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PubMed2005

Distribution and heterogeneity of hepatitis C genotypes in hepatitis patients in Cameroon.

Hepatitis C virus infects humans world-wide. The virus genome varies greatly and it has several genotypes. HCV infection is highly prevalent in Central Africa and Cameroon. Initial studies on the genetic variability of HCV showed infection with HCV genotypes 1, 2, and 4. We have now sequenced the NS5b and E2 regions of 156 HCV isolates collected from patients presenting for diagnosis in Yaounde and used the data to describe the distribution of HCV genotypes and subtypes in patients with hepatitis in Cameroon. Genotype 1 was more frequent than Genotypes 4 and 2. Genotypes 1 and 4 were highly heterogeneous, containing many subtypes described previously (1b, 1c, 1e, 1h, 1l, 4f, 4t, 4p, 4k) and unsubtyped groups. There was a systematic phylogenetic concordance between NS5b and E2 sequence clustering. The Genotype 2 sequences did not vary. Neither subject age nor gender influenced HCV distribution. HCV Genotypes 1 and 4 are very heterogeneous in Cameroon, perhaps due to ancient infections. The homogeneity of HCV Genotype 2 indicates its more recent introduction from western Africa.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Curative and preventive treatment of uncomplicated malaria in public health institutions in Cameroon.

Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium strains are found in certain foci in Cameroon. We do not know what contribution drug prescriptions and drug pressure had in bringing this about. We contacted 66 persons (39 doctors and 27 nurses) who prescribe antimalarial drugs in Cameroon regarding their prescription habits; 46 (69.7%) responded. The three most prescribed drugs for uncomplicated malaria were quinine (84.4%), chloroquine (80.4%) and amodiaquine (80.4%). The most common reason for prescribing the drugs was availability. The drug of choice for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria was chloroquine with amodiaquine and quinine being second best for doctors and nurses, respectively. The form of treatment preferred by most doctors (ie 46%) was tablets while most nurses (42%) preferred injections. Prophylatic antimalarials were prescribed by 73% of the doctors and by 83% of the nurses. Doctors prescribed mainly to children and pregnant women while nurses prescribed to everyone. The drugs used were chloroquine, amodiaquine, quinine and pyrimethamine. Ten doctors and four nurses had encountered at least one case of drug resistant malaria. The most common evidence on which the diagnosis had been based was the absence of improvement on the treatment prescribed. The implicated drugs were chloroquine, amodiaquine and quinine. There was evidence of major differences in the practice of the respondents regarding treatment, prophylaxis and the diagnosis of drug resistance. These results indicate an urgent need for a national antimalarial drug policy in Cameroon.

Amodiaquine↗
PubMed2004

Addressing the concerns of rural communities about access to plants and knowledge in a sui generis legislation in Cameroon.

This article assesses the traditional systems of accessing and using plant genetic resources as well as the benefit sharing and systems of sanctioning infringement in the context of biodiversity related activities in specific areas in the Northwest province of Cameroon. The article also addresses the type research and development activities using plant genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in the context of Cameroon, the current laws regulating such activities and the extent to which these activities and laws affect and/or protect the customary biodiversity rights of rural communities. The article uses these assessments to suggest the context under which a sui generis legislation for the protection of the biodiversity rights of rural communities can be established in Cameroon.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2004

[HIV seroprevalence in ophthalmologic patients of Cameroon].

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to estimate the exact HIV infection rates in countries such as Cameroon because of diagnostic and statistical problems. The majority of people seek help from traditional healers outside the health system. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A screening for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2) was performed on 2452 patients of the western province of Cameroon. All data were evaluated regarding HIV seroprevalence and ophthalmological findings in HIV-seropositive patients. The test covered all patients who came for cataract surgery (group 1), all outpatients with suspicious ophthalmological findings (group 2), and all remarkable patients of the collaborating department of general medicine (group 3) between 20 September 2000 and 20 September 2001. RESULTS: Of the 2452 screened patients, 467 (19.0%) were HIV seropositive. A positive test result was obtained in 29 (5.5%) of the 525 patients in group 1, 154 (35.6%) of the 433 patients in group 2, and 284 (19.0%) of the 1494 patients in group 3. The main ocular manifestations of the 154 HIV-seropositive patients in group 2 were uveitis (17.6%), squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva (14.9%), zoster ophthalmicus (14.9%), and corneal ulcers (11.0%). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the seroprevalence of the screened population of Cameroon lies between 5.5% (results of group 1) and 19.0% (results of group 3).

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2003

Genetic diversity in the coat protein coding region of eighty-six sugarcane mosaic virus isolates from eight countries, particularly from Cameroon and Congo.

Fifty-eight sugarcane virus isolates were obtained from leaves showing mosaic symptoms, and collected in Cameroon (26 isolates), Congo (20 isolates), Egypt (1 isolate), South Africa (3 isolates) and the U.S.A. (8 isolates). All these isolates belonged to Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) based on the amplification product obtained by RT-PCR with SCMV-specific primers. The amplicons (0.9 kb) from the coat protein (CP) coding region were cloned, sequenced and compared to each other as well as to the sequences (GenBank accessions) of 16 SCMV isolates from sugarcane (Australia, South Africa and U.S.A.) and 12 SCMV isolates from maize (Australia, Germany and China). Maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses robustly supported two major monophyletic groups that were correlated with the host of origin: the SCE or sugarcane group that included all isolates from sugarcane and the MZ or maize group that contained all isolates from maize. The 86 virus isolates were distributed in 13 minor phylogenetic groups, four (I-IV) restricted to maize and nine (V-XIII) to sugarcane. A strong correlation was observed between the sugarcane groups and the geographical origin of the SCMV isolates. Each SCMV type strain from sugarcane (A, B, D, E and SC) was distributed in a different phylogenetic group or subgroup. The 26 isolates from Cameroon constituted a relatively homogeneous group (group V) whereas the 20 isolates from Congo belonged to two other groups (VI and VII). All the isolates from Cameroon and Congo were different from the SCMV type strains and other strains or isolates studied so far. It appears, therefore, that the population of SCMV from sugarcane in Africa contains virus genotypes that have not yet been described.

Cameroon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum in indigenous residents of Cameroon.

Thirty-nine percent (36 of 92) of children in Limbe, Cameroon, treated with chloroquine (10 mg/kg body weight on days 1 and 2, and 5 mg/kg on day 3) for falciparum malaria failed to respond within 7 d of treatment. Twenty-two of these children with chloroquine-resistant malaria were successfully treated with Fansidar [one-half tablet (250 mg sulfadoxine and 25 mg pyrimethamine) per 10 kg body weight], while the other 14 children were cured with mefloquine (25 mg/kg body weight). In vitro, a combination of verapamil at 1.0 x 10(-6) M with chloroquine or desethylchloroquine reversed resistance to the antimalarial drug and its primary metabolite in each of the 2 isolates successfully adapted and maintained in continuous culture. Similar combinations had no effect on susceptibilities of a sensitive reference clone, D6, used as control. Both chloroquine-resistant isolates from Cameroon were significantly more susceptible to mefloquine and halofantrine in vitro than the chloroquine-sensitive reference clone. Clinical observation, and in vitro confirmation, of chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria in these indigenous children from Cameroon, and the current socio-economic condition in West Africa, underscore the need for pragmatic health management policies for efficient use of alternative antimalarial drugs in controlling drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum in the region. This observation of reversal of chloroquine resistance in isolates of P. falciparum obtained from West Africa, and a previous report on clones obtained from south-east Asia and South America, suggest that the mechanism(s) of resistance to chloroquine may be identical in resistant parasites from the 3 continents.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ascariasis and trichuriasis in Cameroon.

A national survey of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichuria was carried out in Cameroon on more than 22,000 children from a random sample of 512 schools. Prevalence rates of both A. lumbricoides and T. trichuria infection were very low in the tropical zone (below 5%). They increased markedly in the equatorial zone, Guinea-type climate, to 60-85% for A. lumbricoides and 85-95% for T. trichuria. In the equatorial zone with Cameroon-type climate, prevalences were slightly lower: 50-70% for A. lumbricoides and 70-90% for T. trichuria infections. Environmental conditions are the main factors explaining these differences. Other factors (altitude, population density and urbanization) were not important. The entire population of villages selected from distinct climatic zones of Cameroon were also examined. The age group distribution of A. lumbricoides and T. trichuria infections indicated acquisition early in life, reaching a peak in early childhood, followed by a stable prevalence rate.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Culture, biomedicine and child mortality in Cameroon.

This article is based on a field study conducted by the authors in East Cameroon in 1987-1988 and on written sources available, including U.N. and Cameroon government statistics. It focuses on two major issues, namely, the relationship between biomedical assumptions and programs and traditional cultural tenets and the impact of both on child mortality in Cameroon's East Province. It contrasts the problems of disease and mortality in the area as reflected in official statistics with the actual health situation in the Province in light of resilient beliefs, attitudes, and practices that hinder rather than facilitate the effectiveness of immunization campaigns undertaken by the government to save the child. The study concludes by discussing policy choices and steps that both the government and the affected people might consider to remedy the region's disappointing health conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Areal and socioeconomic differentials in infant and child mortality in Cameroon.

Given its geographical, socio-economic, ethnic and cultural diversity, Cameroon offers an excellent setting for investigating the contribution of geographical and socioeconomic factors to mortality differences in infancy and childhood. Such research is crucial for designing appropriate health policies at the national and regional levels. Using data from a nationally representative sample of more than 12,000 births, this study assesses infant and child mortality differences in Cameroon by residence area, mother's education, ethnicity, marital status and union type, religion and the interplay of those factors on differentials mortality. The most vulnerable groups of children in the country are: rural residents; residents of the East, North and South-West regions; Kaka-Baya and Fulbe-Fulani children; and children whose mothers have no education, are Traditionalists, are unmarried, or are in polygamous unions. Lack of maternal schooling alone explains all the excess childhood mortality of Fulbe-Fulani children, most of the excess mortality of children of the North and East regions, most of the excess mortality of the countryside vis-á-vis the metropolitan areas of Yaoundé and Douala, and most of the excess mortality of children of Traditionalists. The robustness of the excess neonatal mortality of newborns in the East region probably reflects the higher prevalence of tetanus in that region compared to the rest of the country. The study also suggests that the place/region of residence in Cameroon is likely to be a proxy for inequalities in the provision of and/or use of health services.

Cameroon↗
PubMed2006

Molecular phylogeny of diploid Bulinus sp. (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) populations in Cameroon crater lakes.

Bulinus sp. (2n=36) is a diploid freshwater snail found in Cameroon crater lakes; it belongs to a group of medically important freshwater snails. Some members (Bulinus truncatus, Bulinus tropicus) of this group had been reported to be involved in the transmission of parasites (Schistosoma sp. and Calicophoron microbothrium) to human and livestock in tropical Africa. Yet, understanding of the evolutionary identity of the diploid snail such as its phylogenetic position and the genetic divergence among populations, remains limited. In this study, we constructed the molecular phylogeny of Bulinus sp. using sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxydase subunit 1 (CO-1, 365 nucleotides). Partial sequences of CO-1 were obtained and genetic divergences between populations estimated after the alignment of 365 nucleotides from each studied population. The lack of deep molecular divergences between populations of Bulinus sp. from western Cameroon crater lakes may indicate that they belong to the same lineage; therefore, it implies that diploid B. truncatus/tropicus complex snail-like in Cameroon share a common ancestor. The CO-1 of the three studied populations of Bulinus sp., clustered together with other diploid pan-African representatives of the B. truncatus/tropicus complex, showed little evidence of genetic similarities.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Characterization of Trypanosoma brucei s.l. subspecies by isoenzymes in domestic pigs from the Fontem sleeping sickness focus of Cameroon.

Though it has been established that domestic animals (especially the pig) are potential reservoir hosts for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in West Africa, there is little data to this effect concerning Central Africa. Instead, some previous authors report the absence of Trypanozoon type trypanosomes in domestic animals in Cameroon. Thirty-two domestic pigs were sampled by KIVI (kit for in vitro isolation) of trypanosomes in the northern region (Bechati) of the Fontem sleeping sickness focus of Cameroon. Twenty-one of these were found positive, from 15 of which 17 isolates were successfully obtained. Isoenzyme characterization revealed that isolates from 4 of the 15 pigs belonged to zymodemes associated with T. brucei gambiense group 1. The prevalence of this disease in the local human population is, however, very low. It is evident from this study that the domestic pig may be a potential reservoir host for T. brucei gambiense in the Fontem focus. There is, however, need for an extensive study on domestic animals in Cameroon and other neighbouring countries for a better comprehension of the epidemiology of sleeping sickness within the Central African region.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The lesser shame: abortion among educated women in southern Cameroon.

Educated women in southern Cameroon both condemn abortion and practice it with some regularity. This apparent paradox arises because educated Cameroonian women use abortion as one of a set of strategies to manage the timing and social context of entry into motherhood. This paper is based on a body of research which included a demographic life history survey (N = 184), open-ended narrative interviews (N = 37), and participant observation over 10 months. The survey data included 61 reported abortions, giving a lower-bound estimate of the crude abortion rate of 19 per thousand woman-years of life. In southern Cameroon, sexual activity is socially tolerated in a wide variety of non-marital relationships, while childbearing is not. Thus, most of my informants, including those who reported having aborted, say that abortion is shameful; however, they view its moral and social consequences as less grave than those of a severely mistimed entry into socially recognized motherhood. That is, abortion persists in southern Cameroon because it is the lesser shame.

Abortion, Illegal↗
PubMed1998

Onchocerca ochengi: assessment of the Simulium vectors in north Cameroon.

In the savanna areas of tropical Africa, cattle are frequently infected with the filaria Onchocerca ochengi. This parasite is closely related to Onchocerca volvulus, the causative agent of human onchocerciasis (river blindness), and is capable of developing in the same vector, Simulium damnosum s.l. In North Cameroon, where both O. ochengi and O. volvulus are endemic, we carried out a field study (reported in this and 2 following papers) to examine to which extent the transmission of the 2 parasite species overlap and what influence this has on the epidemiology of human onchocerciasis. In this paper we report our experiments to determine which of the S. damnosum species in North Cameroon act as vectors of O. ochengi, how efficiently they do so and whether other Simulium species play a vector role. To this end, infected cattle were exposed near 5 rivers in different geographical areas. Among 14 Simulium species identified as aquatic and/or adult stages at these rivers, only 6 (S. squamosum, S. damnosum s.s., S. sirbanum, S. bovis, S. wellmanni and S. hargreavesi) were found to bite cattle in important numbers in at least 1 of the sites. The 3 species of the S. damnosum complex were all capable of ingesting microfilariae (mf) of O. ochengi and developing a proportion of them to infective larvae (L3). Whereas S. squamosum and S. damnosum s.s., the prevailing vectors in the Guinea and Sudan savanna respectively, showed a high vector competence (17% of ingested mf developed to L3), S. sirbanum, which was much rarer in both areas, appeared to have a much lower susceptibility (2%). Other boophilic Simulium species were only seen in certain sites and seasons, being either incapable of ingesting important numbers of O. ochengi mf from body regions where these mf were abundant (S. bovis, S. hargreavesi); not able to support the development of ingested mf to L3 (S. wellmanni), or bit cattle preferentially in the ears, where O. ochengi mf do not occur (S. hargreavesi). We conclude that in North Cameroon members of the S. damnosum complex are the only important vectors of O. ochengi, with S. squamosum and S. damnosum s.s. being the main vectors.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Physical activity and its relationship with obesity, hypertension and diabetes in urban and rural Cameroon.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and compare physical activity patterns of urban and rural dwellers in Cameroon, and study their relationship with obesity, diabetes and hypertension. METHODS: We studied 2465 subjects aged >or=15 y, recruited on the basis of a random sampling of households, of whom 1183 were urban dwellers from Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon and 1282 rural subjects from Bafut, a village of western Cameroon. They all had an interviewer-administered questionnaire for the assessment of their physical activity and anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose determination. The procedure was satisfactorily completed in 2325 (94.3%) subjects. Prevalences were age-adjusted and subjects compared according to their region, sex and age group. RESULTS: Obesity was diagnosed in 17.1 and 3.0% urban and rural women, respectively (P<0.001), and in 5.4 vs 1.2% urban and rural men, respectively (P<0.001). The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in urban vs rural dwellers (11.4 vs 6.6% and 17.6 vs 9.1% in women and men, respectively; P<0.001). Diabetes was more prevalent in urban compared to rural women (P<0.05), but not men. Urban subjects were characterized by lower physical activity (P<0.001), light occupation, high prevalence of multiple occupations, and reduced walking and cycling time compared to rural subjects. Univariate analysis showed significant associations between both physical inactivity and obesity and high blood pressure. The relationship of physical inactivity with hypertension and obesity were independent in both urban and rural men, but not in women. Body mass index, blood pressure and glycaemia were higher in the first compared with the fourth quartiles of energy expenditure. CONCLUSION: Obesity, diabetes and hypertension prevalence is higher in urban compared to rural dwellers in the populations studied. Physical activity is significantly lower and differs in pattern in urban subjects compared to rural. Physical inactivity is associated with these diseases, although not always significant in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Schistosoma intercalatum: morphologic and biometrical changes of the eggs in relation to the localization in the definitive host and with the geographical origin of the parasite (Cameroon and Zaire)].

A study of the egg morphology and biometry of Schistosoma intercalatum is carried out. A comparative study shows that the egg size varies according to the localization: the smallest are in utero, the largest in the liver, those from the faeces being intermediate. The increase in size could depend on the miracidial development. Some morphological features vary in relation with size especially the width. Regarding the geographical origin, two morphological differences are reported: the first is the presence of a "shoulder" at the spined end of the egg of the Cameroon strain and its absence in the Zaïre strain; the second is the dissymmetry of the eggs from Zaïre and the relative symmetry of the eggs from the Cameroons. The eggs from the Cameroons which tend to be larger but narrower than those from Zaïre, are significantly different.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of overweight and obesity for urban adults in Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of a nutrition transition in developing countries might lead to higher prevalence of obesity and related adverse health effects. In Cameroon,urbanization growth rate is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Such dramatic demographic change favours important modifications, notably in nutritional patterns. AIM: In this paper we examine the current prevalence of overweight and obesity in Yaounde,the capital city of Cameroon and search for possible causal factors. Detrimental consequences of overweight are also discussed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Samples of adults (519 women, 252 men) of all ages in all districts of Yaounde were subjected to anthropometric and body composition measurements, blood pressure and resting heart rate determination, and interviewer-administered questionnaires on socio-demography, smoking habits, physical activity, self-perception of body weight and health status. RESULTS: In both sexes body mass index (BMI) increases with age and peaks in the years of maturity. These changes are related to changes in adiposity. Prevalence rates of overweight(BMI >or= 25) and obesity (BMI > or = 30) increase from 20 to 29 years and peak at 40-49 years in men and at 50-59 years in women before starting to decline. One woman in two is overweight and one woman in five is obese, whereas one-third of men are overweight and only 5% are obese. Obese subjects have a larger age-adjusted waist to hip ratio(WHR) than their non-overweight counterparts, attesting that fat gain is oriented towards a more abdominal fat mass distribution. The length of residence in Yaounde, increasing education level, occupation, ethnicity, physical inactivity and smoking practices appear to influence early overweight and/or obesity. No parity effect is observed in women. From the present study, it appears that obesity, and especially obesity in women, could be less benign than that described in other studies in Africa. CONCLUSION: Research is needed in Cameroon, including aetiological and cohort studies aimed at the quantification of morbidity and mortality risks associated with overweight and obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Regulation of pesticides in Cameroon.

To fight against pests and vectors of certain diseases, Cameroon imports and makes use of pesticides. Importation and utilization are subject to regulation from importers to users. The goal of this study is to evaluate the actual regulatory system of pesticides in Cameroon. From this study has emerged the fact that Cameroon has insufficient legislation for pesticides. Registration does not exist, and the ministry of agriculture restricts itself to issuing attestation of importation, if the product is effective, to those who write an application. Importation and distribution are done in conditions that are far from ideal. To remedy this inadequacy, it is necessary to train and inform all those intervening in this domain and put in place research infrastructures. Appropriate legislation elaborated in a broad consultation with competent authorities in pesticides is also needed.

Cameroon↗
PubMed2002

Genotypic and phenotypic analysis of HIV type 1 primary isolates from western Cameroon.

In this study we report the molecular and biological characteristics of 19 HIV-1 primary isolates obtained in April 1999 from 47 HIV-1-infected individuals living mainly in western Cameroon. Discontinuous portions of gag, pol, and env were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and directly sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences showed that all were of HIV-1 group M with the following genotypes: A(gag)/A(pol)/A(env) (n = 4), A(gag)/AG(pol)/AG(env) (n = 2), AG(gag)/A(pol)/AG(env) (n = 1), AG(gag)/U(pol)/AG(env) (n = 1), AG(gag)/AG(pol)/AG(env) (n = 6), G(gag)/G(pol)/G(env) (n = 3), F2(gag)/F2(pol)/F2(env) (n = 1), and a novel A(gag)/J(pro/rt)/A(int)/U(env) complex recombinant (n = 1). This A/J/U recombinant shared the same gag-pol cross-over point with known CRF02.AG viruses and 99CMBD6, an AG recombinant from our panel of isolates. The biological phenotype of most of the isolates correlated with the clinical status of the patient. Six isolates were syncytium inducing (SI) on MT-2 cells whereas 13 isolates were of the non-syncytium-inducing phenotype (NSI). Coreceptor usage by these isolates determined on GHOST cells correlated with their biological phenotype, as all SI isolates used CXCR4 and all NSI isolates used CCR5. Our results show a high predominance of subtype A (mainly CRF02.AG-like viruses) in western Cameroon and fewer HIV-1 subtypes compared with other parts of Cameroon. Genetic variability was, however, not reflected in the biological characteristics of the isolates. The presence of a novel A/J/U complex recombinant from this region further emphasizes the role of recombination in the global evolution of HIV.

Adolescent↗