Food insecurity (FI) is a critical socioeconomic and public health problem globally, particularly affecting children\'s nutritional status and development. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of nutritional inadequacy among children and adolescents in the Cantagalo district of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP), in Central Africa. It also assessed their households\' FI situation and examined sociodemographic, anthropometric, and nutritional characteristics associated with severe FI. Data included 546 children/adolescents (51.8% males, aged 9-15 years) from the eight public basic education schools. A structured questionnaire provided sociodemographic data, while anthropometric measurements assessed nutritional status. Dietary intake data were gathered using a single 24 h dietary recall, and the adjusted prevalences of nutritional inadequacy were obtained using version 2.0 of the PC-Software for Intake Distribution Estimation (PC-SIDE®). The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used to assess FI, and households were classified as severely or non-severely food insecure. Multivariable binary logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders identified factors related to FI. Children\'s/adolescents\' thinness was exhibited in 34.1% of participants, and over 95% had inadequate intake of essential micronutrients, including iron. Notably, 73.7% were severely food insecure. A higher severity of FI was positively associated with a lower intake of iron and certain household head characteristics, such as being female or older, and negatively associated with having a home garden.

Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894), a mosquito originating in Asia, has been introduced to Africa since the 2000s. The mosquito is not only a nuisance but is capable of transmitting various arboviruses. The current study summarized our entomological surveys in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe during 2000 to 2016. Adult mosquitoes were collected by sweep nets, human landing catches, and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, and the immatures were collected from water-filled habitats at 15 sentinel sites and reared to adulthood. Species identification was performed based on morphologic characteristics. Fragments of the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) genes were amplified for mosquitoes collected in Principe. New records of four mosquito species were reported. Aedes albopictus was identified in 2015. The larvae were found distributed over the nation and were predominately in artificial water-holding containers (488/2698, 18.1%). The highest positive rate was observed in used tires in Príncipe (114/250, 45.6%). Mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed low genetic diversity among the invasive populations, but all tested specimens were superinfected by Wolbachia. The ability of Ae. albopictus to adapt to new environments and its involvement in disease transmission make the surveillance and control of this species particularly important.

BACKGROUND: Ebola (EBOV) and Sudan (SUDV) orthoebolaviruses are responsible for lethal haemorrhagic fever outbreaks in humans in Central and West Africa, and in apes that can be at the source of human outbreaks for EBOV.
METHODS: To assess the risk of exposure to orthoebolaviruses through contact with non-human primates (NHP), we tested the presence of antibodies against different viral proteins with a microsphere-based multiplex immunoassay in a case-control study on bites from NHPs in forest areas from Cameroon (n=795), and in cross-sectional surveys from other rural populations (n=622) of the same country.
RESULTS: Seroreactivities against at least two viral proteins were detected in 13% and 12% of the samples for EBOV and SUDV, respectively. Probability of seroreactivity was not associated with history of NHP bites, but was three times higher in Pygmies compared to Bantus. Although no neutralizing antibodies to EBOV and SUDV were detected in a selected series of highly reactive samples, avidity results indicate strong affinity to SUDV antigens.
CONCLUSIONS: The detection of high level of seroreactivities against orthoebolaviruses in rural Cameroon where no outbreaks have been reported, raises the possibilities of silent circulation of orthoebolavirus, or of other not yet documented filoviruses, in these forested regions.

After Amazonia, the Congo Basin represents the second-largest tropical rainforest area in the world. This basin harbours remarkable biodiversity, yet much of its microbiological diversity within its waters, soils, and populations remains largely unexplored and undiscovered. While many initiatives to characterize global biodiversity are being undertaken, few are conducted in Africa and none of them concern the Congo Basin specifically in urban areas. In this context, we assessed the microbial diversity present in gutter water in the city of Pointe-Noire, Congo. This town has interesting characteristics as the population density is high and it is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the forest of Mayombe in Central Africa. The findings illuminate the microbial composition of surface water in Pointe-Noire. The dataset allows the identification of putative new bacteria through the assembly of 81 meta-genome-assembled genomes. It also serves as a valuable primary resource for assessing the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes, offering a useful tool for monitoring risks by public health authorities.

Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is one of the deadliest and most common tropical infectious diseases. However, the emergence of artemisinin drug resistance associated with the parasite\'s Pfk13 gene, threatens the public health of individual countries as well as current efforts to reduce malaria burdens globally. It is of concern that artemisinin-resistant parasites may be selected or have already emerged in Africa. This narrative review aims to evaluate the published evidence concerning validated, candidate, and novel Pfk13 polymorphisms in ten Central African countries. Results show that four validated non-synonymous polymorphisms (M476I, R539T, P553L, and P574L), directly associated with a delayed therapy response, have been reported in the region. Also, two Pfk13 polymorphisms associated to artemisinin resistance but not validated (C469F and P527H) have been reported. Furthermore, several non-validated mutations have been observed in Central Africa, and one allele A578S, is commonly found in different countries, although additional molecular and biochemical studies are needed to investigate whether those mutations alter artemisinin effects. This information is discussed in the context of biochemical and genetic aspects of Pfk13, and related to the regional malaria epidemiology of Central African countries.

BACKGROUND: In Equatorial Guinea, only 54 % of people living with HIV know their HIV status. There are no confirmatory or molecular diagnostic techniques for early diagnosis or monitoring of infection in the country. Rapid diagnostic tests can induce false-positive diagnoses if used as a confirmatory technique. Our study aimed to identify the challenges of early HIV diagnosis in Equatorial Guinea by analyzing the rate of false positive diagnoses, diagnostic and therapeutic delays, and treatment failures among those on antiretroviral therapy.
METHODS: From 2019-2022, dried blood from 341 children, adolescents and adults diagnosed in Equatorial Guinea as HIV-positive by rapid diagnostic testing, and from 54 HIV-exposed infants were collected in Bata and sent to Madrid to confirm HIV-infection by molecular (Xpert HIV-1Qual, Cepheid) and/or serological confirmatory assays (Geenius-HIV-1/2, BioRad). HIV diagnostic delay (CD4 <350cells/mm3), advanced disease at diagnosis (CD4 <200cells/mm3) and antiretroviral treatment delay and failure (viraemia >1,000RNA-HIV-1-copies/ml) were also studied after viral quantification (XpertVL HIV-1, Cepheid).
RESULTS: False-positive diagnoses were identified in 5 % of analysed samples. HIV infection was confirmed in 90.5 % of previously diagnosed patients in Equatorial Guinea and 3.7 % of HIV-exposed children undiagnosed in the field. Two-thirds of each new HIV patient had delayed diagnosis, and one-third had advanced disease. Treatment delay occurred in 28.3 % of patients, being around four times more likely in adolescents/adults than children. More than half (56 %) of 232 treated patients presented treatment failure, being significantly higher in children/adolescents than in adults (82.9 %/90 % vs. 45.6 %, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: We identified some challenges of early HIV diagnosis in Equatorial Guinea, revealing a high rate of false positive diagnoses, diagnostic/treatment delays, and treatment failures that need to be addressed. The implementation of more accurate rapid diagnostic techniques and confirmatory tests, along with improving access to care, treatment, awareness, and screening, would contribute to controlling the spread of HIV in the country.

Analysis of genome sequencing data from >100,000 genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex using TB-Annotator software revealed a previously unknown lineage, proposed name L10, in central Africa. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggests L10 could represent a missing link in the evolutionary and geographic migration histories of M. africanum.

To anticipate disasters (drought, floods, etc.) caused by environmental forcing and reduce their impacts on its fragile economy, sub-Saharan Africa needs a good knowledge of the availability of current water resources and reliable hydroclimatic forecasts. This study has an objective to quantify the availability of water resources in the Nyong basin and predict its future evolution (2024-2050). For this, the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was used. The performance of this model is satisfactory in calibration (2001-2005) and validation (2006-2010), with R2, NSE, and KGE greater than 0.64. Biases of - 11.8% and - 13.9% in calibration and validation also attest to this good performance. In the investigated basin, infiltration (GW_RCH), evapotranspiration (ETP), surface runoff (SURQ), and water yield (WYLD) are greater in the East, probably due to more abundant rainfall in this part. The flows and sediment load (SED) are greater in the middle zone and in the Southwest of the basin, certainly because of the flat topography of this part, which corresponds to the valley floor. Two climate models (CCCma and REMO) predict a decline in water resources in this basin, and two others (HIRHAM5 and RCA4) are the opposite. However, based on a statistical study carried out over the historical period (2001-2005), the CCCma model seems the most reliable. It forecasts a drop in precipitation and runoff, which do not exceed - 19% and - 18%, respectively, whatever the emission scenario (RCP4.5 or RCP8.5). Climate variability (CV) is the only forcing whose impact is visible in the dynamics of current and future flows, due to the modest current (increase of + 102 km2 in builds and roads) and future (increase of + 114 km2 in builds and roads) changes observed in the evolution of land use and land cover (LULC). The results of this study could contribute to improving water resource management in the basin studied and the region.

During 1979-2022, Cameroon recorded 32 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases among 137 suspected mpox cases identified by the national surveillance network. The highest positivity rate occurred in 2022, indicating potential mpox re-emergence in Cameroon. Both clade I (n = 12) and clade II (n = 18) monkeypox virus (MPXV) were reported, a unique feature of mpox in Cameroon. The overall case-fatality ratio of 2.2% was associated with clade II. We found mpox occurred only in the forested southern part of the country, and MPXV phylogeographic structure revealed a clear geographic separation among concurrent circulating clades. Clade I originated from eastern regions close to neighboring mpox-endemic countries in Central Africa; clade II was prevalent in western regions close to West Africa. Our findings suggest that MPXV re-emerged after a 30-year lapse and might arise from different viral reservoirs unique to ecosystems in eastern and western rainforests of Cameroon.

Knowledge of insect pest ecology and biology is important for maximizing crop protection and reducing crop losses. Currently, we lack an efficient control program for the cocoa mirid Sahlbergella singularis Haglund (Hemiptera: Miridae), the principal insect pest of cocoa in West and Central Africa. A 2-yr study was conducted in 11 plantations across Ayos and Konye, two of the largest cocoa growing areas of Cameroon. We evaluated the effects of mirid sex pheromone and climatic variations on mirid population dynamics and their associated cocoa damage. Sex pheromone traps caught 1.5-fold higher mirids in Ayos than in Konye, with more overall counts in 2015 than in 2016. Cocoa pod counts were also significantly higher in 2015 than in 2016 and were negatively correlated with temperature and relative humidity. In both localities, mirid populations and associated cocoa pod damage were suppressed in plantations where sex pheromone traps were used. Damage incidence was positively correlated with mirid counts, confirming that the cocoa pod is the preferential site for mirid feeding and reproduction. As such, damage incidence could be used as proxy for comparative mirid population level due to the mirid\'s cryptic habit. Of the recorded weather variables, only relative humidity was correlated (negatively) with damage severity. Our data on the relationships between damage caused by mirids and their population dynamics and sex pheromone trap catches suggest that an effective control strategy using mass trapping could be developed for mirid management in cocoa plantations.