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Acute otitis media (AOM) is a viral or bacterial infection of the middle ear most often following nasopharyngitis. It is seen at any age, but particularly common in children. The aim of this work is to describe the main clinical and therapeutic epidemiological aspects of acute otitis media.in the ENT department of Sikasso hospital. This is a prospective and descriptive study carried out in the ENT department of Sikasso hospital over a period of 04 months. Two hundred and ten patients were included in this study. The following variables: Ages, sex, residence, reason for consultation, time to consultation, risk factors, clinical and therapeutic aspects were collected. The study population consisted of patients seen in the service in whom the diagnosis of AOM was retained and who gave their verbal consent/assent. We identified 210 cases of AOM in 04 months out of 1716 consultations, i.e. a prevalence of 12.20%. The average age of the patients was 14 years old, with extremes of 24 days to 75 years old, children under 05 years old accounted for 46.02%. We recorded a female predominance of 51.90%. The majority of patients 82.90% resided in the city Sikasso. I'otalgia was the main reason for consultation with 50.48%, followed by otorrhea 25.24%, hearing loss with or without tinnitus in 17.61%, the presence of foreign bodies 5.71% and traumatic causes 0.96% of cases. The average consultation time was less than one week in 74.29% of cases. Among the predisposing factors, nasopharyngitis and purulent rhinitis were associated with AOM in 64.30% of cases, followed by adenotonsillitis in 23.33%, passive smoking in 4.76% and 1 case (0.47%) of soft palate. The AOM was congestive in 57.14%, suppurative in 42.86 of which 32.38% were perforated. Treatment was with antibioticsin 90.95% of cases. The evolution under treatment was favorable at 07 days in 81.42% of cases. Two cases of paracentesis were made. Acute otitis media affects all ages, particularly common in children under .....

Objective: Malaria is a major public health problem in Niger. It accounts for 28% of all illnesses in the country and 50% of all death records. The objective of our study was to analyze the role played by private pharmacies in the management of uncomplicated malaria. Material and methods: This are a descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, conducted in the form of a survey during the period from May 17 to September 15, 2021 in private pharmacies in Niamey. The study population was composed of incumbent pharmacists, assistant pharmacists, sales agents and customers of private pharmacies. Results: A total of 10 pharmacists, 49 sales assistants and 1000 customers were interviewed. More than 62% of patients did not see a prescriber before coming to the pharmacy. Free access to anti-malarial and knowledge of the disease were the main reasons with 52.09% and 34.56% respectively. Of the sales agents, 76% had attended a training institute. Only 10% of pharmacies have a rapid diagnostic test for malaria and 7 pharmacists or 10% are aware of the existence of national control program. Summary ad conclusion: The pharmacy team had good knowledge of the causative agent of the disease, the signs suggestive of simple malaria. However, the national guidelines for the management of malaria were unknown to pharmacists in private pharmacies.

Background: Today, bacterial resistance is a public health challenge throughout the world, and infections caused by resistant bacteria are associated with increased morbidity, mortality and health care costs. The objective of this descriptive study is to determine the prevalence and distribution of multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical bacteria isolates at the National Hospital of Zinder, Niger Republic in 2021.Methodology: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of in- and out-patients from whose clinical samples’ bacteria were isolated at the bacteriology unit of the laboratory. Bacteria were isolated from the clinical samples following standard aerobic cultures and identified using conventional biochemical test schemes. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed by the agar disk diffusion technique, and categorization of the isolates into sensitive, intermediate or resistant was done according to the recommendations of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology (CA-SFM) 2020 version 1.2. MDR was defined as resistance to at least one antibiotic in three or more categories, while selected MDR bacteria such as ESBL was identified using double disk synergy test, and MRSA by cefoxitin disk diffusion test.Results: Seventy-seven (6.7%) bacterial species were isolated from 1153 clinical samples processed at the bacteriology unit of the hospital laboratory between June and December 2021, of which 65.0% (50/77) were members of the order Enterobacteriales. Escherichia coli represented 40.3% (40/77) of the isolated bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus 13.0% (10/77) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 11.7% (9/77). The overall prevalence of MDR was 44.2% (34/77), including 61.8% (21/34) ESBL-producing Enterobacteriales (ESBL-E), 26.5% (9/34) multi-resistant P. aeruginosa and 11.7% (4/34) MRSA, with 67.6% (23/34) of the MDR isolates from outpatients. Resistance rates of the Enterobacteriales to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, amikacin and imipenem were 62.0%, 52.0%, 38.0% and 8.0% respectively. Resistance rates of P. aeruginosa were 100.0%, 88.9%, 77.8%, 33.3%, 22.2%, and 22.2% respectively to ceftazidime, ticarcillin, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and amikacin. Resistance rates of S. aureus were 100.0%, 50.0%, 40.0%, 10.0%, 0% and 0% to penicillin G, erythromycin, cefoxitin, tetracycline, fusidic acid, and chloramphenicol respectively. ESBL-E were 47.6%, 85.7% and 0% resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin and imipenem, and MRSA resistance rates were 75.0%, 75.0%, 50.0% and 0% to erythromycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol respectively.Conclusion: This study reports high prevalence of MDR bacteria, mainly ESBL-E, with concerning high resistance to carbapenem. Rational use of antibiotics and implementation of surveillance system for MDR bacteria must be implemented in order to limit the emergence and spread of MDR bacteria in Niger Republic. Contexte: Aujourd'hui, la résistance bactérienne est un défi de santé publique dans le monde entier, et les infections causées par des bactéries résistantes sont associées à une augmentation de la morbidité, de la mortalité et des coûts des soins de santé. L'objectif de cette étude descriptive est de déterminer la prévalence et la distribution des isolats cliniques de bactéries multirésistantes (MDR) à l'Hôpital National de Zinder,République du Niger en 2021.Méthodologie: Nous avons mené une étude transversale descriptive des patients hospitalisés et ambulatoires dont les bactéries des échantillons cliniques ont été isolées à l'unité de bactériologie du laboratoire. Les bactéries ont été isolées des échantillons cliniques à la suite de cultures aérobies standard et identifiées à l'aide de schémas de tests biochimiques conventionnels. Les antibiogrammes (AST) ont été réalisés par la technique de diffusion sur disque de gélose, et la catégorisation des isolats en sensibles, intermédiaires ou résistants a été faite selon les recommanda- tions du Comité Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie (CA-SFM) 2020 version 1.2. La MDR a été définie comme la résistance à au moins un antibiotique dans trois catégories ou plus, tandis que certaines bactéries MDR telles que les BLSE ont été identifiées à l'aide d'un test de synergie à double disque et le SARM par le test de diffusion sur disque de céfoxitine.Résultats: Soixante-dix-sept (6,7%) espèces bactériennes ont été isolées à partir de 1153 échantillons cliniques traités à l'unité de bactériologie du laboratoire hospitalier entre juin et décembre 2021, dont 65,0% (50/77) appartenaient à l'ordre des Enterobacteriales. Escherichia coli représentait 40,3% (40/77) des bactéries isolées, Staphylococcus aureus 13,0% (10/77) et Pseudomonas aeruginosa 11,7% (9/77). La prévalence globale des MDR était de 44,2% (34/77), dont 61,8% (21/34) d'Enterobacteriales productrices de BLSE (BLSE-E), 26,5% (9/34) de P. aeruginosa multirésistantes et 11,7% (4/34) SARM, avec 67,6% (23/34) des isolats de MDR provenant de patients externes. Les taux de résistance des Enterobacteriales à la ciprofloxacine, à la gentamicine, à l'amikacine et à l'imipénème étaient respectivement de 62,0%, 52,0%, 38,0% et 8,0%. Les taux de résistance de P. aeruginosa étaient respectivement de 100,0%, 88,9%, 77,8%,33,3%, 22,2% et 22,2% à la ceftazidime, à la ticarcilline, à l'imipénème, à la ciprofloxacine, à la lévofloxacine et à l'amikacine. Les taux de résistance de S. aureus étaient respectivement de 100,0%, 50,0%, 40,0%, 10,0%, 0% et 0% à la pénicilline G, à l'érythromycine, à la céfoxitine, à la tétracycline, à l'acide fusidique et au chloramphénicol. Les BLSE-E étaient de 47,6%, 85,7% et 0% de résistance à l'amikacine, à la ciprofloxacine et à l'imipénème, et les taux de résistance au SARM étaient respectivement de 75,0%, 75,0%, 50,0% et 0% à l'érythromycine, la tétracycline, la gentamicine et le chloramphénicol. Conclusion: Cette étude rapporte une prévalence élevée de bactéries MDR, principalement des BLSE-E, avec une résistance élevée aux carbapénèmes. L'utilisation rationnelle des antibiotiques et la mise en place d'un système de surveillance des bactéries MDR doivent être mises en oeuvre afin de limiter l'émergence et la propagation des bactéries MDR en République du Niger.

Introduction: The impact of maternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on fetal health remains to be precisely characterized.Objectives: Using metabolomic profiling of newborn umbilical cord blood, we aimed to investigate the potential fetal biological consequences of maternal COVID-19 infection.Methods: Cord blood serum samples from 23 mild COVID-19 cases (mother infected/ newborn negative) and 23 gestational age-matched controls were analyzed using nuclear magnetic spectroscopy and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Metabolite set enrichment analysis (MSEA) was used to evaluate altered biochemical pathways due to COVID-19 intrauterine exposure. Logistic regression models were developed using metabolites to predict intrauterine exposure.Results: Significant concentration differences between groups (p-value Conclusion: We present fetal biochemical changes related to intrauterine inflammation, altered energy metabolism in cases of mild maternal COVID-19 infection despite the absence of viral infection. Elucidation of the long-term consequences of these findings is imperative considering the large number of exposures in the population.

Background: Risk assessment is the means of identifying and evaluating potential errors or problems that may occur in testing process. The aim of this study was to perform risk assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) process in clinical microbiology laboratories of Niamey, Niger Republic.Methodology: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from October 1 to December 31, 2019, to evaluate AST performance in seven clinical microbiology laboratories at Niamey, the capital city of Niger republic. The evaluation focused on the determination of the criticality index (CI) of each critical point (frequency of occurrence of anomalies, severity of the process anomaly, and detectability of the anomaly during the process) in the AST process and the performance of the AST through an observation sheet using two reference strains; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213.Results: The criticality index (CI) was greater than 6 for most of the critical points related to material, medium, equipment, method and labour for the AST process in all the laboratories. A range of 18-100% errors on the inhibition zone diameters of the reference strains were observed. Major and/or minor categorization (Sensitive S, Intermediate I and Resistance R) discrepancies were found at all the laboratories for either one or both reference strains. The antibiotics most affected by the S/I/R discrepancies were trimethoprim (100%), vancomycin (100%), amoxicillin (80%) and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (70%).Conclusion: This study showed a deficiency in the control of critical control points that impacts the performance of the AST reported by the laboratories in Niger. Corrective actions are needed to improve the performance of AST in clinical microbiology laboratories in Niger. French title: Evaluation du processus de réalisation de l’antibiogramme dans les laboratoires d’analyses de biologie médicale de la ville de Niamey, Niger Contexte: L'évaluation des risques est le moyen d'identifier et d'évaluer les erreurs ou les problèmes potentiels qui peuvent survenir dans le processus de test. L'objectif de cette étude était de réaliser une évaluation des risques du processus d'antibiogramme (ABG) dans les laboratoires de microbiologie clinique de Niamey, en République du Niger.Méthodologie: Nous avons mené une étude transversale descriptive du 1er octobre au 31 décembre 2019 pour évaluer la performance des ABG dans sept laboratoires de microbiologie clinique à Niamey, capitale de la république du Niger. L'évaluation a porté sur la détermination de l'indice de criticité (IC) de chaque point critique (fréquence d'apparition des anomalies, gravité de l'anomalie du processus et détectabilité de l'anomalie au cours du processus) dans le processus et la performance des AGB à travers une fiche d'observation en utilisant deux souches de référence; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 et Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213.Résultats: L'indice de criticité était supérieur à 6 pour la plupart des points critiques liés au matériel, au milieu, à l'équipement, à la méthode et à la main-d'oeuvre pour le processus AST dans tous les laboratoires. Une fourchette d'erreurs de 18 à 100% sur les diamètres des zones d'inhibition des souches de référence a été observée. Des écarts de catégorisation majeurs et/ou mineurs (Sensible: S, Intermédiaire: I et Résistance: R) ont été constatés dans tous les laboratoires pour l'une ou les deux souches de référence. Les antibiotiques les plus touchés par les écarts S/I/R étaient la triméthoprime (100%), la vancomycine (100%), l'amoxicilline (80%) et l'amoxicilline + acide clavulanique (70%).Conclusion: Cette étude a montré une déficience dans le contrôle des points de contrôle critiques qui a un impact sur la performance de l'antibiogramme rapportée par les laboratoires au Niger. Des actions correctives sont nécessaires pour améliorer la performance des ABG dans les laboratoires de microbiologie clinique au Niger.

International audience; In this paper, we present how complementary characterization techniques, such as electrical measurements with a vector network analyzer (VNA), optical measurements with a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV), and numerical simulations with the finite element method, coupled with spectral domain analysis (FEMSDA), allow us to independently access different properties of a SAW device and fully characterize its operation using the coupling-of-modes theory (COM). A set of chemical SAW sensors coated with parylene C layers of different thicknesses (1, 1.5, and 2 µm) and an uncoated sensor were used as test samples. The sensors represent dual-channel electroacoustic delay lines operating in the vicinity of 77 MHz. The IDTs consist of split aluminum electrodes deposited on a AT-cut quartz substrate. The thickness-dependent influence of the parylene C layer was observed on the operating frequency (SAW velocity), static capacitance, attenuation, crosstalk, and reflection coefficient. COM parameters were reported for the four cases considered; measured and simulated data show good agreement. The presented approach is suitable for the design, characterization, and validation of polymer film-coated SAW sensors.

laboratory request forms (LRF) is a means of communication between the biologist and the clinician. In Niger, to our knowledge, no study focused on the editorial quality of LRF. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the editorial quality and cost of non-compliant LRF in four main hospitals in Niamey and the representation of the CERBA laboratory in Niger.we conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive study over a period of eight months. All LRFs sent to selected laboratories over the study period were included in this study.a total of 5.651 LRFs from 30 different clinical departments were included in this study. The most reported information in the LRFs was: the patient's last name (99.79%), first name (99.65%) and date of prescription (97.45%). On the other hand, the sample date, time, and nature were reported in 0.02%, 0.21%, and 1.68% of the LRFs respectively. Overall, 9.45% of the LRFs complied with the principles of good prescribing. While the bivariate analysis showed that doctors had a tendency to prescribe better than other health workers, multivariate analysis showed that the risk of non-compliance of LRFs was not associated with the prescriber's qualification, the requesting service, and the testing cost.

Whether the human placenta is a sterile organ is under debate. Yet, infection of the amniotic cavity, including the placenta, is causally linked to preterm birth. This study compares the bacterial profiles of term and preterm placentas through culture and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the amnion, amnion-chorion interface, subchorion, villous tree, and basal plate, while accounting for patient identity, mode of delivery, presence/absence of labor, and potential background DNA contamination. As no evidence of a placental microbiota in term pregnancy was found, these placentas were considered as controls. Placentas from preterm birth cases were more likely to yield bacterial cultures, and their bacterial DNA profiles were less rich than those of term controls, suggesting the predominance of only a few bacteria. Nevertheless, the bacterial DNA profiles of placentas from preterm cases and term controls were not consistently different. The placentas from preterm cases may often have a microbiota but the bacteria constituting these communities varied among the women. Mode of delivery had a pronounced effect on the bacterial profiles of all sampled levels of the placenta. Specifically, the bacterial DNA profiles of vaginally delivered placentas had higher relative abundances of Finegoldia, Gardnerella, Peptoniphilus, and Prevotella (each a common resident of the vaginal microbiota) than the profiles of cesarean-delivered placentas. Collectively, these data indicate that there is a not a placental microbiota in normal term pregnancy, and that although the placentas of some preterm cases were populated by bacteria, the identities of these bacteria varied among women delivering preterm.IMPORTANCEIf a placental microbiota exists, then current understanding of the roles of microorganisms in pregnancy outcomes need to be reconsidered. For instance, we will need to determine if a placental microbiota is beneficial to pregnancy outcome by excluding potential pathogens from colonizing the placenta and/or effectively priming the fetal immune system, and furthermore which characteristics of the placental microbiota preclude versus promote placental infection, which can result in pregnancy complications such as preterm birth. Our findings here are consistent with prior investigations that have reported that there is not a placental microbiota in typical human pregnancies. Yet, bacteria can be detected in placentas from preterm deliveries. The principal source of microorganisms invading the amniotic cavity, including the placenta, is the vaginal microbiota. Focus should be on elucidating the metabolic and/or virulence characteristics of the subset of bacteria within the vaginal microbiota that commonly invade the amniotic cavity, resulting in infection.