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the extent to which the rates and targets of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) vary across thousands of bacterial strains from 15 human populations spanning a range of industrialization. We show that HGTs have accumulated in the microbiome over recent host generations and that HGT occurs at high frequency within individuals. Comparison across human populations reveals that industrialized lifestyles are associated with higher HGT rates and that the functions of HGTs are related to the level of host industrialization. Our results suggest that gut bacteria continuously acquire new functionality based on host lifestyle and that high rates of HGT may be a recent development in human history linked to industrialization.

Progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission update.

The top 20 highest burdened countries (in disability-adjusted life years) account for more than 75% of the global burden of viral hepatitis. An effective response in these 20 countries is crucial if global elimination targets are to be achieved. In this update of the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission on accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis, we convene national experts from each of the top 20 highest burdened countries to provide an update on progress. Although the global burden of diseases is falling, progress towards elimination varies greatly by country. By use of a hepatitis elimination policy index conceived as part of the 2019 Commission, we measure countries' progress towards elimination. Progress in elimination policy has been made in 14 of 20 countries with the highest burden since 2018, with the most substantial gains observed in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Russia. Most improvements are attributable to the publication of formalised national action plans for the elimination of viral hepatitis, provision of publicly funded screening programmes, and government subsidisation of antiviral treatments. Key themes that emerged from discussion between national commissioners from the highest burdened countries build on the original recommendations to accelerate the global elimination of viral hepatitis. These themes include the need for simplified models of care, improved access to appropriate diagnostics, financing initiatives, and rapid implementation of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health-care provision and policy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa, which has a population of more than 1 billion people, carries 24% of the global burden of disease and spends the least on health care of any region, relying heavily on international development assistance to deliver health care for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The demographic and epidemiological transitions occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, with rising prevalences of obesity and diabetes, enhance the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), yet this remains an unrecognised complication of metabolic syndrome. There are no guidance documents on NAFLD from sub-Saharan Africa, and non-communicable disease (NCD) guidance documents do not include the associated burden of fatty liver disease. Combating the health and socioeconomic burden of NAFLD requires an integrated liver health approach, with task-shifting to primary health care. Using clear guidance documents to link education and management of HIV, viral hepatitis, NAFLD, and associated NCDs is also crucial to an integrated approach to infectious diseases and NCDs, which requires targeted funding from both governments and international development agencies.

Helicobacter pylori strains from a Nigerian cohort show divergent antibiotic resistance rates and a uniform pathogenicity profile.

Antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori is a factor preventing its successful eradication. Particularly in developing countries, resistance against commonly used antibiotics is widespread. Here, we present an epidemiological study from Nigeria with 111 isolates. We analyzed the associated disease outcome, and performed a detailed characterization of these isolated strains with respect to their antibiotic susceptibility and their virulence characteristics. Furthermore, statistical analysis was performed on microbiological data as well as patient information and the results of the gastroenterological examination. We found that the variability concerning the production of virulence factors between strains was minimal, with 96.4% of isolates being CagA-positive and 92.8% producing detectable VacA levels. In addition, high frequency of bacterial resistance was observed for metronidazole (99.1%), followed by amoxicillin (33.3%), clarithromycin (14.4%) and tetracycline (4.5%). In conclusion, this study indicated that the infection rate of H. pylori infection within the cohort in the present study was surprisingly low (36.6%). Furthermore, an average gastric pathology was observed by histological grading and bacterial isolates showed a uniform pathogenicity profile while indicating divergent antibiotic resistance rates.

Challenges in the management of chronic HBV infection in West Africa: The clinician's perspective.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B infection has become a public health issue in recent years. Approximately 350 million of the world's population are chronically infected reaching endemic proportions in West Africa. Guidelines for treatment are continuously improving but are becoming more complex. AIM: To determine the challenges hepatologists experience in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among hepatologists in West Africa during a regional hepatitis conference in 2013. RESULTS: Forty-six hepatologists completed the questionnaire. When evaluating a patient for chronic hepatitis B, the preferred investigations were: LFT (100%); abdominal ultrasound (93.5%); HBeAg (93.5%); HBV DNA (78%); HBsAg measure (22%); HBV genotype (15.2%); and liver biopsy (34.8%). Most had their patients on nucleoside/nucleotide analogue but follow-up visits after 1 year were problematic. CONCLUSION: The majority of hepatologists had good intentions regarding the evaluation of their patients, but only a small percentage of patients are properly investigated.

Ulcerative colitis in a Nigerian girl: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncommon in the tropics and sub-tropics. We report a case of UC in a 7 year old girl whose parents were both Nigerians. This report is to alert healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa that UC is not a rare health problem, especially in children. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient presented with frequent passage of blood stained stool, abdominal pain and significant weight loss. The diagnosis was entertained after she was investigated for common causes of chronic diarrhea in our setting and the findings were negative. The patient symptoms abated after she was commenced on steroid therapy. CONCLUSION: Under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis may account for a dearth of information on UC in African children.

Application of stool-PCR for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori from stool in Nigeria- a pilot study.

There are various methods for detection of Helicobacter pylori and the gold standard for non-invasive detection is the urea breath test (UBT). The aim of the study is therefore to detect H. pylori from the stool of patients with dyspepsia by PCR and compare results obtained with UBT. A total of 97 stool samples from patients presenting with dyspeptic symptoms in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) were screened for urea breath test (UBT) and the presence of H. pylori DNA using stool-PCR. Out of 97 stool samples analysed, 38 (39.2%) were positive for Helicobacter spp. and 20 (20.6%) positive for H. pylori by PCR, through amplification of 16S rRNA and glmMgenes respectively. Of the 20 positive by glmM gene, the cagAgene was detected in 8 (40%) samples, while 47 (48.5%) out of 97 stool samples were positive for H. pylori by UBT. The sensitivity and specificity of the glmM gene compared with UBT as the gold standard is 42.6% and 100% respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) was 100% while the negative predictive value (NPV) was 60%.The method may be useful for detecting H. pylori from stool amongst children especially where most hospitals lack endoscope for children although the method is expensive.

Colorectal Carcinoma Screening in Lagos, Nigeria, Are We Doing it Right?

BACKGROUND: Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) has proven effective in reducing disease mortality and is also cost effective. Recent reports indicate that colorectal cancer is not uncommon and presents with advanced disease in Nigeria. Thus this study was aimed at reviewing the practice of CRC screening among medical practitioners in Nigeria. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to obtain data for this study, which was distributed to over 500 practising doctors in Lagos, Nigeria from September to November 2007. The data obtained from the questionnaire include basic demographics, type of practice, duration in years of medical practice described as short (≤ 5 years), medium (5 to 10 years) or long (> 10 years), and knowledge regarding CRC, as well as CRC screening techniques and methodologies. RESULTS: There were 300 respondents with a mean age (SD) of 33 (7.8) years and an age range of 23 - 67 years. In terms of duration of medical practice, 190 (63%) were short, 43 (14%) medium and 67 (23%) long. Majority (65%) of the respondents were in teaching hospitals, 18.5% in private hospitals and 5.7% were in general (community) hospitals. The knowledge of the clinical features as well as the risk factors of CRC was fair in over 75% of the respondents. Most respondents, 265 (87.8%), agreed that CRC was worth screening for; 21 (5%) did not. In all, 246 (82%) gave reasons for their responses. However, just over half of the respondents employed one of the following: faecal occult blood test (FOBT), double contrast barium enema (DCBE), flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or a combination of any of the techniques for screening. Usage of CT colonography was low. Screening rates by respondents for other malignancies in this survey was higher than that of CRC (prostate 95%, breast 97%, cervix 99%), though the most commonly encountered malignancy was breast cancer. On the contrary, for surveillance purposes, barely half of the respondents used FOBT annually or colonoscopy every 10 years, while less than half employed DCBE, sigmoidoscopy and CT colonography. CONCLUSIONS: Although awareness of CRC screening in this study is high, its performance is very low and highly variable in form in our region. There is a need to improve the practice of CRC screening through sensitising of medical practitioners to the need for screening, increase knowledge with regard to the relative merits of available methodologies for screening/surveillance of CRC and provide all necessary diagnostic resources and possible formulation of effective local guidelines.

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease among patients with bronchial asthma.

Bronchial asthma (BA) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways characterised by bronchial hyper-responsiveness and narrowing of the airways, which is reversible either spontaneously or with treatment. It affects about 300 million people worldwide including 10% of the Nigerian population.1 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) however is a chronic gastrointestinal condition characterised by abnormal exposure of the mucosa of the lower oesophagus to acid due to dysfunction of the lower oesophageal sphincter. About 10-30% of adult population in the Western world are affected.2 GERD can aggravate asthma in several ways; and these include vagally mediated reflex triggered by acid in oesophagus as well as micro aspiration of gastric acid resulting in bronchoconstriction.3 Also some asthma drugs cause lower esophageal sphincter relaxation making acid escape easy. Hyperinflation of the chest in asthma with flattening of the diaphragm is thought to contribute to weakness of the crura muscles and dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter and amplification of the thoraco-abdominal pressure gradient during an attack helps to promote GERD.4 Reflux symptoms are reported in up to 77% of asthmatics while 32-82% of asthmatics have abnormal pH studies. Silent reflux may be as common as symptomatic reflux with reports suggesting that 25-50% asthmatics have no reflux symptoms but abnormal pH studies5. On the other hand, GERD has been known to have extra-oesophageal manifestation including hoarseness of voice, cough and wheezing.6 Endoscopic studies equally could be normal in up to 50% (non-erosive GERD). 7 There appears to be a diagnostic dilemma, which is further intrigued by cases of silent GERD. 24-hour oesophageal pH measurement and sometimes manometry has remained the cornerstone of GERD diagnosis, however, this is often not widely available in daily practice because of their cost and invasive nature. Hence, guidelines for their use8 have been published. Symptom analysis however has been documented as a practical and inexpensive method of diagnosing GERD, but this obviously may not detect cases of silent GERD or with atypical symptoms. A number of validated questionnaires including QUEST, REQUESTTM and FSSG9 exist with differing sensitivity and predictability. Reports of relationship between BA and GERD exist in Western literature with sometimes conflicting findings to improper definition of BA and/or GERD.10-12 There is limited information about this association among asthma sufferers in Nigeria. We aim to study this relationship among our patients to bridge the existing gap with objectives as: to determine the frequency of symptomatic GERD among previously diagnosed asthmatics attending an Asthma clinic by means of a validated questionnaire (frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG or Fscale) 9 as well as 24 hour nasopharyngeal DX PH detector, to compare GERD prevalence between the asthmatics and a control population matched for age and sex and to document the upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopic findings in the subgroup of subjects found to have GERD.