Background: Candida tropicalis is a human pathogenic yeast frequently isolated in Latin America and Asian-Pacific regions, although recent studies showed that it is also becoming increasingly widespread throughout several African and south-European countries. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about its global patterns of genetic variation as most of existing multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data come from Asia and there are no genotyped African isolates. Objectives:We report detailed genotyping data from a large set of C. tropicalis isolates recovered from different clinical sources in Italy, Egypt and Cameroon in order to expand the allele/genotype library of MLST database (https://pubml st.org/ctrop icalis), and to explore the genetic diversity in this species.Methods: A total of 103 C. tropicalis isolates were genotyped using the MLST scheme developed for this species. All isolates were also tested for in vitro susceptibility to various antifungals to assess whether certain genotypes were associated with drug-resistance.

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) transformed HIV infection to a chronic disease, and the complexity of the physiological disorders generated leads to the disruption of body fat distribution and insulin resistance. The resulting metabolic syndrome has rarely been investigated among people living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon. The aim of the current work was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS under HAART at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital in Cameroon. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to collect demographic, clinical and therapeutic data from 371 people living with HIV/AIDS and who are under HAART at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital from November 2017 to February 2019. Abbott Real-time HIV-1 system, FACSCOUNT cytometer and FULLYSMART automates were used to determine HIV RNA level, CD4 cell count and biochemical parameters respectively. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 37.74% by IDF and 28.84% by ATPIII. Among patients with metabolic syndrome, HDL-hypocholesterolemia was the most prevalent feature (92.14%). We found that aging (OR, 1.05; p, 0.005), HIV RNA level (OR, 3.42; p, 0.001), family history of metabolic and coronary heart disease (OR, 2.24; P, 0.04), alcohol consumption (OR, 4; P, 0.004) and nutritional supplements (OR, 3.5; P<0.001) were the independent predictors of metabolic syndrome. Male sex (OR, 0.22; p,<0.001), use of traditional medicines (OR, 0.28; P<0.001), Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis (OR, 0.45; p, 0.007) and Lamivudine-Tenofovir-Efavirenz antiretroviral regimen (OR, 0.26; p<0.001) were protective factors. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is on the increase among people living with HIV/AIDS in our study population. Both HIV related factors and traditional risk factors were associated with metabolic syndrome.

No study in Cameroon has been undertaken to check for the presence of the cryptic species belonging to the Candida glabrata complex, which have varying antifungal susceptibility profiles. In this regard, we analyzed a collection of 54 clinical isolates of C. glabrata sensu lato obtained from 1551 samples of 490 participants. These participants included 80 diabetic patients, 323 HIV-infected subjects, 73 pregnant women and 14 of some other patients who had none of the aforementioned conditions. Our study aimed at identifying Candida glabrata cryptic species among clinical isolates of Candida glabrata sensu lato from the West region of Cameroon and to evaluate their susceptibility pattern to some antifungals. Conventional tests such as culture on CHROMagar™ Candida, germ tube formation and chlamydospore formation tests were used for the 1 st line identification of our isolates, while the matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation -time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) was used for second line identification and confirmation of identifications. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs)

Background: Studies on the assessment of the virulence factors of C. glabrata sensu stricto strains are on the rise. This is partly due to the increase in recurrent C. glabrata infections that have contributed to increased mortality rates. Published data on the virulence characteristics of C. glabrata strains in Cameroon are very rare. Aims: This study aimed at assessing some virulence characteristics, including the capacity to form biofilms and hydrolytic enzymes (protease, esterase and phospholipase). Methods: Fifty-four (54) molecularly (MALDI-TOF) identified non-duplicate C. glabrata sensu stricto clinical isolates initially collected in a previous study, were used in the present study. These isolates were obtained from stool (S), urine (U), oro-pharyngeal (OPS) and cervico-vaginal (CVS) swabs of pregnant women, diabetic patients (both types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus), HIV/AIDS and other patients who had neither of these diseases. Phospholipase, protease, esterase and biofilm activities were assessed using previously described methods. Results: Our results revealed that our isolates were more able to produce phospholipase (37.04%) than they were able to produce protease (1.85%) and esterase (0%). The high producers of phospholipase (Pz < 0.7) originated mostly from oro-pharyngeal swabs (41.17%) of some diabetic patients and pregnant women. Also, all our isolates were formers of biofilm, most (74.42%) of which had lower (< 100%) biofilm formation activity compared to our reference strain. To be able to give a significant conclusion about the virulence characteristics of C. glabrata strains in the west region, we recommend that more studies be carried on a larger number of strains.