Cetacean research in Senegal 1995-97, an overview. Scientific Committee document SC/49/SM10, International Whaling Commission, Bournemouth, UK

Historically Senegal is the West-African nation with the best kept faunistical records for cetaceans. We found verifiable evidence for at least 18 species, but limited life history data. Quantified information on interactions with soaring coastal fisheries is wanting. Here we present preliminary results of recent field work in central and central-south Senegal, which aim was to help design a long-term research plan with Senegalese scientists, offer training and reinitiate data collecting.With limited monitoring we encountered evidence of dolphin by-catches but no wide-spread directed dolphin fishery. However the presence of tell-tale conditions including spreading acceptance for consumption of dolphin meat and indications of overexploitation of some fish stocks are known warning signs. Future efforts should cover larger areas and generally be more intensive. Three carcasses of Atlantic hump-backed dolphin Sousa teuszii found on Sangomar island had rope tied around the tailstock. Fishermen at Djifer and Joal-Fadiouth confirmed regular incidental takes and landings. In the Siné-Saloum delta, inshore S. teuszii and T. truncatus are probably the most affected species. Senegal’s EEZ waters support large industrial fisheries which may constitute an additional source of by-caught small cetaceans. We here document 21 new specimen records and a series of sightings. Dolphins occurring in the Casamance river and upstream in the salt-water canals of the Saloum delta are identified as T. truncatus

Acacia : pour éviter la marginalisation

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI: Acacia initiative : overcoming marginalization and exclusion among disadvantaged communitie

Tuiles en faveur de l'habitat économique

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI: Tiles : a low-cost building optio

Tiles : a low - cost building option

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Tuiles en faveur de l'habitat économiqu

Granulateur pour réhabiliter les céréales locales

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI: Crusher for revitalizing local cereal productio

Acacia initiative : overcoming marginalization and exclusion among disadvantaged communities

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Acacia : pour éviter la marginalisatio

Pathogenicity of local Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum strains on Locusta migratoria migratorioides Reiche and Farmaire and Zonocerus variegatus Linnaeus in Senegal

Locusts and grasshoppers are the most important economical threat in the sahelian agricultural system. Principal control strategies of these pests are synthetic chemicals which are, however, harmful to the environment and human health. Metarhizium anisopliae based biopesticide Green Muscle IMI330189 has been recently developed for the control of locusts and grasshoppers. In this paper, we assessed the pathogenicity of three local strains of M. anisopliae var. acridum on Locusta migratoria migratorioides and Zonocerus variegatus, in comparison to the commercial product, IMI330189. There was various level of pathogenicity within the strains on the two pests. On L. migratoria, DPV5 caused the highest mortality after three weeks (91.2%). There was a significant difference between DPV5 and IMI330189. However, there were no significant differences between IMI330189 and the other strains. On Z. variegatus there were no significant differences between IMI330189 DPV5 and DPV10. DPV15 had the lowest pathogenic activity. Moreover, the comparison of susceptibility of both insect pests to Metarhizium strains showed that L. migratoria is more susceptible than Z. variegatus. DPV5 had the shortest LT50 on L. migratoria 7.1 days whereas on Z. variegatus, the LT50 value of DPV5 was comparable to IMI330189. Our study suggests that, DPV5 which was isolated from Kraussaria angulifera in Senegal is a promising candidate for future development for locusts and grasshoppers control in the country.Keywords: Green Muscle, African migratory locust, grasshoppers, local strains, biopesticide

Risk Factors for Dementia in a Senegalese Elderly Population Aged 65 Years and Over

Background: With the aging of the population, dementia is increasing worldwide. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for dementia in an elderly population utilizing a primary health care service in Dakar, Senegal. Methods: Through a cross-sectional study conducted from March 2004 to December 31, 2005, 507 elderly patients aged ≥65 years who came to the Social and Medical Center of IPRES, Dakar, Senegal, were first screened with the screening interview questionnaire ‘Aging in Senegal’. Those who were cognitively impaired underwent a clinical examination to detect dementia. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done. Results: The whole population had a mean age of 72.4 years (±5.2) and was mostly male, married, and non-educated. Hypertension, arthritis, and gastrointestinal diseases were the main health conditions reported in the past medical history. Smoking was important while alcohol consumption was rare. Social network was high. Forty-five patients (8.87%) had dementia. In the multivariate model, only advanced age, education, epilepsy, and family history of dementia were independently associated with dementia. Conclusion: The risk factors identified are also found in developed countries confirming their role in dementia. It is important to take dementia into consideration in Senegal and to sensitize the community for prevention

High resolution melting: a useful field-deployable method to measure dhfr and dhps drug resistance in both highly and lowly endemic Plasmodium populations

Background: Emergence and spread of drug resistance to every anti-malarial used to date, creates an urgent need for development of sensitive, specifc and feld-deployable molecular tools for detection and surveillance of validated drug resistance markers. Such tools would allow early detection of mutations in resistance loci. The aim of this study was to compare common population signatures and drug resistance marker frequencies between two populations with diferent levels of malaria endemicity and history of anti-malarial drug use: Tanzania and Sénégal. This was accomplished by implementing a high resolution melting assay to study molecular markers of drug resistance as compared to polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) methodology. Methods: Fifty blood samples were collected each from a lowly malaria endemic site (Sénégal), and a highly malaria endemic site (Tanzania) from patients presenting with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria at clinic. Data representing the DHFR were derived using both PCR–RFLP and HRM assay; while genotyping data representing the DHPS were evaluated in Senegal and Tanzania using HRM. Msp genotyping analysis was used to characterize the multiplicity of infection in both countries. Results: A high prevalence of samples harbouring mutant DHFR alleles was observed in both population using both genotyping techniques. HRM was better able to detect mixed alleles compared to PCR/RFLP for DHFR codon 51 in Tanzania; and only HRM was able to detect mixed infections from Senegal. A high prevalence of mutant alleles in DHFR (codons 51, 59, 108) and DHPS (codon 437) were found among samples from Sénégal while no mutations were observed at DHPS codons 540 and 581, from both countries. Overall, the frequency of samples harbouring either a single DHFR mutation (S108N) or double mutation in DHFR (C59R/S108N) was greater in Sénégal compared to Tanzania Conclusion: Here the results demonstrate that HRM is a rapid, sensitive, and feld-deployable alternative technique to PCR–RFLP genotyping that is useful in populations harbouring more than one parasite genome (polygenomic infections). In this study, a high levels of resistance polymorphisms was observed in both dhfr and dhps, among samples from Tanzania and Sénégal. A routine monitoring by molecular markers can be a way to detect emergence of resistance involving a change in the treatment policy

Facteurs predictifs de mortalite par accident vasculaire cerebral (AVC) a la Clinique Neurologique du chu de Fann, Dakar - Senegal

Description Les AVC constituent un problème de santé publique avec une mortalité élevée. Objectif Identifier les facteurs prédictifs de mortalité par accidents vasculaires cérébraux à la Clinique Neurologique du CHU de Fann, Dakar. Méthodes Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective du 1er Janvier 2001 au 01 Novembre 2003 portant sur des patients avec AVC et ayant eu un examen tomodensitométrique cérébral. Les données sociodémographiques, les antécédents médicaux et chirurgicaux, les signes de gravité associés au tableau neurologique et le pronostic vital ont été collectés. Des analyses uni, bi et multivariées par la régression logistique multiple ont été effectuées. Résultats La population de patients (314) était composée de 56,1% de femmes avec une moyenne d’âge de 61,3 ans (±13,8), un délai moyen d’admission de 8,4 jours (±23,5). Les facteurs de risque d’AVC étaient dominés par l’HTA, l’antécédent d’AVC et le diabète. Les AVCI représentaient 60,2%. Un coma et une HTA étaient associés au tableau neurologique. Soixante dix huit (78) patients sont décédés soit un taux de létalité de 24,8%. Lors de l’analyse de régression logistique multivariée, seuls les antécédents d’AVC et l’existence de coma étaient associés de manière indépendante à la mortalité par AVC. Conclusion Ces résultats démontrent la nécessité d’une amélioration de la prise en charge des patients en unité de soins intensifs et la prévention des récidives d’AVC par une éducation sanitaire des malades.Mots-clés: accident vasculaire cérébral, mortalité, pronostic, Sénégal