scholarly journals Evidence of population specific selection inferred from 289 genome sequences of Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo linguistic groups in Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julius Mulindwa ◽  
Harry Noyes ◽  
Hamidou Ilboudo ◽  
Oscar Nyangiri ◽  
Mathurin Koffi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Population History ◽  
Genetic Admixture ◽  
Log P ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Geographical Latitude ◽  
Admixture Population ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Linguistic Groups

AbstractBackgroundThere are over 2000 genetically diverse ethno-linguistic groups in Africa that could help decipher human evolutionary history and the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. We have sequenced 300 genomes from Niger-Congo populations from six sub-Saharan African countries (Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Guinea) and a Nilo-Saharan population from Uganda. Of these, we analysed 289 samples for population structure, genetic admixture, population history and signatures of selection. These samples were collected as part of the TrypanoGEN consortium project [1].ResultsThe population genetic structure of the 289 individuals revealed four clusters, which correlated with ethno-linguistic group and geographical latitude. These were the West African Niger-Congo A, Central African Niger-Congo B, East African Niger-Congo B and the Nilo-Saharan. We observed a spatial distribution of positive natural selection signatures in genes previously associated with AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Human African Trypanosomiasis among the TrypanoGEN samples. Having observed a marked difference between the Nilo-Saharan Lugbara and Niger-Congo populations, we identified four genes (APOBEC3G, TOP2B, CAPN9, LANCL2), which are highly differentiated between the two ethnic groups and under positive selection in the Lugbara population (_iHS -log p > 3.0, Rsb -log p > 3.0, Fst > 0.1 bonferroni p > 1.8x10e4).ConclusionThe signatures that differentiate ethnically distinct populations could provide information on the specific ecological adaptations with respect to disease history and susceptibility/resistance. For instance in this study we identified APOBEC3G which is believed to be involved in the susceptibility of the Nilo-Saharan Lugbara population to Hepatitis B virus infection.

scholarly journals First Report of East African Cassava Mosaic Begomovirus in Nigeria

Plant Disease ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. O. Ogbe ◽  
G. I. Atiri ◽  
D. Robinson ◽  
S. Winter ◽  
A. G. O. Dixon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Mosaic Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cassava Mosaic Disease ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Manihot Esculenta Crantz ◽  
Cross River State ◽  
Sub Saharan

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the major production constraints is cassava mosaic disease caused by African cassava mosaic (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic (EACMV) begomoviruses. ACMV is widespread in its distribution, occurring throughout West and Central Africa and in some eastern and southern African countries. In contrast, EACMV has been reported to occur mainly in more easterly areas, particularly in coastal Kenya and Tanzania, Malawi, and Madagascar. In 1997, a survey was conducted in Nigeria to determine the distribution of ACMV and its strains. Samples from 225 cassava plants showing mosaic symptoms were tested with ACMV monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (1). Three samples reacted strongly with MAbs that could detect both ACMV and EACMV. One of them did not react with ACMV-specific MAbs while the other two reacted weakly with such MAbs. With polymerase chain reaction (2), the presence of EACMV and a mixture of EACMV and ACMV in the respective samples was confirmed. These samples were collected from two villages: Ogbena in Kwara State and Akamkpa in Cross River State. Co-infection of some cassava varieties with ACMV and EACMV leads to severe symptoms. More importantly, a strain of mosaic geminivirus known as Uganda variant arose from recombination between the two viruses (2). This report provides evidence for the presence of EACMV in West Africa. References: (1) J. E. Thomas et al. J. Gen. Virol. 67:2739, 1986. (2) X. Zhou et al. J. Gen. Virol. 78:2101, 1997.

Tanzania: Civil–Military Relations and Nationalism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel G. Zirker
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Civil Military Relations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Military Relations ◽  
The Military

Why have there been no successful military interventions or civil wars in Tanzania’s nearly 60 years of independence? This one historical accomplishment, by itself striking in an African context, distinguishes Tanzania from most of the other post-1960 independent African countries and focuses attention on the possibilities and nature of successful civil–military relations in sub-Saharan Africa. Contrary to most civil–military relations theory, rather than isolating the military in order to achieve civilian oversight, Tanzania integrated the military, the dominant political party, and civil society in what one observer called a combination of “political militancy” and “antimilitarism,” somewhat akin, perhaps, to the Chinese model. China did provide intensive military training for the Tanzanians beginning in the 1960s, although this could in no way have been expected to ensure successful integration of the military with civil society, nor could it ensure peaceful civil–military relations. Eight potentially causal and overlapping conditions have been outlined to explain this unique absence of civil–military strife in an African country. Relevant but admittedly partial explanations are: the largely salutary and national developmental role of the founding president, Julius Nyerere; the caution and long-term fear of military intervention engendered by the 1964 East African mutinies; Tanzania’s radical foreign policy as a Frontline State; its ongoing territorial disputes with Uganda and Malawi; concerted efforts at coup-proofing through the co-opting of senior military commanders; and the country’s striking ethnic heterogeneity, in which none of the 125 plus ethnolinguistic tribes had the capacity to assume a hegemonic dominance. Each factor has a role in explaining Tanzania’s unique civil–military history, and together they may comprise a plausible explanation of the over 50 years of peaceful civil–military relations. They do not, however, provide a hopeful prognosis for future civil–military relations in a system that is increasingly challenging the dominant-party state, nor do they account for Tanzania’s subsequent democratic deficit.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Public-Private Partnerships in East Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Lukamba Muhiya Tshombe ◽  
Thekiso Molokwane ◽  
Alex Nduhura ◽  
Innocent Nuwagaba
Keyword(s):  
Developed Countries ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
East African ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
East African Region ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

The impact of the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the Sub-Saharan African region on infrastructure and services is becoming increasingly perceptible. A considerable number of African countries have embraced PPPs as a mechanism to finance large projects due to a constrained fiscus. At present, many financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank, which finance some of the projects, have established a department or unit that mainly focuses on infrastructure development in developing countries. The private sector in Africa is equally seen as a significant partner in the development of infrastructure. African governments need to tap into private capital to invest in infrastructure projects. This scientific discussion provides an analysis of PPPs in the East African region. This article selected a number of countries to illustrate PPP projects in the sub-region. The analysis of this study illustrates that the East African region represents unique and valuable public-private partnership lessons in different countries. This study also traces the origins of PPPs to more than a century ago where developed countries completed some of their projects using the same arrangement. This paper further demonstrates that the application of PPPs is always characterised by three factors, namely a country, a sector and a project. Experts in the field often refer to these elements as layers, which usually precede any successful PPP.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons From Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e46-e48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Lumu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
East African ◽  
Limited Disease ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Sub Saharan

ABSTRACTThe prolongation of the Ebola epidemic may have allowed some countries to prepare and respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. In Uganda, the surveillance structure built for Ebola virus disease (EVD) has become a pillar in the COVID-19 response. This testing and tracing apparatus has limited disease spread to clusters with zero mortality compared with the neighboring East African countries. As more sub-Saharan countries implement social distancing to contain the outbreak, the interventions should be phased and balanced with health risk and socioeconomic situation. However, having a decision-making matrix would better guide the response team. These initial lessons from EVD-experienced Uganda may be helpful to other countries in the region.

scholarly journals Linguistic Fractionalization and Health Information in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S20-S25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Flavian Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Oral Rehydration ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Individual Woman ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Linguistic Groups

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between linguistic diversity and the stock of health information in society. Information is measured using individual-level knowledge about the oral rehydration product for treating children with diarrhea. Exploiting an individual woman-level dataset from the Demographic and Health Surveys for 14 sub-Saharan African countries combined with a novel high-resolution dataset on the spatial distribution of linguistic groups at a 1 km × 1 km level, this study shows that linguistic diversity has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the stock of information in society.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Crisis in Africa: Revisiting the Contributing Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67
Author(s):  
Ugochukwu A Eze ◽  
Kingsley I Ndoh ◽  
Kehinde K Kanmodi
Keyword(s):  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major threat to people and healthcare systems around the world. Each region of the world has had unique factors such as culture, demographics, socioeconomic and the political landscape that has either fueled or mitigated the severity of the pandemic. For example, the 2021 Indian Kumbh Mela festival fueled a devastating wave of the pandemic in India. Similarly, the pandemic in the United States has in part been fueled an epidemic of disinformation that led to a growing number of anti-vaxxers, and those who are opposed to COVID-19 prevention guidelines set by agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Africa, burial practices in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo once fueled the Ebola epidemic. Likewise, in the context of COVID-19, there are factors that are unique to Africa that may have either fueled or mitigated the severity of the pandemic. The anti-COVID-19 measures in many African countries significantly affected household income without commensurate deployment of palliative measures to cushion the effect. Fortunately, the pandemic has run a relatively milder course in sub-Saharan Africa—defying earlier devastating projections. Therefore, to be prepared for the next pandemic, African governments must involve critical stakeholders such as religious and traditional leaders, strengthen current disease surveillance systems and invest in systems that encourage private investments in local vaccine manufacturing.

scholarly journals More Preparedness on Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
AbdulAzeez A. Anjorin
Keyword(s):  
Female Patient ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Case Detection ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Current Case ◽  
The Third ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Universe

Background: Accor ding to W orld Health Or ganisation (W HO) Afr o data, the num ber of cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic currently ravaging the universe with its catastrophic effects on man nearly doubled in number from 633 to 1187 in Africa within three days between 19th and 22nd of March, 2020. Currently, there are more than 3400 positive cases from 46 countries and over 90 deaths recorded in about 20 African countries. The first death in sub-Saharan Africa was recorded in Burkina Faso on Wednesday (18 Mar 2020) of a female patient aged 62, with underlying diabetes while the second death was in Gabon on Friday (20 Mar 2020) followed by the third death in Democratic Republic of Congo on that same Friday (20 Mar 2020). However, Nigeria recorded her first death on the 21st March, 2020. Hence, there is an urgent need for African countries including Nigeria to re-strategise in expanding its current case detection, isolation and establishment of pre-case index plan possibly in different locations. This review points out some of the needed actions and required expansion in Nigeria which may be applied elsewhere.

scholarly journals Epidemio-therapeutic Survey on Malnourished Children Aged 0-5 Years Old in the Gbado-Lite Health Zone (Nord Ubangi Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Koto-te-Nyiwa Ngbolua ◽  
Guy Kumbali Ngambika ◽  
Blaise Mbembo-wa-Mbembo ◽  
Ruphin Djolu DJoza ◽  
Gédéon Ngiala Bongo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Malnourished Children ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Health Zone ◽  
Sub Saharan

Child malnutrition is one cause of death worldwide, but the greatest burden is borne by African countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo, despite its wealth of biodiversity, is confronted with this phenomenon which seriously hinders its development. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in The Nord Ubangi Province from 01 to 31 December 2016 on a population of 133 malnourished children aged 0 to 5. The results show that the 2 to 3 year old age group (25-36 months) was the most affected by malnutrition. The most affected children were male, at 52.63%. Most of these children, 24.8%, resided in rural areas around Gbadolite. The majority of their parents, 61.6%, was farmers or only engaged in housework. 78.9% of respondents had edema in their bodies, and 91.7% did not meet the appetite test. These children were subjected to antibacterial treatment outside of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (ATPE). After this treatment, the cure rate was satisfactory at 73.6%.

scholarly journals Ebola Virus Disease in sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Gaps to Handle Future Outbreaks

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. p28
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah ◽  
Bianca Tenney ◽  
Victoria Hawley
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Preparedness Plan ◽  
The North ◽  
Sub Saharan

Between 2014 and 2016, the three West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone experienced the deadliest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa. Two years later, a tenth epidemic recurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which lasted until June 2020. Though they occurred in different countries, a review of how the EVD outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC were handled by the respective country governments, reveal gaps in disease detection, response and action due to lack of surveillance, an EVD preparedness plan, and weak health systems. This perspective discusses the EVD outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC, their effects, and draws attention to gaps that need to be addressed by these countries in order to be better prepared to handle future outbreaks. Acting on the proposed recommendations will not only benefit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC in the future, but will be of benefit to EVD susceptible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as we live in a global community where diseases are no respecters of boundaries.

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