BACKGROUND The disease burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)--acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is highest in sub-Saharan Africa but there are few studies on the associated neurocognitive disorders in this region. The objectives of this study were to determine whether Western neuropsychological (NP) methods are appropriate for use in Cameroon, and to evaluate cognitive function i...

Introduction Street children in Cameroon are adolescents, vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV and/or AIDS. The level of knowledge and practice of condom use among this population is unknown. Objective of the study To assess the knowledge, practice and barriers to condom use in Cameroon. Materials and methods The study was an analytical cross-sectional survey conduct...

OBJECTIVE Despite the endemicity of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in Nigeria, genetic information on the HAV genotypes/subgenotypes circulating in the country remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate HAV strains using molecular epidemiological and genetic analyses among apparently healthy adult Nigerian subjects. METHODS Testing for HAV-RNA was performed on 114 serum samples ...

Amphibians are a disproportionately threatened group of vertebrates, the status of which in Sub-Saharan Africa is still uncertain, with heterogeneous fauna punctuated by mountains. Mount Oku, Cameroon is one such mountain, which holds many endemic and restricted-range species. The history of amphibian research on Mt Oku, current knowledge on biogeography and conservation biology is reviewed, in...

BACKGROUND Cryptococcus neoformans is responsible of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening infection that affects healthy and immunocompromised individuals. It is the first cause of adult acute meningitis in some sub-Saharan African countries with a mortality rate of about 100% in cases of inappropriate therapy. This study aimed at examining the occurrence and the antifungal patterns of Cryptococc...

INTRODUCTION Since learners in secondary schools fall within the age group hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, it is obvious that these learners might be at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. However, little has been explored on the perception of risk of contracting HIV among secondary school learners in Cameroon. This study aimed at examining the perception of risk of contracting HIV among secondary scho...

Though it has been established that domestic animals (especially the pig) are potential reservoir hosts for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in West Africa, there is little data to this effect concerning Central Africa. Instead, some previous authors report the absence of Trypanozoon type trypanosomes in domestic animals in Cameroon. Thirty-two domestic pigs were sampled by KIVI (kit for in vitro i...

BACKGROUND Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) is one of the most common symptoms experienced by most women during their first trimester of pregnancy. For some of these women, especially the more tribally and culturally oriented ones, soil ingestion is one of the remedies used to curb NVP. The aim of this study was to physico-chemically characterise selected geophagic soils from Cameroon...

The history of the genus Pan is a topic of enduring interest. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often divided into subspecies, but the population structure and genetic history of chimpanzees across Africa remain unclear. Some population genetics studies have led to speculation that, until recently, this species constituted a single population with ongoing gene flow across its range, which resul...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide, particularly in low and middle income countries, where treatment and control are often unavailable and inaccessible. Information on risk factors at local and regional levels is of utmost importance for tailored prevention programmes to curb the rise in diabetes. The current study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of Impai...