Knowledge, attitudes and practices about blood donation. A sociological study among the population of Lomé in Togo]

GOALS: 1) analyse the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Lome population about blood donation; 2) identify obstacles to blood donation among the population of Lome; 3) suggest some solutions to improve the performance of the National Blood Transfusion Centre (CNTS). METHODOLOGY: We have conducted a sample survey among the population of Lome from the 6th to 21st October 2003. Three hundred persons filled a questionnaire. RESULTS: In the sample, 183 (61%) were males. Their age ranged from 18 to 67 years with 2/3 of young peoples between 18 and 37 years. Pupils/students were 24,33%, wage-earners, 55% and the unemployed, 17,67%. More than the half of the investigated persons (54,67%) were unmarried and 96, 33% persons were literate. Nearly all the people (96,33%) knew about blood donation in Lome and they have received information mainly from friends, media and sensitization by the CNTS. Sixty-one percent of the investigated knew where blood is donated. All the investigated were unanimous about the vital role of blood. Whatever their religion, they recognized its sacred nature. The majority of the investigated (85%) were willing to donate blood. Only 95 people were donors. The reasons for non-donation were mainly related to the fear of catching diseases (31,71%) especially the HIV (9,76%), the lack of information (25,37%), the religious beliefs (19,51%) and the fear of knowing the result of one's HIV test. 277 people (92,33%) said that blood should be donated without remuneration. CONCLUSION: There is a growing interest in the blood donation among the population of Lome but new strategies must be elaborated to inform the population and motivate blood donors.     

Resolution of primary murine listeriosis and acquired resistance to lethal secondary infection can be mediated predominantly by Thy-1+ CD4- CD8- cells.

Mice depleted of CD4+, CD8+, Thy-1+ CD4- CD8-, or all three types of cells by appropriate monoclonal antibody treatment were tested for their ability to express resistance against a primary and secondary Listeria monocytogenes infection. It was found that mice depleted of CD8+, CD4+, or both of these subsets of T cells remained capable of controlling and then resolving both a primary infection and a secondary infection lethal for normal animals. In contrast, depleting mice of a population of Thy-1+ CD8- CD4- cells that remain after CD4+ and CD8+ T cells had been removed, rendered them incapable of resolving a sublethal primary infection or of expressing acquired immunity to a lethal secondary infection. The results point to the possibilities that Thy1+ CD4- CD8- alpha beta T cells, Thy1+ CD4- CD8- gamma delta T cells, Thy-1+ NK cells, or all three types of these host cells are involved in anti-L. monocytogenes resistance.