IntroductionParasite clearance is useful to detect artemisinin resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate parasite clearance in patients treated with artesunate + amodiaquine (AS + AQ) and artemether + lumefantrine (AL): the two artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) recommended in the first-line treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Côte d’Ivoire.MethodsThis study was conducted in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, from April to June 2016. Patients aged at least 6 months with uncomplicated malaria and treated with AS + AQ or AL were hospitalized for 3 days, and follow-up assessments were performed on days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42. Blood smears were collected at the time of screening, pre-dose, and 6-hour intervals following the first dose of administration until two consecutive negative smears were recorded, thereafter at day 3 and follow-up visits. Parasite clearance was determined using the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network’s parasite clearance estimator. The primary end points were parasite clearance rate and time.ResultsA total of 120 patients (57 in the AS + AQ group and 63 in the AL group) were randomized among 298 patients screened. The median parasite clearance time was 30 hours (IQR, 24–36 hours), for each ACT. The median parasite clearance rate had a slope half-life of 2.36 hours (IQR, 1.85–2.88 hours) and 2.23 hours (IQR, 1.74–2.63 hours) for AS + AQ and AL, respectively. The polymerase chain reaction-corrected adequate clinical and parasitological response was 100% and 98.07% at day 42 for AS + AQ and AL, respectively.ConclusionPatients treated with AS + AQ and AL had cleared parasites rapidly. ACTs are still efficacious in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, but continued efficacy monitoring of ACTs is needed.

This study aimed at evaluating some morphological traits in Djallonké sheep reared in four localities (Dioïla, Kolondiéba, Yanfolila and Kita) in the south of Mali. Two hundred and sixty sheep (40 males and 220 females) randomly selected from these localities were used for measuring the following traits: Coat color, presence of horns/wattles, height at withers (HW), and live body weight (LBW). Animals belonged to five age groups ranging from < 1 year to ≥ 4 years, with females being predominant in each group. Nearly all males had horns (94%), whereas these were present only in a small subset of females (6%). For all animals, wattles were less frequent (10%) and the dominant coat color was plain white (45%) and white with particularities (38%). HW and LBW values were not significantly different between rams from Dioïla and Kolondiéba but were higher than those of their counterparts from Kita and Yanfolila. Ewes from Kita, Kolondiéba, and Yanfolila displayed comparable values for both HW and LBW but these were lower than those of their counterparts from Dioïla. These findings might serve as a basis for designing and implementing a genetic project aimed at ensuring the sustainable conservation and valorization of Djallonké sheep in Mali.

Clarias anguillaris is a wild species found in River basins in Mali. It is the species most commonly used in fish farming in community stockings. However, it excites little study on the genetic diversity of this species in the natural environment in Mali. The present study focused on the genetic diversity of Clarias anguillaris from the Bakoye River, a tributary of the Senegal River in Mali. A total of (8) microsatellite markers were applied to 47 samples taken at random from the River. The markers were Cga02, Cga03, Cga06, Cga10, Cba11, Cba19, Cba20 and Cma12. The number of alleles, the number of genotype, genetic diversity, Polymorphism Information content (PIC), observed and expected heterozygosity were determined. The results showed that the number of alleles ranged from 1 to 7, with an average of 4.25 per locus. The mean rate of observed heterozygosity was 0.34 lower than that of expected heterozygosity which was 0.48 indicating nonconformity of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allele frequency ranged from 0.35 at the Cba19 locus to 1 at the Cba11 locus, with a mean of 0.62. Genetic diversity ranged from 0 for Cba11 to 0.75 for Cba19. The markers Cga02, Cga03, Cga06, Cba19, Cba20 and Cma12 were polymorphic with an average peak of 0.42. The phylogenetic tree presented two groups of genotypes showing diversity within the species. Group I comprised 60.42% of individuals and group II presented 39.58% with 3 subgroups (A, B and C). The genetic distance (0.05) indicates little differentiation between individuals.