Browsing by Author "Befidi-Mengue, R."
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Item The epidemiology of plasmodium falciparum malaria in two cameroonian villages: Simbok and etoa.(American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2000) Quakyi, I.A.; Leke, R.G.F.; Befidi-Mengue, R.; Tsafack, M.; Bomba-Nkolo, M.; Manga, L.; Taylor, D.W.In support of ongoing immunologic studies on immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, demographic, entomologic, parasitologic, and clinical studies were conducted in two Cameroonian villages located 3 km apart. Simbok (population = 907) has pools of water present year round that provide breeding sites for Anopheles gambiae, whereas Etoa (population = 485) has swampy areas that dry up annually in which A. funestus breed. Results showed that individuals in Simbok receive an estimated 1.9 and 1.2 infectious bites per night in the wet and dry season, respectively, whereas individuals in Etoa receive 2.4 and 0.4 infectious bites per night, respectively. Although transmission patterns differ, the rate of acquisition of immunity to malaria appears to be similar in both villages. A prevalence of 50-75% was found in children < 10 years old, variable levels in children 11-15 years old, and 31% in adults. Thus, as reported in other parts of Africa, individuals exposed to continuous transmission of P. falciparum slowly acquired significant, but not complete, immunity.Item Human loiasis in a Cameroonian village: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial of a three-day albendazole regimen(American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2004-09) Tabi, T.-E.; Befidi-Mengue, R.; Nutman, T.B.; Horton, J.; Folefack, A.; Pensia, E.; Fualem, R.; Fogako, J.; Gwanmesia, P.; Quakyi, I.; Leke, R.Because of the life-threatening, post-treatment reactions that have occurred in patients with loiasis treated with ivermectin, evaluation of a short-course albendazole regimen was undertaken in a Loa-endemic region of Cameroon. In a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover study, 99 subjects with microfilaremia (100-3,3837/mL) were assigned to receive albendazole (400 mg; n = 48) or placebo (n = 51) for three days and were followed for 180 days; at day 180, the groups were crossed over and followed for an additional six months. In those initially receiving albendazole (ALB/PLAC), microfilarial levels decreased significantly by day 90 (P < 0.043), but returned to baseline by day 180. In those receiving albendazole at day 180 (PLAC/ALB), microfilarial levels also decreased following albendazole (P = 0.005). Blood eosinophil and antifilarial IgG levels did not change significantly for either group, although antifilarial IgG4 levels did in the ALB/PLAC group at day 180. Most subjects continued to have elevations in microfilaremia, suggesting that more intensive regimens of albendazole will be necessary to reduce Loa microfilaremia to levels safe enough to allow for ivermectin use.