Intestinal Parasites Associated with American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.

American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) has been implicated as mechanical vector of parasites of humans and animals. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and determine the prevalence of human intestinal parasites associated with the body surface and gut of P. americana. A total of 221 cockroaches which include 104 males and 117 females were collected from household kitchen, toilet area and canteen after which they were brought to laboratory for study. The body surface of the cockroach was washed with 5 ml normal saline solution to remove external parasites on the body surface for examination and later rinsed with 70% alcohol and dried before dissecting. The cockroach was dissected to examine internal parasites. Eleven parasites were recovered and identified, these include Ascaris lumbricoides (51.58%), Strongyloides stercoralis (48.42%) Trichuris trichiura (52.49%), Enterobius vermicularis (37.10%), Taenia spp (14.93%), Toxocara (31.67%), Ancylostoma spp (34.84%), Necator americanus (53.39%), and Diphylidium spp (66.23%) Balantidium coli (66.52%). The parasites were recorded both on the body surface and gut of the cockroach. There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between parasites infection rate comparing both sexes; though, female cockroach having a higher infection rate (91.45%) than male (81.5%). Cockroach collected from toilets carried more parasites (96.34%) as compared to those from restaurants/canteen (89.71%) and household kitchens (81.69%). All parasites encountered were pathogenic to human and animals. This study has revealed that P. americana can act as mechanical vector by transporting and transmitting these parasites easily to man and animal. Good sanitary practices, reinforcement of worms' eradication programs, and the fight against these insects remain a necessity to contain the menace of parasites burden and cockroach control.

Predictors of Comorbidity of Malaria and Septicemia in Children Living in Malaria-Endemic Communities in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: The study attempted to identify possible overlap between serum cell-reactive proteins (C-rp) and hematological indices as predictors of comorbidity of malaria and septicemia among children attending primary healthcare facilities in Ilorin, Nigeria. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-three children (aged: ≤ 1-15 years) presenting with symptoms suggestive of malaria were enrolled. Blood specimens were collected and screened for: Romanowsky, culture, serum C-RP and hematological indices. RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen (59.6%) children had Plasmodium falciparum infections (female 69.0% and male 34.1%). Septicemia was common among 52 (26.9%), but malaria and septicemia co-infection was 42 (36.5%). C-rp levels were low (< 10 mg/L) in 41 (35.7%, OR 4.594, CI 2.463-8.571) and high (> 10 mg/L) in 74 (64.3%, OR 2.519, CI 1.681-3.775) among the malaria positives (p < 0.05). Children with low C-rp, 8 (15.4%, OR 9.413, CI 4.116-21.531) were positive for septicemia and high C-RP 44 (84.6%, OR 1.694, CI 1.396-2.055), but without malaria, respectively. Similarly, increased C-rp levels were significantly associated with clinical malaria; > 10,000 parasites/µL (OR 1.486, CI 1.076-2.054, P < 0.001). Malaria-positive versus negative showed that PCV, C-rp, hemoglobin, platelet, WBC, and neutrophil were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Two bacteria species were identified, viz; Staphylococcus aureus 39 (54.9%) and Escherichia coli 32 (45.1%). The trade-off between sensitivity and specificity occurred at 16.475 cut-off using C-rp and degree of malaria severity as the standard for AUROC. CONCLUSION: C-rp are inflammatory markers, though non-specificity may be associated with malaria prognosis and severity during malaria-septicemia co-infection.

Circulating platelets and malaria severity: two sides of the same coin among inhabitants of a tropical savannah region, Nigeria.

Changes in circulating platelets during different grades of malaria are of major concerns, and its etiology is poorly understood. We appraised and evaluated the role of circulating platelets in the determination of the severity of malaria among a cohort of outpatients living in Ilorin, Nigeria. A hospital-based case-control study of outpatients visiting public health facilities within the locality voluntarily enrolled for this study. Blood samples from 1162 malaise patients were screened using routine microscopy for Plasmodium parasite species identification, and their respective circulating platelet levels were determined. Seven hundred and seventy-five individuals (775, 66.7%, p<0.001) were malaria-positive. Samples from 387 (33.3%) uninfected healthy individuals were used as controls. Individuals with uncomplicated malaria (UCM) and complicated malaria (CM) across age group were notable (p<0.05). Children ≤5 years had the highest number of individuals with CM (103, 45.2%) with a relative risk ratio of 4.005 (95% CI: 2.964-5.413). UCM (471, 40.5%) occurred more than CM (304, 26.2%) (p>0.05) across the groups. The geometric mean, 95% CI, median, and IQR of populations with malaria thrombocytopenia were higher (181, 110.94±2.207, 106.59-115.30, 118.00, and 39.00) than thrombocytosis (78, 624.64±13.131, 598.49-650.79, 623.00, and 208). Seemingly, health controls recorded insignificant morbidity with respect to platelet counts. High P. falciparum parasitemia is inversely correlated with platelet count, and its' morbidity is associated with the manifestation of several malaria pathogenesis. Thrombocytopenia is a silent pathophysiological attribute that can trigger other cofactors during severe malaria disease. Although further studies are pertinent in order to specifically clarify its relevance to clinical disease spectrum.

Performance Evaluation of Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested PCR), Light Microscopy, and Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 Rapid Diagnostic Test (PfHRP2 RDT) in the Detection of Falciparum Malaria in a High-Transmission Setting in Southwestern Nigeria.

Malaria remains a major public health challenge worldwide. In order to ensure a prompt and accurate malaria diagnosis, the World Health Organization recommended the confirmatory parasitological diagnosis of malaria by microscopy and malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) prior to antimalarial administration and treatment. This study was designed to evaluate the performance of nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR), light microscopy, and Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 rapid diagnostic test (PfHRP2 RDT) in the detection of falciparum malaria in Akure, Nigeria. A cross-sectional and hospital-based study involving 601 febrile volunteer participants was conducted in Akure, Nigeria. Approximately 2-3 mL venous blood samples were obtained from each study participant for parasitological confirmation by microscopy and PfHRP2-based malaria RDT. Thick and thin films were prepared and viewed under the light microscope for parasite detection, parasite density quantification, and species identification, respectively. Dry blood spot samples were prepared on 3MM Whatman filter paper for nested PCR. The overall prevalence of microscopy, PfHRP2 RDT, and nested PCR were 64.89% (390/601), 65.7% (395/601), and 67.39% (405/601), respectively. The estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy, and Youden's j index of microscopy and RDT were 96.30, 100.00, 100.00, 92.89, 97.50, 0.963, and 95.06, 94.90, 97.47, 90.29, 95.01, and 0.899, respectively. Malaria RDT recorded higher false negativity, compared microscopy (4.94% vs. 3.70%). A near perfect agreement was reported between microscopy and nested PCR, and between PfHRP2 RDT and nested PCR with Cohen's kappa (k) values of 0.94 and 0.88, respectively. This study revealed that PfHRP2 RDT and microscopy continues to remain sensitive and specific for falciparum malaria diagnosis in the study area.

Molecular identification and wing variations among malaria vectors in Akure North Local Government Area, Nigeria.

Members of the Anopheles gambiae complex and Anopheles funestus group are significant vectors of the malaria parasite Plasmodium species in the Afro-tropical region of the world. Molecular identification and variation in the wing were studied among female An. Gambiae complex and An. funestus group, to investigate morphological variations in the wing of local vectors populations of adult female mosquitoes found in five different locations in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State (Oba-Ile, Igoba, Isinigbo, Ita-Ogbolu and Iju). The variations in the wing character were found in the 3rd main dark spot area (Pre-apical dark spot-character 8) on the coastal region (Vein region I) of Anopheles gambiae complex wing; with two types (A and B) of wings identified with An. gambiae complex in the study area. Molecular study shows that all the wing type A are Anopheles gambiae s.s., they represent 53.39% of the total An. gambiae complex in the study area. Some of the Anopheles gambiae s.s. (28.30%) and all An. arabiensis (18.30%) were found with wing type B. Among 750 individual Anopheles mosquito species identified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR method), 433 samples representing 57.73% were An. gambiae s.s. while 97 (12.93%) samples were An. arabiensis. Anopheles leesoni was the only member of the An. funestus group identified in the study area. Anopheles leesoni mosquitoes identified in the study location were 182, representing 24.27% of the total Anopheles mosquito species identified using the molecular method. Anopheles gambiae s.s., An. arabiensis, and An. leesoni are only Anopheles mosquito species responsible for malaria transmission in the study area. Anopheles leesoni was the only member of the An. funestus group identified in the study area.

Environmental factors and the risk of urinary schistosomiasis in Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo local government area of Ondo State.

Geographic information systems are being increasingly used to show the distributions of disease where data for specific environmental risk factors are available. For successful transmission of schistosomiasis, suitable climatic conditions and biological events must coincide; hence its distribution and prevalence are greatly influenced by environmental factors affecting the population of snail intermediate hosts and human hosts. Prevalence and demographic data was obtained by parasitological examination of urine samples and questionnaire administration. The mean values of environmental factors corresponding to the local government area were obtained from remotely sensed images and data from climate research unit. The effects of the environmental factors were determined by using regression analysis to analyse the correlation of environmental factors to prevalence of schistosomiasis. There was a negative correlation between infection and elevation. There was a positive correlation between vegetation, rainfall, slope, temperature and prevalence of infection. There was also a weak negative correlation between proximity to water body and prevalence. The result shows the study area to be at low to high risk of infection.