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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Risk factors for hepatitis C virus transmission in colonial Cameroon
Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 51, No. 7, Year 2010
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Description
Background. In southern Cameroon, where SIVcpz, the source of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) group M, is prevalent among wild chimpanzees, ∼50% of some human birth cohorts have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) through unclear mechanisms. Methods. To evaluate indirectly the hypothesis that medical interventions contributed to the early emergence of HIV-1, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 451 inhabitants of Ebolowa in southern Cameroon aged ≥60 years, using HCV as a marker of parenteral transmission of blood-borne viruses. We administered a questionnaire and tested serum for antibodies against HCV. Viral gene sequences were obtained from HCV-positive sera. Molecular clock analyses provided an independent source of information on epidemic history. Results. A total of 252 participants (56%) were HCV seropositive. HCV sequences were amplified and genotyped from 171 individuals. Independent risk factors for HCV seropositivity were older age, having received intravenous treatment against malaria, and having attended an ethnic school (women only), whereas having been circumcised by a traditional practitioner (men only) tended to be associated with HCV. In addition, transfusions were associated with HCV genotype 1 transmission. Molecular clock analyses of HCV genotypes 1, 2, and 4 revealed that each independently underwent exponential growth during the first half of the 20th century. Conclusions. Medical interventions (intravenous antimalarial drugs, transfusions) and to a lesser extent traditional practices (circumcision) were associated with the massive transmission of HCV among this population decades ago. This finding supports the hypothesis that medical interventions contributed to the transmission of blood-borne viruses, perhaps including SIVcpz and HIV-1, in the same region during the early 20th century. © 2010 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Pépin, Jacques
Canada, Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
Lavoie, Myriam
Canada, Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
Pybus, Oliver George
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Pouillot, R.
Cameroon, Yaounde
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Foupouapouognigni, Yacouba
Cameroon, Yaounde
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Rousset, Dominique
Cameroon, Yaounde
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Labbé, Annie Claude
Canada, Montreal
University of Montreal
Njouom, Richard
Cameroon, Yaounde
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Statistics
Citations: 69
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1086/656233
ISSN:
10584838
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Cameroon
Participants Gender
Male
Female