| Alseny M’Mah Soumah, Mariame Camara, Justin Windingoudi Kaboré, Ibrahim Sadissou, Hamidou Ilboudo, Christelle Travaillé, Oumou Camara, Magali Tichit, Jacques Kaboré, Salimatou Boiro, Aline Crouzols, Jean Marc Tsagmo Ngoune, David Hardy, Aïssata Camara, Vincent Jamonneau, Annette Macleod, Jean Mathieu Bart, Mamadou Camara, Bruno Bucheton, Brice Rotureau Prevalence of dermal trypanosomes in suspected and confirmed cases of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in Guinea Journal Article In: PLoS neglected tropical diseases, vol. 18, iss. 8, 2024, ISSN: 1935-2735. @article{Soumah2024,
title = {Prevalence of dermal trypanosomes in suspected and confirmed cases of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in Guinea},
author = {Alseny M’Mah Soumah and Mariame Camara and Justin Windingoudi Kabor\'{e} and Ibrahim Sadissou and Hamidou Ilboudo and Christelle Travaill\'{e} and Oumou Camara and Magali Tichit and Jacques Kabor\'{e} and Salimatou Boiro and Aline Crouzols and Jean Marc Tsagmo Ngoune and David Hardy and A\"{i}ssata Camara and Vincent Jamonneau and Annette Macleod and Jean Mathieu Bart and Mamadou Camara and Bruno Bucheton and Brice Rotureau},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39159265/},
doi = {10.1371/JOURNAL.PNTD.0012436},
issn = {1935-2735},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases},
volume = {18},
issue = {8},
publisher = {PLoS Negl Trop Dis},
abstract = {The skin is an anatomical reservoir for African trypanosomes, yet the prevalence of extravascular parasite carriage in the population at risk of gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (gHAT) remains unclear. Here, we conducted a prospective observational cohort study in the HAT foci of Forecariah and Boffa, Republic of Guinea. Of the 18,916 subjects serologically screened for gHAT, 96 were enrolled into our study. At enrolment and follow-up visits, participants underwent a dermatological examination and had blood samples and superficial skin snip biopsies taken for examination by molecular and immuno-histological methods. In seropositive individuals, dermatological symptoms were significantly more frequent as compared to seronegative controls. Trypanosoma brucei DNA was detected in the blood of 67% of confirmed cases (22/33) and 9% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (3/32). However, parasites were detected in the extravascular dermis of up to 71% of confirmed cases (25/35) and 41% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (13/32) by PCR and/or immuno-histochemistry. Six to twelve months after treatment, trypanosome detection in the skin dropped to 17% of confirmed cases (5/30), whereas up to 25% of unconfirmed, hence untreated, seropositive individuals (4/16) were still found positive. Dermal trypanosomes were observed in subjects from both transmission foci, however, the occurrence of pruritus and the PCR positivity rates were significantly higher in unconfirmed seropositive individuals in Forecariah. The lower sensitivity of superficial skin snip biopsies appeared critical for detecting trypanosomes in the basal dermis. These results are discussed in the context of the planned elimination of gHAT.},
keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, African* / diagnosis, African* / epidemiology, African* / parasitology, Alseny M'mah Soumah, Brice Rotureau, Child, DNA, doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0012436, Female, Guinea / epidemiology, Humans, Male, Mariame Camara, MEDLINE, Middle Aged, National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, NCBI, NIH, NLM, Observational Study, PMC11361743, pmid:39159265, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Protozoan / genetics, PubMed Abstract, Skin* / parasitology, Skin* / pathology, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense* / isolation \& purification, Trypanosomiasis, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The skin is an anatomical reservoir for African trypanosomes, yet the prevalence of extravascular parasite carriage in the population at risk of gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (gHAT) remains unclear. Here, we conducted a prospective observational cohort study in the HAT foci of Forecariah and Boffa, Republic of Guinea. Of the 18,916 subjects serologically screened for gHAT, 96 were enrolled into our study. At enrolment and follow-up visits, participants underwent a dermatological examination and had blood samples and superficial skin snip biopsies taken for examination by molecular and immuno-histological methods. In seropositive individuals, dermatological symptoms were significantly more frequent as compared to seronegative controls. Trypanosoma brucei DNA was detected in the blood of 67% of confirmed cases (22/33) and 9% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (3/32). However, parasites were detected in the extravascular dermis of up to 71% of confirmed cases (25/35) and 41% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (13/32) by PCR and/or immuno-histochemistry. Six to twelve months after treatment, trypanosome detection in the skin dropped to 17% of confirmed cases (5/30), whereas up to 25% of unconfirmed, hence untreated, seropositive individuals (4/16) were still found positive. Dermal trypanosomes were observed in subjects from both transmission foci, however, the occurrence of pruritus and the PCR positivity rates were significantly higher in unconfirmed seropositive individuals in Forecariah. The lower sensitivity of superficial skin snip biopsies appeared critical for detecting trypanosomes in the basal dermis. These results are discussed in the context of the planned elimination of gHAT. |
