Browsing by Author "Eyoh, Agnes"

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    Evidence of co and triple infections of Hepatitis B and C amongst HIV infected pregnant women in Buea, Cameroon
    (Science Publishing Group, 2016-03) Ikomey, George Mondinde; Jacobs, Graeme Brendon; Tanjong, Becky; Mesembe, Martha Tongo; Eyoh, Agnes; Lyonga, Emilia; Mfoataw, Ebot; Ngoh, Rose; Tamandjou Tchuem, Cynthia Raissa; Ikomey, Greg; Okomo Assoumou, Marie Claire
    Little epidermiological data is available on the prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Co-and or triple infection during pregnancy in Cameroon as well as many other resource limited settings. HIV and Hepatitis B and C are major public health concerns world wide. Our study aimed at assessing the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C amongst HIV infected pregnant women in Buea, located in the Southwest region of Cameroon. A Cross-sectional study on consented pregnant women were conducted from March 2015 to August 2015. HIV-1 infections were detected using the national HIV-1 test algorithms. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBe and anti- Hepatitis C (anti-HCV) were detected using Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs). Of the 1230 recruited pregnant women, 97/1230 (7.8%) (95% CI: 3.5, 29.0%) were confirmed HIV-1 positive. HIV/HBV co-infection were observed in 14/97 (14.4%) (95% CI: 39.8, 100%), whilst 11/97 (11.3 %; 95% CI: 27.5, 100%) were HIV/HCV co-infections. Two HIV-infected pregnant women (8/97(8.2%; 95% CI: 0.1, 17.2%)) were HIV/HBV/HCV triple-infected. Anti-HBc was detected in all HBV-infected pregnant women (14/14; (100.0%)) (95.0% CI: 39.8, 100.0%). Seropositivity for HIV-1 was higher (37%) amongst subjects aged between 32-37 years, whilst none was found above 40. From our results we conclude that Co- and triple infections of HIV, Hepatitis B and C were present amongst pregnant women in Buea. Epidemiological data generated from this study are limited due to the existence of triple infected. It will therefore serve as a guide to the government policies to reinforce screening, treatment and prevention strategies, through its Mother–to-Child–transmission (pMTCT) Programme nationwide.
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    Fas mediated(CD95L) periferal T-cell Apotosis marker in monitoring HIV-1 disease progression in adults in Yaoundé, Cameroon
    (Science Publishing Group, 2016-03-22) Ikomey, George Mondinde; Julius, Atashili; Jacobs, Graeme Brendon; Mesembe, Martha Tongo; Eyoh, Agnes; Lyonga, Emilia; Claire, Okomo Assoumou Marie; Pathology: Medical Virology
    sFas (CD95) / FasL are hallmarks of apoptosis involvement in pathogenesis of HIV. We assess changes in soluble Fas /FasL, CD4 % and HIV-1 viral load in patients prior to the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 6 months thereafter. A prospective longitudinal study on sixty consented HIV-1 positive adults. sFas and sFasL levels were measured by ELISA. CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 viralloads were measured using standard methods. Samples were analysed according to the manufacturers’ guidelines.There was a significant positive correlation between HIV-1 viral load and FasL at six months (M6) on treatment [r = +0.49, (0.03)]. There were no correlation between sFas/FasL and CD4 cell counts [ r = -33 (0.16), -31 (0.17) - 23 (0.03) respectively]. The significant correlation between sFasL and HIV-1 viral load at six months of ART suggests that sFasL could be a signal biomarker for HIV-1 disease progression. We have shown in this study that high levels of sFasL depict high HIV-1 viral loads and advance state of the HIV disease. These biomarker should be investigated further in other settings.
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    Rate of viral load change and adherence of HIV adult patients treated with Efavirenz or Nevirapine antiretroviral regimens at 24 and 48 weeks in Yaounde, Cameroon : a longitudinal cohort study
    (BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2019) Chendi, Bih Hycenta; Assoumou, Marie Claire Okomo; Jacobs, Graeme Brendon; Yekwa, Elsie Laban; Lyonga, Emilia; Mesembe, Martha; Eyoh, Agnes; Ikomey, George Mondinde
    Background: HIV-load decrease and suppression over time is associated with consistent adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Our study aimed to evaluate the difference in viral load and adherence of patients treated with a combination of either Tenofovir (TDF), Lamivudine (3TC) and Efavirenz (EFV) or TDF / Zidovudine (AZT), 3TC and Nevirapine (NVP) regimens at 24 and 48 weeks. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted from May 2016 to June 2017 among 256 HIV infected adult patients who were enrolled at two approved treatment hospitals in Yaoundé, before the start of first-line ART. Whole blood samples were collected using standard operating procedures. HIV-loads were determined by a quantitative RealTime PCR assay. Adherence was evaluated by pharmacy refill data records. Statistical analyses were performed using the PRISM 5.0 software. Results: Off the 256 HIV infected patients enrolled, 180 (70%) patients completed the study and 76 (30%) patients were lost to follow-up. The success rate in achieving viral load < 40 copies/ml was 1.8 times higher with the EFV regimen at 24 weeks and was 1.2 times higher in the NVP regimen at 48 weeks. At 48 weeks the treatment failure rate was 12.0 and 40.0% in patients on EFV and the NVP regimen, respectively. The rate of adherence varied in both ART based regimens with 84.0 to 74.0% for EFV and 65.5 to 62.5% for NVP, at 24 and 48 weeks respectively. Conclusion: In our study and setting, the rate of viral load decrease was higher in the NVP based regimen than with the EFV regimen. The adherence rate to ART was higher in the EFV regimen, compared to the NVP regimen. This adds to evidence that the EFV regimen is the preferred ART combination for non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs).