Dans le but de cerner les ennemis dans le processus d’évaluation des ravageurs de la culture du fonio (Digitaria exilis), une étude a été menée dans le village de Tambananing localisé dans la commune de Sédhiou. L’objectif de cette étude est d’identifier et de faire la répartition spatiale des ennemis de la culture du fonio de manière générale mais aussi de l’aspect entomofaune et des plantes adventices en particulier Pour cela, un dispositif expérimental est mis en place, constitué de 04 parcelles de deux écotypes qui ont été scindées en deux parties égales, l’une semée avec l’écotype Momo et l’autre avec l’écotype Dibong., dont chacune d’elle est constituée de son témoin négatif sans apport d’engrais organique et de l’autre contenant un apport de fumier organique (témoin positif). La technique d’inventaire et d’identification des nuisibles de la culture du fonio consiste à circuler point par point le long des parcelles autrement dit pied par pied des plants de l’ensemble des parcelles mises en jeu ou encore appelée méthode « tour de champs ». Plusieurs familles d’espèces d’adventices sont inventoriées dans les parcelles de fonio. On note la présence des poaceae et des cyperaceae qui comptent respectivement 5 et 3 espèces parmi les13 inventoriées dans les champs de fonio. Les espèces pantropicales suivant les affinités biogéographiques et celles africaines semblent être plus nombreuses alors que les thérophytes représentent le type biologique le plus dominant. L’inventaire des insectes a été fait à travers la capture par le piégeage à l’aide des sachets plastiques et du filet fauchoir. Les résultats ont donné un total de 89 individus capturés à l’aide du filet fauchoir dans notre périmètre d’étude. Ces derniers sont répartis en 5 ordres de groupes d’espèces notamment des lépidoptères avec une fréquence beaucoup plus importante de 33 % suivis des coléoptères moins importants avec 22 % ensuite des diptères 15 %, les hémiptères avec 12 % et enfin les orthoptères avec 07 %. La protection culturale constitue un maillon essentiel pour prévenir les risques et dangers contre les ennemis des cultures, ce qui revêt une double identité à la fois protéger les végétaux et assurer la sécurité du consommateur. In order to identify pests and enemies in the fonio (Digitaria exilis), a crop assessment process was conducted in the village of Tambananing, located in the commune of Sédhiou. The objective of this study was to determine and identify the insect fauna in general, as well as specific pests and enemies. To this end, an experimental setup was established, consisting of four plots of two ecotypes, each divided into two equal parts: one sown with the Momo ecotype and the other with the Dibong ecotype. Each plot included a control plot without organic fertilizer and another with organic manure. The technique for inventorying and identifying fonio crop pests involved walking point by point along the plots, in other words, inspecting each plant individually across all the plots, a method also known as the "field walk-through" approach. Several families of weed species were identified in the fonio plots. The presence of Poaceae and Cyperaceae was noted, with 5 and 3 species, respectively, among the 13 identified in the fonio fields. Pantropical species, following biogeographical affinities, and African species appear to be more numerous, while therophytes represent the most dominant biological type. The insect inventory was conducted through capture using traps with plastic bags and sweep nets. The results yielded a total of 89 individuals captured with sweep nets within our study area. These were distributed across five species groups: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) were the most frequent (33%), followed by Coleoptera (beetles) at 22%, Diptera (flies and moths) at 15%, Hemiptera (wingflies and moths) at 12%, and Orthoptera (grasshoppers and grasshoppers) at 7%. Crop protection is a crucial element in preventing risks and dangers from crop pests, serving a dual purpose: protecting plants and ensuring consumer safety.

Accurate differentiation between viral and bacterial infections remains challenging in resource-limited, arbovirus-endemic settings, leading to antibiotic misuse and diagnostic uncertainty. Myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA), an interferon-induced host biomarker, may offer a pathogen-agnostic approach to improve rapid diagnosis and clinical triage. We evaluated the performance of an MxA rapid diagnostic test (RDT) using archived samples from febrile patients collected during dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreaks in Senegal. We tested 171 blood samples from patients with acute febrile illness using an MxA RDT and RT-qPCR for DENV and CHIKV. Samples with discordant results (MxA-positive and RT-qPCR-negative) underwent metagenomic and hybrid-capture Illumina-based sequencing to detect missed infections. Sequencing data were analyzed using maximum-likelihood phylogenetics to assess viral lineage placement. The MxA RDT demonstrated moderate-to-high sensitivity (70.0%-85.1%, depending on virus) and moderate specificity (70.2%) for detecting primary arboviral infections. Among discordant samples, sequencing revealed previously missed pathogens, including DENV serotype 3 (genotype III), Parvovirus B19 (B19V), and Torque teno virus (TTV). Detection of B19V and TTV highlights the broader clinical utility of host-response biomarkers to uncover unexpected viral pathogens in high-diversity settings. MxA's longer persistence than viral RNA enables detection of recent infections missed by PCR. Combined with sequencing, this broadens the diagnostic window, improves clinical triage, and supports identification of underdiagnosed viruses. Future research should integrate MxA testing into routine clinical care and surveillance protocols to enhance outbreak responses in resource-limited regions.IMPORTANCETimely and equitable viral diagnosis is vital in outbreak-prone regions where advanced laboratories are scarce. This study shows how a simple, rapid test for the host biomarker myxovirus resistance protein A can provide real-time detection of viral infections such as dengue and chikungunya, even in remote or frontline health centers. When paired with pathogen sequencing, the test also uncovers infections that standard PCR may miss. This integrated approach demonstrates how field-deployable diagnostics can operate both during and between epidemics, strengthening outbreak preparedness, improving patient triage, and advancing laboratory equity worldwide.

Orthobunyaviruses are a diverse group of segmented RNA viruses with significant but underexplored public and veterinary health implications. This study provides a genomic, phylogenetic, and ecological analysis of neglected Orthobunyaviruses using next-generation sequencing and computational predictions. We identified unique phylogenetic relationships, with Tanga virus forming a distinct lineage linked to zoonotic, human-associated, or non-vertebrate viruses across segments. GC content analysis revealed segment-specific patterns: higher GC content in the S segment suggests genomic stability and immune evasion, while lower GC content in the L segment reflects host-vector adaptation. Phylogenetic ties to well-characterized pathogenic viruses, such as Ilesha virus with Cache Valley virus and Bwamba virus with California encephalitis virus, indicate potential neurotropism. Ingwavuma virus clustered with Oropouche virus, suggesting risks of systemic febrile illnesses. Within the Simbu serogroup, Sango and Sabo viruses show teratogenic risks to livestock. Vector and host predictions implicate rodents, artiodactyls, and primates in Orthobunyavirus transmission, emphasizing complex ecological dynamics and zoonotic potential. These findings advance the understanding of Orthobunyavirus diversity, linking genomic features to pathogenicity and ecological adaptation, while providing a foundation for future surveillance and intervention strategies targeting these neglected viruses.

Given the growing threat posed by viral hemorrhagic fevers, the development of surveillance tools is crucial to provide accurate and rapid solutions. Public health response involves risk assessment as well as effective and sustainable surveillance to ensure downstream communication and preparedness. A serological approach that offers high precision and throughput, cost efficiency, and multiplexing capacity is critical. In this work, we evaluated a Luminex-based multiplex microsphere immunoassay for five hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) among the World Health Organization (WHO) blueprint. This five-plex MagPix immunoassay confirmed the presence of Rift Valley fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, but also revealed the exposure of human populations to hantaviruses in Senegal, underscoring the importance of regular serosurveillance in the identification of HFV hotspots.

Objectives: In low malaria transmission areas, the elimination of the disease has been hampered partly by the existence of a reservoir of subpatent Plasmodium falciparum infections within communities. This reservoir, often undetected, serves as a source of parasites and contributes to ongoing transmission and clinical malaria cases. Methods: This study, spanning a period of 9 years from June 2014 to December 2022, examined individual variations and long-term subpatent P. falciparum carriage in two matched cohorts of 44 individuals each living in Dielmo village in the Sudanian area of Senegal. Biannual blood samples, collected in June/July and December of each year, underwent P. falciparum diagnosis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. QGIS and R analytical tools were used to map infections, assess the occurrence and clustering of subpatent and clinical P. falciparum infections, and determine the risk of infection in the vicinity of asymptomatic P. falciparum carriers. Results: The point frequency and long-term P. falciparum carriage were significantly higher among the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) positive cohort compared to the negative cohort across the 16 cross-sectional surveys analyzed in this study (19.76% vs 10.99%, P-value <0.001). Asymptomatic carriage events in qPCR-positive group were 18.86 ± 1.72% and significantly greater (P-value = 0.001) than in the qPCR-negative group (11.32 ± 1.32%). The relative risk of P. falciparum infection or clinical malaria calculated with a 95% confidence interval significantly increased in the vicinity of infected individuals and was 1.44 (P-value = 0.53) and 2.64 (P-value = 0.04) when at least one individual in the direct (household) or indirect (block of households) vicinity is infected, respectively. The risk increased to 3.64 (P-value <0.001) if at least 1/5 of individuals in the indirect vicinity were P. falciparum-infected. Conclusions: The study provides a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the asymptomatic P. falciparum reservoir and its temporal and spatial dynamics within two subgroups of P. falciparum-infected and non-infected individuals in Dielmo village. It identified high-risk populations known as “hotpops” and hotspots that could be targeted by innovative interventions to accelerate the elimination of malaria in Dielmo village.

Given the growing threat posed by the viral hemorrhagic fevers, the development of surveillance tools is crucial for providing accurate and rapid solutions. Public health response involves risk assessment as well as effective and sustainable surveillance to ensure downstream communication and preparedness. A serological approach offering high precision and throughput, cost-efficiency, and multiplexing capacity is critical. In this work, we evaluated a Luminex-based multiplex microsphere immunoassay for five hemorrhagic fever viruses among the World Health Organization Blueprint. This 5-plex MagPix immunoassay confirmed the presence of Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever viruses, but also revealed exposure of human populations to other pathogenic zoonotic viruses in Senegal, underscoring the importance of regular serosurveillance in identifying hemorrhagic fever viruses hotspots.

Context. Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, are monoclonal tumours of the smooth muscle tissu layer (myometrium). They are characterised by high levels of collagen and fibronectin and are most common in women of reproductive age. Despite the efforts made, the etiology fibroids remain unknow particulary in african women which present a higher risk than caucasian. Objective.The objective is to evaluate the involvement of COMT gene mutations in the evolution of uterine fibroids in Senegalese women. Methods. We analysed the variability of the COMT gene in 44 patients by PCR-sequencing.We proceeded first to the verification, cleaning, alignment of the sequences obtained, then to the search for mutations and their pathogenicity and finally to a genetic characterization with the aim of determining the penetrance of the COMT gene in the evolution of fibroids. Results.Analysis show that the Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) is considered to be the main cause of variation in COMTactivity. Our data suggest that this polymorphism is a causal factor in the incidence of uterine fibroids by allowing a higher estrogenic activity in myometrial cells.

Knowledge of spatial and temporal distribution of genetic diversity within and between populations is a crucial step for establishing strategies management of Animal genetic resources. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the genetic structure of local sheep breeds. Specifically, it will characterize the genetic diversity, differentiation and evolution of the SRY gene in four main lineages of Ladoum sheep in Senegal. After alignments and corrections, a total of 42 sequences were used for analysis of SRY genetic diversity and demographic evolution. The standard indices of genetic diversity, genetic differenciation, analyses of hierarchical molecular variance (AMOVA) and demographic tests were compute. Analysis of genetic variability parameters in the overall population revealed a low level of polymorphism in the SRY gene. Haplotypic diversity is much higher than the average nucleotide divergence between all pairs of haplotypes. The genetic distances, as well as the values of the genetic differentiation factor beetween lineages, reveal two genetic groups; one made up of the individuals of "Birahim" and the other, grouping the three lineages individuals. Differences in frequencies of essential proteins for a multitude of functions in the body are observed between the "Birahim" lineage and the others. The comparative trends in genetic diversity indices, the shape of the mismatch distribution curves, demographic indices and demogenetic tests show a rapid and recent expansion population from an ancestral small size. The Z-test analysis of selection revealed that SRY gene is under selection. Unlike "Batling" who is under negative selection, "Birahim" and "Gorgui" are under positive selection. This study has made a significant contribution to understanding the genetic structure of the Ladoum raised in Senegal.

Objectives:Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever are two infections classified among the emerging diseases to be monitored with highest priority. Studies undertaken in human and animals have shown endemicity of these two arboviruses in several African countries. However, most of the investigations were carried out on domestic cattle and the studies conducted on human populations are either outdated or limited to a small number of well-known endemic areas. It is then critical to better evaluate the burden of these viruses in Senegal at a national scale.Methods:This work relies on a previous seroprevalence survey undertaken in all regions of Senegal at the end of 2020. The existing biobank was used to determine the immunoglobulin G [IgG] Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever seroprevalences by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The crude seroprevalences of Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever were 3.94% and 0.7% respectively, with the northern and central part of the countries as the main exposed areas. However, acute infections reported in both high and low exposed regions suggest sporadic introductions.Conclusions:This study gives updated information and could be of interest to support the stakeholders in the management of these zoonoses.

Introduction: Child malnutrition is a major public health concern worldwide, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.The latest report from Senegal's Continuous Demographic and Health Survey revealed that 18% of children in Senegal were stunted (chronic malnutrition), 8% were wasted (acute malnutrition) and 14% were underweight.Thus, this study aimed to assess the characteristics associated with malnutrition in children according to their nutritional status.Methods: This descriptive transverse study was conducted at the Pediatric Social Institute of Pikine/Guediawaye and the National Hospital Center of Pikine, in Senegal between October and December 2019.A total of 94 children were recruited, with the consent of their legal tutors.Descriptive and multivariate analyses of the factors associated with malnutrition were performed.The z-scores for the indices of nutrition were determined with WHO Anthro® software version 3.2.2.All the data analyses were performed using R software version 4.2.2.Result: From the 94 children recruited, 51.06% were female, with a sex ratio (male/female) of 0.96.Acute malnutrition was recorded in 62.77% of cases, chronic malnutrition in 41.49%, and underweight in 71.27%.Linear regression analysis showed that many factors, such as the female gender [OR = 1.82 CI (1.02 -3.3), P-value = 0.04], consanguinity [OR = 2.84 CI (1.14 -7.65), P-value = 0.03], low birth weight [OR = 4.83 CI (2.15 -12.89),P-value = 0.0004], were associated with acute malnutrition.Low birth weight (<2.5 kg) [OR = 10.66CI (3.82 -44.39)P-value < 0.0001], non-exclusive breastfeeding [OR = 3 CI (1.40 -7.13)] P-value = 0.007], dietary diversification before six months [OR = 2.04 CI (1.23 -3.51), P-value = 0.007] and others factors were associated with underweight.The most frequently recorded clinical signs are weight loss (30.85%), fever (23.40%), diarrhea (34.04%), and anemia (70.21%).Conclu-

Une etude, portant sur linfluence du couvert ligneux monospecifique dessences forestieres sur la diversite et labondance des insectes infeodes aux gousses de legumineuses sauvages, a ete menee dans la station ISRA de la reserve de Bandia, de juin a octobre 2021. Cette etude a ete entreprise pour contribuer a la connaissance des insectes infeodes aux gousses de legumineuses sauvages. Sur 15 especes de legumineuses sauvages, nous avons recense 189 specimens dinsectes appartenant a trois ordres : Ordre des Coleoptera (65,605%) avec six especes Callosobruchus maculatus (44,44%), Caryedon gonagra (7,94 %), Caryedon serratus (4,76%), Carpophilus fumatus (3,71), Caryedon sp. (3,18%),Bruchus rufimanus (1,59%) Ordre des Hemiptera avec une espece non identifiee et lOrdre des Lepidoptera avec une espece, en loccurrence Ephestia cautella avec une prevalence de 33,62%. Notre etude a montre une bonne diversite des especes dans le milieu et que la plantation monospecifique dessences forestieres, exotiques et autochtones, augmente leur diversite et leur abondance. Nos resultats revelent cependant que les populations de phytophages sont caracterisees par une dynamique adaptative et une coevolution en fonction de la disponibilite des plantes hôtes. Ce genre detudes est mene pour la premiere fois au Senegal.

Introduction: Child malnutrition is a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide and thus a major public health problem. The study of interactions between nutrition and genes— nutritional genomics—encompasses two domains: nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. Malnutrition (deficiency or excess) can thus affect gene expression and genome stability. Objective: The objective of this work is to investigate mutations of interest of Mitochondrial Cytochrome b (MT-CYB) that may be related to child malnutrition and to study the genetic diversity of MT-CYB. Materials and methods: We analyzed the variability of MT-CYB in 23 malnourished children and six healthy children via PCR-sequencing. The search of mutations in the MT-CYB gene was conducted using Surveyor Mutation software. Nine prediction software programs (i.e., SIFT, PROVEAN, POLYPHEN-2, DEOGEN, SNPs & go, PREDICTSNP, MUTATIONTASTER, PANTHER, and FATHMM) were used to determine the functional impact of mutations. The various parameters of the genetic variety as well as the genetic differentiation of MT-CYB were obtained using DNAsp Version 5.1001, Harlequin Version 3.1 and Mega X. Results: A total of 24 mutations (Z-score ≥ 20) were identified in malnourished and healthy children. Among the non-synonym mutations present in malnourished children, mutations p.N206N/I, p.T336H, p.Y345A, p.T348T/N, and p.L357L/V were predicted pathogenic by at least five predictive software programs. The amino acids Ile, Lys, Arg and Asn demonstrate significant differences between normal and malnourished children. There is a predominance of T+A (53.72%) compared to C+G (46.28%). Our results show high haplotypic diversity (1.000+/-0.013) and low nucleotide diversity (0.10545+/- 0.00488). Conclusion: Our results allowed us to detect mutations in the MT-CYB gene that could be linked to childhood malnutrition. A decrease in isoleucine (Ile), asparagine (Asn), and arginine (Arg) may be correlated with the risk of malnutrition. This study will allow to readjust the strategies to fight against malnutrition.

Sitophilus zeamais is a primary pest of stored maize, which can cause quality and quantity losses. Maize is cultivated in several West African countries where different agro-climatic and agro-ecological conditions exist. These conditions could influence the Sitophilus zeamais morphology. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify the Sitophilus zeamais morphological groups in the four countries. This was carried out through the morphometric study of 30 male Sitophilus zeamais individuals taken from the yellow maize in each country, by measuring with a binocular magnifying glass, 16 variables of the different tagmas belonging to the insect. Subsequently, statistical analyses were firstly carried out with the raw measurements, such as the principal component analysis, in order to extract the contribution of the variables on each factorial axis and to visualise the correlations between the variables. Taking the case of the transformed measurements, in addition to the principal component analysis, a discriminant factorial analysis was carried out to find out the best factor for gathering individuals according to their morphology, a confusion matrix to summarise the individual’s reclassification in order to deduce the good and bad classification rates, and an ascending hierarchical classification which consists of gathering the individuals according to their similarity and separating them according to their dissimilarity using the truncation method. Therefore, five morphological groups were identified. However, the existence of these morphological groups would not be linked to agro-ecological, climatic conditions and to the geographical remoteness between countries. How to cite this paper: Sarr, A.G.R.J., Dia, C.A.K.M., Diome, T. and Sembene, P.M. (2022) Comparative Morphometry of the Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky Populations (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infesting Yellow Maize in Four West African Countries. Advances in Entomology, 10, 85-98. https://doi.org/10.4236/ae.2022.101007 Received: September 23, 2021 Accepted: January 3, 2022 Published: January 6, 2022 Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access A. G. R. J. Sarr et al. DOI: 10.4236/ae.2022.101007 86 Advances in Entomology

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most widespread arthropod-borne virus, with the number and severity of outbreaks increasing worldwide in recent decades. Dengue is caused by genetically distinct serotypes, DENV-1–4. Here, we present data on DENV-1, isolated from patients with dengue fever during an outbreak in Senegal and Mali (Western Africa) in 2015–2019, that were analyzed by sequencing the envelope (E) gene. The emergence and the dynamics of DENV-1 in Western Africa were inferred by using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The DENV-1 grouped into a monophyletic cluster that was closely related to those from Southeast Asia. The virus appears to have been introduced directly into Medina Gounass (Suburb of Dakar), Senegal (location probability = 0.301, posterior = 0.76). The introduction of the virus in Senegal occurred around 2014 (95% HPD = 2012.88–2014.84), and subsequently, the virus moved to regions within Senegal (e.g., Louga and Fatick), causing intense outbreaks in the subsequent years. The virus appears to have been introduced in Mali (a neighboring country) after its introduction in Senegal. In conclusion, we present evidence that the outbreak caused by DENV-1 in urban environments in Senegal and Mali after 2015 was caused by a single viral introduction from Asia.

In order to measure the impact of a number of plants on the development of Spodoptera frugiperda, we carried out a comparative study on the biology of the fall armyworm using various food sources (millet, maize, sorghum, peanut, cowpea and artificial diet). When fed with cowpea and peanuts leaves, larval development was longer (21.46 ± 0.42 and 18.93 ± 0.18 days respectively). In contrast, adult stage duration became shorter when the larvae were fed with maize leaves and peanut (2.86 ± 0.21 and 3.33 ± 0.21, respectively). Similarly, the pupal development was longer when the larvae fed on peanut leaves and artificial diet (9.26 ± 0.11 and 9.40 ± 0.16 days, respectively), compared to the pupae whose larvae fed on maize, millet, sorghum and cowpea (8.46 ± 0.13; 8.40 ± 0.13; 8.13 ± 0.9; 8.93 ± 0.20 days, respectively). As for the adult stage, the duration is shorter when the larvae are fed with cowpea leaves (2.86 ± 0.21 days) and Peanut (3.33 ± 0.21days)

Background: Cases of cervical cancer are increasing steadily in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 75,000 new cases and nearly 50,000 deaths a year.In Senegal, pathologies such as cervical cancer are one of the top causes of death and the Human papillomavirus (HPV) is its etiological agent. Methods:The study group was made up of Senegalese women with cervical cancer who came for consultation or hospitalized at the Juliot Curie Center in Le Dantec.Total DNA from the 120 cervical biopsies was extracted using the Qiagen method (Qiagen Tissue Kit).Three methods were used to detect HPV genotypes: SANGER sequencing genotyping (Applied Biosystems), the real-time PCR approach technique (HPV 16 & 18 Real Time PCR kit) and the Chippron genotyping approach (kit HPV) 3.5 LCDArray).Results: In this study, all cervical samples taken from women with histologically confirmed cervical cancer had at least one HPV genotype detected.The most common types of HPV detected in women with one or more HPV infections were HPV 16 (consistently detected in all of our 59 patients), 18 (83%), 45 (33%), 33 (31%), 59 (28%), 35 (12%), 31 (11%), 58 (8%), 39 and 73 (4%), 44, 54 and 68 (3%) and the rest less than 1%.It was also noted that most women were infected with two or more high-risk HPVs (75, 83%), and that the latter were particularly prevalent in patients aged 45 to 55 years. Conclusion:In view of the results obtained in the present study, the use of the new Gardasil-9® vaccine which operates against 9 HPV genotypes (6,11,16,18,31,33, 45, 52 and 58) could provide results effective prevention of cervical cancer in adolescent girls or young Senegalese.