The Effect of Climatic Factors on the Distribution and Abundance of Mosquito Vectors in Ekiti State

In warm and tropical climatic regions of the world, climatic factors have been associated with relative mosquito abundance and transmission of mosquito borne infections. The main objective of this study is to assess the change in seasonal abundance and distribution of mosquito vectors in relation to climate variables (rainfall, temperature and humidity). Mosquito samples were collected from randomly selected houses in all the Local Government Areas of the State using Aspirators, light trap and pyrethrum spray catch methods from July 2006 to June 2008. Species of Anopheles, Aedes and Culex mosquitoes were collected. Anopheles gambiae s.s had the highest number (43.5%) out the three malaria vectors found. For Aedes and Culex species collected, Aedes aegypti (37.6%) and Culex fatigans (37.1%) have the highest prevalence out of their sibling species. Temperature and Rainfall were highly correlated with the abundance of mosquito vectors. It was observed that relative humidity of at least 50- 55% prolong mosquito survival. The rainy season (March to October) recorded the highest number of mosquito vectors collection with the peak in the months of July and August while the lowest collection was in the month of February when there was little or no rains. The environmental and ecological factors including Human activities enhanced the breeding and abundance of these mosquito vectors. Keywords:  Culex fatigans; Aedes aegypti; Mosquito; rainfall; temperature; abundanc

Larvicidal Properties of Datura Stramonium (Jimson Weed) and Nicotiana Tabaccum (Tobacco) Extracts against the Larvae of (Anopheles and Culex) Mosquitoes

Extracts of the leaf of Nicotiana tabaccum (Tobacco) (L) in the familySolanaceace and the root of Datura Stramonium (Jimson weed) in the familySolanaceace, were prepared from plant materials collected within Ekiti State,Nigeria. With Datura stramonium extract treatment, there was less than 50%mortality of larvae on culicine species for the first 24hours, at 100%concentration, there was 100% death rate. On Anopheline species, there wasmore than 70% mortality rate and 100% concentration recording 90%mortality rate. This work demonstrates the potency of Nicotiana tabaccumand Datura stramonium extracts in the control of mosquito larvae. Thehighest potency was recorded in Tobacco and on Anopheline larvae whichalso is a main malaria vector. There was high correlation between the twoplant extracts on Anopheline larvae (0.93 and 0.68) at the hours of 24 and 48 but at the hour of 72, there was low correlation (0.41). Key words: Extracts, Datura stramonium, Nicotiana tabaccum, Culex,Anopheles mosquito

Studies on ethnoveterinary practice of ruminants in Ekiti State Nigeria

A survey was conducted in Ekiti State on ethnoveterinary practice used in rural areas against parasitic diseases of ruminants. A questionnaire was used for the survey among the rural people and pastorals. The result revealed the effect of socioeconomic characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, educational status, religion and occupation on the ethnoveterinary practice by the rural people of Ekiti State. The rural people should be more educated on how to improve on the use of traditional method to treat diseases to provide better health care for the animals. The most common diseases of goat in Ekiti State include mange and diarrhea. A total of 51 plants were observed to be in used by the people of Ekiti State. These plants came from 28 families. The various ethnoveterinary practice used in the study includes: palm oil, medicinal plants, cold water, hot ash, palm kernel oil, sand from stream water, kerosene, fire, Locust bean to treat diseases such as mange, respiratory diseases, neck problem, lameness, lice, diarrhea, parasite in the hoof, swollen body, mouth problem and so on. The government should fund research to test the findings (validation) in this study to further clarify them. And there should be biodiversity conservation

In vitro anthelmintic activity of three medicinal plants

In vitro anthelmintic assay of three medicinal plants was conducted to investigate which plants were anthelmintic. In vitro anthelmintic activity of all the three medicinal plants were carried out using earthworm at 50, 100, 200mg/ml of plant extracts from Vernonia amygdalina, Ocimum grattisimum and Talinum triangulare. Results showed that 200mg/ml was effective concentration for all the medicinal plants. Vernonia amygdalina showed faster anthelmintic than Ocimum grattisimum and Talinum triangulare. The plants can be used /employed in pharmaceutical industry to be used as anthelmintic drugs for treating livestocks affected with helminths

Review on heavy metals contamination in the environment.

ArticleReview was made on heavy metals, the various organs that they affect in human body, their sources, effects and control. Heavy metals that are of environmental importance include cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury. The various sources of these metals in the environment include mining, industry, exhaust fumes of vehicle, soil, food, water and so on. These metals affect various organs in human body such as kidney, central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver and so on. So in other to experience safety of living in the environment, the way these metals are released in to the environment should constantly be monitored and controlled. And there should be remediation for heavy metals in contaminated soils

In vivo effects of four medicinal plants on nematodes of goat

Medicinal plants are very cheap and accessible to rural people for treating ruminant’s diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate in vivo effects of four medicinal plants (Vernonia amgydalina, Ocimum grattisimum, Nicotiana tabacum and Talinum triangulare) on nematodes of goat. The ethanolic extracts of these medicinal plants were made and the dose used for the goats include 1 and 2 g/kg for Vernonia amgydalina, 1 and 2g/kg for Ocimum grattisimum, 0.5 and 1 g/kg for Nicotiana tabacum and 0.5 and 1 g/kg for Talinum triangulare. The goats were infected with L3 stage larval of nematodes of Trichostrongyle sp, Haemonchus contortus, Bunostomum and Strongloides sp and after the build up of worm after some days, they were treated using in vivo assay through oral administration of the plants extracts. The faecal samples were collected 3, 7 and 11 days and examined quantitatively through McMaster Counting technique for the number of parasites. The results showed that only 2g/kg of Vernonia amgydalina and 1g/kg of Talinum triangulare showed decreased of 91.6% and and 69% in the mean egg per gram (epg) output of the faecal sample. But other medicinal plants did not show any decrease in epg. This indicates that Vernonia amgydalina and Talinum triangulare could be used as antihelmintic plants to treat goat diseases thus helping to improve the health status of the goat

Microbial Diversity in Water and Biofilm Samples from Well Sources in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

The aim of the study was to investigate the microbial populations of water and biofilm samples from seven hand dug wells in Ilorin, Nigeria, which are for private and public use. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demand were determined. Biofilm growths were induced from water samples obtained from selected wells. Twenty bacteria isolated were identified using morphological and biochemical characteristics as well as molecular methods and includes Shigella sonnei, Shigella dysenteriae, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus sphaericus, Salmonella enteritidis, Proteus mirabilis strain IK-MB4-518F, Bacillus licheniformis strain RH104, Bacillus subtilis, Erwinia sp., Proteus vulgaris, Yersina sp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain GS1, Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain 218B, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Vibrio sp., Escherichia coli and Bacillus pasteurii. Total bacterial count ranged from 1.8×104-1.53×106 cfu/ml. Water samples from these wells are therefore not potable and some of the isolates are potential health hazards to human population

Performance, Some Nutrient Elements and Heavy Metals Accumulation in Tomato under Soil Applied Poultry Manure, NPK and ZnSO4 Fertilizers

Two field experiments were carried out in 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara state. The aim was to determine the effect of single and integrated application of poultry manure (PM), NPK and ZnSO4 fertilizers on the agronomic performance, yield, some nutrient elements and heavy metal content of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in the derived savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. Treatments consisted of: 150 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 PM + 5 kgha-1 Zn (T1); 150 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 PM (T2); 15 t ha-1 PM ­­+ 5 kg ha-1 Zn (T3); 30 t ha-1 PM (T4); 150 kg ha-1 NPK +­­ 5 kg ha-1 Zn (T5); 10 kg ha-1 Zn (T6); 300 kg ha-1 NPK (T7) and control (T8). The contribution of integrated application of PM and NPK at lower rates on growth and yield of tomato was high while application of zinc at higher rate (10 kg ha-1) increased the availability of some nutrient elements and heavy metals of tomato fruits though not beyond the permissible limits as established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) to ensure food safety of the consumers. It can therefore be concluded that application of 150 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 PM + 10 Kg ha-1 Zn is beneficial for tomato production in the study area without any threat to human health