BackgroundCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in the highlands of Ethiopia, and almost always caused by Leishmania aethiopica. Hitherto, Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia) was not considered endemic for CL, mainly due to absence of epidemiological and field ecological studies. This report summarizes the preliminary epidemiological investigation that proved the existence of active transmission in southeastern Addis Ababa.ResultsActive case finding surveys were conducted in 3 localities, Saris, Kality, and Akaki, which are found in and around Bulbula-Akaki river gorges. During the surveys conducted in January 2005 - May 2006, a total of 35 cases with 9 active and 26 healed skin lesions were identified. Eighteen of the cases (51.4%) were found in Saris; while 10 (28.6%) and 7 (20%) cases were from Kality and Akaki respectively.Ten colonies of rock hyraxes (Heterohyrax brucei) were identified in the vicinities of the 3 localities. Three of the 48 hyraxes (6.3%) trapped from the surroundings harbored natural infections of Leishmania aethiopica. Confirmation of the Leishmania species of the 3 isolates was achieved by PCR amplification and RFLP analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Based on sandfly species composition and proximity of resting sites to human settlements, Phlebotomus longipes is circumstantially proven to be the vector of CL in south east Addis Ababa.ConclusionThe study proves the existence of isolated zoonotic foci of CL in south eastern Addis Ababa, with P. longipes as the likely vector and H. brucei as the natural reservoir host.

Background Anopheles stephensi, an invasive malaria vector, was first detected in Africa nearly 10 years ago. After the initial finding in Djibouti, it has subsequently been found in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. To better inform policies and vector control decisions, it is important to understand the distribution, bionomics, insecticide susceptibility, and transmission potential of An. stephensi. These aspects were studied as part of routine entomological monitoring in Ethiopia between 2018 and 2020. Methods Adult mosquitoes were collected using human landing collections, pyrethrum spray catches, CDC light traps, animal-baited tent traps, resting boxes, and manual aspiration from animal shelters. Larvae were collected using hand-held dippers. The source of blood in blood-fed mosquitoes and the presence of sporozoites was assessed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Insecticide susceptibility was assessed for pyrethroids, organophosphates and carbamates. Results Adult An. stephensi were collected with aspiration, black resting boxes, and animal-baited traps collecting the highest numbers of mosquitoes. Although sampling efforts were geographically widespread, An. stephensi larvae were collected in urban and rural sites in eastern Ethiopia, but An. stephensi larvae were not found in western Ethiopian sites. Blood-meal analysis revealed a high proportion of blood meals that were taken from goats, and only a small proportion from humans. Plasmodium vivax was detected in wild-collected An. stephensi. High levels of insecticide resistance were detected to pyrethroids, carbamates and organophosphates. Pre-exposure to piperonyl butoxide increased susceptibility to pyrethroids. Larvae were found to be susceptible to temephos. Conclusions Understanding the bionomics, insecticide susceptibility and distribution of An. stephensi will improve the quality of a national response in Ethiopia and provide additional information on populations of this invasive species in Africa. Further work is needed to understand the role that An. stephensi will have in Plasmodium transmission and malaria case incidence. While additional data are being collected, national programmes can use the available data to formulate and operationalize national strategies against the threat of An. stephensi.

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the operational characteristics (sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV)) of wet mount, formol-ether concentration (FEC), and Kato-Katz techniques for the determination of intestinal parasitic infections. Method. A total of 354 faecal specimens were collected from students in Northwest Ethiopia and screened with Kato-Katz, wet mount, and FEC for the presence of intestinal parasitic infection. Since a gold standard test is not available for detection of intestinal parasites, the combined results from the three methods were used as diagnostic gold standard. Result. The prevalences of intestinal parasites using the single wet mount, FEC, and Kato-Katz thick smear techniques were 38.4%, 57.1%, and 59%, respectively. Taking the combined results of three techniques as a standard test for intestinal parasitic infection, the sensitivity and negative predictive value of Kato-Katz is 81.0% (confidence interval (CI) = 0.793–0.810) and 66.2% (CI = 0.63–0.622), respectively. The FEC detected 56 negative samples that were positive by the gold standard, indicating 78.3% (CI = 0.766–0.783) and 63.2% (CI = 0.603–63) sensitivity and NPV, respectively. Furthermore, Kato-Katz detects 113 cases that were negative by a single wet mount. The κ agreement between the wet mount and Kato-Katz methods for the diagnosis of Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm was substantial (κ = 0.61 for Ascaris lumbricoides, κ = 0.65 for hookworm).

BackgroundHoney is a natural substance produced by honeybees and has nutritional and therapeutic uses. In Ethiopia, honeys are used traditionally to treat wounds, respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Recent increase of drug resistant bacteria against the existing antibiotics forced investigators to search for alternative natural remedies and evaluate their potential use on scientific bases. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of different types of honeys in Ethiopia which are used traditionally to treat different types of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.MethodsMueller Hinton agar (70191) diffusion and nutrient broth culture medium assays were performed to determine susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and resistant clinical isolates (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA), Escherichia coli(R) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (R), using honeys of Apis mellifera and stingless bees in northern and north western Ethiopia.ResultsHoney of the stingless bees produced the highest mean inhibition (22.27 ± 3.79 mm) compared to white honey (21.0 ± 2.7 mm) and yellow honey (18.0 ± 2.3 mm) at 50% (v/v) concentration on all the standard and resistant strains. Stingless bees honey was found to have Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 6.25% (6.25 mg/ml) for 80% of the test organisms compared to 40% for white and yellow Apis mellifera honeys. All the honeys were found to have minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 12.5% (12.5 mg/ml) against all the test organisms. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) was susceptible to amoxicillin, methicillin, kanamycine, tetracycline, and vancomycine standard antibiotic discs used for susceptibility tests. Similarly, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) was found susceptible for kanamycine, tetracycline and vancomycine. Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) has not been tested for amoxicillin ampicillin and methicillin. The susceptibility tests performed against Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli (R) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (R) using three of methicillin, erythromycin, ampicillin, Penicillin and amoxicillin discs were resistant. But, these drug resistant strains were susceptible to antibacterial agents found in the honeys and inhibited from 16 mm to 20.33 mm.ConclusionsHoneys in Ethiopia can be used as therapeutic agents for drug resistant bacteria after pharmaceutical standardization and clinical trials.

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BackgroundKafta Humera lowlands are endemic for kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis). These lowlands are characterized by black clay soil which is used for growing sesame, sorghum and cotton for commercial purposes.The aim of this study was to determine seasonal dynamics and habitat preferences of Phlebotomus orientalis, the vector of kala-azar, in extra-domestic habitats of Kafta Humera lowlands.MethodsCDC-light Trap [CDC-LT] and Sticky paper Trap [ST] were used to collect sand flies from different habitats before species identification by their morphological characteristics using appropriate keys. Data summarized and analyzed included: species, sex, density, habitats, type of trap used and date (month).ResultsA total of 389,207 sand flies using CDC-LT (n = 955) and ST (n = 5551) were collected from May 17, 2011 to June 6, 2012. The highest Mean Monthly Density (MMD) of P. orientalis trapped by CDC-LT was found in thickets of Acacia seyal in March (64.11 ± 75.87). The corresponding highest MMD of P. orientalis trapped by STs was found in April (58.69 ± 85.20) in agricultural field. No P. orientalis were caught in September using CDC traps and July-October using sticky traps. The overall MMD of P. orientalis trapped by CDC-LT was 15. 78 ± 28.93 (n = 320) in agricultural field, 19.37 ± 36.42 (n = 255) in thickets of A. seyal, and 3.81 ± 6.45 (n = 380) in dense mixed forest. Similar habitats in different localities did not show statistically significant difference for the MMD of P. orientalis trapped by CDC-LT (p = 0.117) and ST (p = 0.134).ConclusionAgricultural fields and thickets of A. seyal habitats, which exhibit extensive soil cracks and fissures, as opposed to dense mixed forests, serve as preferred breeding sites for P. orientalis.

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem and an important cause of maternal and infant morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Early and accurate diagnosis of malaria with effective treatment is the best strategy for prevention and control of complications during pregnancy and infant morbidity and mortality. However, laboratory diagnosis has relied on the identification of malaria parasites and parasite antigens in peripheral blood using Giemsa-stained microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) which lack analytical and clinical sensitivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the diagnosis of malaria among malaria suspected pregnant women in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods:A cross sectional study was conducted from January to April 2016. Pregnant women (n = 87) suspected of having malaria at six health centres were enrolled. A venous blood sample was collected from each study subject, and analysed for Plasmodium parasites by microscopy, RDT, and LAMP. Diagnostic accuracy outcome measures (sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and Kappa scores) of microscopy, RDT and LAMP were compared to nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) as the gold standard. Specimen processing and reporting times were documented.Results: Using nPCR as the gold standard technique, the sensitivity of microscopy and RDT was 90 and 70%, and the specificity was 98.7 and 97.4%, respectively. LAMP assay was 100% sensitive and 93.5% specific compared to nPCR. Conclusions:This study showed higher sensitivity of LAMP compared to microscopy and RDT for the detection of malaria in pregnancy. Increased sensitivity and ease of use with LAMP in point-of-care testing for malaria in pregnancy was noted. LAMP warrants further evaluation in intermittent screening and treatment programmes in pregnancy.

BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar cases in seasonal labour migrants from highland areas are addressed to travel history to the Metema–Humera lowlands, northwestern Ethiopia. Factors that affect the incidence of VL in extra-domestic habitats were not evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate sero-prevalence of Leishmania donovani infection in randomly selected labour migrant workers and entomological risk factors which might affect the incidence of kala-azar.MethodsSero-prevalence of L. donovani infection in labour migrants was obtained from Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) using blood samples. Logistic regression analysis was used to correlate the possible risk factors with L. donovani infection. The season for L. donovani infection or Phlebotomus orientalis bite was estimated from the study of population dynamic of P. orientalis in areas where the blood was sampled.ResultA total of 7, 443 P. orientalis (1,748 female and 5,695 male) were collected from agricultural fields and thickets of Acacia seyal using 461 CDC light traps. The highest mean number of P. orientalis/trap in the thickets of A. seyal and agricultural fields were 46.9 and 43.9 in March and April respectively. The mean P. orientalis/trap for November – May dry season in agricultural fields (11.39) and thickets of A. seyal (25.30) were higher compared to 0.66 in fields and 3.92 in thickets during June – August weeding season. Of the total 359 labour migrants screened using DAT, 45 (12.5%) were DAT-positive (≥1:800) for L. donovani infections. Very high titers (1:12800) were found in 3 (0.8%) individuals who had the risk of kala-azar development. Statistically significant p-values and odd ratio (OR) for staying in the areas both in the weeding and harvesting seasons (p = 0.035; OR = 2.83) and sleeping in the agricultural fields (p = 0.01; OR = 15.096) were positively correlated with L. donovani infection. Night harvest (p = 0.028; OR = 0.133) and knowledge about sign or symptoms (p = 0.042; OR = 0.383) were negatively associated with this infection.ConclusionsSleeping in open agricultural fields was related with L. donovani infections in labour migrants during June-August weeding season.