Morphologie et abondance des stades de développement d’Ilyocoris cimicoïdes Linné 1758 (Heteroptera : Naucoridae) dans un lac anthropisé en zone tropicale (Cameroun)

Objectifs : Une étude conduite au laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Générale de l’Université de Yaoundé I a porté sur l’écologie de la punaise aquatique Ilyocoris cimicoïdes Linné 1758 (Heteroptera : Naucoridae) prélevée dans le lac d’Obili (Yaoundé, Cameroun). Méthodologie et résultats : L’analyse physico-chimique montre que ce lac est dans un état eutrophe à hypereutrophe et ses eaux sont fortement chargées en matière organique. Les observations morphologiques et l’illustration des stades de développement ainsi que l’étude de leurs fluctuations numériques montrent que I. cimicoïdes à six stades post-embryonnaires parmi lesquels cinq sont larvaires. La taille des individus augmente de la larve de 1er stade jusqu’au stade adulte. Les stades larvaires d’I. cimicoïdes se distinguent les uns des autres par la présence ou l’absence du ptérothèque, la forme de la marge postérieure du mésotergum et la taille relative du ptérothèque par rapport à la base du mésotergum. Conclusions : L’abondance des stades de développement d’I.cimicoïdes est influencée par la saisonnalité et l’évolution de certaines variables physico-chimiques. Les larves pullulent pendant la saison sèche et les oeufs et adultes pendant la saison des pluies.Mots clés : Pollution aquatique, morphologie, développement, Ilyocoris cimicoïdes.  Objectives : A study conducted at the Laboratory of Zoology and General Biology, University of Yaoundé I focused on the ecology of aquatic bug Ilyocoris cimicoides Linnaeus 1758 (Heteroptera : Naucoridae) taken from Lake Obili (Yaoundé, Cameroon). Methodology and Results: The physico-chemical analysis showed that this lake is in a eutrophic state and its waters are heavily loaded with organic matter. Morphological observations and illustration stages of development and the study of their digital fluctuations show that I. cimicoides, has six post-embryonic stages of which five are breeding. The sizes of individuals increase the first stage larva to adult. Larval stages of I.cimicoides are distinguished from each other by the presence or absence of pterotheque, the shape of the posterior margin and mesotergum pterotheque relative size with respect to the base of mesotergum. Conclusions : Abundance stages of development I. cimicoides is influenced by seasonality and the evolution of certain physico-chemical variables. Larvae swim in the dry season and eggs and adults during the rainy season.Keywords : Water Pollution, morphology, development, Ilyocoris cimicoides

Composition et distribution spatio-temporelle des protozoaires ciliés dans un petit lac hypereutrophe du Cameroun (Afrique centrale)

La composition et la distribution spatio-temporelle des ciliés du Lac Municipal de Yaoundé (Cameroun) ont été analysées d’avril à décembre 1997, en relation avec des paramètres physico-chimiques du milieu. Trois stations pélagiques et l’herbier littoral ont été échantillonnés. 58 espèces de protistes ciliés ont pu être identifiées, parmi lesquelles environ 60 % d’espèces littorales et périphytiques et 37 % d’espèces pélagiques. Les espèces les plus courantes sont les espèces pélagiques Uronema nigricans et Coleps hirtus. L’abondance saisonnière des ciliés a atteint une valeur maximale de 21 800 ind•L-1, les valeurs les plus élevées étant enregistrées dans la couche trophogène du lac, particulièrement au cours de la grande saison des pluies. Les variations de la biomasse totale des ciliés sont plus faibles, avec des maxima correspondant également aux fortes pluies. Les espèces dominantes en matière de biomasse sont Prorodon africanum, Coleps hirtus et Uronema nigricans. Enfin, les fluctuations saisonnières de l’abondance et de la biomasse des ciliés sont discutées en relation avec les paramètres environnementaux, parmi lesquels le régime pluvial tient apparemment un rôle central.The Municipal Lake of Yaoundé (3° 51’ 37’’ N and 11° 30’ 40’’ E) is a shallow water body (Zm = 4.3 m), situated in downtown Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon (Central Africa). The composition and the spatio-temporal distribution of ciliates in combination with physical and chemical water variables were measured in this lake from April to December 1997. Sampling was carried out weekly, at 5 depths (surface, 0.5 m, 1 m, 1.5 m and 2.5 m) and at 3 pelagic stations, A, B and C, representing the upper, middle and the lower parts of the lake, using a Van Dorn sampling bottle. In the littoral station, the periphytic fauna is collected by agitation of the vegetation in a bucket and filtration of water. The water temperature was measured with a thermometer and the pH was measured in the field with a portable pH-meter. The oxygen concentration was determined according to the Winkler method and the transparency of the water column was determined with a Secchi disk. Light availability was measured with a luxmeter. Water colour, suspended solids and ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) were analyzed spectrophotometrically using APHA methods. Ciliate species were identified using appropriate and specific keys and were counted under a stereomicroscope at magnifications of 250X and 500X.Results showed that the lake was hypereutrophic. Throughout the study, the temperature and pH values of the water remained around 25°C and 7, respectively. The dissolved oxygen concentration decreased with depth to almost zero at the lake bottom, while the Secchi disk transparency did not exceed 1 m. Spatio-temporal variations of these variables indicated that the middle zone (0.5 to 1.5 m) was the stratum with a critical role in the functioning of the lake. Indeed, it represented the transitional zone between the trophogenic upper layer where photosynthetic activity occurred and the bottom water layer, formed by the microaerophilic to anaerobic tropholitic layers where reducing processes were important.Fifty-eight ciliate species, belonging to 10 orders and 28 families, were identified among which five (Holophrya sp., Lagynophrya rostrata, Lagynophrya simplex, Pseudoprorodon sp. and Histriculus sp.) were new records for Cameroon fauna. This population contained 62% of littoral species and 37% of pelagic species respectively. Within these taxa, dominant species were Uronema nigricans (present at all pelagic stations) and Coleps hirtus (present at more than 97% of the pelagic stations). Their abundance was greater than 2,000 ind•L-1 during the study period showing variation with many peaks. Prorodon africanum occurred sporadically between October and November when rainfall decreased and their densities reached 5,700 ind•L-1 in November at 0.5 m depth at station A. After November, this species was replaced by Prorodon sp. Most of the species collected were cosmopolite or characteristic of shallow tropical water bodies.The total abundance of the ciliate community was high reaching 21,800 ind•L-1 at station A, at 0.5 m depth. According to several authors, the abundance of ciliates in such tropical water bodies varies from 3.6 to 9.75 x 104 ind•L-1. The highest abundances were observed at depths of 0.5 m to 1.5 m at all 3 stations, especially during the rainy season. This corroborated the importance and the role of this stratum in the functioning of Lake Yaoundé. The lowest abundance of ciliates was observed at station A, at the bottom (2.5 m depth). The total abundance of ciliates showed one or several peaks during the period from July to November. With respect to the total biomass, the variation was more regular with generally one peak during the rainy season. At certain depths at stations B and C, several peaks were observed during the period of April to June and from September to November. The total biomass values obtained were higher than those reported by other authors. This can be explained by the fact that reported values in these latter studies were expressed as dry weight while values reported in this study were expressed as wet weight. With respect to biomass, the dominant species was Prorodon africanum (5,300 µg•L-1), followed by Coleps hirtus (3,800 µg•L-1) and Uronema nigricans (3,100 µg•L-1). The highest biomass was 130 x 105 µg•L-1, and was observed at station A, at 0.5 m depth.Generally large size ciliates were more abundant during the dry season whereas small size species were abundant during rainy season. Chilodonella uncinata and Prorodon africanum grew in surface layers (between the surface and 1 m depth) while Paradileptus conicus and Uronema nigricans preferred deep water (1 to 2.5 m depth). There was a great development of ciliates during the transitional period between the rainy and dry seasons. Moreover there was a close relationship between environmental parameters and the ciliate community. In fact, 2 to 3 physico-chemical predictors (dissolved oxygen, temperature and conductivity or pH) explained spatio-temporal distributions of different species. The variation of the total biomass in station A was explained by the dissolved oxygen concentration (r2 = 0.366; p<0.001) and by the pH (r2 = 0.274; p<0.001); at stations B and C, the variation was explained by ammonium-nitrogen (r2 = 0.178 and r2 = 0.294 for p<0.01). The most important abiotic factor that influenced the density and biomass variation of ciliate communities of Lake Yaoundé was the precipitation rate. Throughout the study, station B was the most characteristic of the structure of the ciliate community of this lake

Phytoplancton du lac municipal de Yaoundé (Cameroun) : Succession écologique et structure des peuplements

L'évolution spatio-temporelle, qualitative et quantitative du peuplement phytoplanctonique a été suivie au lac municipal de Yaoundé. Pour cela des prélèvements hebdomadaires ont été effectués de novembre 1996 à décembre 1997, au niveau d'une station de la zone centrale du lac.Trois descripteurs (indice de diversité spécifique, régularité et diagrammes rangs-fréquences) ont été utilisés pour l'analyse de la dynamique de la structure du peuplement. L'indice de diversité spécifique obtenu à partir des biomasses spécifiques, par la formule dérivée de celle de SHANNON et WEAVER (1949), est compris entre 0,68 et 4,64 bits/µg. La régularité (PIELOU, 1966) varie de 0,14 à 0,84; les faibles valeurs correspondant dans l'ensemble à la présence des espèces fortement dominantes. Les profils des diagrammes rangs-fréquences, établis en coordonnées log-log, associés aux faibles valeurs de la diversité, sont essentiellement caractéristiques des stades pionniers (1 et 1') de l'évolution d'un lac tel que décrits par MARGALEF (1967) et FRONTIER (1976). Le stade 2 est rare alors que le stade 3 est absent.Une analyse simultanée basée sur les variations spatio-temporelles de la densité cellulaire et de l'indice de diversité spécifique, sur les valeurs de la régularité, et sur les profils des diagrammes rangs-fréquences révèle le caractère immature permanent des populations phytoplanctoniques inféodées à ce biotope, et caractérise ainsi un milieu eutrophe à hypereutrophe où aucun stade d'équilibre n'est atteint. La richesse du milieu en éléments biogènes et sa faible profondeur (Zmax=4,3 m) sont à l'origine de sa vulnérabilité. L'événement susceptible d'interrompre la succession des populations s'est avéré être le brassage des eaux, provoqué aussi bien par les pluies que les vents dont l'énergie cinétique est fréquemment suffisante pour entraîner un brassage complet d'une colonne d'eau de hauteur aussi faible.The Yaounde municipal lake (3°52'N, 11°32'E) is a shallow hypertrophic water body (Z max=4.3 m), situated downstream from Yaounde. It is an artificial lake resulting from a dam constructed in 1951 across a small river named Mingoa. Like many other water bodies in urbanised areas, this ecosystem switched rapidly from being mesotrophic to hypertrophic during the 1980's, due to the expansion of human activity and an inefficient treatment of wastewater in its catchment area. This study was carried out with the objective to analyse the ecological succession and the spatio-temporal fluctuations of the phytoplankton population structure in this shallow equatorial lake. Samples were collected at weekly intervals from November 1996 to December 1997, at a station near its central zone (depth=3.5 m), using an opaque horizontal PVC Van Dorn sampler. Sampling operations were conducted at the following levels: surface; -0.5 m; -1 m; -1.5 m and -2.5 m.Individual phytoplankton from 1% iodine acid preserved subsamples (BOURRELLY, 1990) were enumerated with an inverted microscope (Olympus CK2) at 200X magnification, using a Sedgwick-Rafter counting cell, according to UTHERMÖHL (1958). At least 400 individuals (colonies, bundles or trichomes, depending on existing life forms) were counted on each subsample. Specific biomass was then obtained using the biovolume method. To evaluate the population structure dynamics, the SHANNON and WEAVER (1949) specific diversity index method and the evenness (PIELOU, 1966) method were computerized using specific biomass, the evenness being the ratio between the real and the maximal diversity (log2 S, where S is the number of species). Also, rank-frequency diagrams were carried out in logarithmic co-ordinates according to FRONTIER (1969), using integrated samples obtained from grab samples collected over the entire water column.Cell densities were highest in the uppermost meter of the water column at the beginning of the rainy season, due to the exponential development of species such as Planktothrix mougeotii, Chlamydomonas sp., Eudorina elegans, Euglena gracilis, Gonyostomum semen, Euglena texta, Phacus helicoïdes, Closterium limneticum, Cryptomonas ovata, Peridinium cf. gutwinskii, Trachelomonas hispida var. crenulatocollis and Cyclotella meneghiniana. The specific diversity index varied 0.68 and 4.64 bits/µg, and values gradually decreased from the first uppermost meter to the bottom of the water column. Evenness varied from 0.14 to 0.84 with a somewhat similar spatio-temporal variation as the diversity index. Low values of these descriptors generally correspond to the presence of a highly dominant species. The rank-frequency diagrams were mainly S-shaped, indicating the predominance of one species which in this study was either Chlamydomonas sp or Planktothrix mougeotii.A simultaneous analysis of the ecological succession and the spatio-temporal variations of the phytoplanktonic structure revealed that the functioning of this ecosystem was essentially allogenic in nature and was strongly influenced by the supply of decayed organic matter from the Mingoa stream, and effluents from ministerial buildings and hotels located near the lake. This permanent supply of abundant biogenic elements, coupled with the low depth of the ecosystem, makes it vulnerable. Ecological succession, frequently limited to the pioneer stages (1 and 1'), reflected the briefness of the different phases of phytoplankton growth, and the consequences of disturbances regularly undergone by the phytoplankton community. The second stage was scarcely reached while the third was absent. These successions were mainly controlled by rainfall, as well as wind, which is responsible for the mixing of such a shallow water column. These results can be considered important for the Yaounde municipal lake and other water bodies close to densely populated areas in Cameroon for which there is no management plan. Urgent actions need to be carried out to rehabilitate this ecosystem that fluctuates between the eutrophic and hypertrophic status

Elimination of turbidity and bacterial contamination in natural water sources (Ubangi river, Central Africa)

Having access to a natural source of water of sufficiently high quality for human consumption has become a strategic concern for the entire world. In fact, drinking water resources in developing countries are almost non-existent, as they are overused or polluted by intense human activity. Our study aims to develop a natural filter that reduces turbidity and eliminates human pathogens. The process developed should be inexpensive and minimize the use of chemical reagents, and should not be labor intensive. In this context, horizontal sand filtration that uses the natural process of water purification occurring in an aquifer can be regarded as the most suitable water treatment process for developing countries.Disposer d’une source d’eau naturelle de bonne qualité, pour la consommation humaine, est devenu maintenant une préoccupation stratégique pour le monde entier. En effet, les ressources en eaux potables dans les pays en voie de développement sont quasi-inexistantes, car surexploitées ou souillées par une activité humaine intense. L’étude que nous proposons a pour objectif : de mettre au point un filtre naturel qui diminue la turbidité et élimine les agents pathogènes pour l’homme. Le procédé développé peu onéreux devra réduire au maximum l’utilisation de réactifs chimiques, et minimiser toutes interventions humaines. La filtration horizontale sur sable qui utilise le processus naturel de purification de l’eau se produisant dans une nappe aquifère, peut être considéré comme le procédé de traitement de l’eau le plus approprié aux pays en voie de développement et répond aux objectifs fixés.Disponer de una fuente de agua natural de buena calidad, apta para el consumo humano, se ha convertido actualmente en una preocupación estratégica en todo el mundo. En efecto, los recursos de agua potable en los países en vías de desarrollo son prácticamente inexistentes, por exceso de explotación o por contaminación a causa de una actividad humana intensa.El estudio que proponemos tiene por objetivo: desarrollar un filtro natural que reduzca la turbidez y elimine los agentes patógenos perjudiciales para el hombre. El procedimiento desarrollado, de bajo coste, debería reducir al máximo el uso de sustancias químicas reactivas y minimizar cualquier intervención humana. Como la filtración horizontal sobre arena que utiliza el proceso natural de purificación del agua tiene lugar en una capa acuífera, se puede considerar como el procedimiento de tratamiento del agua más adecuado a los países en vías de desarrollo y responde a los objetivos fijados

Variations spatiales et temporelles de la richesse et de l'abondance des rotifères (Brachionidae et Trichocercidae) et des cladocères dans un petit lac artificiel eutrophe situé en zone tropicale

Les communautés de rotifères (Brachionidae et Trichocercidae) et de cladocères peuplant les eaux du lac Municipal de Yaoundé situé en zone tropicale (Cameroun), ont été examinés en relation avec quelques variables physico-chimiques du milieu. Des 26 espèces et sous-espèces de rotifères (Brachionidae et Trichocercidae) et 15 espèces de cladocères inventoriées, environ 16 sont identifiées pour la première fois au Cameroun. Parmi les espèces quantitativement dominantes, les espèces fréquemment rencontrées sont Brachionus angularis angularis, B. falcatus falcatus, et B. calyciflorus chez les Brachionidae, Trichocerca elongata elongata, et T. bicristata bicristata chez les Trichocercidae, et Ceriodaphnia cornuta et Chydorus eurynotus chez les cladocères. Plus de 75% des espèces répertoriées sont des espèces périphytiques communément considérées comme littorales, dont le développement important a été observé dans la zone pélagique du lac qui, sans doute, offre de nombreuses ressources et constitue un refuge vis-à-vis notamment de la prédation. L'absence de corrélations entre les communautés zooplanctoniques étudiés et les quelques variables physico-chimiques suivies, nous a amenés à considérer que le développement de ces communautés est sous la dépendance d'autres facteurs. D'ailleurs, une analyse canonique de correspondance indique que les stations, profondeurs et mois de prélèvement expliqueraient respectivement 3%, 5% et 36% de la variance totale associée à l'abondance des espèces prises en compte. Ce qui nous a permis d'émettre l'hypothèse selon laquelle les principales conditions environnementales qui affectent le développement potentiel des espèces analysées et le déroulement de leurs cycles biologiques, seraient dépendantes des deux saisons (la saison des pluies et la saison sèche) caractérisant les climats tropicaux.The rotifer and cladoceran communities of a small tropical eutrophic lake (the municipal lake of Yaoundé, Cameroon) were examined from November 1996 to December 1997, in relation to some physical and chemical variables. Using a Van Dorn bottle, water samples were collected weekly from 5 depths (0 m, 0.5 m, 1 m, 1.5 m and 2.5 m) at three stations (I, II and III) representing the upper, middle and lower parts of the lake, respectively. Water temperature was measured with a thermometer placed in the sampling bottle and pH was measured in the field with a portable pH-meter. Oxygen concentrations were determined according to the Winkler method. Water colour, suspended solids, and ammonium-nitrogen (NH4 -N) were analyzed spectrophotometrically using standard methods. The transparency of the water column was determined with a Secchi disk. Zooplankton species were identified alive under a phase contrast microscope using several manuals, and rotifers and cladocerans were counted in a Dolfuss chamberThroughout the study, temperature and pH values of the water remained around 25°C and 7, respectively. The Secchi disk transparency did not exceed 1 m and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased with depth to almost zero in the bottom waters. Spatial and temporal variations of these variables indicated that the middle zone (0.5 and 1.5 m) was the stratum with a critical role in the functioning of the lake. Indeed, it represented the transition zone between the trophogenic upper water layer (0 to 0.5 m) where photosynthetic activity occurred and the bottom water layer (1.5 to 2.5 m) formed by the microaerophilic to anaerobic tropholitic layer where reducing processes were important.The rotifer and cladoceran communities were relatively diverse, with 41 species collected during the study year (i.e., 26 species of Brachionidae and Trichocercidae and 15 species of Cladocera), of which 16 are reported for the first time in Cameroon. These organisms filter small organic particles (fresh algal detritus and bacteria) and their presence in the lake could be related to the relatively high algal biomass found there. In terms of relative abundance, rotifers appear to be more important than cladocerans. Among the quantitatively dominant species, the most frequent ones were the Brachionidae (Brachionus angularis angularis, B. falcatus falcatus, B. calyciflorus), the Trichocercidae (Trichocerca elongata elongata and T. bicristata bicristata) and the Cladocera (Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Chydorus eurynotus).Brachionus angularis was the most abundant and frequent rotifer observed during this study. According to several authors, a high abundance of Brachionus can be considered as a biological indicator of more eutrophic waters. This corroborates the hypereutrophic status assigned to the lake through previous studies dealing with bacterioplankton and phytoplankton in this system. Among Cladocera, Daphnia, an important bacterivore, was absent despite the high density of bacteria (~108 cell mL-1) in the lake. Previous studies in other Cameroonian aquatic systems reported the scarcity of Daphnia and these earlier authors argued that it was probably replaced by smaller sized species, which in the case of the present study would be Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Moina micrura, the only representatives of Daphniidae encountered. Up to 75% of the number of species identified were periphytic species that generally develop in the littoral zone. The massive occurrence of these species in the plankton sample of the lake was related to the high particle content. Abundance generally peaked in the middle zone of the water column, likely due to the availability of resources and the general potential for such zones to provide a refuge from predation.However, there did not appear to be any correlation between the rotifer and cladoceran communities and physico-chemical variables when the data set was examined as whole, or grouped by seasons. This suggests that the heterogeneity in species abundances was controlled by other factors, among them sampling points, depths and time of sampling. A multivariate test using canonical correspondence analysis suggested that about 3% and 5% of the variance associated with the species abundance heterogeneity could be explained by sampling point and depth, respectively. Up to 36% of this variance was attributed to the sampling months. We therefore hypothesize that the environmental conditions affecting the development and biological cycles of the studied species are highly dependent on the prevalent seasons found in a tropical zone, i.e. the rainy and the dry seasons

Pediatric Visceral Leishmaniasis in Albania: A Retrospective Analysis of 1,210 Consecutive Hospitalized Patients (1995–2009)

Albania is a developing country that is rapidly improving in social, economic and sanitary conditions. The health care system in still in progress and the impact of some infectious diseases remains poorly understood. In particular, little information is available on incidence, clinical features and response to treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in childhood. We performed a retrospective analysis of data recorded from 1995 to 2009 at the national pediatric reference hospital of Tirana where any child suspected for VL is referred for specific diagnosis and treatment. Epidemiology, clinical features and management of the disease were considered. The main findings can be summarized as follows: i) The incidence of the disease in Albanian children (25/100,000 in the age group 0–6 years) is much higher than in developed Mediterranean countries endemic for VL; ii) The disease is associated with poor sanitary conditions as suggested by the high rate of severe clinical features and frequency of co-morbidities; iii) The cheapest drug available for Mediterranean VL treatment (meglumine antimoniate) is highly effective (99% full cure rate) and well tolerated. Limitations were identified in the low standard laboratory diagnostic capability and unsatisfactory medical surveillance in less urbanized areas. An improvement is warranted of a disease-specific surveillance system in Albania

Izloženost alergenima plijesni u unutarnjem okolišu

Humid indoor environments may be colonised by allergenic fi lamentous microfungi (moulds), Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., and Alternaria spp. in particular. Mould-induced respiratory diseases are a worldwide problem. In the last two decades, mould allergens and glucans have been used as markers of indoor exposure to moulds. Recently, mould allergens Alt a 1 (Alternaria alternata) and Asp f 1 (Aspergillus fumigatus) have been analysed in various environments (residential and occupational) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, which use monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. Household Alt a 1 and Asp f 1 levels were usually under the limit of the method detection. By contrast, higher levels of mould allergens were found in environments with high levels of bioaerosols such as poultry farms and sawmills. Data on allergen Alt a 1 and Asp f 1 levels in agricultural settings may provide information on possible colonisation of respective moulds and point out to mould-related diseases in occupants.Vlažni, unutarnji prostori mogu biti kolonizirani alergogenim, filamentoznim mikrogljivicama (plijesni) uglavnom rodova Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium i Alternaria. Respiratorne bolesti uzrokovane plijesnima zdravstveni su problem diljem svijeta. U posljednja dva desetljeća, neki sastavni dijelovi plijesni kao alergeni i glukan rabe se kao pokazatelji izloženosti plijesni u unutarnjem okolišu. Nedavno su alergeni plijesni Alt a 1 (Alternaria alternata) i Asp f 1 (Aspergillus fumigatus) određivani u različitom okolišu (kućnom i profesionalnom) enzim-imunokemijskom metodom koja rabi monoklonska ili poliklonska antitijela. Razina Alt a 1 i Asp f 1 u kućnoj prašini ispod je granice detekcije. Nasuprot tomu, alergeni plijesni su određeni u okolišu s visokom razinom bioaerosola kao peradarnici i pilane. Razine alergena Alt a 1 i Asp f 1 u nekim poljoprivrednim objektima pružaju informaciju o mogućoj kolonizaciji plijesnima, što upućuje na moguće zdravstvene učinke kod zaposlenika

The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort study: Assessment of environmental exposures

The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development birth cohort was designed to elucidate interactions between environment and genetics underlying development of asthma and allergy. Over 3600 pregnant mothers were recruited from the general population in four provinces with diverse environments. The child is followed to age 5 years, with prospective characterization of diverse exposures during this critical period. Key exposure domains include indoor and outdoor air pollutants, inhalation, ingestion and dermal uptake of chemicals, mold, dampness, biological allergens, pets and pests, housing structure, and living behavior, together with infections, nutrition, psychosocial environment, and medications. Assessments of early life exposures are focused on those linked to inflammatory responses driven by the acquired and innate immune systems. Mothers complete extensive environmental questionnaires including time-activity behavior at recruitment and when the child is 3, 6, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months old. House dust collected during a thorough home assessment at 3–4 months, and biological specimens obtained for multiple exposure-related measurements, are archived for analyses. Geo-locations of homes and daycares and land-use regression for estimating traffic-related air pollution complement time-activity-behavior data to provide comprehensive individual exposure profiles. Several analytical frameworks are proposed to address the many interacting exposure variables and potential issues of co-linearity in this complex data set

Luxembourg: Grand-Duché: Groothertogdom: Grand Duchy: Grossherzogtum

Fotografia amb castell de fons de Luxembour