Integrating farmers' knowledge, attitude and practice in the development of sustainable Striga control interventions in southern Mali

Technologies for Striga control have not been widely adopted because of the mis-match between technologies and farmers' socio- economic conditions. This study uses a participatory rural appraisal technique at the village, household and plot levels to diagnose the extent of the Striga problem in two agro- ecological zones in southern Mali. It has led to the understanding of farmers' attitudes and constraints to Striga control, and opportunities for the development of sustainable technologies suitable for a wide range of farming conditions. Results show that the degree of Striga infestation, levels of farmer knowledge and control practices vary substantially across village territories and fields, and that the severity of the infestation is clearly linked with soil fertility condition and farming practices. It was concluded that in general, the Striga control interventions that would most likely appeal to farmers would be those that will simultaneously improve soil fertility and suppress the development of Striga

Determinants of Mortality in Children under Five Years of Age with Severe Acute Malnutrition Admitted to the Yalgado Ouédraogo Teaching Hospital (Burkina Faso)

Background: To determine critical factors associated with severely malnourished children under five this case-control study was conducted. Methods: The data of a total of 433 children aged 0-59 months and admitted to the Hospital Yalgado Ouedraogo, (CHU – YO) between January 31, 2009 to January 31, 2013, were included in the analysis: 72 for the case group and 361 for the control group. Clinical and treatment records were accessed and data were analyzed. Results: For clinical signs, determinants of mortality were diarrhea [OR = 4.6; (95%CI 2.6-8.2], anorexia [OR = 2.7; (95%CI 1.4-5.0] and hepatomegaly [OR = 2.6; (95%CI 1.4-4.8]. For infections, determinants of mortality were pediatric HIV/AIDS [OR = 10.9; (95%CI 5.6-21.5] and digestive illnesses [OR = 5.1 (95%CI 2.8-9.4)]. Regarding the complications of malnutrition, determinants of mortality were severe dehydration [OR = 16.4 (95%CI 8.0-33.5)], skin lesions [OR = 14.3 (95%CI 6.4 -31.9)], heart failure [OR = 6.8 (95%CI 2.5-19.0)] and severe anemia [OR = 3.2(95%CI 1.4-7.1)]. For biochemical indicators, low serum sodium [OR = 0.7(95%CI 0.5-1.0)] and potassium levels [OR = 0.9(95%CI 0.9-1.0)] were the critical factors. In addition the risk of death was associated with low value of MUAC [OR = 0.9 (95% CI 0.8-0.9)]. Conclusions: The risk of death of children with severe acute malnutrition varies according to different factors studied

A major genetic locus in <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> is a determinant of host pathology

The progression and variation of pathology during infections can be due to components from both host or pathogen, and/or the interaction between them. The influence of host genetic variation on disease pathology during infections with trypanosomes has been well studied in recent years, but the role of parasite genetic variation has not been extensively studied. We have shown that there is parasite strain-specific variation in the level of splenomegaly and hepatomegaly in infected mice and used a forward genetic approach to identify the parasite loci that determine this variation. This approach allowed us to dissect and identify the parasite loci that determine the complex phenotypes induced by infection. Using the available trypanosome genetic map, a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) was identified on T. brucei chromosome 3 (LOD = 7.2) that accounted for approximately two thirds of the variance observed in each of two correlated phenotypes, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly, in the infected mice (named &lt;i&gt;TbOrg1&lt;/i&gt;). In addition, a second locus was identified that contributed to splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and reticulocytosis (&lt;i&gt;TbOrg2&lt;/i&gt;). This is the first use of quantitative trait locus mapping in a diploid protozoan and shows that there are trypanosome genes that directly contribute to the progression of pathology during infections and, therefore, that parasite genetic variation can be a critical factor in disease outcome. The identification of parasite loci is a first step towards identifying the genes that are responsible for these important traits and shows the power of genetic analysis as a tool for dissecting complex quantitative phenotypic traits

Réactualisation des données sur la répartition des glossines au Mali

L'aire de répartition des glossines au Mali couvre environ 200 000 km2 au sud du parallèle 14 30' N et à l'ouest du méridien 4 30' O. Quatre espèces ont été signalées : deux riveraines (Glossina palpalis gambiensis et G. tachinoides) et deux de savane (G. morsitans submorsitans et G. longipalpis). G. morsitans submorsitans était répartie de manière plus ou moins continue le long des frontières avec la Côte d'Ivoire, la Guinée et le Sénégal jusqu'à la limite nord du parc national de la Boucle du Baoulé. A l'est de Bamako, la densité des populations était faible, apparemment discontinue dans les zones forestières. G. palpalis gambiensis était localisée le long de la rivière Bani, du fleuve Niger et de ses affluents, et des affluents du fleuve Sénégal (Baoulé, Bafing et Bagoé). G. tachinoides était répandue le long de la plupart des rivières et des grands cours d'eau de la partie sud-est du pays. Les prospections récentes n'ont pas revélé la présence de G. longipalpis au Mali. Après plusieurs années de sécheresse et/ou un défrichement intensif, une diminution relativement importante de l'aire de répartition des glossines dans le pays a été constatée

Cosmology with Phase 1 of the Square Kilometre Array Red Book 2018: Technical specifications and performance forecasts

We present a detailed overview of the cosmological surveys that we aim to carry out with Phase 1 of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA1) and the science that they will enable. We highlight three main surveys: a medium-deep continuum weak lensing and low-redshift spectroscopic HI galaxy survey over 5 000 deg2; a wide and deep continuum galaxy and HI intensity mapping (IM) survey over 20 000 deg2 from to 3; and a deep, high-redshift HI IM survey over 100 deg2 from to 6. Taken together, these surveys will achieve an array of important scientific goals: measuring the equation of state of dark energy out to with percent-level precision measurements of the cosmic expansion rate; constraining possible deviations from General Relativity on cosmological scales by measuring the growth rate of structure through multiple independent methods; mapping the structure of the Universe on the largest accessible scales, thus constraining fundamental properties such as isotropy, homogeneity, and non-Gaussianity; and measuring the HI density and bias out to . These surveys will also provide highly complementary clustering and weak lensing measurements that have independent systematic uncertainties to those of optical and near-infrared (NIR) surveys like Euclid, LSST, and WFIRST leading to a multitude of synergies that can improve constraints significantly beyond what optical or radio surveys can achieve on their own. This document, the 2018 Red Book, provides reference technical specifications, cosmological parameter forecasts, and an overview of relevant systematic effects for the three key surveys and will be regularly updated by the Cosmology Science Working Group in the run up to start of operations and the Key Science Programme of SKA1

Trypanosomiasis challenge estimation using the diminazene-aceturate (Berenil) index in Zebu in Gabon

A longitudinal study was conducted within a cattle ranch in Gabon to determine the diminazene aceturate (Berenil) index (DAI) in a group of Zebu, raised under low tsetse density; this measure providing an assessment of trypanosomiasis risk. The objective was to evaluate the trypanosomiasis pressure thus informing trypanosomiasis control methods and cattle management. Twenty female adult Zebu were monitored for 24 weeks during the dry season. Blood samples were collected on aweekly basis and subjected to parasitological and haematological analysis (n = 480), using the buffy-coat method and the packed cell volume value (PCV), respectively, infected animals were treated with a single intramuscular injection of diminazene aceturate (8 mg/kg). Twenty-nine single infectious events were recorded and a DAI of 1.45 was calculated. Two trypanosome species were identified: Trypanosoma congolense (96.2%) and Trypanosoma vivax (3.8%). The mean PCV value of the infected animals was lower (26.6) compared to non-infected animals (32.0). This study shows that DAI may be a useful tool to assess trypanosomiasis. However, this is a time-consumingmethod that may be improved by using randomly selected sentinel animals to adapt the chemoprophylactic schemes, hence decreasing the costs and the drug resistance risk