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BackgroundThe burden of MiP remains high with adverse effects on the health of both women and their offspring. In endemic areas, pregnant women are generally asymptomatic with low parasitemia which can be missed by malaria RDTs, but affecting the pregnancy course. We postulate that proactive screening with highly-sensitive RDTs (HS-RDT) and treatment of those found infected using dihydroartemisinin piperaquine (DP), in addition to standard intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) could improve maternal and infant health.MethodsPregnant women with gestational age of 16 to 24 weeks were randomized to receive screening and treatment with DP and IPTp-SP or IPTp-SP alone until delivery. Biological samples were collected for participant management and study purposes. Primary and secondary end- points were the prevalence of placental malaria, maternal anemia, maternal peripheral infection, and low birth weight. ResultsMalaria infection was detected in almost one on four (1/4) of the pregnant women at recruitment. No difference was found between study arms in terms of placental malaria infection (adjusted odds ratio, 1.54 [95% confidence interval, 0.95–2.53]; P = 0.082). At delivery, the prevalence of peripheral maternal infection was slightly lower in the intervention group compared to the one of the control group but the difference was not statistically significant. Increasing number of IPTp-SP doses was associated with a significantly lower risk of peripheral malaria infection and low birth weight. ConclusionPregnant women should initiate antenatal care as soon as possible in order to fully benefit of malaria preventives measures. Strategies addressing late attendance to ANC with early start of IPTp-SP among eligible pregnant women should be developed and implemented. Funding: This project is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union (grant number TMA2018CDF-2397-ASSER MALARIA)

Background Malaria infection during pregnancy (MIP) is not only deleterious to the woman, but it also puts her fetus at increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth retardation. Additionally, all-cause mortality during the first year of life in babies born to women with malaria during pregnancy is also increased. Many interventions such as IPTp-SP and long-lasting insecticidal nets have proven to be efficient at reducing malaria in pregnancy burden but adherence to recommended policies remains poor. In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria in pregnancy is often asymptomatic and many malaria infections may be missed due to the inadequate performance of the current rapid diagnostic test to detect low-level parasitemias. Therefore, additional strategies such as intermittent screening with ultrasensitive rapid diagnostic tests and treatment with an effective artemisinin-based combination therapy in addition to IPTp-SP could reduce placental malaria, peripheral malaria infection at delivery, and low birth weight. Methods This pilot 2-group randomized open trial with a nested qualitative social behavioral will be carried out in Nanoro district in which 340 pregnant women will be recruited. Pregnant women will be randomized into two groups and followed on a monthly basis until delivery. In the intervention group, monthly screening using ultrasensitive rapid diagnostic tests and treatment of those found to be infected with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine will be performed. In addition, a reminder will be sent to increase the uptake of IPTp-SP doses per woman. During scheduled and unscheduled visits, malaria infection, hemoglobin level, and other clinical outcomes will be assessed and compared by the group. The primary feasibility outcome will evaluate the study site's capacity to enroll participants and the women’s perception and acceptability of the intervention. The primary clinical outcome will be the prevalence of placental malaria at delivery. Discussion The present protocol aims to evaluate the feasibility on a large-scale and also to demonstrate the impact and the operational feasibility of additional screening with ultrasensitive rapid diagnostic tests and treatment with DHA-PQ on placental malaria, low birth weight, and peripheral malaria infection at delivery in a high-burden setting in Burkina Faso. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov , ID: NCT04147546 (14 October 2019).

This research examines how a firm's position in a coopetitive network (formed through cooperation among firms within an industry) influences the extent of the firm's competitive aggressiveness and market performance. The authors collected data on the competitive and cooperative actions of firms in the mobile telephone industry from 2000 to 2006, using structured content analysis of news reports. The results show that the centrality of a firm in a coopetitive network contributes to the firm's competitive aggressiveness through increased volume and variety of competitive actions. Further, the more central a firm is in the network, the greater is its market performance. Firms that undertake more volume and variety of competitive actions improve their market performance. Overall, these results show that being in a central position in a coopetition network is quite advantageous for the firm.

There are few studies that attempt to establish a relationship between coopetition strategies and firm performance. None of these studies has attempted to evaluate the impact of coopetition strategies on performance compared to the impact of aggressive and cooperative strategies. To fill this gap, this research investigates the impact of coopetition strategies on market performance, compared to the impact of aggressive and cooperative strategies. The results show that the three strategies (aggressive, cooperative and coopetitive) are significantly different. In addition the market performance of a firm depends on the strategy, aggressive, cooperative or coopetitive, that it adopts vis-à-vis its competitors. [PUB ABSTRACT]

A central question about coopetition is its impact on performance. Past researches on this question obtained mixed results. No past researches have attempted to evaluate the impact of coopetitive strategies on performance compared with other strategies vis-à-vis competitors: aggressive, cooperative or coexistence strategies. In addition, there have been few studies that attempt to establish a relationship between coopetitive strategy and market performance. In order to fill these gaps, this research studies the impact of coopetitive strategy on market performance, compared to the impact of aggressive, cooperative and coexistence strategies. An empirical study is conducted in the mobile telephony industry. The method is a structured content analysis that identifies the strategic movements of mobile operators from different countries and geographical regions. The results show, first, that only three strategies may be identified in the industry: aggressive, cooperative and coopetitive. The results show, second, that the market performance depends on the strategy adopted toward competitors. A coopetition strategy seems to perform better than either an aggressive or a cooperative strategy. An aggressive strategy is more effective than a cooperative strategy.

In the city of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, Anopheles arabiensis has superseded Anopheles gambiae s.s. as the major malaria vector and the larvae are found in highly polluted habitats normally considered unsuitable for Anopheles mosquitoes. Here we show that An. gambiae s.l. adults emerging from a highly polluted site in the city centre (Dioulassoba) have a high prevalence of DDT resistance (percentage mortality after exposure to diagnostic dose=65.8% in the dry season and 70.4% in the rainy season, respectively). An investigation into the mechanisms responsible found an unexpectedly high frequency of the 1014S kdr mutation (allele frequency=0.4), which is found at very low frequencies in An. arabiensis in the surrounding rural areas, and an increase in transcript levels of several detoxification genes, notably from the glutathione transferase and cytochrome P450 gene families. A number of ABC transporter genes were also expressed at elevated levels in the DDT resistant An. arabiensis. Unplanned urbanisation provides numerous breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The finding that Anopheles mosquitoes adapted to these urban breeding sites have a high prevalence of insecticide resistance has important implications for our understanding of the selective forces responsible for the rapid spread of insecticide resistant populations of malaria vectors in Africa.

Background A three-year longitudinal study was conducted in four sentinel sites from different ecological settings in Burkina Faso, between 2008 and 2010 to identify longitudinal changes in insecticide resistance within Anopheles gambiae complex species based on larval collection. During this study, adult mosquitoes were also collected indoor and outdoor using several methods of collection. The present study reports the diversity of malaria vectors and the 1014F-genotype from this adult collection and investigates the association between this 1014F-genotype and sporozoite rate. Methods Adult mosquitoes were collected from July to August (corresponding to the start of rainy season) and October to November (corresponding to the end of rainy season) over 3 years (2008–2010) at four sites across the country, using pyrethrum spray catches (PSC), exit traps and pit shelters. Anopheles gambiae complex mosquitoes were identified to species and genotyped for the L1014F kdr mutation by PCR using genomic DNA. The circumsporozoite antigen of Plasmodium falciparum was detected in mosquitoes using sandwich ELISA. Results Overall 9212 anopheline mosquitoes were collected during the study period. Of those, 6767 mosquitoes were identified as Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.). Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles coluzzii, Anopheles gambiae and or Anopheles funestus were incriminated as vectors of P. falciparum in the study area with an average sporozoite rate of 5%, (95% CI 4.14–5.99%). The kdr 1014F-genotype frequencies were 11.44% (95% CI 2.5–39.85%), 19.2% (95% CI 4.53–53.73%) and 89.9 (95% CI 63.14–97.45%), respectively for An. arabiensis, An. coluzzii and An. gambiae. The proportion of the 1014F-genotype varied between sporozoite-infected and uninfected An. gambiae s.l. group. There was no significant difference in the 1014F-genotype frequency between infected and uninfected mosquitoes. Conclusion The current study shows the diversity of malaria vectors and significant interaction between species composition and kdr 1014F-genotype in An. gambiae complex mosquitoes from Burkina Faso. In this study, no associations were found between the 1014F-genotype and P . falciparum infection in the major malaria vector An. gambiae s.l.

Background Aedes aegypti , the primary vector of Dengue fever in Burkina Faso, breeds in a variety of domestic and peri-domestic water holding containers. The influence of these water containers on the mosquitoes’ ability to survive exposure to chemical insecticides remains unclear. This study investigated the insecticide susceptibility profile of Aedes aegypti in relation to larval habitat types in three districts of Ouagadougou. Methods Adult females reared from larvae collected in “domestic containers” and “car tires” were exposed separately to papers impregnated with deltamethrin, pirimiphos-methyl, and bendiocarb to determine their susceptibility profiles. A subsample of mosquitoes per locality and container type was screened for the F1534C, V1016I and V410L kdr mutations involved in pyrethroid resistance. Results Mosquito population from the three localities showed high resistance to deltamethrin and pirimiphos-methyl and moderate resistance to bendiocarbe, with mortality rates ranging from 15% to 27%, 21% to 33% and 67% to 86%, respectively. Mosquitoes from the \"domestic containers\" were significantly more resistant to deltamethrin than those from tires (10% vs. 22%, p  < 0.002). The frequency of the 1534C mutation was also significantly higher in the \"domestic containers\" compared to those from tires (0.88 vs. 0.76, p  = 0.013).The other mutations 1016I and 410L, were reported with an overall frequency of 0.51 and 0.36, respectively. Conclusions These findings suggest that larval habitat type may influence both the level and mechanisms of resistance in Aedes aegypti . This has important implications for the design of targeted vector control strategies in dengue-endemic settings.

Background In rural Burkina Faso, the primary malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu lato ( s.l .) primarily feeds indoors at night. Identification of factors which influence mosquito house entry could lead to development of novel malaria vector control interventions. A study was therefore carried out to identify risk factors associated with house entry of An. gambiae s.l . in south-west Burkina Faso, an area of high insecticide resistance. Methods Mosquitoes were sampled monthly during the malaria transmission season using CDC light traps in 252 houses from 10 villages, each house sleeping at least one child aged five to 15 years old. Potential risk factors for house entry of An. gambiae s.l. were measured, including socio-economic status, caregiver’s education and occupation, number of people sleeping in the same part of the house as the child, use of anti-mosquito measures, house construction and fittings, proximity of anopheline aquatic habitats and presence of animals near the house. Mosquito counts were compared using a generalized linear mixed-effect model with negative binomial and log link function, adjusting for repeated collections. Results 20,929 mosquitoes were caught, of which 16,270 (77.7%) were An. gambiae s.l. Of the 6691 An. gambiae s.l . identified to species, 4101 (61.3%) were An. gambiae sensu stricto and 2590 (38.7%) Anopheles coluzzii . Having a metal-roof on the child’s sleeping space (IRR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32–0.95, p = 0.03) was associated with fewer malaria vectors inside the home. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the rate of An. gambiae s.l. was 45% lower in sleeping spaces with a metal roof, compared to those with thatch roofs. Improvements in house construction, including installation of metal roofs, should be considered in endemic areas of Africa to reduce the burden of malaria.

The agri-food industry generates biowastes which negatively impact the environment if not managed efficiently. This article presents an overview of the work carried out on biowastes’ management with a view to efficiently valorizing mango by-products in Burkina Faso. Mango processing in Burkina Faso is the largest source of biowastes, estimated between 30 and 60% of the processed quantities in fresh export and drying units, respectively. Industrial mango puree and nectar production units release between 1400 and 1500 tons of byproducts per year. Biowastes, including mango by-products are highly rich in water, antioxidant and nutraceuticals, enzymes, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This intricate composition renders these biowastes susceptible to enzymatic and microbial reactions, contributing to the generation of greenhouse gases. However, the nutritional and biotechnological potential inherent in mango by-products can be harnessed to yield high-value compounds, thereby generating substantial financial income. Substantial work has been carried out in several countries on mango and other tropical fruit by-products for direct use as feed and food, composting, methanization, and biotechnological valorization. While composting and methanization align with the ‘circular economy’ principle, the direct use of biowastes as food or feed raises concerns about disease transmission due to their perishable nature. The study suggests that biotechnological valorization into high-value molecules and cellular proteins stands out as the most viable option to enhance the economic value of the by-products and mitigate the health and safety risks associated with their direct consumption. Graphical Abstract