The Republic of Congo (RoC) is one of the African countries with the most histoplasmosis cases reported. This review summarizes the current status regarding epidemiology, diagnostic tools, and treatment of histoplasmosis in the RoC. A computerized search was performed from online databases Medline, PubMed, HINARI, and Google Scholar to collect literature on histoplasmosis in the RoC. We found 57 cases of histoplasmosis diagnosed between 1954 and 2019, corresponding to an incidence rate of 1–3 cases each year without significant impact of the AIDS epidemic in the country. Of the 57 cases, 54 (94.7%) were cases of Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii (Hcd) infection, African histoplasmosis. Three cases (5.3%) of Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum infection were recorded, but all were acquired outside in the RoC. The patients’ ages ranged between 13 months to 60 years. An equal number of cases were observed in adults in the third or fourth decades (n = 14; 24.6%) and in children aged ≤15 years. Skin lesions (46.3%), lymph nodes (37%), and bone lesions (26%) were the most frequent clinical presentations. Most diagnoses were based on histopathology and distinctive large yeast forms seen in tissue. Amphotericin B (AmB) was first line therapy in 65% of the cases and itraconazole (25%) for maintenance therapy. The occurrence of African histoplasmosis in apparently normal children raises the possibility that African histoplasmosis is linked to environmental fungal exposure.

Poliovirus (PV), the virus that causes both acute poliomyelitis and post-polio syndrome, is classified within the Enterovirus C species, and there are three wild PV serotypes: WPV1, WPV2 and WPV3. The launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 eradicated two of the three serotypes of WPV (WPV2 and WPV3). However, the endemic transmission of WPV1 persists in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2022. There are cases of paralytic polio due to the loss of viral attenuation in the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), known as vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). Between January 2021 and May 2023, a total of 2141 circulating VDPV (cVDPV) cases were reported in 36 countries worldwide. Because of this risk, inactivated poliovirus (IPV) is being used more widely, and attenuated PV2 has been removed from OPV formulations to obtain bivalent OPV (containing only types 1 and 3). In order to avoid the reversion of attenuated OPV strains, the new OPV, which is more stable due to genome-wide modifications, as well as sabin IPV and virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines, is being developed and offers promising solutions for eradicating WP1 and VDPV.

The molecular epidemiological studies showed that some variants of HPV-16, distributed geographically, would present a higher risk of causing cervical cancer. This study aimed to analyze nucleotide changes of HPV-16 E6 and E7 genomic regions from infected Southwestern Congolese women. DNA of twenty HPV-16 isolates was analyzed by amplifying the E6 and E7 genes using type-specific primers PCR and direct sequencing. The sequences obtained were aligned with the HPV-16 GenBank reference sequences. Thirteen (65.0%) out of 20 DNA-samples were successfully amplified. Genetic analysis revealed 18 and 4 nucleotide changes in E6 and E7 genomic regions respectively. The most frequently observed nucleotide variations were the missense C143G, G145T and C335T in E6 (100%), leading to the non-synonymous amino acid variation Q14D and H78Y. E7 genomic region was found to be highly conserved with two most common T789C and T795G (100%) silent variations. All HPV-16 variants identified belonged to the African lineage: 7 (53.8%) belonged to Af-1 lineage and 6 (46.1%) to Af-2 lineage. The missense mutation G622A (D21N) in the E7 region seems to be described for the first time in this study. This study reported for the first time the distribution of HPV-16 E6 and E7 genetic variants in infected women from southwest Congo. The findings confirmed almost ascendancy of the African lineage in our study population.

Knowledge on HPV prevalence and genotype distribution in HSIL and ICC is highly essential for the introduction of an effective vaccination program and appropriate epidemiological monitoring of viral ecology before and after vaccination in Congo. This study aimed to determine the specific-HPV genotypes in HSIL and ICC among women in southwestern Congo. 125 archival paraffin-embedded biopsy collected between 2008 and 2012 and histologically diagnosed were investigated. DNA extraction was performed using the phenol/chloroform method. HPV search was performed by nested-PCR using MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ consensus primers followed by direct sequencing. The mean age of participants was 44.3 ± 8.2 years. Overall, HPV prevalence was 89.6% (112/125) with all high-risk genotypes. HPV-DNA was detected in 81.5% (53/65) of HSIL and 98.3% (59/60) of ICC. HPV 16 the most common genotype was detected in 47.1% (25/53) of HSIL and 52.5% (31/59) of ICC. Other types identified were: HPV 33 (22.6%), HPV 18 (15%), HPV 31 (11.3%) and HPV 69 (3.7%) in HSIL, and HPV 33 (28.8%), HPV 18 (11.8%), HPV 31 (5%) and HPV 35 (1.7%) in ICC. Knowing that the ADC accounted for 6.7% (4/60) of ICC cases, HPV 18 was identified in 25% (1/4) of these cases against 75% (3/4) for HPV 16. Our study showed that HPV 16, 33, 18 and 31 were the four most common genotypes in women with HSIL and ICC. These findings indicate that current vaccines against HPV could help to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in Congo.

Objectives. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is rarely studied in Congo, despite its prevalence in Africa. Among healthy individuals, HHV-8 does not always lead to a life-threatening infection; however, in immunocompromised individuals, it could lead to more severe disease. The distribution of HHV-8 genotypes varies depending on ethnicity and geographic region. Method. A prospective cross-sectional study included 265 samples from healthy blood donors from the National Blood Transfusion Center in Brazzaville, with an average age of 35 years, with extremes ranging from 18 to 60 years. After DNA extraction, a nested PCR was carried out for molecular detection, followed by genotyping by amplification of specific primers. Result. In this study, 4.9% were positive for molecular detection of HHV-8 DNA. All HHV-8 positive DNA samples that were subjected to genotyping by amplification with specific primers allowing discrimination of two major genotypes (A and B). Genotype A was identified in 5 (1.9%) samples and genotype B in 2 (0.7%) samples, indicating that both genotypes were predominant. The remaining viral DNA samples not identified as the major genotypes were classified as «indeterminate» and consisted of 6 (2.3%) samples. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that Congo is an area where HHV-8 infection is endemic.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) represents a major global health challenge, characterized by insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction and chronic inflammation closely linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, particularly through NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2). Despite advances in understanding oxidative stress mechanisms, the correlation between NOX2 and inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers remains underexplored in African populations. This study evaluated NOX2’s role in regulating inflammatory and apoptotic pathways in Congolese patients with T2D. Methods: A cross-sectional study (March-June 2024) included 143 T2D patients and 136 controls in Brazzaville. NOX2, inflammatory markers (IL-6, CRP, COX-2), apoptotic markers (Caspase-3), and metabolic parameters (HbA1c, glucose, insulin, C-peptide) were measured using ELISA and Cobas ^® c111 methods. Relationships between variables were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test and multiple linear regression, with additional analyses including ANCOVA for treatment comparisons and partial correlations controlling for glycemic control. Results: NOX2 levels were significantly higher in T2D patients versus controls (20.79 ± 5.14 vs 4.98 ± 1.80 ng/mL, p < 0.001). NOX2 showed positive associations with HbA1c, glucose, and insulin, but demonstrated negative correlations with IL-6 and COX-2. CRP showed no significant correlation with NOX2 (r = +0.04, p = 0.62). Patients with family history exhibited higher NOX2 levels (22.4 vs 19.3 ng/mL, p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis identified HbA1c, BMI, and family history as independent predictors of NOX2 (R² = 0.38). After adjusting for HbA1c, BMI, and diabetes duration, patients on insulin therapy showed significantly higher NOX2 levels compared to those on oral agents alone. Conclusion: NOX2 represents an integrative marker associated with metabolic, inflammatory and apoptotic imbalance in T2D. Its elevation in patients with family history and poor glycemic control suggests potential as a risk stratification biomarker, particularly relevant in sub-Saharan Africa where tools for predicting diabetic complications are limited.