ABSTRACT Viruses are submicroscopic, obligate intracellular parasites that can neither grow nor reproduce outside a living cell. Their survival therefore depends completely on the continued survival of their hosts.
ABSTRACT Apart from heterosexual transmission, not much is known about the contribution of the other modes of spread of HIV in Africa. To evaluate the importance of non-sexual/non-vertical transmission in adults and children in Nigeria, data from mother-child pairs (community and hospital) and a community HIV surveillance among adult populations in two communities of Oyo State in S1¥ Nigeria were' analysed. In the community-based mother-child pair HIV testing, 18 of 476 (3.8%) under 5 years ...
ABSTRACT There are about 400 million people with chronic hepatitis b virus (HBV) infection worldwide with a potential of adverse sequelas including hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent data have shown that the level of HBV DNA in serum or plasma of an infected person probably reflects more accurately the replicative activity of the virus and therefore may serve as a better maker for management of the infection. This study was designed to determine the rate of detection of HBV DNA in blood sampl...
ABSTRACT In May 1988, the World Health bmbly resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis g1,obally by the year 2000. hpite the reported sm in national immunization days, acute flaccid psrdysis surveillance and accelerated efforts to meet the deadline including 'moppingup' were executed in 1999 and subsequent years. Nigeria remains one of the major resemirs for wild poliovirus transmission. Neutralbug antibody lilm? to the three poliovirus sem was determined among children from difierent wmmunities in...
A community-based survey to determine the prevalence of human T-cell Iymphotropic type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II) virus infections in mothers and children in south-western Nigeria was carried out using blood samples collected in 1993. A multistage cluster, random sampling procedure was used to select 460 mother-child pairs (476 children because there were 16 sets of twills) from 14 enumeration areas. A commercially available, whole HTLV-I lysate antigen-based ELISA method was used to s...
ABSTRACT Background: HIV-2 is comparatively less pathogenic with slow progression of infection to clinical disease and consequently there is less of information on the occurrence of HIV-2 associated disease than HIV-1. We hereby describe some laboratory profiles of individuals presenting with HIV-2 and dual HIV-1/2 related AIDS at the University College hospital in Ibadan over a period of seven years. Methodology: Blood samples from patients presenting with the AIDS defining illness at the U...
ABSTRACT Rubella is a vaccine-preventable, mild rash-inducing viral disease with complications that include a spectrum of birth defects in the developing fetus, especially if the infection is acquired in the early months of pregnancy. Consequently, the primary objective of global rubella control programs is prevention of congenital rubella infection and associated birth defects. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, and the elimination of the rubella virus in many developed...
ABSTRACT In spite of the increasing number of children living with HIV in Nigeria, pubIished data on their clinical profile are few. We describe the clinical profile at presentation of HW-infected children at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, in a prospective study. Among 272 children studied (149 54.8%] males; mean age 4.2 yam [range 2 months to 15 years]), infection was acquired through vertical transmission in 252 (926%). blood transfusion in 5 (1 .SO%),+and undetermined routes In...
ABSTRACT Nigeria remains one of the major reservoirs for wild poliovirus transmission despite the reported success in National Immunization Days and acute flaccid paralysis surveillance. Two hundred children aged ≤ 10 years, were enrolled following parental consent from hard-to-reach riverine areas of Delta state of Nigeria to assess the level of protective immunity to poliovirus. Neutralizing antibodies to the three poliovirus serotypes in the serum samples of the children were determined...