The Central African journal of medicine
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To evaluate the importance of the spirochetes Leptospira interrogans s.l. and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., as causes of human diseases (leptospirosis and Lyme borreliosis), in order to guide the development of laboratory services and patient management and to identify the appropriateness of future epidemiological studies. ⋯ Although not conclusive, because of the inability to attempt rising serology and positive cultures, the results suggest that 10% of non-specific febrile illnesses could be attributed to leptospirosis. This study may thus form the background for a definitive Leptospira research in the same location. We confirm reports from other African countries that Lyme disease is an unlikely occurrence. We further suggest that some of the seropositivity observed for Lyme disease in Maputo could be attributed to serological cross reactivity with antibodies to P. falciparum malaria, leptospirosis or syphilis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Trends in reproductive health knowledge following a health education intervention among adolescents in Zimbabwe.
Unwanted teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and the attendant morbidity and mortality necessitate the need for understanding factors influencing adolescent sexuality and the implementation of programmes designed to improve their knowledge, reproductive behaviour, sexual and reproductive health. ⋯ The reproductive health education intervention had an impact on aspects of reproductive biology and contraception as measured by the increased scoring at follow up when comparing intervention and control schools. The overall findings point to the need for early school based reproductive health education programmes incooperating correct information on reproductive biology and the prevention of subsequent reproductive morbidity by imparting information on non-risk behaviour during the early developmental years.
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To review the criteria for diagnosis of HIV infection in adults in order to improve upon the Zimbabwe Adult AIDS case definition. ⋯ This study has shown that the criterion used in the diagnosis of HIV infection in Zimbabwe is highly specific but relatively insensitive at identifying seropositive patients. This shows the ability of clinicians to identify HIV positive patients irrespective of the stage of the disease (i.e. HIV related symptoms, AIDS related complex or full blown AIDS). There is also a need for constant monitoring of the clinical manifestations of AIDS patients to keep abreast with newer disease manifestations.
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Case Reports
Nephroblastoma and renal dysplasia in a 40 year old Nigerian man with an atrophic contralateral foetal kidney.
This report concerns a 40 year old Nigerian man whose initial presentation mimicked acute pyelonephritis. He was subsequently found to have a renal tumour which turned out to be a nephroblastoma. In addition, there was marked renal dysplasia and the contralateral kidney was atrophic and foetal in configuration. The possible link between these observations is discussed.