Publications Scientifiques
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Item Molecular Surveillance of Yersinia pestis from Stray Dogs and Cats and their Fleas in Algiers(Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, 2024) Zaidi, Sara; Bessas, Amina; Hezil, Djamila; Benseghir, H.; Bitam, IdirIn recent years, plague has re-emerged in several countries around the world and remains endemic in some regions. In a natural environment, and in contact with rodents and their fleas, stray carnivores are most at risk of catching the disease and maintaining the spread of the bacillus. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the presence or absence of Yersinia pestis in stray dogs and cats in the Algiers region by molecular methods and thus contribute their role in epidemiology of this disease. Molecular research of Yersinia pestis has also been conducted on fleas from these carnivores. Preliminary identification of ectoparasites to genus and species level was performed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting Yersinia pestis pla gene was used to survey the plague agent in fleas and carnivores captured as stray animals in Algiers (Algeria). Positive qPCR results were tested by PCR sequencing using glpD gene. Among 327 fleas captured from 107 dogs and 365 fleas from 140 cats, prevalence of Ctenocephalides felis was higher in cats (86,96%), whereas that of Ctenocephalides canis and Xenopsylla cheopis was higher in dogs (90,57% and 92,63% respectively). While internal and external PCR positive controls were positive, none of the 107 dogs spleen and 140 cat spleens and none of the 256 analyzed fleas were positive for Y. pestis. These results suggest that stray cats and dogs are unlikely sources for plague in Algeria contrary to that has been reported in other plague-endemic countries. This observation illustrates that plague epidemiological chain varies from one region to anotherItem Contribution to the Monitoring of Leptospira in Wild Animals (Hedgehog of Bouira District)(2021) Aouadi, Nawal; Mensah Tonyi, Raouf; Abbas, Sadjia; Bitam, Idir; Arab, KarimLeptospirosis is an anthropozoonotique disease of worldwide distribution with tropical dominance. It is caused by a pathogenic bacterium Leptospira interrogans which her primary reservoirs are rodents that shed the bacteria in the urine. Leptospira is wide- spread in the environment (freshwater, moist soil, sludge...). This study was carried out at Pasteur Institute of Algiers PIA’s laboratory, the ecology of vector systems department in different regions of Bouira district focused on the detection of leptospira spp in different samples: blood, organs, and urine of wild-caught animals (hedgehogs). After analysis of various samples (9 hedgehogs) in regions M'chedallah, Raffour, and Ahl- el –Ksar in 2012, we were able to iso- late leptospira by the bacteriological test (culture of urine, liver, and kidney) 22.22% of positivity, Test of thermo- resistant antigen (33.33% of positivity) and Microscopic-Agglutination-Test (0%). These diagnostic approaches appear to be complementaryItem Microorganisms associated with the North African hedgehog Atelerix algirus and its parasitizing arthropods in Algeria(Elsevier, 2022) Aouadi, Nawal; Benkacimi, Linda; Zan Diarra, Adama; Laroche, MaureenLaroche; Bérenger, Jean-Michel; Bitam, Idir; Parola, PhilippeHedgehogs are small mammals. They are potential reservoirs of various zoonotic agents. This study was conducted in Bouira, a north-central region of Algeria. A total of 21 Atelerix algirus corpses were picked up on roadsides and gardens. Hedgehog kidneys, spleens and ectoparasites were collected. Twelve hedgehogs were infested with ectoparasites, including Archaeopsylla erinacei, Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. and Haemaphysalis erinacei. Hedgehog organs and randomly selected arthropods were screened for microorganisms using molecular methods. Coxiella burnetii was detected in kidneys, spleens, A. erinacei, Hae. erinacei and Rh. sanguineus s.l. Leptospira interrogans was detected in kidneys. Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia massiliae were detected respectively in A. erinacei and in Rh. sanguineus s.l. DNA of an uncultivated Rickettsia spp. was found in Hae. erinacei. Wolbachia spp. DNA was detected in fleas. The DNA of potential new Bartonella and Ehrlichia species were found respectively in fleas and ticks. This study highlights the presence of DNA from a broad range of microorganisms in hedgehogs and their ectoparasites that may be responsible for zoonoses in AlgeriaItem Potential of Artesunate in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum: Efficacy evidence from a randomized field trial(2020) Medkour, Hacène; Bitam, Idir; Laidoudi, Younes; Lafri, Ismail; Lounas, Abdelaziz; Hamidat, Hamza Karim; Mekroud, Abdeslam; Varloud, Marie; Bernard, Davoust; Oleg, MediannikovLeishmaniasis is among the world’s most neglected diseases. Dogs are the main reservoirs/hosts of Leishmania infantum, causative agent of both canine and human visceral leishmaniosis. Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) represents a public health problem as one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases worldwide. Current therapeutics present drawbacks; thus, there is a need for more effective, safer, and cheaper drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare the efficacy of oral administration of artesunate or meglumine antimoniate/allopurinol in dogs with clinical leishmaniasis. Forty-two dogs with naturally occurring clinical leishmaniasis were included in this open-label, simple randomized positive-control clinical field trial with 6 months of follow-up. Dogs received meglumine antimoniate 100 mg/kg/day and allopurinol 30 mg/kg/day for 28 days (control group, n = 26) or artesunate 25 mg/kg/day for 6 days (test group, n = 16). The animals were evaluated for their clinical evolution, parasite load (by qPCR) and humoral response at different time points: 0, 30, 90, and 180 days after treatment. Data analyses showed a significant improvement in both groups in clinical scores, parasitemia and antibody titers after treatment. Compared to the control group, the artesunate group showed significantly lower clinical score (P = 0.0001), lower parasitemia (P = 0.0001) and antibody titers after 6 months of follow-up. Compared to baseline values, a rapid, significant reduction (P < 0.012) in antibody levels, 2.28- versus 3.04-fold for the control versus artesunate groups, respectively, was observed 30 days after treatment. Antibody levels continued to decrease further in the artesunate group, where 58% of cases became seronegative at the 6-month follow-up. All qPCR-positive dogs were negative after treatment with artesunate, while 14.3% remained positive with the appearance of two new cases in the control group. Artesunate was well tolerated, and no side effects were recorded. Treatment failures were similar in both groups with 27.27% (6/22), including 18.18% (4/22) mortality in the control group, versus 26.66% (4/15), including 13.33% (2/15) mortality in the artesunate group. This is the first report showing the potential of artesunate in the treatment of dogs with clinical leishmaniasis. Artesunate showed higher efficacy than the current first-line treatment for CanL without any adverse effects. It could be a good alternative chemotherapy for CanL, and may be considered for further studies in human leishmaniases. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings, to determine if there are relapses after treatment and if dogs remain infective to sandflies, to define the ideal therapeutic dosage and duration of treatment with artesunate.Item Immunodominant IgE epitopes of Der p 5 allergen(Bentham Science Publishers, 2018) Lahiani, Sadjia; Dumez, Marie-Eve; Bouaziz, Ahlem; Djenouhat, Kamel; Khemili, Souad; Bitam, Idir; Gilis, Dimitri; Galleni, MorenoItem Human head lice and pubic lice reveal the presence of several Acinetobacter species in Algiers, Algeria(Elsevier, 2017) Manaa, Nassima; Louni, Meriem; Parola, Philippe; Bitam, IdirThere are two majorspecies of medically important lice that parasitize humans: Phthirus pubis, found in pubic hair, and Pediculus humanus. Pediculus humanus consists of two eco types that live in specific niches on the human host: body lice (Pediculus humanus humanus), found on the human body and clothing, and head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis), found on the scalp. To date, only body lice are known to be vectors of human disease; however, it has recently been reported that the DNA of several bacterial agents has been detected in head lice, raising questions about their role in the transmission of pathogens. This issue caught our attention, in addition to the fact that the pathogenic bacteria associated with P. pubis and P. humanus capitis have never been investigated in Algeria. To investigate this,molecular techniques (real-time PCR) were used to screen for the presence of Acinetobacter spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp. and Rickettsia prowazekii DNA from P. humanus capitis (64 lice) collected from schoolchildren,and P. pubis (4 lice),collected from one adultman living in Algiers. Positive samples for Acinetobacter spp.were identified by sequencing therpoBgene. Conventional PCR targeting the partial Cytb gene was used to determine the phylogenetic clade of the collected lice. Of the 64 samples collected, Acinetobacter spp. DNA was detected in 17/64 (27%) of head lice, identified as: A. baumannii (14%), A. johnsonii (11%) and A. variabilis (2%). Of the four P. pubissamples, 2(50%) were positive for A. johnsonii. The phylogenetic tree based on the Cytb gene revealed that P. humanus capitis were grouped into clades A and B. In this study, we report andidentify for the first time Acinetobacter spp.in Algerian P. pubis and P. humanus capitis. The detection of the genus Acinetobacter in lice should not be underestimated, especially in P. humanus capitis, which is distributed worldwide. However, additional epidemiological data are required to determine if human lice may act as an environmental reservoir and are actively involved in the propagation of these bacteria to humansItem Detection of bacterial pathogens in clade E head lice collected from Niger’s refugees in Algeria(BMS, 2018) Louni, Meriem; Amanzougaghene, Nadia; Mana, Nassima; Fenollar, Florence; Raoult, Didier; Bitam, IdirBackground: Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, are obligate blood-sucking parasites. Phylogenetically, they occur in five divergent mitochondrial clades (A, D, B, C and E), each having a particular geographical distribution. Recent studies have revealed that head lice, as is the case of body lice, can act as a vector for louse-borne diseases. Here, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of head lice collected from Niger’s refugees (migrant population) arriving in Algeria, northern Africa, and to look for louse-borne pathogens. Comparative head lice samples collected from indigenous population of schoolchildren (non-immigrant) were also analyzed to frame the study. Results: In this study, 37 head lice samples were collected from 31 Nigerien refugees, as well as 45 head lice from 27 schoolchildren. The collection was established in three localities of eastern Algiers, north Algeria. Quantitative real-time PCR screening of pathogens bacteria and the genetic characterisation of the head lice satut were performed. Through amplification and sequencing of the cytb gene, results showed that all head lice of Nigerien refugees 37/82 (45.12%) belonged to clade E with the presence of four new haplotypes, while, of the 45 head lice of schoolchildren, 34/82 lice (41.46%) belonged to clade A and 11/82 (13.41%) belonged to clade B. Our study is the first to report the existence of clade E haplogroup in Nigerien head lice. DNA of Coxiella burnetii was detected in 3/37 (8.10%) of the head lice collected from 3 of the 31 (9.67%) migrant population. We also revealed the presence of Acinetobacter DNA in 20/37 (54.05%) of head lice collected from 25/31 (80.64%) of the Nigerien refugees, and in 25/45 (55.55%) head lice collected from 15/27 (55.55%) schoolchildren. All positive Nigerien-head lice for Acinetobacter spp. were identified as A. baumannii, while positive schoolchildren-head lice were identified as A. johnsonii 15/25 (60%), A. variabilis 8/25 (32%) and A. baumannii 2/25 (8%). Conclusions: Based on these findings from head lice collected on migrant and non-migrant population, our results show, for the first time, that head lice from Niger belong to haplogroup E, and confirm that the clade E had a west African distribution. We also detected, for the first time, the presence of C. burnetii and A. baumannii in these Nigerien head lice. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to determine whether the head lice can transmit these pathogenic bacteria from one person to anotherItem Body lice of homeless people reveal the presence of several emerging bacterial pathogens in northern Algeria(Joseph M. Vinetz, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, UNITED STATES, 2018) Louni, Meriem; Mana, Nassima; Bitam, Idir; Dahmani, Mustapha; Parola, Philippe; Fenollar, Florence; Raoult, Didier; Mediannikov, OlegHuman lice, Pediculus humanus, are obligate blood-sucking parasites. Body lice, Pediculus h. humanus, occur in two divergent mitochondrial clades (A and D) each exhibiting a particular geographic distribution. Currently, the body louse is recognized as the only vector for louse-borne diseases. In this study, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of body lice collected from homeless populations in three localities of northern Algeria, and to investigate louse-borne pathogens in these liceItem Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum DNA and host blood meal identification in Phlebotomus in a hypoendemic focus of human leishmaniasis in northern Algeria(Gabriele SchoÈnian, Charite University Medicine Berlin, GERMANY, 2018) Bennai, Kahina; Tahir, Djamel; Lafri, Ismail; Bendjaballah-Laliam, Amina; Bitam, Idir; Parola, PhilippeLeishmania parasites are transmitted by female phlebotomine sand flies that maintain the enzootic cycle by circulating between sylvatic and domestic mammals. Humans are part of this cycle as accidental hosts due to the vector's search for a source of blood. In Algeria, Human Leishmaniases (HL) are endemic and represent a serious public health problem because of their high annual incidence and their spread across the country. The aim of this study is to identify sand fly species fauna (vectors of Leishmania), determine their infection rate and identify their feeding preferences using molecular tools in a hypoendemic focus of HL located in the province of Tipaza, northern Algeria.Item The white stork Ciconia ciconia in the northeast of Algeria, and its relation with climatic change between 1996 and 2014(Elsevier, 2017) Mammeria, Aicha Beya; Triplet, Patrick; Bitam, Idir