African Journal of Parasitology Research

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-007, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Assessment of malaria as public health problem in Finchaa Sugar Factory based on clinical records and parasitological surveys, western Ethiopia

Bayissa Chala¹* and Beyene Petros²

¹Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, Adama Science and Technology University, P.O. Box 1888, Adama, Ethiopia.

²Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Accepted 17 January, 2019

Abstract

An assessment of the malaria prevalence and some of its risk factors was conducted in the Finchaa Sugar Factory estate, western Ethiopia, based on analysis of retrospective data from the health center, a cross-sectional survey using blood slides and a questionnaire. Over the period 2001 to 2005 average prevalence among suspected patients at the health centre was 30.9%. Examination of thick and thin blood films from a random sample of 700 individuals from 7 villages revealed infection rates of 1.4% in November 2005 and 3.9% in April/May 2006. Out of 37 malaria positives, more than half was due to Plasmodium vivax and the rest was Plasmodium falciparum. The study detected focal variation of prevalence associated with location of the village, presence of pools and socio-economic circumstances. Awareness of malaria transmission and control was generally low. Malaria is a year-round public health problem in Finchaa, possibly perpetuated by permanent water bodies, high influx of migrant laborers and reduced effectiveness of current control measures.

Key words: Malaria, irrigation, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, public health, Ethiopia.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-008, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Serological and parasitological prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis in small holder farms of the Vina division, Adamawa region of Cameroon

Mpouam S. E.^1,5  Achukwi M. D.²*, Feussom Kameni J. M.³, Bengaly Z.⁴ and Ouedraogo G. A.^5,6

¹School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences- University of Ngaoundere, Cameroon.

²Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) Wakwa Regional Centre, Veterinary Research Laboratory. B.P. 65 Ngaoundere, Cameroon.

³Ecole inter-Etats des sciences et Médecine Vétérinaire (EISMV), Dakar, Sénégal.

⁴Centre International de Recherche et Développement en zone Subhumides (CIRDES), Bobo-Dioulasso. Burkina Faso.

⁵Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso (UPB), Burkina Faso.

⁶Laboratoire de Recherche en Santé et Biotechnologie Animale (LARESBA).

Accepted 15 March, 2019

Abstract

In the Adamawa region, the number one cattle-producing area in Cameroon, there is spacity of reliable data on bovine trypanosomosis and the disease epizootiology but animal breeders attribute huge economic losses to trypanosomosis in the complete absence of laboratory diagnosis. This led to the ugly situation where most sick animals are injected with trypanocides. Blood was collected from 330 zebu cattle in small holder livestock farms in the Mbe Plain and Plateau of the Vina Division of Cameroon to assess the parasitological and seroprevalence rates of bovine trypanosomosis using the Buffy coat technique (BCT) and Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA-antibody). The overall bovine trypanosomosis prevalence rate in both Mbe plain and the plateau was 11.5% when BCT was used and 31.2% with antibody ELISA. In the Mbe plain serological prevalence was an epizootic proportion of 51.5%, being 3.39 times higher than the prevalence rate (15.2%) using BCT. On the Plateau this ratio was 1.49 represented by a serological prevalence rate of 12.1% and a BCT prevalence rate of 8.12%. The parasitemia was relatively low (lower than 5×10⁴ trypanosomes/ml) in both zones. The mean PCV of animals in Mbé Plain (26.22%) was significantly lower than that of animals on the Plateau (30.2%). In the Mbé Plain the mean PCV of ELISA-positive animals (23.71%) was very significantly (p < 0.001) lower than 28.93% for ELISA-negative animals. On the Plateau, ELISA- positive animals had a mean PCV of 29.76% which was not significantly different from that (30.27%) of ELISA-negative animals. The seroprevalence was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in older animals than younger ones in the Mbe plain but not in the plateau. Sex did not influence (p > 0.05) the seroprevalence and the mean PCV in both zones whereas the prevalence with the BCT was significantly higher in male cattle than in female in both Plateau and the Mbe plain (p < 0. 05). The risk of bovine trypanosomosis was higher in the Mbe plain than in the plateau. In both study areas the intensity of animal trypanosomosis varies according to the ecological niches, suggesting that the vectors may be localized in a number of foci.

Key words: Bovine trypanosomosis, seroprevalence, packed cell volume, Vina-Cameroon,

Key words: Bed bugs, head lice, Lagos, prevalence.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-007, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Accumulation of trehalose in temperature and moisture stressed infective (L3) and in hypobiotic (L4) larvae of Haemonchus contortus in goats

Siamba D.N¹, M. Ngeiywa², P.M. Gatongi², L.W. Wamae³, and A. Wambugu³

¹Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, P.O Box 25, Naivasha, Kenya.

²Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, P.O Box 57811, Nairobi, Kenya.

³Moi University, P.O Box 3900, Eldoret, Kenya.

Accepted 21 February, 2019

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the accumulation of trehalose in infective third (L₃) stage of Haemonchus contortus induced for hypobiosis by exposure to gradual increase in temperature and decrease in moisture. Trehalose content in stressed L₃, hypobiotic (L₄) and mature H. contortus was estimated by densitometry. It was established that infective (L₃) larvae subjected to moisture stress accumulated significantly (p = 0.037) higher levels of trehalose compared to the unstressed controls. In addition, infection of goats with the stressed L₃ resulted in high proportion of larvae arrested at the fourth (L₄) larval stage as indicated by the number of L₄ recovered from the abomasal sub-mucosal tissue of goats slaughtered 24 days post infection. These hypobiotic larvae (L ₄) had significantly (p = 0.0024) higher relative trehalose content than mature H. contortus recovered from the lumen of the abomasa. The high correlation of trehalose content in stressed larvae and hypobiosis suggested that trehalose metabolism could play a role in hypobiosis. It is suggested that further research should be conducted to confirm or refute this link between hypobiosis and trehalose metabolism.

Key words: Hypobiosis, trehalose, stressed, Haemonchus, larvae.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-006, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of some cytokines in Iraqi patients with kala- azar

Yassir M. K. Al-Mulla Hummadi

College of Pharmacy, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Hay Al-Qadisiyah, P. O. Box 14070, Baghdad-Iraq. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 21 January, 2019

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate some cytokines (INF-g, IL-10, TNF-a) on blood samples of Iraqi children with Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) before and during treatment with stibogluconate and healthy people serving as control, using ELISA kits. Samples were confirmed parasitologically by bone marrow smears. The results of cytokine showed that there were significant increases in the levels of all the investigated cytokines (INF- g, IL-10, TNF-a) in the sera of patients with VL during active disease in comparison with the control group. On the other hand, patients after treatment showed a dramatic and progressive decline in serum levels of all the tested cytokine during the whole period-21 days- of therapy. These declines were started from day-7 to go back to the normal or comparable to the level of healthy controls after 21-days.

Key words: Visceral leishmaniasis, cytokines, ELISA, INF-g, IL-10, TNF-a, stibogluconate.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-008, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Lactobacillus infection related to midgut protein synthesis in the dengue vector Aedes albopictus: Platform of non-symbiont bacteria for the control of Aedes vectors

Hamady Dieng^1,2, Parimal Talukder¹, Tomomitsu Satho¹, Yukihiko Nakashima¹, Nobuhiro Kashige¹, Ikenna N. Nwachukwu², Adzitey Frederick³, Rahman G. M. Saifur², Che Salmah Md Rawi², Abu Hassan Ahmad² and Fumio Miake¹

¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma Johnan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.

²School of Biological Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang Malaysia.

³School of Industrial Technology, University Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang Malaysia.

Accepted 22 February, 2019

Abstract

There have been a number of recent studies regarding the use of engineered insect symbiont bacteria for control of insect-borne diseases. However, searches for cultivable bacteria residing in the mosquito midgut have met with little success. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the human non-pathogenic lactobacilli on midgut protein synthesis in the dengue vector Aedes albopictus, taking into account the ease of infection and its persistence. It was showed that antibiotic treatment of mosquitoes did not prevent experimental infection, and readily reduced undesired infection, but did not prevent re- infection by Lactobacillus spp. It suggests a high potential of colonization of a target vector population under field conditions. Ingested lactobacilli remained in the female midgut for five days. Lactobacillus reuteri (Lactobacillales: Lactobacillaceae) showed more specific proteins than Lactobacillus brevis (Lactobacillales: Lactobacillaceae). Some proteins identified in L. brevis were present at much higher levels in L. reuteri, while other proteins found in the latter were found at higher levels in the former. Infection by L. brevis resulted in the absence of many proteins. In contrast, L. reuteri infection resulted in increased levels of synthesis of a set of proteins present in the healthy midguts. Both bacteria triggered changes in midgut protein synthesis, but activation was seen to a greater extent with L. reuteri. These results are discussed in the context of paratransgenesis.

Key words: Bacteria, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus brevis, Aedes albopictus, midgut, ease of infection, persistence, protein synthesis.