PCR investigation of infections in patients consulting at a healthcare centre over a four-year period during the Grand Magal of Touba. Issue 52 (March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Goumballa, Ndiaw; Sambou, Masse; Samba, Diouf Fatou; Bassene, Hubert; Bedotto, Marielle; Aidara, Adama; Dieng, Mamadou; Hoang, Van Thuan; Parola, Philippe; Sokhna, Cheikh; Gautret, Philippe
• Is Part Of: Travel medicine and infectious disease. Issue 52(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-03
• Subjects: Febrile systemic illness -- Gastrointestinal infections -- Grand Magal -- Patients -- PCR -- Respiratory infections; Travel -- Health aspects -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Tropical medicine -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102515
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1477-8939

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms and febrile illness are the most common complaints among ill pilgrims attending the Grand Magal of Touba (GMT) in Senegal. Methods: Patients presenting with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms or febrile systemic illnesses were recruited between 2018 and 2021 at a healthcare centre close to Touba. Respiratory, gastrointestinal and blood samples were tested for potential pathogens using qPCR. Results: 538 patients were included. 45.5% of these were female, with a median age of 17 years. Of the 326 samples collected from patients with a cough, 62.8% tested positive for at least one virus, including influenza viruses (33.1%). A high positivity rate of bacterial carriage was observed for Haemophilus influenzae (72.7%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (51.2%) and Moraxella catarrhalis (46.0%). Of the 95 samples collected from patients with diarrhoea, 71.3% were positive, with high rates of bacterial carriage, ranging from 4.2% for Tropheryma whipplei to 45.3% for Entero-pathogenic Escherichia coli . Of the 141 blood samples collected from patients with fever, 31.9% were positive including Plasmodium falciparum (21.3%), Borrelia sp. (5.7%) and dengue virus (5.0%). Conclusion: This study provides insight into the aetiology of most common infections at the GMT on which to base therapeutic options.