Regional variations exist in HPV prevalence worldwide despite reports of high prevalence rates among African women. Limited data on genital HPV prevalence necessitated this study with the aim of ...determining the prevalence of genital HPV and associated risk factors among women in Lagos, Nigeria. Exfoliated cervical cells were collected with consent from 165 women using a cervical brush. Viral DNA was extracted and amplified by nested PCR using two sets of consensus primers (MY09/11 and GP5+/6+). An unconditional logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of HPV positivity. The HPV prevalence was 81.82% in all women and 87.59% in women with normal cytology. The risk of HPV infection was significantly increased among women who had a history of STI (odds ratio (OR) 3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.51-10.25, 'p' = 0.005) while there was a significantly reduced risk of HPV infection among those who used condoms (odds ratio (OR) 3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18-0.91, 'p' = 0.03). The HPV prevalence observed shows an increased transmission of the virus in Lagos, Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need for intense public awareness and the implementation of early detection tests, treatment, and vaccination to prevent an increase in cervical cancer cases in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is the hallmark of HBV infection. Detection of antibodies to HBs and the core (ie, HBsAg and HBcAb) are primary serological algorithms in the laboratory ...diagnosis of HBV. Detection of HBsAg DNA is an important supplement to serological diagnosis especially in clinical cases. Simultaneous amplification of internal cellular controls is a good indicator of sample quality. Human beta-globin is a well characterized housekeeping gene (HKG) that is often applied as internal controls (IC) in molecular diagnosis. In this study, individual plasmid clones of the human beta-globin and HBs genes were constructed. These plasmid constructs have been applied to characterize a multiplex PCR assays for HBs and beta-globin genes. The findings suggest detection limits of less than 10 genome copies of either template In vitro using conventional and multiplex PCR conditions. Under the multiplex conditions, co-amplification of beta-globin and HBsAg DNA had a resultant effect on assay sensitivity. This study further highlights the importance of molecular diagnosis in HBV infectious individuals. If fully optimized, this assay could provide a possible diagnostic complement to serological detection in developing countries.
The Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is the hallmark of HBV infection. Detection of antibodies to HBs and the core (ie, HBsAg and HBcAb) are primary serological algorithms in the laboratory ...diagnosis of HBV. Detection of HBsAg DNA is an important supplement to serological diagnosis especially in clinical cases. Simultaneous amplification of internal cellular controls is a good indicator of sample quality. Human β‐globin is a well characterized housekeeping gene (HKG) that is often applied as internal controls (IC) in molecular diagnosis. In this study, individual plasmid clones of the human β‐globin and HBs genes were constructed. These plasmid constructs have been applied to characterize a multiplex PCR assays for HBs and β‐globin genes. The findings suggest detection limits of less than 10 genome copies of either template In vitro using conventional and multiplex PCR conditions. Under the multiplex conditions, co‐amplification of β‐globin and HBsAg DNA had a resultant effect on assay sensitivity. This study further highlights the importance of molecular diagnosis in HBV infectious individuals. If fully optimized, this assay could provide a possible diagnostic complement to serological detection in developing countries.
Introduction: COVID-19 is a novel infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This study was a descriptive analysis the epidemiology of COVID-19 during the first ...and second waves in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria. Methods: This study investigated COVID-19 cases and deaths in Kwara State between 2nd April 2020 when Kwara State recorded her index case till the 15th of September 2020 (first wave), and between 16th September 2020 till 15th March 2021 (second wave). Case definitions of COVID-19 as obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was used. Data were extracted from the case notes of patients and the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management System, and on-site activities engaged in by the field investigation team were duly captured. Results: Overall, 3015 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Kwara State as of 15th March 2021. The median age was 38 years and ranged between 24 days to 97 years. Also, 1056 (35%) were aged 25 – 39 years, 1695 (56.2%) were males. The case fatality rate was less than 2%. A total of 1064 (35.3%) symptomatic COVID-19 cases had been identified as of the reference date, among whom 696 (65.4%) were mild, 308 (28.9%) were moderate, and 60 (5.6%) were severe/critical cases. Conclusion: COVID-19 remains a public health problem. A scale-up of COVID-19 surveillance activities should be conducted by the Ministry of Health through active case search and regular refresher training for volunteers. In addition, active community engagement should be prioritized by stakeholders in the national COVID-19 outbreak response.
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