Effects of Trypanosoma brucei and Heligmosomoides bakeri infections on water consumption of lactating albino mice and the viability of their pre-weaned offspring

The effects of single and/or concurrent H. bakeri and T. brucei infections on water consumption of lactating and non-lactating mice were investigated. Pregnant mice were grouped into four (A, B, C and D) comprising of six animals per group. Groups A, B and C were either infected with H. bakeri or T. brucei alone or with both parasites together. Group D served as pregnant uninfected control while a different group (E) was used as non-pregnant and uninfected control. Packed cell volumes (PCV), faecal egg counts (FEC), worm burden and water consumption of the mice were determined. Mean live-weights of surviving offspring and their numbers were recorded. Infected animals had lower PCV compared to the controls. However, lactating mice infected with both parasites had the least PCV. Mortalities occurred in the dualinfected groups. Worm burden and FEC of mice with concurrent infections were significantly higher than that of the H. bakeri-only infected mice. Lactating mice consumed significantly more water than non-lactating mice . Uninfected and H. bakeri-only infected mice had heavier, healthy-looking and greater numbers of pups than their conjointly-infected counterparts that had fewer wrinkled-bodied pups with more early-mortalities following parturition. Drawing from these results, it is therefore necessary to promptly control diseases in pregnant and lactating animals and provide water adlibitum to lactating animals. Keywords: Water consumption, Lactating mice, Trypanosoma brucei, Heligmosomoides bakeri, concurrent infectio

State of knowledge of research in the Guinean forests of West Africa region

© 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. The Guinean forests of West Africa (GFWA) region is of highest conservation value in Africa and worldwide. The aims of this review are to systematically identify and collate studies focusing on the environment in the region. We found that, after Google Scholar search, in over 112,000 results for 17 disciplines, three countries (Nigeria, Cameroon and Togo) were subjected to much more investigations than the other countries. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were the least studied countries, and overall there was a significant West to East increasing trend for all seven considered disciplines (Ecology, Zoology, Botany, Conservation biology, Pollution, Climate change and Ecological economy) in terms of number of results. Within 'Ecology' 'macroecology and biodiversity' was the most studied subdiscipline. Baseline taxonomic studies in 'Zoology' and 'Botany' received little interest, particularly in 2006-2016. For 'Conservation biology', studies focusing on 'protected areas' were more numerous than for any other subsector, followed by 'biodiversity surveys'. Our analysis revealed that there were significantly more studies focusing on forests than on mangrove areas. Our results pointed out that, there is an urgent need for more rigorous taxonomical and fine-scale distribution studies of organisms across the whole region, not only for the traditionally overlooked groups (e.g. invertebrates). It is also stressed that studies of macropatterns in conservation biology research for the region should be performed by more reliable data at the more local scale, given the misuse that has been done by general studies of these limited/biased data for inferring patterns. Long-term longitudinal studies on biodiversity patterns of important forest sites and population biology of selected populations are urgently needed, as these have been almost entirely neglected to date. Crucial issues are still to be solved: for instance, it remains fully unresolved whether wildlife can best be protected through the promotion of human economic development or through integral conservation of important biodiversity areas

The unique resistance and resilience of the Nigerian West African Dwarf goat to gastrointestinal nematode infections

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>West African Dwarf (WAD) goats serve an important role in the rural village economy of West Africa, especially among small-holder livestock owners. They have been shown to be trypanotolerant and to resist infections with <it>Haemonchus contortus </it>more effectively than any other known breed of goat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this paper we review what is known about the origins of this goat breed, explain its economic importance in rural West Africa and review the current status of our knowledge about its ability to resist parasitic infections.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We suggest that its unique capacity to show both trypanotolerance and resistance to gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections is immunologically based and genetically endowed, and that knowledge of the underlying genes could be exploited to improve the capacity of more productive wool and milk producing, but GI nematode susceptible, breeds of goats to resist infection, without recourse to anthelmintics. Either conventional breeding allowing introgression of resistance alleles into susceptible breeds, or transgenesis could be exploited for this purpose. Appropriate legal protection of the resistance alleles of WAD goats might provide a much needed source of revenue for the countries in West Africa where the WAD goats exist and where currently living standards among rural populations are among the lowest in the world.</p

Understanding the influence of non-wealth factors in determining bushmeat consumption: results from four West African countries

The meat of wild animals (bushmeat) is consumed extensively in many tropical regions. Over the past few decades bushmeat consumption has greatly increased, threatening the survival of some hunted species and the supply of animal protein to countless numbers of people. Understanding patterns of bushmeat consumption is thus vital to ensure the sustainable use of this resource. Although the economic drivers of bushmeat consumption has been well studied, non-wealth correlates have been poorly considered. Here, we analyse how factors such as age and gender influence bushmeat consumption in four West African countries, within the Guinean forests (Togo and Nigeria) and Sahel (Burkina Faso and Niger). We interviewed a total of 2,453 persons (1,253 urban, 1,200 in rural areas) to determine frequency of consumption of bushmeat as well as main species eaten. We found significant differences in bushmeat consumption between rural and urban areas in all four countries. In particular, the proportion of persons not consuming any bushmeat was highest in urban areas. Gender differences in bushmeat consumption was not generally important but young people consistently avoided eating bushmeat, especially in Togo and Nigeria, and in urban areas. The complicated interplay between tradition and evolution of social systems (especially the trends towards westernization) may explain the different perceptions that people may have towards consuming bushmeat in the four studied countries. In addition, we found considerable variation in types of bushmeat eaten, with antelopes and large rodents eaten by the great majority of interviewees, but bats, monkeys, and snakes being avoided, especially in urban settlements

Hematological Values of out Bred Domestic Rabbits in Eastern Nigeria

There is a dearth of relevant information in general about certain production parameters of domestic rabbits in general in eastern Nigeria. Thus some basic hematological parameters of young and adult out bred domestic rabbits, from villages in eastern Nigeria, were determined using standard methods in hematology. Individual values of Hb and PCV were very variable. The Hb values were 6.50 - 17.80 g% (mean 11.20 ± 1.59 g%) in young rabbits and 9.50 - 16.20 g% (mean 11.50 ± 1.61 g%) in adult rabbits. The mean PCV was 33.39 ± 3.63% (range 25 - 42%) in young rabbits and 30.37 ± 4.45% (range 22 - 38%) in adults. The difference between PCV values in young and adult rabbits was not significant. The total WBC counts were 3371 - 19400 c/μl (mean 8512.4 ± 3914.87 c/μl) in young rabbits and 4320 - 20200 c/μl (mean 7914 ± 3090 c/μl) in adults. The majority of white blood cells were lymphocytes in both young and adult rabbits. Eosinophils, basophils and monocytes were generally rare. The results show that the basic hematological values (PCV, Hb and WBC) of out bred domestic rabbits in Nigeria differ from those reported for other rabbits in general. This observation is important for scientific research and diagnostic work using this breed of rabbits