Annales de la Societe belge de medecine tropicale最新文献

Six anthropometric surveys using a random cluster sampling design have been organised in the capital of Zaire between November 1991 and March 1994. The prevalence of acute malnutrition fluctuated with the seasons and followed the cyclic movements of food prices on the market. The general tendency was rising. In March '94, 10.7% (95% confidence interval: 8.8-12.9%) of the children was suffering of acute malnutrition. Nevertheless, the standardised prevalence remained stable. This may suggest that the most disadvantaged living at certain poor zones of the city disconnected, while the rest of the population could still manage to maintain their nutritional status. The hypothesis of increasing heterogeneity is supported by the raising of the design-effect.

In this study, the immunogenicity of a recombinant pre-S2 containing hepatitis B vaccine was determined in a cohort of 147 homosexual men. Both seroconversion rate and geometric mean titers indicated that pre-S2 was less immunogenic than HBsAg. Forty-eight subjects, including nine non-responders and seven high-responders to HBsAg, were tested for HLA Class I and II antigens to study a possible association between HLA-type and non-response. Both HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 were clearly overrepresented in non-responders to HBsAg. Non-response to pre-S2, observed in 7/9 non responders and 6/39 responders to HBsAg, was not associated with any of the tested HLA markers.

Following the 1987 Rift Valley fever (RVF) epizootic/epidemic in southern Mauritania, RVF antibody prevalence in small ruminants decreased significantly from 1988 to 1992. In October 1993, at the end of the rainy season, an active RVF virus transmission was detected in several locations of southern Mauritania in small ruminants, in association with an increase of abortions. RVF IgM and IgG antibodies were recorded respectively in 65/390 (16.67%) and 73/390 (18.72%) animals. RVF IgM antibody prevalence was significantly higher in the > or = 2 years old group (26.02%) than in the 0.5- < 2 year old group (7.20%) (p = 0.01). The enzootic maintenance of RVF virus is discussed, as well as the risks of extension by traditional nomadic movements of herds.

Neurolathyrism is a form of human spastic paraparesis related to the overconsumption of the legume Lathyrus sativus or grass pea (Khesari in Bangladesh) containing the neurotoxin 3-N-oxalyl-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid (beta-ODAP). The clinical symptoms of neurolathyrism are similar to those of Tropical Spastic Paraparesis. In order to eliminate the proposed causative agent of TSP (HTLV-I) as a potential cause of the symptoms ascribed to neurolathyrism, a total of 444 diagnosed lathyrism patients were screened for HTLV-I antibodies. 50 CSF and 394 serum samples were collected from male (415) and female (29) patients. Only 4 serum samples were found sero-positive for HTLV-I. This agrees with the assumption that overconsumption of beta-ODAP containing Lathyrus seeds, and not HTLV infection, is the causative agent for neurolathyrism.

Nsimalen, a village in Southern Cameroon, has been deforested over a surface of 370 hectares for the construction of the new Yaounde international airport (Cameroon). Mosquitoes night catches on human bait were performed over a year in two hamlets of this village, one adjoining the airport and the other situated 3 kilometers off the deforested area. The aim of the survey was to observe malaria vectors and transmission around the airport and to record malaria epidemiological changes resulting from deforestation. The findings showed that the main malaria vector was Anopheles moucheti (95% of the vector population). Anopheles gambiae was also present but in very small quantities. The increased density of the latter near the airport combined with the low parity rates, indicated that deforestation favoured the breeding of this species. Malaria transmission was estimated at 106 and 68 infective bites per man per year in hamlets close to and far away from the airport zone respectively. An. gambiae accounted for 13% of the transmission in the hamlet adjoining the airport and 0% three kilometers off the airport.