Impact Assessment of Repeated Mass Ivermectin Treatment on Onchocerciasis in Abia State, Nigeria

The impact assessment of repeated mass ivermectin treatment on onchocerciasis in Abia state, south eastern Nigeria was carried out between June and September 2011, using skin snipping method. Abia state is made up of 17 Local Government Areas, eight of which are endemic for onchocerciasis (2 hyper-endemic and 6 meso-endemic LGAs). The study captured the two LGAs of the state that were rated as hyper-endemic by REMO assessment and had been receiving treatment since 1995. Out of 547 individuals skin snipped, only 3 (0.55%) were infected with microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus, and this occurred in one community Amiyi-Obilohia. The distribution of infection showed that 0.50% of the infected were males while 0.58% were females. The overall age specific prevalence showed that infection only occurred in individuals 60 years and above, who were low compliers and were not treated during the last treatment period. A CMFL of 0.28 mf/mg obtained is an indication that ivermectin is an effective microfilaricide. Key words: Impact assessment, Repeated, mass, ivermectin, treatment, Onchocerciasis

Evaluation of Onchocerciasis among community members of Okigwe Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria

Human infection with Onchocerca volvulus study was conducted to compare the prevalence of different manifestations of onchocerciasis according to gender and age, with view to determine if there had been a change in prevalence of onchocerciasis among residents of some communities in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State. A cross sectional survey method was adopted for the study. Skin snips were collected from randomly selected consenting adults aged 18-62 years. Palpation for mobile subcutaneous lumps and clinical manifestation were carried out on 960 persons comprising of 511 males and 449 females. The commonest symptoms observed were poor vision (8%), nodules (7%), leopard skin (9%), lizard skin (7%), and hanging groin (1%). Musculo-skeletal pain (MSP) was recorded as one of the major complaints by (14%) of the subjects. This result indicates (69.8%) reduction on clinical features of onchocerciasis prevalence among sampled population in the study-area.Keywords: onchocerciasis, manifestation, prevalence, palpatio

Epidemiological implications of houseflies (Musca domestica) in the dessimination of diseases in Owerri, south-east Nigeria

The epidemiological implications of houseflies (M. domestica) in human disease transmission were assessed in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria between February and August, 2010. A total of 140 houseflies trapped from different micro-habitats were examined using standard parasitological and microbiological techniques which included washing and examination of external body parts, dissection and examination of internal guts and culture of crushed intestinal samples. Of these, 78 (55.7%) were infected with at least one of 7 parasites of medical importance encountered; Entamoba coli, Ascaris lumbricoides, Microsporidia, Enterobius vermicularis, Hookworm, Trichiuris trichiura and Entamoba histolytica, A. lumbricoides (17.1%) and E. histolytica (13.6%) were significantly higher than others (p<0.05). Infection was significantly higher in refuse dumps and toilets than from other sources (p<0.05). Eight bacterial isolates (opportunistic enteric pathogens inclusive) were recovered; Micrococcus species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp and Citrobacter spp. Their prevalence differed in the gut contents of houseflies while its public health significance are highlighted.Keywords: Houseflies; diseases; epidemiological implications; Owerr

Concomitant bacteria in the blood of malaria patients in Owerri, southeastern Nigeria

The presence of concomitant bacteria was assessed in the blood of 125 malaria positive patients and 60 malaria negative controls, resident in Owerri, southeastern Nigeria. Blood samples were cultured in MacConkey, Chocolate and Blood agar, respectively using oxoid signal system after the manufacturer’s instructions. Blood cultures of 44 (35.2%) of the 125 malaria positive patients had bacterial growth while none was observed in the blood cultures of malaria negative patients. The bacteria species identified included: Staphylococcus aureus   4 (3.2%), Escherichia coli   3 (2.4%) Salmonella typhi   25 (20%), Klebsiella pneumoniae   10 (2.4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa   2 (1.6%). The presence of concomitant bacteria in malaria-positive cases usually results in persistence of malaria-like symptoms after treatment with antimalarials and subsequently taken as resistance of the parasites to the particular drugs in question. The significance of concomitant bacteria in the management of malaria should be given priority