Investment in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences generated, now exceeding 100,000 genomes, used to track the pandemic on the continent. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries able to sequence domestically, and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround time and more regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and shed light on the distinct dispersal dynamics of Variants of Concern, particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve, while the continent faces many emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century.

Les moustiques sont des sources de nuisances et des vecteurs d'agents pathogènes pour l'homme et les animaux. La lutte contre ces insectes nécessite la connaissance de leurs lieux de développement. C'est dans ce contexte qu'une étude sur la connaissance de la distribution spatio-temporelle des gîtes des moustiques a été conduite à Mouila, au Sud-Ouest du Gabon, dans les zones d'exploitation de palmier à huile. Ainsi, des prospections des gîtes larvaires ont été effectuées en saison sèche et en saison pluvieuse et, les paramètres physico-chimiques de ces habitats ont été mesurés. Au total, 178 gîtes larvaires ont été identifiés et repartis en 47 contenants artificiels, 9 surfaces d'eau naturelles et 122 surfaces d'eau artificielles. Les surfaces d'eau artificielles ont été plus abondantes que les contenants artificiels et les surfaces d'eau naturelles. La majorité des gîtes larvaires se trouvait dans l'environnement immédiat des populations humaines (<400 m). Le maximum de gîtes larvaires a été obtenu en saison des pluies (68,54%) et le minimum en saison sèche (31,46%). Au total, 12136 larves de moustiques ont été récoltées dont 2926 étaient des larves d'Anopheles gambiae s.l. et 9210 étaient des larves de Culex sp et d'Aedes sp. Par ailleurs, sur 6329 imagos émergés, 5173 moustiques adultes ont été récoltés à la saison des pluies et 1 156 moustiques adultes à la saison sèche. Cette étude indique que les moustiques se développent dans tous les types de points d'eau mais préfèrent les surfaces d'eau artificielles. La pullulation de ces moustiques serait liée à la pluviométrie, à l'insalubrité de l'environnement immédiat et aux activités anthropiques créant des sites de reproduction des moustiques.

Indoplanorbis exustus is a freshwater snail known as the intermediate host of various trematode parasites, including different species of the genus Schistosoma. Although its genetic diversity is well described in Asia, the phylogenetic diversity of strains from Africa and Guadeloupe (French West Indies) and their relationship to Asian and South‐East Asian strains remain unknown. To tackle this issue, we sampled individuals from Africa and Guadeloupe, and we computed phylogenetic reconstructions using five molecular markers: partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and 16S, and three nuclear markers, ITS1, ITS2 (Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 and 2) and 5.8S. Our results suggest that strains in Africa and Guadeloupe come from Asia and that they all belong to a single clade that is widespread around the globe.

No abstract

In order to follow the Preventive Chemotherapy (PC) for the transmission control as recommended by WHO, Gabon initiated in 2014 the mapping of Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH). Here, we report the results of the Northern and Eastern health regions, representing a third of the land area and 12% of its total population. All nine departments of the two regions were surveyed and from each, five schools were examined with 50 schoolchildren per school. The parasitological examinations were realized using the filtration method for urine and the Kato-Katz technique for stool samples. Overall 2245 schoolchildren (1116 girls and 1129 boys), mean aged 11.28 ± 0.04 years, were examined. Combined schistosomiasis and STH affected 1270 (56.6%) with variation between regions, departments, and schools. For schistosomiasis, prevalence were 1.7% across the two regions, with no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the Northern (1.5%) and the Eastern (1.9%). Schistosomiasis is mainly caused by Schistosoma haematobium with the exception of one respective case of S. mansoni and S. guineensis. STH are more common than schistosomiasis, with an overall prevalence of 56.1% significantly different between the Northern (58.1%) and Eastern (53.6%) regions (p = 0.034). Trichuris trichiura is the most abundant infection with a prevalence of 43.7% followed by Ascaris lumbricoides 35.6% and hookworms 1.4%. According to these results, an appropriate PC strategy is given. In particular, because of the low efficacy of a single recommended drug on T. trichiura and hookworms, it is important to include two drugs for the treatment of STH in Gabon, due to the high prevalence and intensities of Trichuris infections.