Prevalence of Malaria Parasites in Hospitals of Portharcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

This investigation was conducted between March and July, 2010 in Portharcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. The method of diagnosis utilised by the hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories was thick and thin method and malaria parasite was identified using standard criteria. In all the zones of the study, high record of malaria prevalence was reported during the study. The overall prevalence of the disease was high in both males and females, but with higher prevalence in females. Also, all age groups were exposed to the risk of the disease, with 1 – 9 years individuals having the highest risk of the infection and individuals of 60 years above had the lowest infection. Statistical analyses in all the zones of the study showed that the prevalence of the disease was statistically significant in both sexes and age groups (p > 0.05). This suggested that malaria parasite is still a major public health problem in the study area. Indeed, one would recommend a more pragmatic approach by the government aimed at reducing the menace of the disease. In addition, the current effort by the World Bank at eliminating the disease in Nigeria should be properly applied in order to achieve the desired result, else, the menace of the disease will still threaten the life of humanity population.Keywords: Prevalence, Parasite, Metropolis, Malaria, AnophelesNigerian Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 32 [2] September 2011, pp. 215-21

A survey of breeding sites and variation of Simulium damnosum in Ini L.G.A. of Akwa Ibom, Nigeria

In the year 2001, a total of 9207 aquatic stages of Simulium damosum were collected from five group of breeding sites; (53.4%), submerged leaves 3263 (35.4%), submerged rocks 723 (7.9%), other object 210 (2.3%) and free water 95 (1.0%) in two streams. The 4556 adults captured were distinguished into 3 complexes based on morphometric methods. The Aquatic stages prevalence shows highest abundant of 1277 in October, the peak adult abundant (485) followed the aquatic stages peak by one month in November. The distinction of S. damnosum by morphometric methods provides a valuable tool in the study and control of onchocerciasis. The Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 24 2003: 149-15

Adubação orgânica na produção, rendimento e composição do óleo essencial da alfavaca quimiotipo eugenol Organic fertilization in the production, yield and chemical composition of basil chemotype eugenol

Este trabalho foi realizado na UFPR, município de Pinhais-PR, de outubro de 2005 a junho de 2006. Avaliou-se a resposta do Ocimum gratissimum à adubação orgânica com composto de esterco de carneiro, verificando a viabilidade dessa prática para o aumento no rendimento de biomassa, na quantidade e qualidade de seu óleo essencial. As mudas foram plantadas com espaçamento de 0,5 m entre plantas dentro das parcelas e 1 m entre as parcelas. Testaram-se 3 doses de adubação com composto orgânico (4; 8 e 12 kg m-2) e uma testemunha, com 5 repetições e 8 plantas por parcela. As colheitas foram realizadas aos 150 e 226 dias após o plantio, sendo avaliado o rendimento de massa fresca e massa seca total e de folhas, flores e caule, o teor de óleo essencial das folhas e flores e a sua composição por cromatógrafo a gás acoplado a um detector de massas (CG-MS). Houve diferença entre os tratamentos, quanto ao rendimento de biomassa na primeira colheita, onde o tratamento com 8 kg m-2 de composto orgânico foi superior à testemunha sem adubação, para a massa fresca de flores por planta e massa seca total e de flores por planta, mas não diferiu dos outros níveis de adubação. Na segunda colheita não houve diferença entre os tratamentos. Quanto ao rendimento de óleo essencial não houve diferença entre os tratamentos nas duas colheitas. Também não foram observadas grandes variações nos componentes do óleo essencial decorrente dos tratamentos aplicados. Entretanto, ocorreram variações na composição do óleo essencial quando extraído das folhas e das flores, sendo o teor médio de eugenol de 90,4% nas folhas e 80,8% nas flores, na colheita em março. Já na colheita em junho, houve uma redução do teor de eugenol nas folhas e uma elevação dos teores, principalmente de alfa trans trans farneseno, beta bisaboleno, beta cariofileno, germacrene D e alfa selineno.<br>This work was carried out at the Universidade Federal do Parana, Paraná State, Brazil, from October 2005 to June 2006. The effect of organic fertilization with sheep manure was evaluated on Ocimum gratissimum development and the viability of this practice was determined to increase biomass and essential oil yield and quality. The plants were spaced 0.5 m from each other in the experimental units which were separated in 1 m. Three rates of organic fertlization (4; 8 and 12 kg m-2) were compared to control (without fertilizers), with 5 replications and 8 plants by experimental unit. Plants were harvested 150 and 226 days after planting, and the total, leaves, flowers and stems fresh and dried biomass, essential oil yield from leaves and flowers and composition by GC/MS beign evaluated. There was significant difference among the treatments on biomass production at the first harvest, where the plants treated with 8 kg m-2 of organic fertilizer presented higher flowers fresh biomass, and flowers and total dry biomass than plants without fertilizer (control plants), but with no difference compared to other organic fertilization levels. At the second harvest there were no differences among treatments. Regarding the essential oil yield no differences were found comparing the organic fertilization levels in both harvest times. In addition, the essential oil composition was similar on plants from all treatments. However, some variations in composition were observed when the essential oil was extracted from flowers and leaves, where the eugenol percentage was 90.4% on leaves and 80.8% on flowers at the first harvest. At the second harvest, a reduction of eugenol content and an increase of alpha trans trans farnesene, beta bisabolene, beta cariophilene, germacrene D and alfa selineno was found

A guide to the Simulium damnosum complex (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Nigeria, with a cytotaxonomic key for the identification of the sibling species.

&lt;title/&gt; Although approximately 40% of all the people blinded by Onchocerca volvulus are Nigerians, almost nothing was known about the various cytospecies of the blackfly vectors present in Nigeria until 1981. The activation of the Nigerian National Onchocerciasis Control Programme in 1986 (and that programme's initiation of mass distributions of ivermectin in 1991) provided a significant stimulus to understand the biology of the Nigerian vectors but the exploration of any possible differences between the cytospecies has been hampered by a lack of accessible taxonomic information. This review attempts to satisfy that need. There are nine different cytoforms reliably recorded from Nigeria (Simulium damnosum s.s. Nile form, S. damnosum s.s. Volta form, S. sirbanum Sirba form, S. sirbanum Sudanense form, S. soubrense Beffa form, S. squamosum A, S. squamosum B, S. squamosum C and S. yahense typical form), and three more are known from surrounding countries and might be reasonably expected to occur in Nigeria. All of these cytospecies are presumed to be vectors, although there have been almost no identifications of the vectors of O. volvulus in Nigeria. The biogeographical distribution of the cytoforms is broadly similar to that known in other parts of West Africa (although many of the cytoforms remain insufficiently studied). The physico-chemical hydrology of the Nigerian breeding sites of the cytospecies does not, however, correspond to that seen elsewhere in West Africa, and it is not clear whether this might be related to differences in the cytoforms. An illustrated cytotaxonomic key is presented to facilitate and encourage future studies