African Journal of Immunology Research

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (4), pp. 001-008, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Unlocking the Potential of Garlic: A Review of its Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses

Gebreselema Gebreyohannes1* and Mebrahtu Gebreyohannes2

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia.
2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Accepted 12 January, 2025

Garlic products are used as sources of medicine in many ways in human beings in their day today life. As a result, researchers from various disciplines are now directing their efforts towards discovering the medicinal values of garlic on human health. The main interest of researchers in the medicinal values of garlic is its broad-spectrum therapeutic effect with minimal toxicity. Garlic extract has antimicrobial activity against many genera of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Garlic contains a higher concentration of sulfur compounds which are responsible for its medicinal effects. The chemical constituents of garlic have also been investigated for treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, blood pressure, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia and highly praised by several authors. Therefore, this paper is reviewed to inspire and impress the young researchers about the medicinal values of garlic.

Key words: Allium sativum, immunity booster, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer
 

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (3), pp. 001-012, March, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Comprehensive Insights into the Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies for Candidiasis

Parveen Surain Dabas

Department of Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119, Haryana, India.

Accepted July 26, 2024

Candida species are the most common cause of opportunistic fungal infection worldwide. Candida is the major fungal pathogen of humans, causing diseases ranging from superficial mucosal infections to disseminated, systemic infections that are often life threatening. A striking feature of its pathogenicity is ability to grow in yeast, pseudohyphal and hyphal forms. The hyphal form has an important role in causing disease by invading epithelial cells and causing tissue damage. Among Candida spp., Candida albicans is the most common infectious agent. This dimorphic yeast is a commensal that colonizes skin, the gastrointestinal and the reproductive tracts. Non-C. albicans species are also emerging pathogens and can also colonize human mucocutaneous surfaces. The pathogenesis and prognosis of candidial infections are affected by the host immune status and also differ greatly according to disease presentations.

Key words: Candidiasis, types, diagnosis, identification and management.
 

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (3), pp. 001-009, March, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Evaluating Infant Feeding Strategies in Botswana: Insights into PMTCT Best Practices from 1998 to 2012

Paulson Amibor*1 and Nadege Pinel Ade2

1International Public Health Consultant
2Global Health Consultant and Researcher, Central and West Africa.

Accepted 25 October, 2024

In this review, the extent to which the Government of Botswana (GoB) applied international health recommendations and guidelines on infant feeding “best practices” within the context of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), into its national infant feeding policies between 1998 and 2012 was assessed. The infant feeding guidelines of focus here are those endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) between 1998 and 2006, namely, involving the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for infants in the first six months of life, irrespective of the HIV status of their mothers, under circumstances in which uninterrupted access to safe formula feeding cannot be ensured. This review identifies a significant delay in policy transfer from international guidelines to Botswana’s national infant feeding policies, particularly between the years 1998 and 2006. The need for more effective policy coordination and more efficient research management are recommended to the Botswana government as a means of avoiding such occurrences in the near future. These recommendations are also relevant to other low and middle-income countries and particularly to many countries within sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV-endemicity and high rates of vertical transmission persist in many countries, and where improvements in health policy implementation mechanisms can afford many benefits.

Key words: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, infant feeding policies, Government of Botswana (GoB), Ministry of Health of Botswana (GoB MoH), acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe (AFASS).
 

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (2), pp. 001-008, February, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Impact of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on Hematological Parameters of HIV-Positive Patients in North Eastern Nigeria

Ballah Akawu Denue1, Ibrahim yusuf2, Hauwa Suleiman Bello3, Ali Usman Abja4, Abdullahi Abdu Bukar4

1Department of Medicine University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
2Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
3Department of Microbiology, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
4Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Accepted 6 January, 2024

We evaluated the changes in blood profile of patients in a prospective 30 month observational follow up study involving 145 antiretroviral naive acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) participants. Participants were divided into two groups at one year of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), antiviral success (viral load < 2.60 log10 copies/ml); and antiviral failure (viral load > 2.60 log10 copies/ml. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) viral load in the antiviral success group (119 patients) was 5.25 ± 0.53 and 5.09 ± 0.71 log10 copies/ml in antiviral failure group at baseline. Antiviral success cohort had significant reduction of viral load at 6 months, achieved viral suppression at one year and maintained undetectable viral load in the subsequent follow-up period. Antiviral failure participants on the other hand failed to achieve significant viral load suppression at six month and had fluctuation and persistence of viral load. In the antiviral success group, the mean ± SD CD4+ T-cell count increased significantly at 6 month of treatment (P ≤ 0.038 versus baseline), and in the subsequent follow-up period (P < 0.05). Detectable human immune deficiency virus-ribonucleic acid (HIV-RNA) viral load at six months was associated with unremarkable increase in CD4 count, and its persistence at 12 month with virological failure. This observation may imply that early poor immunological improvement may suggest virological failure. Initial unremarkable change in CD4 count parameters in response to HAART may predict early virological failure and efficacy of therapy in the absence of viral load in our environment.

Key words: Human immune deficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), haemoglobin, white blood count, CD4+ count
 

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (2), pp. 001-005, February, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Prevalence of Cryptosporidiosis among HIV-infected patients with diarrhoea in Kano State, Nigeria

Kumurya, A. S.* and Gwarzo, M. Y.

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Medicine, Bayero University, P. M. B. 3011, Kano, NIGERIA.

Accepted 13 December, 2024

Cryptosporidium is one of the agents associated with diarrhoea in human immune deficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. There is paucity of data in Northwestern Nigeria on the occurrence of this parasite among HIV patients. The study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium among HIV infected patients in Kano, Nigeria. In order to help in management of HIV related opportunistic infections. Stool samples were collected from 100 HIV positive and 50 HIV negative (control) patients presenting with diarrhoea at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano (MMSH) in Northwestern Nigeria. Concentrated stool sample from each patient was screened for Cryptosporidium oocysts with the modified Ziehl Neelson method while direct sample was screened for other enteric parasites. The overall parasite prevalence rate in the diarrhoea patients is 22.7% (34/150) with Cryptosporidium spp. 4.0%, Ascaris lumbricoides 7.3%, Hookworm 3.3%, Schistosoma mansoni 0.7%, Trichuris trichura 0.7% and Entamoeba histolytica 6.7%. The parasite prevalence rate in HIV infected patients is 25% while in HIV-negative patients, the rate is 18%. The rate is significantly higher among HIV infected patients with diarrhea than among HIV negative with diarrhea (P < 0.0001). However, Cryptosporidium was found exclusively among HIV-infected patients. When Cryptosporidium prevalence was excluded from analysis, the parasite prevalence rates between the two groups was not significantly different (X2 = 0.8002, df = 3, P = 0.8494). Cryptosporidium oocysts have been demonstrated in faeces of HIV infected patients attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano, Nigeria. It accounts for 6.0% of cases among this group. Hence should be considered in planning interventions aimed at optimizing management diarrhoeal diseases among HIV and other immune-suppressed patients.

Key words: Cryptosporidiosis, human immune deficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), prevalence, Northwestern Nigeria
 

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 2756-3375 Vol. 11 (2), pp. 001-005, February, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Liver Damage and HIV Viral Load Correlation in Untreated Patients in North-eastern Nigeria

Ballah Akawu Denue1, Ibrahim yusuf2, Hauwa Suleiman Bello3 and Hyelni Haruna Mshelia4

1Department of Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno state, Nigeria.
2Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria.
3Department of Microbiology, University of Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria.

4Department of Community Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno State Nigeria

Accepted 25 January, 2025

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a hepatic enzyme that could be used as markers of hepatocellular injury. Liver enzyme elevations are frequent in human immune deficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients which may be caused by the HIV virus in those without other risk factors for liver damage. This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between HIV viral load and serum levels of ALT, a marker of hepatic damage. This was a cross-sectional analytic study performed among HIV infected naive patients without other risk factor for liver disease. The results of the study shows that of the 166 participants recruited into this study, 104 (62.7%) were females. The participants’ mean CD4 count was 180.04 ± 38.08 (95% confidence interval (CI), 164.11 to 195.96). The mean viral load log10 (copies/ml) was 5.18 ± 4.28, and ALT (UI/L) was 24.80 ± 1.29 (95% CI, 22.26 to 27.35). Sixty (36.2%) of the studied participants had high viral load ≥ 100,000 copies/ml, while 22 (13.3%) had high ALT (≥ 40 IU/L). A positive correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.274, P = 0.000) between HIV viral load and ALT was observed. After adjusting for age, sex and CD4 count in a multivariable linear regression model, the correlation between HIV viral load and ALT remained significant (p = 0.003). The finding of positive correlation between HIV viral load and ALT levels in HIV infected naive patients suggests a linear relation between ALT level and HIV-1 viral load in HIV patients without other risk factor for liver damage. We recommend evaluating patients with high ALT for early anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in those without risk factor for liver damage regardless of the CD4+ cell count, especially where facility for estimating viral load is not available.

Key words: Alanine aminotransferase, human immune deficiency (HIV), viral load, CD4 count.