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Introduction:Geographical Information System (GIS) has proven to be very useful for large scale mapping of ecosystems, land use and cover, disease prevalence, risk mapping and forecasting. GIS establish relationship or link between vector borne diseases and associated environmental factors thereby providing explanation for spatial distribution pattern, possible causes of diseases outbreak andimplications on the community.Aims and Objectives:Our approach in this study was to define and identify areas and places that are exposed to Malaria risk through proximity analysis and to compare geospatial risk with laboratory diagnosed malaria epidemiology. Methodology:Garmin GPS was used to capture the geographic coordinates of six (6) selected settlements and overlaid with georeferenced and processed satellite images in the study area. GIS modeling was performed on risk factors using weighted overlay technique to produce malaria risk map. A total of One hundred and thirty-five (135) vulnerable individuals were diagnosed for Malaria with light Olympus microscope and rapid diagnostic kit (RDT). Data were entered and analyzed using R-Package for Statistical Computing and Graphics.Results:Proximity to malaria risk follows relatively the order Apodu > Central Malete > Elemere > KWASU Campus > Gbugudu. Apodu being the largest place with proximity to malaria risk, within 500m radius. The risk index increases as one move away from the center of the settlement. The possible explanation for this high risk could be the presence of pond / lake in Apodu. This is a good breeding site for mosquito couple with dense vegetation as one move away from the centre of the settlements. Unlike Apodu, Gbugudu was at medium risk at 100m buffer (60%) but the risk index decreases as one move away from the settlement centre. The absence of thick vegetation and presence of numerous open farms and partly cultivated farmlands on the eastern part could have been responsible for reduction in risk index. Dense vegetation and ponds were observed within Apodu, while Central Malete was built up with dense vegetation are possible reasons for the high-risk index, while settlements within 1 km radius around KWASU campus recorded lower risk index possibly dueto low vegetation. The geospatial malaria risk analysis correlates with the laboratory-based test results. RDT kits and light microscopy results showed Apodu having the highest malaria prevalence with 46% and 58.7% followed by Elemere 41% and 30.3% respectively. When calculating prevalence by aggregating results across all communities, Apodu still had the highest malaria prevalence for the whole region. RDT and light microscopy results combined for all communities had Apodu with malaria prevalence of 21.48% and 27.4% followed by Elemere with 11.85% and 12.5% respectively. Gbugudu had the least malaria prevalence within the region with 3.7% and 7.4% respectively.Discussion and Conclusion:Findings of this study showed dense vegetation and ponds within Apodu, Elemere and Central Malete served as good breeding site for mosquitoes and were responsible for the high-risk index at these areas. Settlements within 1 km radius around KWASU campus recorded lower index possibly due to low vegetation. Results from this study indicate that the degree of malaria parasitaemia in the three major settlements correlates directly with the remote sensing data
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This study was aimed at determining the effect of leaves of Senna alata extract on biochemical indices of Wistar rats infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei . Phytochemical screening revealed the absence of steroids in all extracts, absence of saponins in chloroform extracts and the presence of free anthraquinones only in chloroform extract. Post - infection treatment of animals stirred the emergence of parasitaemia by Day 3. Only animals receiving 200 mg/kg b.wt. of chloroform extract survived by day 16. A significant (P<0.05) decrease in ALT for groups receiving methanol (400 mg/kg b.wt.), chloroform and aqueous extracts and significant (P<0.05) increase in unconjugated bilir ubin in the group receiving methanol extract (200 mg/kg b.wt.) compared to infected not treated rats. Significant (P<0.05) decrease in potassium concentration in groups receiving methanol and chloroform, and a significant (P<0.05) increase in sodium concen tration in the group receiving 400 mg/kg b.wt. of aqueous extract compared to the infected not treated rats. These results thereby demonstrate the ameliorative potential of Senna alata leaves against T. brucei brucei .
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Aim:To assess the prevalence of intestinal parasite infections among patients who visit the Ho Teaching Hospital for stool examination from 2012 to 2016.Study Design:Retrospective study. Place and Durationof Study:Ho Teaching Hospital, August 2017 to January 2018.Methodology:The hospital’s laboratory records were reviewed. Patients’ data were recorded using a well-designed data collection tool. Data was analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0.Results:A total of 7045 patients visited the Ho Teaching Hospital laboratory for routine stool examination within the five-year period. From the 7045 patients, 703 of them were infected with at least one of the intestinal parasites. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasite infection for the five-year period was 10.0%. Intestinal flagellates (90.0%) were the most predominant intestinal parasites, and Entamoeba histolyticarecorded 5.7%. Hookworm (0.9%) was the most prevailing soil-transmitted helminth. Ascaris lumbricoides(0.1%) and Schistosoma mansoni(0.1%) were the least recorded parasites. Highest infection was among patients within age group 20 to 29 years. However, age groups below 10 years recorded low infection. This study showed that age was a risk factor for acquiring intestinal parasite infection (P≤0.001).Original ResearchArticle Conclusion:Intestinal parasitic infections were recorded among patients who visited the Ho Teaching Hospital. However, most of the patients were infected with intestinal flagellates. Various stakeholders should provide advance techniques in laboratory investigation of stool samples to enhance accurate diagnosis. Sensitization of the public about the dangers of intestinal parasites should also be undertaken by the stakeholders
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Aim:This study was carried out to determine association of malaria parasitaemia with ABO/Rhesus blood group. Methodology:A total of 150 blood samples were randomly selected and examined for the presence of Plasmodium falciparumusing microscopy, blood group was determined using agglutination technique. Results:A total 92 (61.3%) were found to be infected with P. falciparum, the prevalence was highest among under five (0-10) than older groups, and higher among males 55 (63.2%) than female 37 (58.7%). Majority of the patients were rhesus positive 90(64.3%) while 2(20.0%) were rhesus negative. High percentage of blood group O, 70 (46.7%) was observed, followed by A 39(26.0%), B 34 (22.7%) and AB 7 (4.6%). All ABO blood groups showed varied presence of P. falciparum51(72.8%), 22(56.4%), 17(50.0%) and 2(28.5%) for O, A, B and AB, respectively.Parasite density was also higher in blood group O 70 (41.69%), followed by B 34 (30.67%), and A 39 (28.09%) then AB 7 (16.84%). Conclusion:It can be concluded that malaria parasitaemia is higher in males than female and in the younger ages than the older ones. Also Blood groups O are the most susceptible to malaria infection and AB are the least infected. However further investigation is needed to clearly establish the association ABO/Rhesus blood groups and P. falciparuminfection and the need for intensified control methodology of the disease and education of the populace on the effect of rhesus negative cannot be over emphasized
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Malaria is a public health problem and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in most tropical and subtropical countries. A rapid spread of malarial disease globally due to treatment failure has led to an urgent need for new effective antimalarials which medicinal plants have contributed to in medicine. The objective of this research is to determine the effectiveness of Mist Amen Fevermix which is a decoction of the stem bark of Morinda lucida and Parinari robusta in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in humans, at the Tafo Government Hospital, Kumasi. Clinically established malaria in male and female patients aged, 15-60 years were treated with Mist Amen Fevermix, at the specified dose of 45 mls (0.45 g) three times daily for six days. A total of 50 patients were diagnosed with malaria disease. At the randomization visit, a detailed medical history was obtained and the patients underwent laboratory investigation was done at entry and after completing the study. All the 50 patients completed the study and there was a statistically significant difference between the mean levels of malaria parasite load recorded 28 indicating a significant effectiveness of Mist Amen Fevermix used by the patients. Parasitaemia clearance was 82.35% within the first three days in clients who responded positively to treatment. Results of the study suggest that Mist Amen Fevermix is an effective herbal antimalarial agent when used as specified by the manufacturer.
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Resumen Las filariasis son parasitosis producidas por nemátodos hemáticos de la familia Filariidae, la Mansonella ozzardi, es uno de los agentes etiológicos distribuido ampliamente en el continente americano y en el Caribe. Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 13 años de edad, previamente diagnosticada con linfoma T de célula grande anaplásico. Como parte de la evaluación antes del segundo ciclo B de quimioterapia, se realizó un extendido de sangre periférica en el que se encontró una microfilaría tipificada como Mansonella ozzardi, se dio manejo con una dosis única de ivermectina y se logró resultado negativo en el control a las 24 horas. Actualmente la paciente se encuentra asintomática y sin evidencia de recurrencia de la parasitemia y terminando su tratamiento oncológico.
Abstract Filariasis is caused by nematodes in the blood. Mansonella ozzardi is one of the aetiological agents widely distributed in the Americas and the Caribbean. The case is presented on a paediatric patient previously diagnosed with T-cell anaplastic large cell lymphoma. As part of the evaluation before the second cycle B chemotherapy, a peripheral blood smear was performed, in which were found microfilaria, identified as Mansonella ozzardi. The treatment was a single dose of ivermectin, with a negative result being obtained at 24 hours. The patient is currently asymptomatic and with no evidence of recurrence of the parasitaemia, and able to finish the cancer treatment.
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Humans , Female , Adolescent , Lymphoma, T-Cell , Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic , Filariasis , Mansonella , Parasitic Diseases , Ivermectin , MicrofilariaeABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate clinically severe malaria patients with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) and mixed species infections. Methods: This study was conducted at Dr. Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Malang, Indonesia, from December 2011 to May 2013. Twenty nine patients (mean age of 41 years, 22% female), who suffered from severe malaria according to World Health Or-ganization criteria (major and minor) and other criteria based on previous studies, were selected by consecutive sampling. Blood samples were obtained at admission from pe-ripheral blood for microscopic diagnostic, nested PCR and laboratory examination of blood chemistry. Laboratory results were compared between the groups and correlated to each other. Results: From 29 samples, eight (28%) were diagnosed as P. falciparum mono-infection, 12 (41%) as P. vivax mono-infection and nine (31%) as mixed infections, confirmed by PCR. Cerebral malaria occurred in P. falciparum or mixed species infection only. Para-sitaemia was highest in P. falciparum mono-infection. Mean haemoglobin was signifi-cantly lower in P. falciparum than P. vivax infection (P=0.01). Mean thrombocyte count (77 138/mL) was low in all groups. Mean urea, creatinine, total and direct bilirubin were significantly higher in P. falciparum mono-infection compared to other groups, whereas aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase showed no significant differ-ences. Parasitaemia was positively correlated with an increase in urea, creatinine, bilirubin and leucocytosis in all species. Conclusions: Both Plasmodium species can solely or in combination cause severe ma-laria. Mixed infection was generally more benign than P. falciparum mono-infection and seemed to have some protective effects.
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Objective To investigate clinically severe malaria patients with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) and mixed species infections. Methods This study was conducted at Dr. Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Malang, Indonesia, from December 2011 to May 2013. Twenty nine patients (mean age of 41 years, 22% female), who suffered from severe malaria according to World Health Organization criteria (major and minor) and other criteria based on previous studies, were selected by consecutive sampling. Blood samples were obtained at admission from peripheral blood for microscopic diagnostic, nested PCR and laboratory examination of blood chemistry. Laboratory results were compared between the groups and correlated to each other. Results From 29 samples, eight (28%) were diagnosed as P. falciparum mono-infection, 12 (41%) as P. vivax mono-infection and nine (31%) as mixed infections, confirmed by PCR. Cerebral malaria occurred in P. falciparum or mixed species infection only. Parasitaemia was highest in P. falciparum mono-infection. Mean haemoglobin was significantly lower in P. falciparum than P. vivax infection (P = 0.01). Mean thrombocyte count (77 138/μL) was low in all groups. Mean urea, creatinine, total and direct bilirubin were significantly higher in P. falciparum mono-infection compared to other groups, whereas aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase showed no significant differences. Parasitaemia was positively correlated with an increase in urea, creatinine, bilirubin and leucocytosis in all species. Conclusions Both Plasmodium species can solely or in combination cause severe malaria. Mixed infection was generally more benign than P. falciparum mono-infection and seemed to have some protective effects.
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Currently, the only method for identifying infective hosts with Leishmania infantum to the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis is xenodiagnosis. More recently, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been used to model human reservoir competence by assuming that detection of parasite DNA indicates the presence of viable parasites for infecting vectors. Since this assumption has not been proven, this study aimed to verify this hypothesis. The concentration of amastigotes in the peripheral blood of 30 patients with kala-azar was microscopically verified by leukoconcentration and was compared to qPCR estimates. Parasites were identified in 4.8 mL of peripheral blood from 67% of the patients, at a very low concentration (average 0.3 parasites/mL). However, qPCR showed 93% sensitivity and the estimated parasitaemia was over a thousand times greater, both in blood and plasma, with higher levels in plasma than in blood. Furthermore, the microscopic count of circulating parasites and the qPCR parasitaemia estimates were not mathematically compatible with the published proportions of infected sandflies in xenodiagnostic studies. These findings suggest that qPCR does not measure the concentration of circulating parasites, but rather measures DNA from other sites, and that blood might not be the main source of infection for vectors.
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Humans , Animals , Male , Female , Child , Adolescent , Young Adult , Insect Vectors/parasitology , Leishmania infantum/physiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/parasitology , Parasitemia/parasitology , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Psychodidae/parasitology , Child, Preschool , DNA, Protozoan/blood , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/transmission , Microscopy/methods , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Background: Malaria parasitaemia in pregnant women is associated with adverse maternal and fetal complications including anemia. The study aimed at determining prevalence of anemia among pregnant women with asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia at booking in a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of consented 659 pregnant recruited consecutively at booking for antenatal care. Structured questionnaire was administered on each subject and then blood was taken for their packed cell volumes estimation using Hawksley`s microhaematocrit reader as well as thick and thin blood films for malaria parasites assessment.The data were analysed using 2008 EPI-info 3.5.1(CDC, Atlanta Georgia, USA).. Results: Out of 659 pregnant women screened, 255 (38.7%) had significant malaria parasitaemia. Among women with significant malaria parasitaemia, 176 (69.0%), 68 (26.7%) and 11 (4.3%) had mild, moderate and severe malaria parasitaemia respectively. Prevalence of anemia (PCV< 33%) in the entire study population screened was 38.4% (253/659). Among pregnant women with significant malaria parasitaemia, 163 of them were anaemic, giving prevalence of anaemia of 63.9% (163/255) while anemia was noted in 22.3% (90/404) of women with no malaria parasitaemia. The risk of anemia was significantly higher as the severity of parasitaemia increases among the study (P < 0.00001). Conclusion: Anaemia in pregnancy is common among asymptomatic women with malaria parasitaemia and the risk increased significantly as the severity of malaria parasitaemia increases depicting malaria as a common cause of anemia in our obstetric population. Routine screening for malaria infestation at booking is therefore recommended.
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A panel of 129 Giemsa‑stained thick blood spots (TBS) confirmed for Plasmodium falciparum infection having different levels of parasite density were collected from a malaria endemic area. DNA was extracted and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed to amplify P. falciparum DNA. Nested PCR assay successfully amplified P. falciparum DNA at a very low parasitaemia of ~10 parasites/μl of blood. Current PCR assay is very simple and can be used retrospectively to monitor the invasion and prevalence of different Plasmodium species in endemic areas.
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OBJECTIVE@#To report the influence of transdermal delivery of asiatic acid (AA) in Plasmodium berghei-infected Sprague Dawley rats on physicochemical changes, %parasitaemia and associated pathophysiology.@*METHODS@#A topical once-off AA (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg)- or chloroquine (CHQ)-pectin patch was applied on the shaven dorsal neck region of Plasmodium berghei-infected Sprague Dawley rats (90-120 g) on day 7 after infection. Eating and drinking habits, weight changes, malaria effects and %parasitaemia were compared among animal groups over 21 d.@*RESULTS@#AA-pectin patch application preserved food and water intake together with %weight gain. All animals developed stable parasitaemia (15-20%) by day 7. AA doses suppressed parasitaemia significantly. AA 5 mg/kg patch was most effective. AA and CHQ displayed bimodal time-spaced peaks. CHQ patch had a longer time course to clear parasitaemia.@*CONCLUSIONS@#AA influences bio-physicochemical changes and parasitaemia suppression in dose dependent manner. In comparison by dose administered, AA has much better efficacy than CHQ. AA may be a useful antimalarial. AA and CHQ displays bimodal peaks suggesting possible synergism if used in combination therapy.
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Objective To report the influence of transdermal delivery of asiatic acid (AA) in Plasmodium berghei-infected Sprague Dawley rats on physicochemical changes, %parasitaemia and associated pathophysiology. Methods A topical once-off AA (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg)- or chloroquine (CHQ)-pectin patch was applied on the shaven dorsal neck region of Plasmodium berghei-infected Sprague Dawley rats (90–120 g) on day 7 after infection. Eating and drinking habits, weight changes, malaria effects and %parasitaemia were compared among animal groups over 21 d. Results AA-pectin patch application preserved food and water intake together with %weight gain. All animals developed stable parasitaemia (15–20%) by day 7. AA doses suppressed parasitaemia significantly. AA 5 mg/kg patch was most effective. AA and CHQ displayed bimodal time-spaced peaks. CHQ patch had a longer time course to clear parasitaemia. Conclusions AA influences bio-physicochemical changes and parasitaemia suppression in dose dependent manner. In comparison by dose administered, AA has much better efficacy than CHQ. AA may be a useful antimalarial. AA and CHQ displays bimodal peaks suggesting possible synergism if used in combination therapy.
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Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis, a worldwide disease. Experimentation with pigs is necessary for the development of new therapeutic approaches to human diseases. BR-1 mini pigs were intramuscularly infected with T. gondii with tachyzoites (RH strain) or orally infected with cysts (ME-49 strain). Haematology and serum biochemistry were analysed and buffy coat cells were inoculated in mice to determine tachyzoite circulation. No alterations were observed in erythrocyte and platelet values; however, band neutrophils increased seven days after infection with ME-49. Serology of the mice inoculated with pig blood leucocytes revealed circulating ME-49 or RH strain tachyzoites in the pigs' peripheral blood at two and seven or nine days post-infection. The tachyzoites were also directly observed in blood smears from the infected pigs outside and inside leucocytes for longer periods. Alanine-aminotransferase was high at days 21 and 32 in the RH infected pigs. After 90 days, the pigs were euthanised and their tissue samples were processed and inoculated into mice. The mice serology revealed the presence of parasites in the hearts, ileums and mesenteric lymph nodes of the pigs. Additionally, cysts in the mice were only observed after pig heart tissue inoculation. The infected pigs presented similar human outcomes with relatively low pathogenicity and the BR-1 mini pig model infected with ME-49 is suitable to monitor experimental toxoplasmosis.
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Humans , Calcium, Dietary/analysis , Chenopodium quinoa/chemistry , Food Quality , Food Inspection/methods , Iron, Dietary/analysis , Phosphorus, Dietary/analysis , Seeds/chemistry , Calibration , Chemical Phenomena , Chile , Dietary Fats/analysis , Dietary Fiber/analysis , Dietary Proteins/analysis , Fiber Optic Technology , Least-Squares Analysis , Nutritive Value , Plant Proteins/analysis , Species Specificity , Spectroscopy, Near-InfraredABSTRACT
Trypanosomosis or surra is caused by the haemoflagellate parasite, Trypanosoma evansi and is an important disease of animals, including domestic and wild herbivores and carnivores, in tropical countries. The invariant surface glycoproteins (ISGs) are blood stream stage specific and are uniformly distributed over the entire surface of the trypanosomes. In the present study, the extracellular domain (ED) region of ISG-75 from T. evansi, consisting of 1320 nt, encoding a polypeptide of 440 amino acids, has been heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Further, the immunoreactivity of recombinant ISG-75 (rISG-75) was characterized in immunoblot and ELISA using T. evansi hyper immune sera raised in experimental animals. The protein was found immunoreactive when compared with a panel of antigens (VSG RoTat 1.2 and whole cell lysate) using bovine serum samples from field. The diagnostic potential of rISG-75 was evaluated in ELISA with large number of bovine field serum samples. The optimum sensitivity and specificity were 98.47 and 99.1, respectively. The present finding showed that the expressed protein has potential use in the serodiagnosis of trypanosomosis.
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Animals , Base Sequence , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/diagnosis , DNA Primers , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Membrane Glycoproteins/diagnosis , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Protozoan Proteins/diagnosis , Recombinant Proteins/diagnosis , Sensitivity and Specificity , Serologic Tests/methods , Trypanosomiasis/diagnosis , Trypanosomiasis/veterinaryABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effect of pre-existing Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) infection on malaria disease severity. Methods: The study involved the use of twenty-five imprinting control region mice, fifteen of which were initially infected with S. haematobium. Five of the remaining ten schisto-uninfected mice together with five schisto-infected mice were infected with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) after four weeks (acute stage) of schistosoma infection. The remaining five schisto-uninfected mice together with five schisto-infected mice were also infected with P. berghei after seven weeks (chronic stage) of schistosoma infection. The last five schisto-infected mice were used as control group. They were then monitored for changes in P. berghei parasitaemia on Days 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 post-infection. Records on their survivability were also taken. Results: The co-infected mice had significantly higher malaria parasitaemia, compared with the mono-infected mice during acute S. haematobium infection. In contrast, the coinfected mice had significantly lower malaria parasitaemia during chronic S. haematobium infection and a higher survival rate. Conclusions: Co-infection of mice with P. berghei during acute S. haematobium infection resulted in rapid P. berghei development and increased malaria parasitaemia. However, the co-infection resulted in slower P. berghei development and decreased malaria parasitaemia with enhanced survivability of the mice during chronic S. haematobium infection. Therefore, pre-existing chronic S. haematobium infection may provide some protection to the host by reducing parasitaemia.
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The increasing spread of drug-resistant malaria parasite has necessitated the continuous search for even more effective malaria treatment including the combination of drugs known to have significant anti malarial potentials. Effort in this study was therefore, devoted to evaluating in vivo, anti plasmodial activity of combination of varying doses (4.3, 8.6, 12.9 mg/kg body weight) of quinine (a known anti malarial gradually loosing relevance) with varying doses (5.0, 10.0, 15.0 mg/kg body weight) of ciprofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone commonly used to treat bacterial infections and has been shown to possess significant anti malarial activity both in vitro and in vivo) in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Parasitological activity and survival of the animal were assessed over 21 days. Parasitemia in non-treated control mice peaked at 75% on day 9 and none survived by day 11. The lower dosages of quinine (4.3 and 8.6 mg/kg body weight) and ciprofloxacin (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg body weight) were not efficient. However, the combination of 12.9 mg/kg body weight of quinine with 15 mg/kg body weight of ciprofloxacin achieved 87% reduction in parasitemia level and significantly reduced mortality in the infected animals compared with other treatment groups. The results from this study support the potential use of ciprofloxacin in combination with quinine for the treatment of resistant malaria.
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Aims: To evaluate the antiplasmodial efficacy of stem bark extracts of P. kotschyi against P. berghei berghei in mice. Study Design: Extraction and administration of plant extracts and evaluation of daily parasitaemia of infected mice. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacognosy; Animal House. Department of Pharmacology and Department of Zoology, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria, between June, 2008 and November, 2011. Methodology: Dry zone cedar (Pseudocedrela kotschyi) Family: Meliaceae, stem bark powder was successively extracted using ethyl acetate, ethanol and aqueous solvents. A total of one hundred and twenty mice for each extract (ethanol, ethyl acetate and aqueous) were divided into three groups of forty mice per each test (suppressive, curative and prophylactic). They were inoculated with drug sensitive NK 65 Plasmodium berghei berghei. In each test animals were divided into five groups, each consisted of eight animals and treated separately with one of the following: 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg extracts, chloroquine / pyrimethamine and normal saline. Blood films were prepared and examined, and the changes in percentage parasitaemia were evaluated. Results: The ethanol, ethyl acetate and aqueous crude extracts of P. kotschyi at 200 mg/kg significantly (P=.05) inhibited the parasitaemia by 39.43%, 26.99% and 28.36% respectively in the suppressive test. Ethanol and ethyl acetate crude extracts also showed significant (p=.05) cure rate of 29.17 % and 20.28 % respectively. However there was no significant (p>.05) reduction in parasitaemia load in the prophylactic tests. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that P. kotschyi stem bark indeed has antiplasmodial property.
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The emerging resistance to artemisinin derivatives that has been reported in South-East Asia led us to assess the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine as the first line therapy for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infections in Suriname. This drug assessment was performed according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization in 2011. The decreasing number of malaria cases in Suriname, which are currently limited to migrating populations and gold miners, precludes any conclusions on artemether efficacy because adequate numbers of patients with 28-day follow-up data are difficult to obtain. Therefore, a comparison of day 3 parasitaemia in a 2011 study and in a 2005/2006 study was used to detect the emergence of resistance to artemether. The prevalence of day 3 parasitaemia was assessed in a study in 2011 and was compared to that in a study in 2005/2006. The same protocol was used in both studies and artemether-lumefantrine was the study drug. Of 48 evaluable patients in 2011, 15 (31%) still had parasitaemia on day 3 compared to one (2%) out of 45 evaluable patients in 2005/2006. Overall, 11 evaluable patients in the 2011 study who were followed up until day 28 had negative slides and similar findings were obtained in all 38 evaluable patients in the 2005/2006 study. The significantly increased incidence of parasite persistence on day 3 may be an indication of emerging resistance to artemether.
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Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Young Adult , Antimalarials/therapeutic use , Artemisinins/therapeutic use , Drug Resistance , Ethanolamines/therapeutic use , Fluorenes/therapeutic use , Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology , Parasitemia , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Drug Combinations , Incidence , Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy , Malaria, Falciparum/epidemiology , Parasitemia/epidemiology , Suriname/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The anti-malarial potential of different parts of Allophylus africanus P. Beauv and Tragia benthamii Baker were determined in vivo for suppressive, curative and cytotoxic activities in mice receiving 0.2 mL of a standard inoculum size of 1 × 10(7) infected erythrocytes of Plasmodium berghei (NK-65) intraperitoneally. The A. africanus extracts suppressed parasitaemia following administration to infected mice by 92.82%-97.81% on day 7 post-infection against 96.81% for chloroquine. The infected extract-treated animals had significantly moderate (P < 0.05) packed cell volume (PCV) compared with the infected, untreated animals. Phytochemical screening revealed a predominance of tannins, saponins, flavonoids and carbohydrates in all parts of A. africanus, and alkaloids instead of flavonoids in the extract of T. benthamii. The results suggest that the extract possesses considerable antimalarial activity. These results support further studies on A. africanus.