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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1984

Observations on Schistosoma intercalatum in south-east Gabon.

Observations were made in the field and laboratory to determine the strain characteristics of Schistosoma intercalatum in south-east Gabon. For an isolate from Franceville, data are given for egg shape, behaviour of cercariae, seven enzyme systems separated by isoelectric focusing, and intermediate host specificity. Isolates from Cameroun (Edea) and Zaire (Kisangani) were included in a comparative study of the enzymes; Franceville and Edea isolates resembled each other but differed from the Zaire isolate in hexokinase and phosphoglucomutase. The Franceville isolate was polymorphic in phosphoglucomutase and glucosephosphate isomerase. The sum of characters indicates that S. intercalatum as known from south-east Gabon belongs to the strain found in Cameroun and western Gabon, rather than to the strain known from Zaire. More information is needed on strain distribution, particularly for an area including western Zaire and the Republic of the Congo, which appears to separate the two known strains.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1988

Epidemiology of HTLV-I in Gabon (Western Equatorial Africa).

In 1986 a survey to determine the distribution of HTLV-I infection was conducted in Gabon in a representative sample of adults and children. Five samples were taken in adults and 2 samples in children living in urban and rural areas. Samples were taken by the cluster sampling technique, i.e., clusters of randomly selected households. Sera were tested for IgG antibodies to HTLV-I by ELISA. ELISA-positive sera were retested by Western blot. The study comprised 1,874 adults and 684 children, all apparently healthy. In the adults the crude prevalence rates of anti-HTLV-I antibodies ranged from 5.0% in urban areas to 10.5% in the southern province. In rural areas, the age-adjusted prevalence rate (9.1%) was significantly higher than in urban areas (5.0%) (p less than 0.01). In children there was no significant difference between urban (2.4%) and rural (2.0%) prevalence rates. Prevalence increased with age but was not related to sex. This survey shows that HTLV-I infection is common in Gabon but varies considerably by region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection in Gabon, Africa: comparison of the serological and PCR results.

A cluster sampling survey was performed in 1989 in Libreville, Gabon, to determine HTLV-I and HTLV-II prevalence and to compare the efficacy of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology in detecting HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections. A total of 322 sera from adults were tested by ELISA and by Western blot (WB). The WB patterns were interpreted according to WHO criteria and those of the manufacturer. PCR analysis using primer pairs in the gag and pol region, with a specific probe for HTLV-I and HTLV-II, was performed on the lymphocytes of the 322 adults. In addition, 134/322 samples were re-tested with tax primers, in a second laboratory. Using WHO criteria, 8/322 (2.5%) samples were positive on WB and 25 were indeterminate; with the criteria of the kit, 26/322 (8.1%) were positive and 7 were indeterminate by WB. By PCR, 13 (4%) samples were positive, including 12 for HTLV-I (3.7%) and one for HTLV-II (0.3%). All 8 seropositive samples (by the WHO criteria) were positive by PCR, as were 4 out of 25 indeterminate samples. Only one out of 289 seronegative samples was positive by PCR. In contrast, only 12/26 positive samples by the kit criteria were confirmed by PCR. These results confirm the relatively high HTLV-I/II seroprevalence observed in Gabon. HTLV-I infection is preponderant, but HTLV-II is also present. The WHO criteria for WB give a better fit with PCR results than the kit criteria for WB. In the absence of a specific confirmatory test and based on the uncommon "seronegative" HTLV-I/II infection, the indication for PCR appears limited to the positive WB samples (to differentiate HTLV-I and II infection) and to the indeterminate WB samples.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed1991

The role of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the aetiology of ectopic pregnancy in Gabon.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between ectopic pregnancy and Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. DESIGN: A prospective observational study with two comparison groups. SETTING: A general hospital in Franceville, Gabon. SUBJECTS: Forty-five women with ectopic pregnancies and two comparison groups each of 45 women, one at 5 to 12 and the other at 32 to 41 weeks gestation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum levels of IgG and IgA antibodies to C. trachomatis (L1 and rMOMP) and N. gonorrhoeae (pili) in all the women. In the women with ectopic pregnancy peritoneal adhesions were scored and in 40 women samples of tube were cultured for organisms being studied. RESULTS: IgG and IgA antibodies to C. trachomatis (L1) were detected in 84% of the ectopic group and 53 and 39% of the comparison groups (P less than 0.0001). IgG and IgA antibodies to N. gonorrhoeae occurred in 49, 28 and 18% and 49, 28 and 26% of the groups but the differences were not statistically significant. Adhesions were positively associated with the antibodies. C. trachomatis was cultured from the tubes of 71% of the women with ectopic pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Infection with chlamydia, and probably with N. gonorrhoeae, is an important factor in the causation of ectopic pregnancy in Gabon.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[First appearance of monkey pox in human beings in Gabon].

The authors report on the first coming out in Gabon of human monkey-pox. Four children in the same family were simultaneously attacked. In one of the two fatal cases, diagnosis of monkey-pox was confirmed by the isolation of the virus. In the three other cases, diagnosis was based on clinical and epidemiological findings. The coming out of monkey-pox in Gabon squares with sporadic coming out of this zoonosis observed in the humid tropical forests of west and Central Africa. Two fatal cases presented some symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and cutaneous symptoms did not dominate the clinical feature. As a consequence of it, monkey-pox has to be envisaged in similar cases. The attack of liver and spleen in man has not been documented up till now, as it has been for monkeys. Classical diagnosis is based on the isolation of the virus from a cutaneous lesion. In the present case, the virus was isolated from a blood sample. Epidemiological study did not reveal any interhuman transmission evidence, nor the source of infection.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1991

Seroprevalence of retroviral infection in women with different fertility statuses in Gabon, western equatorial Africa.

Seroprevalence of retroviral infection (HIV-1, HTLV-1) in women with different fertility statuses was studied in Gabon (Western Equatorial Africa). The overall prevalence rate of HIV-1 was 1.4% and of HTLV-1, 6.8%. In the primary infertile women the age-adjusted prevalence rate of HIV-1 was significantly higher than in the fertile women (9.3% versus 0.7%) and in secondary infertile women (9.3% versus 2.1%). There was no difference in sero-prevalence of HTLV-1 among women with different fertility statuses, but a steady increase with age was seen. Concomitant infection with HTLV-1 and HIV-1 was observed in two women. In Gabon primary infertile women could be considered a risk group for HIV-1 infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

[Vertebral tuberculosis in Gabon. Anatomo-clinical aspects, diagnostic and therapeutic problems, 107 cases from 1976 to 1986].

This retrospective study covers a period of 10.5 years (february 1976 to november 1986). It concerns 107 patients who contracted tuberculous spondylitis and originated from different provinces of Gabon. The authors report their experiences in order to emphasize the frequency of the disease, diagnostic and therapeutic problems. In Gabon, tuberculosis of the spine occupies the third position (3%), after the pulmonary form (90%) and ganglionic form (3.8%). In also represents 83.6% of the osteoarticular tuberculosis. The average age is 22 years, 55% of the patients were less than 20 years. The zone of maximum predilection, in decreasing order, is thoracic spine (36.4%), lumbar spine (33.6%), thoraco-lumbar region (10.3%). The 107 patients totalized 257 vertebral bodies destroyed (an average of 2.4 bodies per patients). On the clinical field the sick seek advice at an advance stage of the disease with gibbosity (38.3%) and neurologic deficits (21.5%). The diagnosis proof often followed the therapeutic results. There were three therapeutic modalities: medical (all patients), surgical (6 patients) and orthopedic (44 patients). The therapeutic indications improved with the available of more material and qualified staff. In children the treatment remains classic. The authors discuss the surgical indications in adults. The therapeutic results in patients treated and followed for over one year were satisfactory. Unfortunately, most patients were lost to follow-up. They suggest public health means of decreasing the frequency of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Rotavirus prevalence and relationships with climatological factors in Gabon, Africa.

A one-year study of rotavirus prevalence was carried out using electron microscopy in Gabon, equatorial Africa. One hundred fifty-six nonhospitalized diarrheic children up to 10 years of age and 115 age-matched controls were investigated together with diarrheic adults and children over 10 years of age. Rotaviruses were observed only in diarrheic children under 10 years of age (10.2%). Rotaviruses were more prevalent in the dry-season months (19.2% versus 1.3%, P less than .001). Rotaviruses were the most commonly found among all the viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents we detected, with the exception of the coronaviruslike particles, which are the subject of another paper [Sitbon, 1985].

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Presence of circulating anodic antigen in serum of Schistosoma intercalatum-infected patients from Gabon.

The presence of the schistosome circulating anodic antigen (CAA) in serum of Schistosoma intercalatum-infected patients from Gabon has been investigated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Blood samples were collected from 10 endemic controls, 29 patients which excreted viable S. intercalatum eggs in rectal mucosa and stool, six persons in which only non-viable eggs were found in rectal biopsy specimens and one person in which besides non-viable eggs a small number of viable eggs was found in the rectal biopsy specimen. CAA, a genus-specific antigen, could be demonstrated in 58.6% of the patients with S. intercalatum eggs in their stools. In comparison to S. mansoni infections, very light infections (0.6 eggs per gram faeces) could be detected by the ELISA. A strong correlation between parasite burden (eggs per gram faeces) and antigen-level (CAA-titer) was found (Spearman's rho = 0.65). Only one positive ELISA-results was found in the group with solely non-viable eggs in rectal tissue. As no false positive results were detected for the negative controls, the present results suggest, in accordance with results earlier obtained for schistosomiasis mansoni, that only in active S. intercalatum infections is antigen demonstrable.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Filariasis due to Loa loa and Mansonella perstans: distribution in the region of Okondja, Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon, with parasitological and serological follow-up over one year.

The prevalence of Loa loa and Mansonella perstans filariasis has been determined in 6 rural villages in eastern Gabon. Between 18.9 and 27.2% of people carry L. loa microfilariae with an overall microfilarial rate of 25.1%. The microfilarial rate for M. perstans was more variable, between 33.3 and 62.2% (average 49.1%). No significant difference was seen in the microfilarial rate with age over 15 years for either parasite, but men were infected more frequently than women. Anti-L. loa antibody titres were measured, using a homologous microfilarial antigen in ELISA. Taking the parasitological and immunological evaluations together, only 10% of the sample population appear to be free of these filarial infections. L. loa and M. perstans microfilaraemia and corresponding serology were also investigated twice in 150 people at a one-year interval. 99.1% of the cases who had no circulating L. loa microfilaria in March 1984 still did not show any 12 months later. Similarly, 97.1% of the untreated, microfilaraemic cases still harboured this parasite a year later. The same was not observed for M. perstans, since microfilariae appeared or disappeared in 26.7% of the cases. This suggests different dynamics for the two filarial infections. Variation in individual anti-L. loa antibody titres was low. The possibility of a genetic influence on the expression of loiasis is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An epidemiological study of a Schistosoma intercalatum focus in south-east Gabon.

A Schistosoma intercalatum focus in south-east Gabon was studied between July 1989 and July 1990. Among the 356 permanent residents in the village, 354 provided stool specimens and 101 (28.5%) were excreting eggs (geometric mean of egg density = 101.4 eggs/g, with a range of 1-3200). The pattern of prevalence and intensity of infection with age showed the curve usually found in schistosomiasis, i.e. increasing during the first 2 decades of life and then gradually decreasing. The analysis by stepwise logistic regression of factors shown to be important in determining infection in other schistosomiasis clearly demonstrated the significant and independent effects of both age and water contact on infection by S. intercalatum. These similarities with other schistosomal infections could indicate that similar immune mechanisms were operating. Urine from 284 subjects, of whom 90 were egg excreters, was tested for circulating antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a Schistosoma genus-specific monoclonal antibody (Sm 10.27.12). The test was positive for 90 subjects but only 35 of these were egg excreters. Although S. intercalatum is usually considered of low pathogenicity in man, this study showed a relationship between egg excretion and both splenomegaly and lower haemoglobin levels, even after taking into account the confounding presence of Plasmodium falciparum.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I isolates from Gabon and Ghana: comparative analysis of proviral genomes.

Two isolates of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) were obtained from lymphocyte cultures of a healthy carrier in Gabon and another in Ghana. Their proviruses were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization and compared with prototypical HTLV-I isolated in Japan and the United States. The provirus genomes of both strains were highly homologous to the prototype HTLV-I along the whole viral genome. The restriction endonuclease sites of the Ghanian isolate were almost identical with those of the prototype HTLV-I, but 10 of 26 sites of the Gabonese isolate were different from those of the prototype. Furthermore, the restriction map of the Gabonese isolate resembled those of a simian T-cell leukemia virus (STLV-I) isolated from a chimpanzee from Sierra Leone and a variant of HTLV-I from Zaire (HTLV-Ib) more closely than those of any other known HTLV-I. These results indicated the existence of some unique strains of HTLV-I transmitted among African people, and the importance of clarifying the origin and transmission of HTLV group viruses.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1991

Malignant lymphomas in Gabon (equatorial Africa): a morphologic study of 72 cases.

A retrospective morphologic analysis was conducted on 72 malignant lymphomas collected in Gabon, a country of the equatorial area in Africa. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) were by far the most frequent type of lymphoma, representing 67 cases (93%); only five patients (7%) had Hodgkin's disease. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were classified according to two modern systems (Kiel and Working Formulation). The age distribution of NHL patients was bimodal, with the highest peak in the 0 to 14 years age group (these cases were almost exclusively associated with Burkitt's lymphomas), and with the second highest peak in the 55 to 64 years age group. The male to female ratio was 2.5:1, and the overall median age was 44 years. According to the Working Formulation, the NHL cases were composed of one follicular lymphoma (1.5%), 55 diffuse lymphomas (82%), and 11 miscellaneous lymphomas (16.5%). Burkitt's lymphoma was the most frequent NHL (17 cases; 25.4%), followed by diffuse large cell lymphoma (15 cases; 22.4%) and immunoblastic lymphoma (nine cases; 13.4%). Consequently, high-grade NHL formed the largest group (28 cases; 42%), intermediate-grade NHL formed the next largest group (21 cases; 31.3%), and low-grade NHL formed the smallest group (seven cases; 10.4%). These data are compared with series from developed and developing countries, and the observed differences in distribution of the histologic subtypes of malignant lymphoma are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[Serum proteins and erythrocyte enzymes. Evaluation of frequencies in 2 populations in the Gabon].

The results of the electrophoretic phenotyping of two serum groups (C'3 and Transferrine) and seven red cell enzymes (PAc, PGM, AK, ADA, 6PGD, sGPT and Est D) in two groups of negroes from Gabon are presented. The frequencies are in the normal range observed for African populations except for acid phosphatase in Southern Africa; Khoisan people have frequencies of the "Negroe allele R" higher than in any other population of the world. In Obamba and Bateke populations frequencies of Pr is 0.013.

Adenosine Deaminase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hepatocystis brosseti n. sp. Haemproteidae, parasite of Epomops franqueti, Pteropinae, in Gabon].

Epomops franqueti (Pteriopinae) trapped around Makokou (Gabon) are frequently infected with Hepatocystis brosseti n. sp. Blood smears and tissue sections were made; all schizonts were found in the liver except a single one in the spleen. In liver, near maturity the schizonts are extracellular, convoluted, medium sized (250 mu) and filled with abundant colloidal substance.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

[New atractid nematode parasites of the chimpanzee and gorilla in Gabon].

Females of the genus Probstmayria, collected in feces of wild Chimpanzees and Gorillas, living in the Lope-Okanda reserve in Gabon, are described. The cephalic structures of P. gombensis File, 1976 from Chimpanzee and P. gabonensis n. sp. from Gorilla are similar to those of the other species of the genus. In contrast, the cephalic structures of P. inversa n. sp. from Chimpanzee and P. goodallae n. sp. from Gorilla are unusual; they have an inverse symmetry (one ventral lip and two latero-dorsal lips). The original characteristics of the genus Probstmayria are analysed.

Animals↗