Laboratory Investigation on Oviposition and Development of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) on Four Varieties of Cowpea

Cowpea, one of the six major cultivated crop species of the family leguminosae distributed throughout the tropics is a cheap source of protein. It has about 20-25% protein content, containing about twice the protein content of most cereals and it is also rich in vitamins, minerals and low in fats. Even though cowpea is nutritionally important to many people, its cultivation is under treat from insect pests both in the field and storage but the most damaging pest of cowpea in storage is Callosobruchus maculatus. The oviposition, growth and development of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) on four (two resistant and two susceptible) varieties of cowpea were investigated under laboratory conditions in the Department of Crop Protection, University of Ilorin. This was done to ascertain the resistance of the selected cowpea varieties to attack by C. maculatus. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with five treatments namely Ife-brown, TVU-2027, Vita-7 and IT86D-535. Each treatment was replicated three times More eggs were laid on Ife Brown when compared with TVU 2027. However, fewer eggs were laid on Vita-7 when compared with IT86D 535. C. maculatus developed best on the seeds of Ife brown followed by IT86D 535 and Vita 7. Few adult insects emerged from TVU 2027. Developmental period was longer in TVU 2027 than in Ife brown, IT86D 535 and Vita 7. The largest number of adult males and females were reared from Ife brown.Keywords: Cowpea varieties, Callosobruchus maculatus, oviposition anddevelopment

Spontaneous Intra-Peritoneal Urinary Bladder Rupture Complicating Benign Prostate Hyperplasia: Case Report

A case of a rare atraumatic spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder in a 62-year-old man with benign prostate hyperplasia who presented with anuria, abdominal pain and abdominal distension is reported. He had declined prostatectomy for two and a half years on financial ground. In addition to the presenting history, the presence of free intraperitoneal fluid and abdominal rigidity heightened the clinical suspicion of the diagnosis. This was confirmed by the laboratory demonstration of uroperitoneum and ultrasonographic demonstration of rent in the urinary bladder wall. About 6 litres of urine, mixed with blood, was drained following a moderately difficult trans-urethral bladder catheterization. This led to the spontaneous disappearance of the abdominal distension and healing of the bladder rupture as confirmed by ultrasonography and cystography on the eighth day of presentation. He had urethro-cystoscopy and retropubic prostatectomy electively two months later and has remained well on follow up

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in a adult female

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a clinico-neuroradiologic diagnosis, with rapidly evolving neurologic condition, characterized by headache, confusion, altered mental status, seizures, cortical blindness, lethargy, stupor, and occasionally, focal neurological signs accompanied by a typical computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging pattern. With early recognition and treatment, complete resolution of symptoms occurs. Typical imaging findings characteristically involve the white matter bilaterally in the parieto-occipital regions. Atypical imaging finding of contrast enhancement of lesion can occur, but is less common. A 20-year-old primiparous lady presented with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case in Nigeria. This case-report highlights the importance of recognizing the salient imaging features in this lethal but reversible entity with prompt management.Keywords: Female, leukoencephalopathy, Nigerian, posterior, reversibl

Comparative Effects of Three Herbs and Standard Hypoglycaemic Agents on Blood Glucose in Normoglycaemic, Hyperglycaemic and Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Male Rats

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus has risen exponentially in the last decade and an increasing number of people are using herbal supplements. Objective: We aimed to assess the relative efficacy of three promising herbs as potentially emerging alternative/adjunct treatment for diabetes. Materials and Methods: One hundred and ninety-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. A third of the animals were randomly rendered diabetic with alloxan (150 mg/kg), another third injected 50% dextrose (5 g/kg); and the last third constituted the controls. The rats were variously administered aqueous leaf extract of Momordica foetida (500 mg/kg), Vernonia amygdalina (500 mg/kg) and Tapinanthus butungii (500 mg/kg), glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) chlorpropamide (250 mg/kg), and human insulin lente (0.1 I.U./kg). Results: Extract of Momordica foetida caused maximal anti-diabetic effect in six hours, Vernonia amygdalina ten hours, while Tapinanthus butungii continued to cause reduction after ten hours. The three extracts caused greater blood glucose reductions than glibenclamide in the diabetic rats, while exhibiting comparable effects with chlorpropamide and insulin. Conclusions: Tapinanthus butungii is more effective in lowering blood glucose than Momordica foetida and Vernonia amygdalina in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Leaf extract of Momordica foetida should be useful in rapidly lowering blood glucose, while that of Tapinanthus butungii in situations that require more subtle reductions and in conditions in which prolonged hypoglycaemic actions are desirable. Keywords: Mormordica foetida, Vernonia amygdalina, Tapinanthus butungii, Leaf, Alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus Parts of this work were read at the 19th World Diabetes Congress, Cape Town, South Africa (December, 2006)

Epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in Africa: a OneHealth systematic review

Background: Q fever is a common cause of febrile illness and community-acquired pneumonia in resource-limited settings. Coxiella burnetii, the causative pathogen, is transmitted among varied host species, but the epidemiology of the organism in Africa is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of C. burnetii epidemiology in Africa from a “One Health” perspective to synthesize the published data and identify knowledge gaps.<p></p> Methods/Principal Findings: We searched nine databases to identify articles relevant to four key aspects of C. burnetii epidemiology in human and animal populations in Africa: infection prevalence; disease incidence; transmission risk factors; and infection control efforts. We identified 929 unique articles, 100 of which remained after full-text review. Of these, 41 articles describing 51 studies qualified for data extraction. Animal seroprevalence studies revealed infection by C. burnetii (≤13%) among cattle except for studies in Western and Middle Africa (18–55%). Small ruminant seroprevalence ranged from 11–33%. Human seroprevalence was <8% with the exception of studies among children and in Egypt (10–32%). Close contact with camels and rural residence were associated with increased seropositivity among humans. C. burnetii infection has been associated with livestock abortion. In human cohort studies, Q fever accounted for 2–9% of febrile illness hospitalizations and 1–3% of infective endocarditis cases. We found no studies of disease incidence estimates or disease control efforts.<p></p> Conclusions/Significance: C. burnetii infection is detected in humans and in a wide range of animal species across Africa, but seroprevalence varies widely by species and location. Risk factors underlying this variability are poorly understood as is the role of C. burnetii in livestock abortion. Q fever consistently accounts for a notable proportion of undifferentiated human febrile illness and infective endocarditis in cohort studies, but incidence estimates are lacking. C. burnetii presents a real yet underappreciated threat to human and animal health throughout Africa.<p></p&gt

An investigation into the prevalence of dog bites to primary school children in Trinidad

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To estimate the prevalence of dog bites to primary school children between the ages of 8–12 years using a semi-structured interview process. With the increase in the pet population and popularity of dangerous breeds of dog and a high stray dog population combined with a dearth of information on the risk of dog attacks to children in Trinidad, a semi-structured interview process was used to determine risk factors associated with dog attacks.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire survey of 1109 primary school children between the ages of 8–12 years was conducted in Trinidad from November 2002 to September 2003. The survey was conducted to determine the risk factors such as age, gender, size of dog and relationship of dog and victim, in dog bite incidents. The chi-square statistic and odds ratios were used to estimate risk factors for a bite incident.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-eight percent of children were bitten at least once by a dog. Gender (male) and owning a dog were statistically significant risk factors (p = 0.003 and 0.008 respectively, χ²<it>df</it>, 95% confidence). Most attacks occurred outside of the home (58.0%) followed by the victims' home (42.0%) and were by a dog known but not owned (54.6%) by the victim. Many victims (33.0%) were bitten without having any interaction with the dog and the majority (61.9%) of victims did not receive professional medical assistance. Overall, the lower leg or foot was most often injured (39.3%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A public educational campaign is needed on responsible pet ownership. In addition, children must be taught effective ways of avoiding attacks or reducing injury in the event of a dog attack. The Dangerous dogs Act 2000 must be proclaimed in parliament by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to exert more pressure on pet owners to safeguard the public from the menace of dog attacks.</p

Frequency of resistance to methicillin and other antimicrobial agents among Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from pigs and their human handlers in Trinidad

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged recently worldwide in production animals, particularly pigs and veal calves, which act as reservoirs for MRSA strains for human infection. The study determined the prevalence of MRSA and other resistant strains of S. aureus isolated from the anterior nares of pigs and human handlers on pig farms in Trinidad. Methods: Isolation of S. aureus was done by concurrently inoculating Baird-Parker agar (BPA) and Chromagar MRSA (CHROM) with swab samples and isolates were identified using standard methods. Suspect MRSA isolates from Chromagar and BPA were subjected to confirmatory test using Oxoid PBP2 latex agglutination test. The disc diffusion method was used to determine resistance to antimicrobial agents. Results: The frequency of isolation of MRSA was 2.1% (15 of 723) for pigs but 0.0% (0 of 72) for humans. Generally, for isolates of S. aureus from humans there was a high frequency of resistance compared with those from pigs, which had moderate resistance to the following antimicrobials: penicillin G (54.5%, 51.5%), ampicillin (59.1%, 49.5%), and streptomycin (59.1%, 37.1%), respectively. There was moderate resistance to tetracycline (36.4%, 41.2%) and gentamycin (27.2%, 23.7%) for human and pig S. aureus isolates, respectively, and low resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (4.5%, 6.2%) and norfloxacin (9.1%, 12.4%), respectively. The frequency of resistance to oxacillin by the disc method was 36.4 and 34.0% from S. aureus isolates from humans and pigs, respectively. Out of a total of 78 isolates of S. aureus from both human and pig sources that were resistant to oxacillin by the disc diffusion method, only 15 (19.2%) were confirmed as MRSA by the PBP'2 latex test kit. Conclusions: The detection of MRSA strains in pigs, albeit at a low frequency, coupled with a high frequency of resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents in pig and humans could have zoonotic and therapeutic implications. Finally, the diagnostic limitation of using CHROMagar and testing for oxacillin resistance by the disc diffusion method alone to determine MRSA strains without performing confirmatory tests cannot be overemphasized because the possibility of overdiagnosis of MRSA infections cannot be ignored

The first case of Brucella canis in Sweden: background, case report and recommendations from a northern European perspective

Infection with Brucella canis has been diagnosed in Sweden for the first time. It was diagnosed in a three-year-old breeding bitch with reproductive disturbances. Fifteen in-contact dogs were tested repeatedly and all of them were negative for B. canis. The source of infection could not be defined. The present article describes the case and the measures undertaken and gives a short review over B. canis. Recommendations on how to avoid the infection in non-endemic countries are given