ABSTRACT Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is an important cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Its epidemiology has been well described in developed countries. In Nigeria, previous studies on the virus were hospital-based or point prevalence from which the burden of HCV cannot be accurately determined. A population-based prospective study was therefore designed to assess the burden of HCV infection in a semi-urban community in southwestern Nigeria. A cohort of...
ABSTRACT There are about 400 million people with chronic hepatitis b virus (HBV) infection worldwide with a potential of adverse sequelas including hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent data have shown that the level of HBV DNA in serum or plasma of an infected person probably reflects more accurately the replicative activity of the virus and therefore may serve as a better maker for management of the infection. This study was designed to determine the rate of detection of HBV DNA in blood sampl...
ABSTRACT In May 1988, the World Health bmbly resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis g1,obally by the year 2000. hpite the reported sm in national immunization days, acute flaccid psrdysis surveillance and accelerated efforts to meet the deadline including 'moppingup' were executed in 1999 and subsequent years. Nigeria remains one of the major resemirs for wild poliovirus transmission. Neutralbug antibody lilm? to the three poliovirus sem was determined among children from difierent wmmunities in...
ABSTRACT In developing countries as many as 50% of patients for whom a transfusion is indicated are at risk of dying immediately if transfusion is withheld. It is therefore important that blood transfusion is made as safe as possible. This study was designed to assess the safety of blood transfusion in two large blood banks in Ibadan, Nigeria. Aliquots of 250 samples already screened and passed as negative for HIV-1 and -2 were collected from each of the blood banks. Samples were tested for t...
A community-based survey to determine the prevalence of human T-cell Iymphotropic type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II) virus infections in mothers and children in south-western Nigeria was carried out using blood samples collected in 1993. A multistage cluster, random sampling procedure was used to select 460 mother-child pairs (476 children because there were 16 sets of twills) from 14 enumeration areas. A commercially available, whole HTLV-I lysate antigen-based ELISA method was used to s...
ABSTRACT Most commercially available assays for diagnosis of HIV infection have shown shortcomings in the detection and quantification of rare genotypes of the virus. Most of the assays do not detect subtype O (outlier) and/or N (nonmajor, nonoutlier) or new circulating recombinant forms (CRFs), which are becoming more important in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the commonly available tests require costly measuring devices and expensive test kits, which are not easily affordable for develop...
ABSTRACT Background: HIV-2 is comparatively less pathogenic with slow progression of infection to clinical disease and consequently there is less of information on the occurrence of HIV-2 associated disease than HIV-1. We hereby describe some laboratory profiles of individuals presenting with HIV-2 and dual HIV-1/2 related AIDS at the University College hospital in Ibadan over a period of seven years. Methodology: Blood samples from patients presenting with the AIDS defining illness at the U...
ABSTRACT Rubella is a vaccine-preventable, mild rash-inducing viral disease with complications that include a spectrum of birth defects in the developing fetus, especially if the infection is acquired in the early months of pregnancy. Consequently, the primary objective of global rubella control programs is prevention of congenital rubella infection and associated birth defects. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, and the elimination of the rubella virus in many developed...
ABSTRACT In spite of the increasing number of children living with HIV in Nigeria, pubIished data on their clinical profile are few. We describe the clinical profile at presentation of HW-infected children at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, in a prospective study. Among 272 children studied (149 54.8%] males; mean age 4.2 yam [range 2 months to 15 years]), infection was acquired through vertical transmission in 252 (926%). blood transfusion in 5 (1 .SO%),+and undetermined routes In...
ABSTRACT Nigeria remains one of the major reservoirs for wild poliovirus transmission despite the reported success in National Immunization Days and acute flaccid paralysis surveillance. Two hundred children aged ≤ 10 years, were enrolled following parental consent from hard-to-reach riverine areas of Delta state of Nigeria to assess the level of protective immunity to poliovirus. Neutralizing antibodies to the three poliovirus serotypes in the serum samples of the children were determined...