Preliminary Case Reports of Dietary Supplementation from Cameroonian Traditional Food Plants for the Therapeutic Management of HIV/AIDs Patients: Adapting Such Lessons for Clinical Management of Hemorrhagic Syndromes

Abstract

This is a preliminary case reports of the healing potential of Cameroonian traditional foods used since time immemorial and now used to enhance the immune systems of patients of HIV patients with lessons that can be applied in the clinical management of Ebola hemorrhagic fevers. Dietary supplements was made from 0.9% salt and aqueous extracts of Flammiluna spp, Termytomyes titanicus and Pleurotus ostreatus.These macrofungi have been used in African traditional medicine and traditional diets for the management of HIV /AIDS and its accompanying opportunistic infections amongst tribes in north west Cameroon. The study indicated that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in North West region of Cameroon is increasing with girls and women having the highest rate of infection (60%) with increasing shortage of antiretroviral drugs especially in the rural areas of that region.Approximately,95% of patients encountered in this study even when receiving antiretroviral drugs still depend on Traditional medicines. More than 98% of patients in the rural areas who are seropositive but with a CD4 counts of more than 400 cells/ml sustain their lives on African nutritional supplements and traditional medicines.Phytobiotechnology Research laboratories documented 23 mushroom species belonging to 23 families used in various therapeutic preparation for the management of HIV/AIDS in rural North west region of Cameroon. From this Flammiluna, Termitomyces and pleurotus were selected as they are frequently used and available.They were extracted and used in combination in the management of HIV/AIDS patients at the Phytobiotechnology Research Clinic. From 1000 patients who consented through an ethical clearance process to follow the intervention,600 were already receiving antiretroviral drugs from the regional hospital,while on this supplements an increase of CD4 counts(Facs count method,Beckton Dickenson) by 85% was observed with a 94% decrease in Viral loads(Viral load machine,ABI Prism 7300,Biocentric method applied).For the 400 patients who were not qualify to receive ART, a 95% increase in CD4 counts and 95% decrease in Viral loads were recorded. In all study groups,an 80% increase in body weight, clearance of frequent fevers, dysentery and diarrhea symptoms ceased.Haematological analyses indicated 70% in White blood cell counts with a balance neutrophils and lymphocyte counts. Conclusions from this studies stresses the potentials of medicinal food supplementation in the effective management of HIV/AIDS with potential application to other viral diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fevers in Africa.