What next after Fansidar? The question of antimalarial drugs in Ethiopia

In Ethiopian settings, patients getting the required treatments for malaria complications in hospitals would constitute a negligible percentage; malaria in Ethiopia hence, possibly costing millions of lives a year based on a 4.1% hospitalization rate (1). The fatal effects of falciparum malaria, however, depends on the local eco-epidemiology and malaria endemicity with its immune profile, population density and age structure, health infrastructure and level and rate of drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum. At present chloroquine cure rate in Ethiopia is expected in the range of 30-70% (2,3), in some areas even going below 15% (4). This has triggered a shift to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine S-P, trade marked Fansidar, as a 1st line drug in line with chloroquine (cq). S-P is presently considered highly (>95%) efficacious (3,5) in Ethiopia

Malaria prevalence pattern observed in the highland fringe of Butajira, Southern Ethiopia: A longitudinal study from parasitological and entomological survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Ethiopia, information regarding highland malaria transmission is scarce, and no report has been presented from Butajira highland so far whether the appearance of malaria in the area was due to endemicity or due to highland malaria transmission. Thus this study aimed to determine the presence and magnitude of malaria transmission in Butajira.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For parasitological survey, longitudinal study was conducted from October to December 2006. The entomological surveys were done from October to December 2006 and continued from April to May 2007. Both parasitological and entomological surveys were done using standard procedures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The parasitological result in all the survey months (October-December) showed an overall detection rate of 4.4% (48/1082) (CI 95%; 3.2-5.7%) malaria parasite. Among infected individuals, 32 (3.0%) of the infection was due to <it>Plasmodium vivax </it>and the rest 16 (1.5%) were due to <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. The highest prevalence 39(3.6%) of the parasite was observed in age groups of above 15 years old. Among the total tested, 25(2.3%) of males and 23(2.1%) of females had malaria infection. Among tested individuals, 38(5.3%) and 10 (2.7%) of infection was occurred in Misrak-Meskan (2100 m a.s.l) and Mirab-Meskan (2280 m a.s.l), respectively which was statistically significant (X²= 3.72, P < 0.05). Although the prevalence pattern of <it>Plasmodium </it>species declined from October to December, the trend was non-significant (X²for trend = 0.49, P > 0.05). The entomological survey showed a collection of 602 larvae and 80 adult <it>Anopheles</it>. <it>Anopheles christyi </it>was the dominant species both in the first (45.3%) and in the second (35.4%) surveys; where as, <it>Anopheles gambiae sensu lato </it>comprised 4.7% and 14.6%, in the first and second surveys, respectively. <it>Anopheles gambiae </it><it>s.l </it>comprises 55% of the adult collection, and both species were collected more from outdoors (57.5%). The number of <it>An. christyi </it>was higher in Mirab-Meskan (58. 3%) than Misrak-Meskan (41.7%) (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Malaria parasite and its vectors were found to be common during transmission periods in the highland fringes of Butajira. Thus, health education about the risk of malaria and its control programme in the area must be given adequate attention to minimize potential epidemics. In addition, the current study should be complemented from sero-epidemiological, prospective longitudinal and retrospective studies along with metrological and ecological factors, and socio-demographic data before concluding in favour of highland malaria transmission in the area. In light of its abundance, which coincided with the malaria transmission seasons, the possible role of <it>An. christyi </it>as a secondary vector in the highlands must be further investigated by including blood meal sources detection.</p

Genetic divergence in Ethiopian coriander accessions and its implication in breeding of desired plant types

The genetic divergence among 49 Ethiopian coriander ( Coriandrum sativum L.) accessions was assessed using employing Mahalanobi's distance (D2) analysis based on 15 characters. The accessions were grouped in to eight clusters. Cluster II and III were the largest each with 12 accessions, followed by clusters I and V each consisting of seven accessions. The highest inter-cluster distance (480.5) was observed between clusters I and VIII, followed by clusters V and VIII (462.2), and then clusters II and VIII (336.1). Hence, crossing between accessions included in these clusters may give high heterotic response, and thereby better sergeants. Maximum contribution toward total genetic divergence was possessed by thousand seed weight (15.67%), followed by basal leaf number (13.48%), plant height (10.29%), seeds umbellet-1 (9.81%) and umbel number plant-1 (7.84%). Based on means of all characters, accessions in clusters III, VII and VIII could be regarded as useful sources of genes for yield and its components, and the accessions from these clusters, therefore, could be used in improvement programmes to develop desirable types in coriander.La divergence g\ue9n\ue9tique parmi 49 accessions de coriandre \ue9thiopienne ( Coriandrum sativum L.) \ue9tait \ue9valu\ue9e utlisant l'analyse de la distance de Mahalanobi (D2) bas\ue9e sur 15 caract\ue8res. Les accessions \ue9taient group\ue9es en huit clusters. Les clusters II et III \ue9taient les plus larges avec 12 accessions chacun, suivi des clusters I et V avec sept accessions chacun. La distance la plus \ue9lev\ue9e entre les clusters (480.5) \ue9tait observ\ue9e entre les clusters I et VIII, suivi par les clusters V et VIII (462.2) et enfin les clusters II et VIII (336.1). Ainsi, le croisement entre accessions de ces clusters pourrait offrir une r\ue9ponse h\ue9t\ue9rotique \ue9lev\ue9e et par l\ue0 de meilleurs s\ue9gr\ue9gants. Une contribution maximale sur la divergence g\ue9n\ue9tique totale \ue9tait due au poids de mille grains (15.67%), suivi par le nombre de feuilles basales (13.48%), la hauteur de plants (10.29%), grains par inflorescence (9.81%) et le nombre d'inflorescences par plant (7.84%). Bas\ue9 sur les moyennes de tous les caract\ue8res, les accessions des clusters III, IV et VIII pourraient \ueatre consid\ue9r\ue9es comme de sources importantes de g\ue8nes pour le rendement et ses composantes, et les accessions de ces clusters, pourraient parcons\ue9quent \ueatre utilis\ue9es dans de programmes d'am\ue9lioration pour d\ue9velopper de types d\ue9sirables dans le coriander

Genetic divergence in Ethiopian coriander accessions and its implication in breeding of desired plant types

The genetic divergence among 49 Ethiopian coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) accessions was assessed using employing Mahalanobi’s distance (D2) analysis based on 15 characters. The accessions were grouped in to eight clusters. Cluster II and III were the largest each with 12 accessions, followed by clusters I and V each consisting of seven accessions. The highest inter-cluster distance (480.5) was observed between clusters I and VIII, followed by clusters V and VIII (462.2), and then clusters II and VIII (336.1). Hence, crossing between accessions included in these clusters may give high heterotic response, and thereby better sergeants. Maximum contribution toward total genetic divergence was possessed by thousand seed weight (15.67%), followed by basal leaf number (13.48%), plant height (10.29%), seeds umbellet-1 (9.81%) and umbel number plant-1 (7.84%). Based on means of all characters, accessions in clusters III, VII and VIII could be regarded as useful sources of genes for yield and its components, and the accessions from these clusters, therefore, could be used in improvement programmes to develop desirable types in coriander. Key Words: Coriandrum sativum, cluster, quantitative characters RÉSUMÉ La divergence génétique parmi 49 accessions de coriandre éthiopienne (Coriandrum sativum L.) était évalué

CORRELATION STUDIES AND PATH COEFFICIENT ANALYSIS FOR SEED YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN ETHIOPIAN CORIANDER ACCESSIONS

Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum L.) is an annual spice herb that belongs to the family Umbelliferae. Even though Ethiopia is a centre of primary diversity for the crop, the current knowledge about its biology, variety development and agronomy is neither complete nor conclusive under Ethiopian conditions. To contribute to filling some of the existing gaps, a field experiment was conducted during the main rainy season of 2007-2008 at Wondo Genet and Kokate, southern Ethiopia. Data for 15 agronomic and quality traits were measured and statistically tested. More of the traits were found having high correlation coefficients at genotypic level than the phenotypic level, demonstrating intrinsic associations among the traits. Seeds plant-1 and thousand seeds weight were associated significantly and positively with seed yield plant-1 at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Essential oil and fatty oil contents were negatively associated with most of the trait studied. Path analysis revealed that days to end 50% flowering, longest basal leaf length, plant height, days to 50% maturity and seeds umbellet-1 exerted positive direct effect on seed yield plant-1, indicating that selection using these traits would be effective in improving seed yield in coriander.Le Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum L.) est une herbe d\u2019\ue9pice annuelle qui appartient \ue0 la famille Umbelliferae. M\ueame si l\u2019Ethiope est un centre de sa diversit\ue9 primaire, la connaissance actuelle de sa biologie, son d\ue9veloppement vari\ue9tal et son agronomie ne sont jamais exhaustif ni conclusive en conditions ethiopiennes. Pour contribuer \ue0 combler cette br\ue8che, un essai en champ \ue9tait effectu\ue9 durant la principale saison de pluie 2007-2008 \ue0 Wondo Genet et Kokate, Sud Ethiopie. Les donn\ue9es de 15 traits agronomiques et traits de qualit\ue9 \ue9taient mesur\ue9es et statistiquement test\ue9es. Laplupart des traits ont manifest\ue9 des coefficients de corr\ue9lation \ue9lev\ue9e au niveau g\ue9notypique qu\u2019 au niveau ph\ue9notypique, t\ue9moignant des associations intrins\ue8ques parmi les traits. Le nombre de grains par plante et le poids de mille grains \ue9taient significativement associ\ue9s et positivement avec le rendement en grains par plante aux niveaux ph\ue9notypiques et g\ue9notypiques. Les teneurs en huile essentielle et mati\ue8re grasse \ue9taient n\ue9gativement associ\ue9es \ue0 laplupart des traits \ue9tudi\ue9s. L\u2019analyse du passage a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que les jours \ue0 50% de la floraison, la plus longue base de la longueur des fueilles, la hauteur de plants, les jours \ue0 50% de la maturit\ue9 et le nombre de grains par umbellet ont excerc\ue9 un effet positif direct sur le rendement en grains par plant, indicant que cette s\ue9lection par l\u2019utilisation de ces traits pourrait \ueatre efficace en amelioration du rendement en grains coriander

Resistance to Botrytis cinerea in Solanum lycopersicoides Involves Widespread Transcriptional Reprogramming.

Background Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), one of the world’s most important vegetable crops, is highly susceptible to necrotrophic fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria solani. Improving resistance through conventional breeding has been hampered by a shortage of resistant germplasm and difficulties in introgressing resistance into elite germplasm without linkage drag. The goal of this study was to explore natural variation among wild Solanum species to identify new sources of resistance to necrotrophic fungi and dissect mechanisms underlying resistance againstB. cinerea. Results Among eight wild species evaluated for resistance against B. cinerea and A. solani, S. lycopersicoides expressed the highest levels of resistance against both pathogens. Resistance against B. cinerea manifested as containment of pathogen growth. Through next-generation RNA sequencing and de novo assembly of the S. lycopersicoides transcriptome, changes in gene expression were analyzed during pathogen infection. In response to B. cinerea, differentially expressed transcripts grouped into four categories: genes whose expression rapidly increased then rapidly decreased, genes whose expression rapidly increased and plateaued, genes whose expression continually increased, and genes with decreased expression. Homology-based searches also identified a limited number of highly expressed B. cinerea genes. Almost immediately after infection by B. cinerea, S. lycopersicoides suppressed photosynthesis and metabolic processes involved in growth, energy generation, and response to stimuli, and simultaneously induced various defense-related genes, including pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1), a beta-1,3-glucanase (glucanase), and a subtilisin-like protease, indicating a shift in priority towards defense. Moreover, cluster analysis revealed novel, uncharacterized genes that may play roles in defense against necrotrophic fungal pathogens in S. lycopersicoides. The expression of orthologous defense-related genes in S. lycopersicum after infection with B. cinerea revealed differences in the onset and intensity of induction, thus illuminating a potential mechanism explaining the increased susceptibility. Additionally, metabolic pathway analyses identified putative defense-related categories of secondary metabolites. Conclusions In sum, this study provided insight into resistance against necrotrophic fungal pathogens in the Solanaceae, as well as novel sequence resources for S. lycopersicoides

Organoleptic and palatability properties of drinking water sources and its health implications in Ethiopia: a retrospective study during 2010-2016

Background: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the physicochemical properties of drinking water sources in Ethiopia and compare the water quality with the health-based target. For this purpose, the water quality database of Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) from 2010 to 2016 was used. Methods: The concentration and other properties of the water samples were analyzed according to the Standard Methods of Water and Wastewater analysis. Quality control and quality assurance were applied in all stages following our laboratory standard operation procedures (SOPs). Results: The concentration of the selected parameters varied based on the type of water sources. The mean concentration of turbidity was higher in spring water (21.3 NTU) compared to tap (12.6 NTU) and well (3.9 NTU) water sources. The mean concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), sodium (Na+), and sulfate (SO4 -2) was found to be higher in spring water sources than tap and well water sources. Comparably, the concentration of hardness, calcium, and magnesium was found to be higher in well water sources than spring and tap water sources. The bivariate analysis indicated that out of 845 analyzed water samples, more than 50% of the samples from Oromia region had turbidity, pH, TDS, hardness, Ca++, K+, and Na+ within an acceptable limit. In addition, the logistic regression analysis showed that water quality parameters were strongly associated with the type of water sources and regional administration at P < 0.05. Conclusion: More than 80% of the samples analyzed from drinking water sources were in agreement with WHO guidelines and national standards. However, the remaining 20% specifically, pH (25%), calcium (20%), hardness (18.1%), TDS (15.5%), and turbidity (13.3%) analyzed from improved water sources did not comply with these recommendations. Due to objectionable or unpleasant taste, people may force to look for alternative unprotected water sources that lead to health concerns. Keywords: Drinking water, Water quality, Water sources, Taste, Physicochemical properties, Retrospective study, Ethiopia, Logistic model

Effect of a self-care educational intervention to improve self-care adherence among patients with chronic heart failure: a clustered randomized controlled trial in Northwest Ethiopia

Background: As the burden of cardiovascular disease increases in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a growing need for low-cost interventions to mitigate its impact. Providing self-care health education to patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is recommended as an intervention to prevent complications, improve quality of life, and reduce financial burdens on fragile health systems. However, little is known about health education’s effectiveness at improving CHF self-management adherence in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore the present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve self-care adherence among patients with CHF at Debre Markos and Felege Hiwot Referral Hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: To address this gap, we adapted a health education intervention based on social cognitive theory comprising of intensive four-day training and, one-day follow-up sessions offered every four months. Patients also received illustrated educational leaflets. We then conducted a clustered randomized control trial of the intervention with 186 randomly-selected patients at Debre Markos and Felege Hiwot referral hospitals. We collected self-reported data on self-care behavior before each educational session. We analyzed these data using a generalized estimating equations model to identify health education's effect on a validated 8-item self-care adherence scale. Results: Self-care adherence scores were balanced at baseline. After the intervention, patients in the intervention group (n = 88) had higher adherence scores than those in the control group (n = 98). This difference was statistically significant (β = 4.15, p < 0.05) and increased with each round of education. Other factors significantly associated with adherence scores were being single (β = − 0.25, p < 0.05), taking aspirin (β = 0.76, p < 0.05), and having a history of hospitalization (β = 0.91, p < 0.05). Conclusions: We find that self-care education significantly improved self-care adherence scores among CHF patients. This suggests that policymakers should consider incorporating self-care education into CHF management

Prevalence of diarrheal disease and associated factors among under-five children in flood-prone settlements of Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional community-based study

BackgroundDiarrheal illnesses are a long-standing public health problem in developing countries due to numerous sanitation issues and a lack of safe drinking water. Floods exacerbate public health issues by spreading water-borne infectious diseases such as diarrhea through the destruction of sanitation facilities and contamination of drinking water. There has been a shortage of studies regarding the magnitude of diarrheal disease in flood-prone areas. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the prevalence of diarrheal disease and its predictors among under-five children living in flood-prone localities in the south Gondar zone of Northwest Ethiopia.MethodA community-based cross-sectional research was carried out in flood-prone villages of the Fogera and Libokemkem districts from March 17 to March 30, 2021. Purposive and systematic sampling techniques were used to select six kebeles and 717 study units, respectively. Structured and pretested questionnaires were used to collect the data. A multivariable analysis was performed to determine the predictors of diarrheal disease, with P-value &lt;0.05 used as the cut-off point to declare the association.ResultThe prevalence of a diarrheal disease among under-five children was 29.0%. The regular cleaning of the compound [AOR: 2.13; 95% CI (1.25, 3.62)], source of drinking water [AOR: 2.36; 95% CI: (1.26, 4.41)], animal access to water storage site [AOR: 3.04; 95% CI: (1.76, 5.24)], vector around food storage sites [AOR: 9.13; 95% CI: (4.06, 20.52)], use of leftover food [AOR: 4.31; 95% CI: (2.64, 7.04)], and fecal contamination of water [AOR: 12.56; 95% CI: (6.83, 23.20)] remained to have a significant association with diarrheal diseases.ConclusionThe present study found that the prevalence of the diarrheal disease among under-five children was high. Routine compound cleaning, the source of drinking water, animal access to a water storage site, vectors near food storage sites, consumption of leftover food, and fecal contamination of water were significant predictors of diarrheal disease. Therefore, it is advised to provide improved water sources, encourage routine cleaning of the living area, and offer health education about water, hygiene, and sanitation

Genetic and non-genetic parameter estimates for growth traits and Kleiber ratios in Dorper × indigenous sheep

Genetic improvement programme will only be successful when accompanied by a good understanding of the influence of different environmental factors, knowledge of the genetic parameters and the genetic relationships between the traits of interest. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of non-genetic fac- tors on growth traits and Kleiber ratios and to estimate genetic parameters for early growth traits in Dorper indigenous crossbred sheep. The effects of fixed factors were analysed by the general linear model procedure of statistical analysis system, while the genetic parameters were estimated using a WOMBAT computer program fitted animal model. The overall least-square mean for birth weight (BRW), weaning weight (3MW), six-month weight, nine-month weight, and yearling weight were 3.03 ± 0.02, 14.5 ± 0.18, 20.4 ± 0.26, 24.8 ± 0.31, and 28.3 ± 0.40 kg, respectively. The overall least- square mean for Kleiber ratio from birth to weaning (KR1), weaning to six months, six to nine months and nine months to yearling age were 16.8 ± 0.10, 6.41 ± 0.17, 4.55 ± 0.21 and 3.38 ± 0.20 g/kg of meta- bolic weight, respectively. The inclusion of maternal genetic effect had a significant influence on BRW, and it explains 20% of the phenotypic variation. The total heritability estimates for BRW, 3MW, birth to weaning average daily weight gain and KR1 were 0.10, 0.14, 0.16 and 0.12, respectively. The pheno- typic correlation varied from 0.11 ± 0.05 to 0.98 ± 0.02, whereas the direct genetic correlation ranged from 0.32 ± 0.40 to 0.98 ± 0.17. The mean inbreeding coefficient was 0.105% with an annual rate of 0.02%. The heritability estimates for growth traits and Kleiber ratio suggest that slow genetic progress would be expected from the selection. However, the integration of selection with crossbreeding pro- gramme can enhance genetic gain. Therefore, selection should be conducted based on breeding values estimated from multiple information sources to increase the selection response