The aim of this study was to identify and characterize thermophilic Campylobacter species in faecal samples from goats in Khartoum State, Sudan, by application of multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic disease of global concern, and the organisms can be transmitted to human via food, water and through contact with farm animals and pets. There are five clinically related Campylobacter species: Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni). Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari, Campylobacter upsaliensis and Campylobacter fetus. Conventional cultural methods to diagnose campylobacteriosis are tedious and time consuming. Wide ranges of genes have been reported to be used for PCR-based identification of Campylobacter spp. We used a multiplex PCR assay to simultaneously detect genes from the major five clinically significant Campylobacter spp. The genes selected were hipO (hippuricase) and 23S rRNA from glyA (serine hydroxymethyl transferase) from each of C. jejuni. C. coli, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis; and sapB2 (surface layer protein) from C. fetus subsp. fetus. The assay was used to identify Campylobacter isolates recovered from 336 cultured faecal samples from goats in three localities in Khartoum State. C. coli was the most predominant isolate (234; 69.6%), followed by C. jejuni (19; 5.7%), C. upsaliensis (13; 3.9%), C. fetus subsp. fetus (7; 2.1%) and C. lari (6; 1.8%). Twenty-nine goats showed mixed infection with Campylobacter spp., 21 of which harbored two Campylobacter spp., while eight animals were infected with three species. Ten out of twelve goats that displayed diarrhea harbored C. coli only. C. coli, C. jejuni and C. upsaliensis showed significant variation with localities. The prevalence of C. coli was significantly higher (87; 25.9%) in goats from Omdurman, whereas C. jejuni and C. upsaliensis were significantly higher (11; 3.3%, 9; 2.7%) in goats from Khartoum. The multiplex PCR assay was found to be rapid and easy to perform and had a high sensitivity and specificity for characterizing the isolates, even in mixed cultures. The study demonstrated the significance of goats as reservoirs in the dissemination of Campylobacter spp. which could be considered as potential agent of caprine enteritis and abortion as well as contamination of the wider environment posing serious public health concern in Khartoum State.

This study was carried out to detect occult hepatitis B virus (OHB) among haemodylsis patient inKhartoum State, Sudan. Antigen capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), competitive ELISA to detect Hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) antibodies and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were used to analyze 100 plasma samples collected from patients in 3 hospitals (El Amel Hospital, Bashair Hospital and Salma Hospital) during the period of 2012 to 2014. Out of the patient sampled, 65 were males and 35 were females (age 18 to 70 years) none of these patients showed signs of clinical hepatitis. The results showed that 9 out of the 100 samples were positive for HBsAg, and were subsequently excluded from the study. Out of the remaining HBsAg negative 91 samples, 38(51.6%) showed positive HBc antibodies and 3 (3.3%) tested positive to HBV DNA using competitive ELISA and PCR, respectively. These results indicated that molecular detection of occult HBV infections in haemodialysis patients in Sudan is of fundamental importance to prevent HBV transmission through contamination of heamodialysis machines.

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Background: The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) was first discovered by Rizzetto in 1977 in a patient with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In 1980, it was shown that HDV was an infectious agent responsible for exacerbation of liver disease in patients with hepatitis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the seroreactivity of, and to molecularly detect, HDV among hemodialysis patients and blood donors in Khartoum state, Sudan, during the period January 2012 to July 2013. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and seventy-six plasma samples were collected from hepatitis B surface antigen-positive (HBsAg) patients in Khartoum state. Of these patients, 98 (64 males and 34 females) were hemodialysis patients, and 178 (178 males) were from blood donors. The sera were screened for HBsAg to confirm positivity for HBV, HDV IgG and IgM antibodies using commercial ELISA and HDV RNA using semi-nested RT-PCR. Results:The results showed that 16.0% (16/100) had antibodies against HDV IgG, while only 13.0% (13/100) had HDV IgM antibodies among hemodialysis patients, while 4.5% (8/178) had antibodies against IgG, and 2.8% (5/178) had IgM antibodies among blood donors. HDV RNA was detected in 13.2% (13/98) of hemodialysis patients; of these 12.2% (7) were male, and 17.6% (6) were female. Conclusions:The high prevalence of HDV in Khartoum State was documented through detection of HDV-specific antibodies and viral RNA. Further studies using various diagnostic methods should be considered to determine the incidence and the common genotype of HDV disease at the country level.