BackgroundThe epidemiology of malaria in the Senegal River Gorgol valley, southern Mauritania, requires particular attention in the face of ongoing and predicted environmental and climate changes. While “malaria cases” are reported in health facilities throughout the year, past and current climatic and ecological conditions do not favour transmission in the dry season (lack of rainfall and very high temperatures). Moreover, entomological investigations in neighbouring regions point to an absence of malaria transmission in mosquito vectors in the dry season. Because the clinical signs of malaria are non-specific and overlap with those of other diseases (e.g. acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea), new research is needed to better understand malaria transmission patterns in this region to improve adaptive, preventive and curative measures.MethodsWe conducted a multipurpose cross-sectional survey in the city of Kaédi in April 2011 (dry season), assessing three major disease patterns, including malaria. Plasmodium spp. parasite rates were tested among children aged 6–59 months who were recruited from a random selection of households using a rapid diagnostic test and microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films. Acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea were the two other diseases investigated, administering a parental questionnaire to determine the reported prevalence among participating children.FindingsNo Plasmodium infection was found in any of the 371 surveyed preschool-aged children using two different diagnostic methods. Acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea were reported in 43.4% and 35.0% of the participants, respectively. About two thirds of the children with acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea required medical follow-up by a health worker.ConclusionsMalaria was absent in the present dry season survey in the capital of the Gorgol valley of Mauritania, while acute respiratory infections and diarrhea were highly prevalent. Surveys should be repeated towards the end of rainy season, which will enhance our understanding of the potential changes in malaria transmission in a region known as ‘hot spot’ of predicted climate change.

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A lesional study on human hydatidosis (localization, fertility of cysts, protoscolex viability, and histological structure) focused on 63 human hydatid cysts from patients operated at CHN of Nouakchott was conducted during the period 1997-2007. The authors report the following results: the annual surgical incidence rate was in the order of 1.2% per 100,000 inhabitants. The lung was the primary localization of cyst (52%) followed by the liver (33%), spleen (4%), brain (3%), heart (2%), breasts (2%), kidney (2%), diaphragm (1%), and peritoneum (1%). The pulmonary cysts were larger and more fertile (76%) with protoscoleces also more viable (70%) compared with liver cysts (67-62%). The histology of hydatid cysts revealed in most cases a histological structure consistent with that described in the literature: thick cuticle, membrane proligeous, and capsules visible.

Cette étude a concerné la prévalence de l’échinococcose au nord de la Mauritanie. Le taux de prévalence de 37 p. 100, relevé chez les dromadaires originaires de la région de Zoairate, a été significativement plus élevé (p < 0,002) que celui de 26 p. 100 obtenu chez les dromadaires de Nouadhibou. En revanche, dans ces mêmes régions, il n’y a pas eu de différences significatives (p < 0,4) entre les taux de prévalence chez les petits ruminants, avec respectivement 5,6 et 4,2 p. 100 chez les ovins, et 3,9 et 7,2 p. 100 chez les caprins. Le taux de fertilité des kystes hydatides a été dans les deux régions respectivement de 69 et 73 p. 100 chez les dromadaires, 41,2 et 42 p. 100 chez les ovins, et 35,7 et 34 p. 100 chez les caprins. Il a été significativement plus élevé (p < 0,0001) chez les dromadaires que chez les petits ruminants. L’infestation hydatique a globalement été caractérisée par la prédominance des localisations pulmonaires chez les dromadaires et hépatiques chez les petits ruminants. Contrairement aux petits ruminants, l’histologie des kystes hydatiques camelins a montré une structure nette avec une cuticule et une membrane proligère bien développées. Les différences entre les taux de prévalence, de fertilité des kystes hydatiques, la diversité des sites de l’infestation, et la structure histologique observée chez les dromadaires, les ovins et les caprins étaient probablement dues à la diversité des génotypes d’Echinococcus granulosus.

The aim of the work was to evaluate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii oocyst shedding on a sample of 100 cats in five districts of Nouakchott, Mauritania. The faecal flotation method revealed that 23% ± 0.08 of cats which underwent the test excreted oocysts and the prevalence was influenced by age and sex. Excretion rates were significantly higher in neighborhoods of Basra (27.8 ± 0.2), Elmina (25 ± 0.13) and Netegue (20 ± 0.35). The average parasite number was less than 5 oocysts/5 g faeces. Hence, the results suggest that cats have an important role in the transmission of the zoonosis in Nouakchott.