Background: Lower reproductive tract infections in women are important causes of morbidity but can also lead to complications and sequelae. This study aimed to establish the prevalence and risk factors of lower genital tract infections among women of reproductive age in Dakar (Senegal). Methods: This was a prospective study conducted in 6 maternity hospitals from July to November 2015. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 49 years and presented at health facilities with signs and symptoms of genital infection. Consenting individuals who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. Results: During the reporting period, 276 patients were enrolled. According to the laboratory results, the prevalence of any genital infection was 69.6% (192 of 276). The most common vaginal infections were bacterial vaginosis (39.5%) and vaginal candidiasis (29%), with the third most common cause, trichomoniasis, trailing behind in terms of prevalence (2.5%). Among the microorganisms responsible for cervical infections, Ureaplasma urealyticum was the most frequent (27.5%), followed by Mycoplasma hominis (14.5%), Chlamydia trachomatis (4.7%), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (1.1%). Multivariate analysis showed that young women and women with low levels of education were at increased risk for vaginal/cervical infections. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and vaginal candidiasis and suggests that health care providers should increase awareness and communication to improve vaginal hygiene practices. If infection with Trichomonas vaginalis, C trachomatis or N gonorrhoeae is suspected, we also recommend systematically performing laboratory diagnostic confirmation.

BackgroundEmergence of Multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains constitutes a significant public health problem worldwide. Prevalence of MDR tuberculosis from Chad is unavailable to date.MethodsWe collected samples from consecutive TB patients nationwide in the seven major cities of Chad between 2007 and 2012 to characterize drug resistance and the population structure of circulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains. We tested drug sensitivity using Line Probe Assays and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) were used for second line drugs. We genotyped the isolates using spoligotype analysis and MIRU-VNTR.ResultsA total of 311 cultures were isolated from 593 patients. The MDR prevalence was 0.9% among new patients and 3.5% among retreatment patients, and no second line drug resistance was identified. The distribution of genotypes suggests a dissemination of MDR strains in the Southern city of Moundou, bordering Cameroon and Central African Republic.ConclusionEmerging MDR isolates pose a public health threat to Southern Chad, with risk to neighboring countries. This study informs public health practitioners, justifying the implementation of continuous surveillance with DST for all retreatment cases as well as contacts of MDR patients, in parallel with provision of adequate 2nd line regimens in the region.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-017-2671-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study highlights the limitations of the applicability of the WHO syndromic approach in settings with low prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and calls for affordable and accurate rapid tests for STIs.

IntroductionLe défi des pays en voie de développement est la disponibilité de méthodes de diagnostic rapide et précis pour le management de la tuberculose. Des techniques moléculaires offrent cet avantage et nous avons utilisé le test GeneXpert MTB/RIF dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose extra-pulmonaire pour évaluer sa performance par rapport aux méthodes conventionnelles.MéthodesEntre 2010 et 2015, 544 échantillons cliniques extra-pulmonaires ont été recueillis et traitées par la microscopie, la culture et le GeneXpert. L'étude de la sensibilité aux antituberculeux a été effectué avec le MGIT 960. Le Génotype MTBDRplus a été utilisé pour confirmer les cas de résistance à la rifampicine détectés par le système GX. RésultatsLa population d'étude de 544 patients incluait 55,15% d'hommes et 44,85% de femmes. L'âge des patients variait entre 1 à 92 avec la majorité dans le groupe d'âge 18-45 ans. La sensibilité et la spécificité globale de la microscopie étaient de 43,86% et 98,36%, et pour le GeneXpert® 94,74% et 97,95% respectivement avec 95% IC. Deux résultats de résistance à la rifampicine discordants ont été trouvées entre le test GeneXpert et la méthode phénotypique. Les résultats du test MTBDRplus ont montré une concordance de 100% avec ceux du MGIT 960 pour les cas discordants de résistance à la rifampicine.ConclusionCette étude a montré que le test GeneXpert a une plus grande sensibilité pour le diagnostic de routine de la tuberculose extra-pulmonaire et devrait être utilisé à la place de la microscopie. Les cas de résistance à la rifampicine détectés par le GeneXpert doivent être confirmés par d'autres tests moléculaires avant d'initier un traitement.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) Lineage 3 (L3) strains are abundant in world regions with the highest tuberculosis burden. To investigate the population structure and the global diversity of this major lineage, we analyzed a dataset comprising 2682 L3 strains from 38 countries over 5 continents, by employing 24-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number of tandem repeats genotyping (MIRU-VNTR) and drug susceptibility testing. We further combined whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and phylogeographic analysis for 373 strains representing the global L3 genetic diversity. Ancestral state reconstruction confirmed that the origin of L3 strains is located in Southern Asia and further revealed multiple independent introduction events into North-East and East Africa. This study provides a systematic understanding of the global diversity of L3 strains and reports phylogenetic variations that could inform clinical trials which evaluate the effectivity of new drugs/regimens or vaccine candidates.