Prevalence of single and mixed parasitic infections of dogs in Egbeda communities, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Dogs harbour a wide array of parasites and have been implicated in the transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans. In a community-based cross-sectional study, 292 dogs and 241 dog owners were examined for parasites in urban and rural communities of Egbeda Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic information of dog owners and identify possible risk factors. Ectoparasites were collected from dog fur and preserved in 70% alcohol before identification. Freshly passed stools from dogs and their owners were collected and examined for intestinal parasites by modified sucrose floatation technique. Ectoparasites were present on 199 (68.2%) dogs, while 239 (81.8%) had intestinal parasites. Six ectoparasite species identified were Ctenocephalides canis (5.5%), C. felis (39.7%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (51.3%), Haemaphysalis leachii (48.9), Trichodectes canis (2.1%) and Linognathus spp (1.7%). Gastrointestinal parasites identified in dogs wereToxocara canis (55.8%), Ascaris spp (36%), Ancylostoma spp (40.1%), Trichuris spp (7.5%), Isospora spp (14.4%) and Toxascaris leonina (15.1%). Prevalence of gastrointestinal as well as ectoparasites were higher in rural communities with more mongrels infected compared to exotic breeds (p < 0.001). Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancyclostoma spp and Trichuris spp were identified in 99 (41.1%) of the dog owners. There was a significant relationship (r=0.36, p < 0.001) between the prevalence of infection in dogs and their owners. Most (75%) of the dog owners were aware only of the possibility of contracting rabies but not other zoonotic parasitic infections from their dogs. The high prevalence of gastrointestinal and ectoparasites of dogs in these communities suggests a very high risk of parasite transmission among dogs, their owners and other inhabitants of the community. The need for intervention programs including regular anti-parasitic treatment of dogs and health education which emphasizes the dangers of zoonotic infections in these communities is imperative. Keywords: Dog owners, Ectoparasites, Gastrointestinal parasites, Urban and Rural dogs, Zoonose

Variation in Arsenic metabolism in schistosomiasis associated bladder pathology in a rural community, Eggua, Ogun State, Nigeria

Exposure to toxic inorganic Arsenic (iAs) in areas endemic for urogenital schistosomiasis may confer increased risk for bladder cancer. The severity of the adverse effects of iAs however depends on its metabolism, which is highly variable among individuals. Genetic polymorphism in Arsenic (+3) Methyl Transferase enzyme, accounts significantly for these variations. To investigate the relationship of AS3MT gene polymorphisms and Arsenic metabolism to schistosomiasis and/or associated bladder pathology, 119 individualsfrom Eggua in southwest Nigeria were recruited for this study. Screening for schistosomiasis and bladder pathology was done by microscopy and ultrasonography respectively. Wagtech Digital Arsenator was used to assess total urinary arsenic concentrations and thus determine the level of arsenic exposure. The single nucleotide polymorphism AS3MT/Met287Thr T>C (rs11191439) was genotyped using Alelle-Specific PCR. Of the participants who tested positive for schistosomiasis, 33.3% exhibited bladder pathology. Total urinary arsenic concentration in 80% of the participants was above the WHO limit of 0.05mg/L. The Met287Thr allelic distribution conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (X2= 0.161, P> 0.05). Observed allelic frequencies were 0.96 and 0.04 for wild-type T and mutant C alleles respectively. There was no significant relationship between AS3MT SNP, arsenic concentrations and schistosomiasis associated bladder pathology. In conclusion, the community is highly exposed to arsenic, although with a possible genetic advantage of increased AS3MT catalytic activity. However, we see the need for urgent intervention as inter-individual differences in arsenic metabolism may influence the bladder pathology status of individuals in the community. And although urogenital schistosomiasis is waning in Eggua, it is not known what synergy the infection and high arsenic exposure may wield on bladder pathology

IL4, IL13, GSTM1 and T1 variants and susceptibility to Schistosomiasis and associated bladder pathologies in Eggua, Nigeria

Failure of the human host to elicit adequate immune responses to the adult Schistosoma haematobium worm and continuous strong inflammatory responses to the eggs have been the main causes of bladder pathology in chronic Schistosomiasis. Identification of susceptibility biomarkers for schistosomiasis- associated bladder pathology is necessary in order to detect genetic factors responsible for the infection and spread of the disease. The aim of this study was to identify candidate-biomarkers for susceptibility to schistosomiasis and its associated pathologies. A total of 371 adult participants, comprising 130 males and 241 females from Eggua community, Ogun State, Nigeria, were randomly recruited into a cross sectional study from August 2012 to May 2014. They were screened for S. haematobium ova and bladder pathologies by microscopy and ultrasonography, respectively. Human host susceptibility to schistosomiasis and its associated bladder pathologies were determined by PCR genotyping of Interleukin (IL4 and IL13) genes, and glutathione-S-transferase (GSTT1 and GSTM1) genes. The overall prevalence of S. haematobium in the population was 29.3% (108/369). Bladder pathologies were observed in 32.3% (117/362) of the population. Polymorphisms in IL 4-590 and IL 13-1055 were observed in 24.1% and 9.3% schistosomiasis cases, respectively. The IL 13-1055 polymorphism did not indicate susceptibility to schistosomiasis in males (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.3-2.1) but a slight risk was found in females (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.7-1.7). Participants with GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms expressed elevated risks of bladder pathologies (OR = 4.3, 95% CI 2.0 - 9.2 and OR = 4.2, 95% CI 1.5 – 12.0, respectively), with the pathology and schistosomiasis group having more GST polymorphisms than bladder pathologies. Keywords: Polymorphisms, Cytokines, GST, schistosomiasis and pathologie

Schistosoma haematobium and Plasmodium falciparum co-infection in Nigeria 2001–2018: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Malaria and schistosomiasis continue to contribute a big burden to infectious disease prevalence in the tropical areas, mainly in sub Saharan African countries. We previously reported high levels of schistosome specific antibody IgG3 in children coinfected with malaria and schistosomiasis. The aim of the current study was to examine the current co-infection rates of these diseases in Nigeria. Published and unpublished studies on coinfection of human urogenital schistosomiasis and malaria carried out in Nigeria between 2001 and August 2018 were retrieved through literature searches in PubMed, Google Scholar, AJOL, and university theses repositories. The filtered and relevant articles were reviewed and combined in a meta-analysis. Studies involving children reported higher rates of coinfection. The fourteen research articles involving 6,559 individuals were combined in a meta-analysis. Our analyses revealed an estimated 15% co-infection for the country, though with wide variability depending on location. In addition, there are few and welldesigned research publications in Nigeria on prevalence and mechanism of malaria and schistosomiasis coinfection

Occurrence of Anatrichosoma sp. in a Nigerian feral cat

This is a report of the presence of an embryonated egg with distinct morphological features consistent with those of Anatrichosoma sp., in cat faeces from Ibadan, Nigeria. This is important because detailed information about this parasite’s clinical pattern, epidemiology and host range is just being gradually unravelled. We report probably for the first time Anatrichosoma sp. isolated from the faeces of a feral cat in Nigeria, suggesting the need for further studies of this parasite in Nigeria, since infection has been documented in dogs, cats, simians and humans in some tropical countries.Keywords: Anatrichosoma; cats; Ibadan; Nigeri

Intestinal helminth infection and malnutrition among public primary school children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Intestinal helminthiasis associated with malnutrition in children remains endemic in developing countries despite considerable efforts at control. This study was carried out to determine the current prevalence status and the risk factors associated with intestinal helminth infections among primary school children in Ibadan. A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 5-16 year old pupils, from 7 primary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State. Microscopic examination of stool for ova was carried out using a formol-ether concentration technique. Predisposing risk factors were determined from questionnaire data while anthropometric indices consisting of weight, height and age were the measured indicators of the nutritional status. Of the 485 pupils examined, 187(38.6%) had helminth infections and the parasites identified were Ascaris lumbricoides (35.9%), Strongyloides stercoralis (12.4%), hookworm (8.5%), Enterobius vermicularis (4.9%), Schistosoma mansoni (3.5%) and Trichuris trichiura (0.4%). More male pupils (52.9%, p = 0.05) than females (47.1%) had infections. Pupils aged between 9-12 years (p = 0.02) had highest (49.2%) infection rates. Infections were recorded in 13(18.57%) of 70 pupils treated with levamisole by the local health centres 2 weeks prior to this study. Wearing of footwear, parent’s occupation, drinking water sources, family size and toilet type were risk factors significantly associated (p<0.05) with infection in this study. The  overall prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight were 24.4%, 28.8% and 7.8% respectively, there was however, no statistical relationship (p>0.05) between the prevalence of infection and malnutrition. Intestinal helminthiasis is still prevalent in schoolchildren despite targeted  chemotherapy. It is therefore suggested that chemotherapy should include all children in the communities along with continuous enlightenment to ensure the disruption of parasite transmission. Keywords: Intestinal helminths; school children; malnutrition; Ibadan; chemotherapy

Investigation of the sequence profile of the Plasmodium falciparum 18SrRNA diagnostic target in isolates from naturally infected children with uncomplicated malaria

The gold standard for malaria diagnosis is evidence of parasitological confirmation but the traditional method by light microscopy and the routinely used rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have limitations. Molecular assays are known to have higher sensitivity and specificity but there are indications that they may also be compromised by genetic variability of the target sequence. The aim of this study therefore, was to evaluate the DNA sequence profile of the diagnostic target of the P. falciparum 18S rRNA PCR assay in field isolates from North-Central Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from 324 children presenting with acute febrile illness suspected to be uncomplicated malaria. Light microscopy and 18S rRNA PCR assay were employed to determine the presence of P. falciparum parasites. Sequence profile of the diagnostic target was evaluated by Sanger sequencing of the PCR products on ABI PRISM® 3100 DNA sequencer (PE Applied Biosystems). Of the 324 children enrolled into this study, 134 (41.4%) were positive for P. falciparum by microscopy while 218 (67.3%) were positive by PCR. The sensitivity of microscopy was 61.47%(95% CI= 57.88% - 69.64%) using the PCR assay as reference standard. The degree of agreement between microscopy and PCR as measured by Cohen's kappa was  moderate (κ = 0.502, 95% CI = 0.463 - 0.715).Sequence analysis showed that the DNA target of the P. falciparum 18S rRNA PCR from the field isolates were highly conserved. Only one A>T single nucleotide polymorphism was found within the target sequence  among the isolates in this study. This study showed that the DNA target sequence of the18S rRNA PCR assay is highly conserved in field isolates in the study region suggesting little or no impact of selective pressure acting on the locus and has implications for the enhanced sensitivity of the molecular assay

-308G>A (rs1800629)and -244G>A(rs673) polymorphisms at the promoter region of the TNF-α gene in severe malaria patients in north-central Nigeria

Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF-α) is a multifunctional pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of malaria. The level of expression of this cytokine is however suggested to be under genetic control. This study evaluated the frequency of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the promoter region of the TNF-α gene and their association with susceptibility to severe malaria in north-central Nigeria. A total of 201children (86 severe malaria cases and 115 asymptomatic controls) were recruited into the study. Blood sample was collected from each participant and DNA was isolated using the QIAamp® DNA Mini Kit. Genotyping for SNPs was carried out using the ABI PRISM® 3100 Genetic Analyzer. The distributions of the observed genotypes for the -308G>A (rs1800629) and -244G>A(rs673) polymorphismswere in conformity with the expected distribution when tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two groups. No significant difference (p>0.05) was found in the allelic distributions of the -308G>A and-244G>A between the severe malaria cases and the asymptomatic controls. The most common genotype in the study-population for the TNF-α (-308G>A and-244G>A) loci was homozygote GG. The AA homozygote genotype was not found in any of the study groups. However, a higher frequency of the -308GA and -244GA genotypes were found among individuals with severe malaria compared with the asymptomatic subjects although, this did not reach a statistically significant level (p=0.174; p=0.126 respectively).This study found no association of the TNF-α (-308G>A and -244G>A) polymorphisms with susceptibility to severe malaria. Further studies with larger population sizes are however needed to confirm this result.Keywords: Malaria; cytokines; Plasmodium species; TNF-α; polymorphisms; PCR; north-central Nigeri

Co-infection of schistosomiasis, malaria, HBV and HIV among adults living in Eggua Community, Ogun State, Nigeria

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the blood fluke that continues to plague many developing countries in the tropics. The goal of this study was to determine the occurrence of schistosomiasis, malaria, HBV and HIV co-infection among adults in some villages of Eggua Community, Nigeria (Tata, Imoto, Orile and Ebute Igbooro). In cross-sectional surveys, 240 participants were recruited from Orile and Ebute Igbooro and 207 from Tata and Imoto. Urine samples were collected and tested for urinary schistosomiasis by conventional microscopy; blood samples were tested for HBV, HIV and malaria using standard RDTs and microscopy respectively. Prevalence and co-infection of the diseases was analyzed by chi-squared (x2) test. The prevalence of schistosomiasis and malaria was 21.3% and 11.1% in Tata and Imoto respectively; and 14.5% and 19.1% in Orile and Ebute Igbooro, respectively. The overall prevalence of co-infection of urinary schistosomiasis with malaria was 2.5% and 0.4% each with HIV and HBV in the study areas. Schistosoma haematobium and Plasmodium falciparum are prevalent in the study-area, and an integrated control approach directed against the two parasites should be carried out. Keywords: Schistosomiasis; malaria; co-infection; HBV and HIV