Studying the variability in the diurnal and seasonal variations in GPS total electron content over Nigeria

The study of diurnal and seasonal variations in total electron content (TEC) over Nigeria has been prompted by the recent increase in the number of GPS continuously operating reference stations (CORSs) across Nigeria as well as the reduced costs of microcomputing. The GPS data engaged in this study were recorded in the year 2012 at nine stations in Nigeria located between geomagnetic latitudes – 4.33 and 0.72° N. The GPS data were used to derive GPS TEC, which was analysed for diurnal and seasonal variations. The results obtained were used to produce local GPS TEC maps and bar charts. The derived GPS TEC across all the stations demonstrates consistent minimum diurnal variations during the pre-sunrise hours 04:00 to 06:00 LT, increases with sharp gradient during the sunrise period (∼ 07:00 to 09:00 LT), attains postnoon maximum at about 14:00 LT, and then falls to a minimum just before sunset. Generally, daytime variations are found to be greater than nighttime variations, which range between 0 and 5 TECU. The seasonal variation depicts a semi-annual distribution with higher values (∼ 25–30 TECU) around equinoxes and lower values (∼ 20–25 TECU) around solstices. The December Solstice magnitude is slightly higher than the June Solstice magnitude at all stations, while March Equinox magnitude is also slightly higher than September Equinox magnitude at all stations. Thus, the seasonal variation shows an asymmetry in equinoxes and solstices, with the month of October displaying the highest values of GPS TEC across the latitudes

Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection among Pregnant Women in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Trichomoniasis caused by Trichomonas vaginalis has emerged as one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. The infection may lead to an important complication in pregnancy, as it has been related with prematurity and low birth weight. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis among Nigerian women attending ante natal clinic at the State Hospital, Abeokuta. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among two hundred (200) pregnant women attending ante-natal at Ogun State Hospital, Abeokuta. High vaginal swabs (HVS) and urine samples were collected from consenting pregnant women and examined for the presence of T. vaginalis under the microscope. Out of 200 women, a total of 40 (20%) were found to be infected with T. vaginalis. The women between the age group 20-30 had the highest prevalence of 21.3% while age group >20 years had the lowest of 12.5% but the difference was not statistically significant. Women in second trimester had the highest prevalence of 25% while those of first trimester were the lowest with 18%. Results obtained from comparing HVS and urine microscopy in this study showed that HVS had a prevalence of 40% compared to urine microscopy (5.5%) and the difference in their detection was statistically significant p=0.0041. These results may be useful for health authorities, especially for ante-natal care and protection against STDs. The higher recovery rate obtained by using HVS microscopy confirms its advantage over urine microscopy

Intestinal Helminthiasis among School Children in Ilie, Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria

A cross sectional study of intestinal helminthiasis among school pupils was undertaken in three primary schools in Ilie in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun state in order to determine the prevalence and intensity of helminthic infections. The relationship between intestinal helminths and anthropometric indices and the factors that could favour the infection were also studied. Faecal samples from three hundred and four (304) randomly selected out of the four hundred and seven (407) school children in the study area were collected and analysed with the semi-quantitative Kato Katz technique and concentrated method. The intensity of infection was classified into light, moderate or high according to World Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds. The overall prevalence rate was 52.0% while five species of intestinal helminths were identified. Ascaris lumbricoides (36.2%) was the most common, followed by Hookworm (10.5%), Schistosoma mansoni (4%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.7%) and Hymenolepis nana (0.7%). Multiple helminthic infection were recorded with Ascaris –Hookworm (6.58%) having the highest prevalence among the children. Female (56.6%) were more infected than male (46.4%) and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0019). Seventeen percent (17%) of the children were below the third percentile for weight (wasted) while fourteen percent (14%) were below the third percentile for height (stunted). There was a relationship between intensity of infection and wasting since there were fewer underweight pupils (13%) with normal stool than those moderately infected (35%) (

Prevalence and public health significance of helminth ova in deposited dog feces in Owerri, Nigeria

We conducted a prevalence study of gastro-intestinal helminth parasites of dogs in Owerri area of Imo state, Nigeria between April and October 1999. Of the 284 fecal dog specimens examined, 200(70.4%) were infected with one or more helminth parasites of the infected specimens. Eight helminth parasites were recorded and include Ancyclostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Toxoscaris leonine, Strongyloides spp, Dipylidium caninum,Spirocerca lupi and Taeniid eggs. Ancyclostoma caninumhad the highest prevalence (32.7%), followed by Toxocara canis (27.8%) and Trichuris vulpis (21.1%) with Taeniid eggs as the least (2.8%). The proportion of infected dogs varied significantly among various study locations with Nwafor (60.0) and Umudagu (50.0) areas being higher than others (p 0.01). The zoonotic implications of some of the helminth parasites recovered are discussed. Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 2(1) 2006: 34-3