The Wildlife Trade In Ghana: A Threat To Biodiversity Conservation

The rich biodiversity of Ghana is currently under threat from anthropogenic influences, including local and international trade in wildlife. Thes study investigated the effect of this trade on biodiversity conservation initiatives in Ghana. The study involved the use of interviews and structured questionnaires administered in four towns in the Eastern and Greater-Accra regions of Ghana. The results indicated that the level of awareness of wildlife laws was high among the exclusively male dealers in the trade. Trapping was the most widely used hunting method, and involved some brutality to the captured animals before they were finally killed. Export permit fees charged by the Wildlife Division were found to be very low and, based on uncertain international market prices, pose potential threats to the national economy and wildlife heritage. It is recommended that a policy framework should be developed to regulate the production and use of killer traps in hunting of wildlife. Export permit fees and penalties for non-adherence to wildlife laws also need to be increased to high levels to serve as a deterrent to the over-harvesting and exportation of wildlife.La biodiversité riche du Ghana est actuellement menacé de l\'influence d\'anthropogénie y compris le commerce local et international d\'animaux sauvages. Cette étude enquêtait l\'effet de ce commerce sur les initiatives de la conservation de biodiversité au Ghana. La methodologie entraînait les interviews et les questionnaires structurés appliqués en quatre villes dans les régions de Eastern et de Greater-Accra du Ghana. Les résultats indiquent que le niveau de sensibilisation de lois d\'animaux sauvages était élevé parmi les négociants exclusivement mâles du commerce. La prise au piège était la méthode de chasse la plus généralement employée, mais ceci entrainait beaucoup de violence pour les animaux capturés avant d\'être finalement tués. Le droit de permis d\'exportation facturé par le département de la faune et la flore est considéré d\'être trop bas et basé sur les prix incertains du marché international, posant une menace potentielle à l\'économie nationale et à l\'héritage de la faune et la flore. Il est recommandé qu\'un cadre de principe soit développé pour régler la construction et l\'utilisation des pièges tueuses pour la chasse d\'animaux sauvages. Les droits de permis d\'exportation et les pénalités pour la non-adhésion aux lois d\'animaux sauvage exigent également d\'être augmentés aux niveaux élevés pour avoir un effet dissuasif à la chasse excessive et l\'exportation d\'animaux sauvage. Ghana Journal of Science Vol. 47 2007: pp. 101-10

Anti-Plasmodial activities of some plants extracts used in traditional malaria therapy in Kano-Nigeria

This work was set to evaluate the antiplasmodial activities of some plants used in traditional malaria therapy in Kano State, Nigeria. Nine medicinal plants, distributed into eight families, used for treatment of malaria fever by the Hausa people of Kano-Nigeria were selected based on the traditional claims of the folks. These were collected and extracted using aqueous and organic solvents. A total of nineteen extracts and forty four extract-fractions were obtained. Thirty extracts (7 aqueous extracts, 12 ethanol extracts and 11 methanol extracts-fraction) were selected and screened for their in vitro anti-plasmodial activities against laboratory adapted chloroquine susceptible Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7. Seven (23.33%) of these extracts that exhibited 70% or more inhibition at 50μg/mL concentration were further evaluated to establish their potency levels. The respective IC50 values obtained ranged between 0.361±0.15μg/ml and 37.67±4.20μg/ml. CALF1 from the leaves of C. aurantifolia (Rutaceae) and CBLF1 (a combination of the leaves of C. aurantifolia, Carica papaya, Mangifera indica and Psidium guajava) were further screened against a clinical isolate of P. falciparum and recorded IC50 values similar to those obtained earlier against the laboratory strain, 12.42±3.94 μg/ml for CBLF1, and 29.69±0.65μg/ml for CALF1 respectively. It could be concluded that majority of the plants have demonstrated appreciable concentration dependent in vitro anti-plasmodial effects against the laboratory adapted and field strains P. falciparum.Keywords: Plants Extracts, Traditional Malaria Therapy, Hausa people, Kano, Nigeri

In vivo anti-malarial potentials of some plants extracts on ICR-mice, Mus musculus

Five medicinal plants, Acacia nilotica (Fabaceae), Citrus aurantifolia (Rutaceae), Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) Carica papaya (Caricaceae), and Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) used for the treatment of malaria/ fever by the Hausa people of Kano-Nigeria were selected based on their traditional claims. These were extracted using ethanol. The in vitro antiplasmodial activities of these extracts against laboratory adapted chloroquine susceptible strain of Plasmodium falciparum (3D7) were earlier reported (Dabo et al. 2013). This study was conducted to evaluate the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of four of these extracts using icr mice in the 4-day suppressive test against P. berghei. The extracts evaluated were: Acacia nilotica (Fabaceae) stem extract coded as ANSF1; Citrus aurantifolia (Rutaceae) leaf extract coded as CALF1; Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) leaf extract coded as MILF1 and combination of C. aurantifolia, Carica papaya (Caricaceae), M. indica and Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) leaves extract coded as CBLF1. CALF1, ANSF1 and CBLF1 (combination) exhibited appreciable degree of suppression of 31.06%, 25.16 and %16.35% respectively. MILF1 did not exhibit any suppression against the P. berghei parasite in vivo at all. With the exception of haemoglobin content (P<0.0363), haematological analysis of the various blood parameters of mice in the control and treated mice indicated no statistical difference (P>0.05). Thus it can be concluded that, the apparent absence of changes in haematological profile alongside activities exhibited by CALF1 (Rutaceae), CBLF1 (a combination) and ANSF1 (Fabaceae),) suggest the bio-availability and antiplasmodial activities of the active substances in the plants evaluated.Keywords: Antimalaria; In vivo, Plants Extracts; Mus musculus; Plasmodium berghei

Figured Worlds of Women Mathematics Education Scholars

Drawing on the concept of figured worlds (Holland et al., 1998), this project focuses on addressing, responding to, and understanding the self within the figured world of the mathematics education community. Specifically, we examine a group of women with diverse backgrounds in terms of race, class, and cultural contexts, who are engaged in various roles as mathematics education scholars, including teachers, teacher educators, and researchers. Using a dialogical self approach, we facilitate both internal and external discourses, exploring personal histories, narratives, and the development of evolving identities. Our findings reveal that culture and social positions, such as gender, class, and race, inform our positionalities within the mathematics education community. The understanding of the roots of our identities serves as a foundation for constructing a more inclusive figured world of mathematics education

Microbiological quality and antimicrobial resistance of Bacteria species recovered from ready-to-eat food, water samples, and palm swabs of food vendors in Accra, Ghana

This study sought to investigate microbial quality and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria species from Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food, water, and vendor palm swab samples. Between 2019 and 2020, RTE food, water and vendor palm swab samples were collected from food vending sites in Accra, Ghana. Samples were cultured and confirmed using the Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was conducted using disk diffusion method. Beta-lactamase and Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) genes were determined using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Total plate count (TPC) and Total coliform count (TCC) were performed on food and water samples. In total, 179 RTE food, 72 water and 10 vendor palm swab samples were collected. Enterobacter spp. (16.8 %), Citrobacter spp. (10.1 %), Enterococcus faecalis (7.8 %), Pseudomonas spp. (6.7 %) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (4.0 %) occurred in food. Isolates from water and palm were Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.8 %), Aeromonas spp. (16.7 %) and Enterobacter cloacae (11.1 %). Resistance to Amoxicillin-clavulanate, Tetracycline, Azithromycin, Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and Nitrofurantoin were common among Enterobacterales. High mean TPC and TCC showed in some RTE food and different water types used in vending depicting their unsafe condition for consumption and usage. The bla(SHV) and bla(TEM) genes were present in some Enterobacterales from food and water. The lt gene was identified in two food samples. AMR organisms associated with nosocomial infections in the samples investigated, calls for continuous surveillance in the food industry in Ghana. Also, the unsafe outcome of RTE food and water depicts the need for the enforcement of Ghana's food safety laws

Vector species of Dracunculus medinensis in West Akim District of southern Ghana

No Abstract

Relationship between eosinophil cationic protein and infection intensity in a schistosomiasis endemic community in Ghana

Elias Asuming-Brempong,1–3 Ben Gyan,2 Abena Serwaa Amoah,3,4 William van der Puije,3,4 Langbong Bimi,1 Daniel Boakye,3 Irene Ayi3 1Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; 2Immunology Department, 3Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; 4Parasitology Department, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The NetherlandsBackground: Recent studies have shown the urine filtration and Kato-Katz techniques to significantly underestimate infection intensity in Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni infections, respectively. Infection intensity determination by these methods improves only with increasing number of samples collected per participant. This implies tedious and lengthy periods of sample processing and analysis by microscopy examination, hence the increased chances of experimental errors. This study sought to determine the relationship between levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and infection intensity by egg count both in S. haematobium and S. mansoni single and coinfections.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Pakro, a periurban community in Ghana, involving a total of 308 participants. Each provided urine and stool samples, which were processed using the filtration and Kato-Katz techniques, respectively. Processed samples were examined by microscopy. Aliquots of urine from 73 participants were analyzed for levels of ECP using an ECP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.Results: Of the 308 urine samples examined, 59 (19.15%) were positive for S. haematobium. Significant association was observed between sex and S. haematobium infection intensity by egg count (P<0.05) as well as between age and infection intensity (P<0.001). Mean ECP levels were higher in S. haematobium-positive samples than in S. haematobium-negative samples (P<0.001). There was also positive correlation between ECP and infection intensity (Spearman's r=0.73, P<0.001).Conclusion: This study showed that ECP levels are positively associated with infection intensity by egg count in Schistosomiasis infections, even after multivariate adjustment.Keywords: infection intensity, risk factors, urine filtration, Kato-Kat

Emergence of Onchocerca volvulus from Skin Mimicking Dracunculiasis medinensis

We describe 11 cases of suspected Dracunculus medinensis infection in which the worm recovered was identified as Onchocerca volvulus. Identification was based on morphology of the examined specimen