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(1) Background: Terrestrial mammals in protected areas have been identified as a potential source of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Studies on antimicrobial resistance in gorillas have already been conducted. Thus, this study aimed to describe the phylogroups, pathotypes and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from western lowland gorilla's faeces living in MDNP. (2) Materials and Methods: Ninety-six faecal samples were collected from western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) during daily monitoring in the MDNP. Sixty-four E. coli isolates were obtained and screened for phylogenetic and pathotype group genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after DNA extraction. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion method on Mueller Hinton agar. (3) Results: Sixty-four (64%) isolates of E. coli were obtained from samples. A high level of resistance to the beta-lactam family, a moderate rate for fluoroquinolone and a low rate for aminoglycoside was obtained. All E. coli isolates were positive in phylogroup PCR with a predominance of A (69% ± 11.36%), followed by B2 (20% ± 19.89%) and B1 (10% ± 8.90%) and low prevalence for D (1% ± 3.04%). In addition, twenty E. coli isolates (31%) were positive for pathotype PCR, such as EPEC (85% ± 10.82%) and EPEC/EHEC (15% ± 5.18%) that were obtained in this study. The majority of these MDR E. coli (DECs) belonged to phylogenetic group A, followed by MDR E. coli (DECs) belonging to group B2. (4) Conclusion: This study is the first description of MDR E. coli (DECs) assigned to phylogroup A in western lowland gorillas from the MDNP in Gabon. Thus, wild gorillas in MDNP could be considered as asymptomatic carriers of potential pathogenic MDR E. coli (DECs) that may present a potential risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Rodents are carriers or reservoirs of various bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and ectoparasites. Given the proximity of various rodent species and humans, there is a potential for the transmission of pathogens. Data on ecto- and endo-parasite prevalence in rodent populations in Gabon are limited. To fill this gap, we conducted a study in Libreville to investigate the occurrence of ecto- and endo-parasites in rodents. Materials and Methods: We captured and euthanized 68 rodents belonging to the genus Praomys and examined their ecto- and endo-parasite fauna, dissected their gastrointestinal tract for helminths, and prepared blood smears to examine blood-borne pathogens. Results: Our analyses identified three pathogen taxa: helminths (Protospirura spp., Trichuris spp., and Taenia spp.), protozoa (Babesia spp.), bacteria (Anaplasma spp.), and arthropods (Laelaps and Haemaphysalis). Overall, 91.2% of the rodents were infected with at least one pathogen and ectoparasite, with helminth occurrence rate of 63.2% and ectoparasite occurrence at 44.1%. Protozoan infections (Babesia spp.) were found in 10.3% of the rodents, whereas bacteria (Anaplasma spp.) had an occurrence rate of 39.7%. Conclusion: Native rodents in Libreville harbor various infectious agents, ecto- and endo-parasites. These findings highlight the potential health risks associated with Praomys rodents for the transmission of various diseases to human population in Gabon and emphasize the need for investigation of rodents for their role as disease carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Cryptosporidium spp. members of the phylum Apicomplexa are obligate protozoan parasites capable of infecting various vertebrate hosts, including rodents and chickens. Infection caused by these parasites may lead to zoonotic diseases in humans. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in rodents and domestic chickens sampled in Franceville, Gabon. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and eighty-five samples were collected, of which 185 samples were from rodents and 100 from domestic chickens. Microscopy after modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining and nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene were used to examine Cryptosporidium spp. Results: The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts was 55.8%, with a prevalence of 72.4% in rodents and 25.0% in domestic chickens. Molecular analysis showed that Cryptosporidium spp. were present in 4.0% of the samples. No significant correlation was observed between Cryptosporidium spp. carriage and sex or location in this study. These results indicate that Cryptosporidium spp. persist and circulate in the studied animal species in Franceville, Gabon. Conclusion: Infection with Cryptosporidium is very common in rodents and chickens in Franceville. The potential risk of human contamination cannot be ruled out. More research should be conducted to characterize Cryptosporidium species circulating in rodents and chickens in Gabon. Such studies are essential to better understand the epidemiology of this protozoan and its potential impact on public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease with a mortality rate reaching up to 40% in humans. Currently, CCHF affects three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa. An increase in confirmed cases in Africa has been observed since 2000. In Central Africa, several countries have reported the circulation of CCHV virus (CCHFV). However, in Gabon, there is a lack of recent data on the circulation of the virus in the Gabonese population. To provide an overview of the epidemiological situation in Gabon, we tested 3,081 human serum samples collected between 2005 and 2008 in villages throughout the country for anti-CCHFV antibodies. Using a double-antigen ELISA kit, our study found 15/3,081 samples positive for CCHFV. These positive samples were also tested using the Blackbox CCHFV IgG kit and the Luminex technique. These analyses confirmed seven and four positives for the Blackbox CCHFV IgG kit and the Luminex technique, respectively. This study suggests low circulation of CCHFV in the rural human population of Gabon. Competent authorities must survey CCHFV to identify and prevent clinical cases in the human population.

The COVID-19 disease presents a large range of clinical manifestations and includes asymptomatic, mild, and severe cases. The level of severity is related to parameters associated with immunity, genetics, and biochemistry. Africa shows one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates but very few data on the biochemical markers of COVID-19 in patients and the factors associated with disease severity are available for the continent. In Gabon, the COVID-19 fatality rate is only 0.63% but almost no data on biomarkers in COVID-19 patients have been published. Both the number of COVID-19 cases and the mortality rate reported in Africa in general, and in Gabon in particular, are lower than in non-African countries. As such, understanding the factors associated with disease severity in Gabonese patients is a crucial step to better understand the disease in the African context and prepare for future COVID-19 waves and other epidemics of emerging diseases. Here, we compared biochemical and hematological markers among 753 Gabonese COVID-19 patients with asymptomatic (184/753), mild/moderate (420/753), and severe/critical (149/753) forms of the disease using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) or a Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test. We modeled these parameters together with comorbidities, age, and sex to predict factors associated with disease severity by using a "binomial generalized linear model" utilizing the "package" stats of R software version 4.0.2. Our results showed that almost all the biochemical and hematological parameters (except creatinine, phosphorus, D-dimers, platelets, and monocytes) varied according to disease severity. However, age and the dysfunction of organs like the kidney, liver, and lung together with the decrease of electrolytes (chloride, potassium, and sodium) are the best predictors of disease severity in Gabonese patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 N’dilimabaka, Mounguegui, Lekana-Douki, Yattara, Obame-Nkoghe, Longo-Pendy, Koumba, Mve-Ella, Moukouama, Dzembo, Bolo, Biyie-Bi-Ngoghe, Mangouka, Nzenze and Lekana-Douki.)

Anopheles coluzzii is one of the primary vectors of human malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, it has spread into the main cities of Central Africa threatening vector control programs. The adaptation of An. coluzzii to urban environments partly results from an increased tolerance to organic pollution and insecticides. Some of the molecular mechanisms for ecological adaptation are known, but the role of transposable elements (TEs) in the adaptive processes of this species has not been studied yet. As a first step toward assessing the role of TEs in rapid urban adaptation, we sequenced using long reads six An. coluzzii genomes from natural breeding sites in two major Central Africa cities. We de novo annotated TEs in these genomes and in an additional high-quality An. coluzzii genome, and we identified 64 new TE families. TEs were nonrandomly distributed throughout the genome with significant differences in the number of insertions of several superfamilies across the studied genomes. We identified seven putatively active families with insertions near genes with functions related to vectorial capacity, and several TEs that may provide promoter and transcription factor binding sites to insecticide resistance and immune-related genes. Overall, the analysis of multiple high-quality genomes allowed us to generate the most comprehensive TE annotation in this species to date and identify several TE insertions that could potentially impact both genome architecture and the regulation of functionally relevant genes. These results provide a basis for future studies of the impact of TEs on the biology of An. coluzzii ., (© 2022 Vargas-Chavez et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)