Dengue is a serious mosquito-transmitted disease caused by the dengue virus (DENV). Rapid and reliable diagnosis of DENV infection is urgently needed in dengue-endemic regions. We describe here the performance evaluation of the CE-marked VIDAS^® dengue immunoassays developed for the automated detection of DENV NS1 antigen and anti-DENV IgM and IgG antibodies. A multicenter concordance study was conducted in 1296 patients from dengue-endemic regions in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. VIDAS^® dengue results were compared to those of competitor enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The VIDAS^® dengue assays showed high precision (CV ≤ 10.7%) and limited cross-reactivity (≤15.4%) with other infections. VIDAS^® DENGUE NS1 Ag showed high positive and negative percent agreement (92.8% PPA and 91.7% NPA) in acute patients within 0–5 days of symptom onset. VIDAS^® Anti-DENGUE IgM and IgG showed a moderate-to-high concordance with ELISA (74.8% to 90.6%) in post-acute and recovery patients. PPA was further improved in combined VIDAS^® NS1/IgM (96.4% in 0–5 days acute patients) and IgM/IgG (91.9% in post-acute patients) tests. Altogether, the VIDAS^® dengue NS1, IgM, and IgG assays performed well, either alone or in combination, and should be suitable for the accurate diagnosis of DENV infection in dengue-endemic regions.

The effect of helminthiasis on host immunity is a neglected area of research, particularly in tuberculosis (TB) infection. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of helminthiasis on immunological and haematological parameters in newly diagnosed TB patients in Bobo-Dioulasso. After all biological analyses, we formed three subpopulations: group 1 (n = 82), as control, were participants without helminthic or Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex infection (Mtb−/Helm−), group 2 (n = 73) were TB patients without helminthic infection (Mtb+/Helm−), and group 3 (n = 22) were TB patients with helminthic infection (Mtb+/Helm+). The proportion of helminth coinfection was 23.16% (22/95) in TB patients, and Schistosoma mansoni infection was found in 77.3% (17/22) cases of helminthiasis observed in this study. A low CD4 T cell count and a low CD4:CD8 ratio were significantly associated with concomitant infection with helminths and the Mtb complex (Mtb+/Helm+) compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the CD8 median among the three participating groups (p > 0.05). Lymphopenia, monocytosis, thrombocytosis, and hypochromic microcytic anaemia were the haematological defects observed in the Mtb+/Helm+ and Mtb+/Helm− patients. Exploring these types of immune–haematological biomarkers would be a valuable aid in diagnosing and a better follow-up and monitoring of the tuberculosis–helminthiasis coinfection.

Dengue, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, represents a significant global health challenge due to its complex host-pathogen interactions and varying disease severity. Genetic factors are known to influence the clinical outcome of dengue infections. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of TNF-α gene polymorphism 308 (rs1800629) and INF-γ +874 (rs62559044) in the progression of dengue virus infection. Conducted in the Central region of Burkina Faso, this study included 246 participants, comprising 117 controls and 129 dengue-positive patients. Genotyping of the TNF-α 308 (rs1800629) and INF-γ +874 A/T (rs62559044) polymorphisms was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and Amplification Refractory Mutation System PCR (ARMS-PCR) techniques, respectively. Our analysis revealed no significant correlation between lymphocyte count and dengue severity (P = 0.95). Although we did not find an association between the alleles of the SNPs TNF-α 308 (rs1800629) and INF-γ +874 (rs6255904) studied with either DF or severe DS, we cannot conclude the same for their respective genotypes Thus, the AA and GG genotypes of TNF-α are associated with the contraction of DF and DS, respectively; the former is even associated with the progression of DF to the severe form of the disease. For INF-γ AA genotypes are more associated with progression to severe dengue and the AT heterozygote could be associated with a possibility of preventing progression to DS forms. . The A allele frequencies was higher frequency in DF than in DS pour TNF-α 308 , but this difference lacked statistical significance (P > 0.005). With INF-γ tTT genotype was more prevalent in DS, whereas the AT genotype frequencies differed between DF (23.96%) and DS (19.35%). Our results reveal through the allelic levels of TNF-α 308 and INF-γ +874; that the latter would not play a significant role in the progression of dengue virus infection to severe forms. However, previous studies through a clear mechanism show a strong association between the concentrations of these cytokines and the pathogenesis of dengue. This underlines the need for further investigations to elucidate the genetic determinants of the severity of dengue. In particular, a proteomic study coupled with sequencing on a representative population of the West African region would be a great asset in understanding the involvement of the genes of these cytokines in the pathogenesis of dengue.

: We report the frequency and associated factors of tuberculosis (TB) and parasite coinfection from newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients (TB+) and non-TB participants (TB−) from the Regional Tuberculosis Control Center, households, and health facilities in Bobo-Dioulasso from 2019 to 2021. Biological samples were examined for parasite infection using direct microscopy, concentration techniques, and the immunochromatographic rapid test. Data were analyzed using STATA 14. Of a total of 192 participants involved, 95 were TB+ and 97 were non-TB. There was no statistically significant difference in parasitic infections between the two groups, although it was higher in TB+ than TB− (69.5% [66/95] versus 55.7% [54/97]; P = 0.07). Protozoal infection prevalence was significantly higher in patients with TB+ than in those TB− (61.1% versus 37.1%; P = 0.001). Specifically, Entamoeba spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. followed this pattern with 35.8% versus 19.6% (P = 0.01) and 22.1% versus 8.3% (P = 0.007), respectively. Although higher in TB+ patients, helminthiasis frequency was not significantly different between the two groups (23.2% versus 15.5%; P = 0.2). Helminth species were Schistosomia mansoni (17.9% versus 12.4%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum (3.2% versus 1.0%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.1% versus 2.1%), Wuchereria bancrofti (1.1% versus 0.0%), and Hymenolepis nana (1.1% versus 0.0%). Illiteracy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.0–6.1), smoking (aOR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1–5.3), and handwashing after defecation (aOR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.2–4.7) were associated with parasites. This study reported a high frequency of parasite coinfection in TB patients. These findings suggest the need for adequate health education for behavioral change and systematic diagnosing of parasites in TB patients for better coinfection management.

Background: Dengue and chikungunya are endemic in West Africa, posing significant public health issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of differential and systematic diagnosis of dengue and chikungunya on patient management and on antibiotic use in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted in both countries involving patients with suspected dengue and/or chikungunya viremia. VIDAS^® diagnostic tests (bioMérieux SA, Marcy-l’Étoile, France) were provided to the intervention sites, while the control sites initially followed standard of care before testing at the end of the study. The primary outcome was defined as antibiotic prescription or non-initiation/discontinuation, and the secondary endpoints included hospital resource use, patient satisfaction, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), analyzed through Chi-square and logistic regression using SAS software v9.4. Results: Out of 775 enrolled patients, 767 had corresponding VIDAS^® Dengue and VIDAS^® Chikungunya results, with 570 having recorded antibiotic therapy (initiated, non-initiated or discontinued). Both Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast observed an increase in antibiotic discontinuation (or non-initiation) rates at the intervention sites compared to control sites: increased from 60% to 78% in Burkina Faso and from 36% to 83% in Ivory Coast. Hospitalization rates within seven days following inclusion were also lower in intervention sites than in the control sites: Burkina Faso 41% as compared with 97% and Ivory Coast 24% as compared with 98%. Patient-reported antibiotic use within seven days post-inclusion was also significantly lower in intervention sites. Conclusions: The results showed a reduction in potential antibiotic overuse and hospital admissions (i.e., hospitalization rates within seven days) in both the Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast interventions sites. These findings emphasize the importance of enhanced diagnostic strategies for the improvement of patient outcomes and the fight against antibiotic resistance. This study also highlights the need for implementing systematic and differential diagnosis of dengue and chikungunya in West Africa where febrile infections are endemic. Further studies are warranted to explore the economic benefits of these diagnostic strategies.