Haematological alteration and histopathology of vital organs of pups delivered by mice infected with Plasmodium berghei during the second and third stage of pregnancy

Pregnancy associated malaria (PAM) is a potentially life-threatening condition that affects the new-born. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of PAM on the haematological parameters and histopathology of some vital organs of pups delivered by mice infected with malaria in the second and third stages of pregnancy. Thirty female Swiss albino mice were randomly assigned into three groups, two groups of which were intraperitoneally infected with inoculums containing 3.97 x 10 6 Plasmodium berghei infected red blood cells at gestational days (GD 12 and 17), while the third group were uninfected (control). Pregnant females were allowed to deliver and progenies were monitored for three weeks. The red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (HB) concentration was significantly lower (p<0.05) in pups of mice infected in the 2nd and 3rd stages of pregnancy as compared to the pups from non-infected mother. Histopathological alterations observed in the pup’s organs of mice infected in the 2nd and 3rd stages of pregnancy include fatty degeneration in the liver, interstitial pneumonia and oedema in the alveolar sac of the lungs, severe lymphoid depletion of the spleen, degeneration of tubular epithelial cells of the kidney and vacuolar degeneration in the brain. More severe damages were seen in pups from mice infected in the 2nd stage of pregnancy. This study showed that  pregnancy associated malaria induce anaemia and damaging effects on vital organs of progeny of mice infected in the 2nd and 3rd stages of pregnancy. Keyword: Pregnancy associated malaria, Plasmodium berghei, Parasitaemia, Birth weight, Haematological profile, Organ histopatholog

The Effects of Frequent Therapeutic Administration of Artesunate-amodiaquine and Artemether-lumefantrine on Haematological Markers in BALB/c Mice

Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) is readily available in malaria-endemic nations, leading to repeated drug usage by undiagnosed persons. Repeated use of ACT therapy by non-infected individuals may affect blood cells. This study explored how repeated artesunate-amodiaquine (A/A) and artemether-lumefantrine (A/L) treatment in non-infected mice affected haematological markers. 100 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: non-infected and Plasmodium berghei NK65 infected treated with A/L and A/A 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 6X, and the control group. Packed cell volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb), and red blood cell (RBC) were reduced (p>0.05) non-significantly in the non-infected group treated with A/L or A/A six times compared to the control and infected groups. WBC rose in infected and non-infected mice treated with A/L or A/A 1X, 2X, 3X, and 6X, with a substantial rise in non-infected mice treated with A/L (p < 0.01) and A/A (p < 0.001) three times. WBC mainly rose due to lymphocytes, although neutrophils decreased. Repeated therapeutic use of A/L and A/A without infection may cause a haematological change. Continuous efforts are needed to educate the public about screening for malaria parasites before using drugs

Comparative assessment of intestinal helminths prevalence in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) intervention and non-intervention communities in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Objective: This study compared the prevalence of intestinal helminths in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) intervention and non-intervention communities in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 225 respondents in a study carried out between July and November, 2014. Stool samples were examined for presence of helminths using Formol-Ether concentration method. Data collected from stool samples were analyzed using SPSS for Windows (version 16). Results: Results showed that, at the intervention community, 88 out of 113 respondents were infected with at least one helminth infection while at non-intervention community, 80 out of 112 respondents were infected. This result revealed overall helminth prevalence of 78% at Mawuko and 71% at Isolu. In both intervention (Mawuko) and non-intervention (Isolu) communities, hookworm was the most prevalent helminth observed (21% and 18%, respectively) followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (13% and 13%, respectively), Taenia sp. (4% and 3%, respectively) and Trichostrongylus sp. (1% and 3%, respectively). Cases of single infections of Trichuris trichiura, Strongyloides stercoralis and Hymenolepsis nana were observed only at the non-intervention community. However, S. stercoralis occurred in the multiple infections observed at the intervention community. Significantly more (p < 0.05) cases of infections were observed in male (46%) at the intervention community than female (31%) while in non-intervention community females (39%) were significantly (p < 0.05) more infected than their male counterparts (32%). Conclusions: This study concludes that the Community Led-Total Sanitation intervention programme, which was executed in Mawuko was not effective as expected

Spatial distribution and ecological niche modeling of geographical spread of Anopheles gambiae complex in Nigeria using real time data

Abstract The need for evidence-based data, to inform policy decisions on malaria vector control interventions in Nigeria, necessitated the establishment of mosquito surveillance sites in a few States in Nigeria. In order to make evidence-based-decisions, predictive studies using available data becomes imperative. We therefore predict the distribution of the major members of the Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Nigeria. Immature stages of Anopheles were collected from 72 study locations which span throughout the year 2020 resulted in the identification of over 60,000 Anopheline mosquitoes. Of these, 716 breeding sites were identified with the presence of one or more vector species from the An. gambiae complex and were subsequently used for modelling the potential geographical distribution of these important malaria vectors. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) distribution modeling was used to predict their potentially suitable vector habitats across Nigeria. A total of 23 environmental variables (19 bioclimatic and four topographic) were used in the model resulting in maps of the potential geographical distribution of three dominant vector species under current climatic conditions. Members of the An. gambiae complex dominated the collections (98%) with Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles coustani, Anopheles funestus, Anopheles moucheti, Anopheles nilli also present. An almost equal distribution of the two efficient vectors of malaria, An. gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii, were observed across the 12 states included in the survey. Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii had almost equal, well distributed habitat suitability patterns with the latter having a slight range expansion. However, the central part of Nigeria (Abuja) and some highly elevated areas (Jos) in the savannah appear not suitable for the proliferation of these species. The most suitable habitat for Anopheles arabiensis was mainly in the South-west and North-east. The results of this study provide a baseline allowing decision makers to monitor the distribution of these species and establish a management plan for future national mosquito surveillance and control programs in Nigeria