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Biomedical subjects

A S Gautam

Publications and source records attributed to A S Gautam.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Observations on mosquito breeding in wells and its control.

Studies on mosquito breeding in wells revealed the dominance of An. stephensi among the malaria vectors, whereas Cx. quinquefasciatus was most abundant in disused wells and was present in wells of all depths. None of the anopheline species was encountered when well depth up to water level exceeded 12 m. Larval breeding was effectively controlled through the introduction of larvivorous fish Poecilia reticulata and expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads in comparison to untreated control wells.

Animals↗

Interspecific associations among anophelines in different breeding habitats of Kheda district Gujarat: Part II--Non-canal area.

A total of 25,858 anophelines comprising 15 species emerged from 1104 samples of immatures from 9 breeding habitats surveyed for one year in six villages representing the non-canal area of Kheda district. Species diversity and homogeneity were maximum in seepage drains. An. annularis, An. barbirostris, An. culicifacies, An. stephensi and An. subpictus were ubiquitous. Interspecific associations occurred more commonly in habitats representing the stable ecosystem. Community groups of anophelines in different habitats were identified.

Animals↗

Frequency of ABO blood groups, sickle-cell haemoglobin, G-6-PD deficiency and their relation with malaria in scheduled castes and scheduled tribes of Kheda District, Gujarat.

Frequency of sickle cell in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations was found to be 1.5 and 14.9% respectively, whereas G-6-PD deficiency was 5.9 and 4.2% respectively. Blood group B was dominant in both the communities. A significantly lower frequency of P. falciparum malaria was observed among sicklers.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

An epidemiological study of G-6-PD deficiency, sickle cell haemoglobin, and ABO blood groups in relation to malaria incidence in Muslim and Christian communities of Kheda, Gujarat, (India).

783 blood samples for the study of distribution of ABO blood groups and sickle cell haemoglobin in relation to malaria, from both the sexes of Muslim and Christian populations of Kheda district were screened. 414 blood samples from male individuals were screened for G-6-PD deficiency. High frequency of G-6-PD deficiency was observed in Christians (5.9%) and low in Muslim (1.8%) population, whereas sickle cell haemoglobin in Muslim population was 1.5% and absent in Christians. Blood group B was dominant in both the communities. Significant association of ABO polymorphs with P. falciparum and total malaria cases was observed.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Intradomestic mosquito breeding sources and their management.

Seven mosquito species were found to breed in intradomestic breeding sources. An. stephensi and An. subpictus bred in almost all types of containers. Among the culicines, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti were predominant. Larval breeding was controlled through source reduction or introduction of larvivorous fish Poecilia reticulata. Health education helped in acceptance of the programme by the community. Intradomestic breeding positivity was 2-6% and 16-31% in experimental and control areas respectively.

Aedes↗

Sensitivity of mosquito-pathogenic bacterial strains to various antibodies.

Four strains of Bacillus sphaericus, 1593, 2362, 9001 and 9002, B. thuringiensis H-14 and B. thuringiensis neoleonensis were tested for sensitivity against 18 antibiotics. The results revealed that all the four strains of B. sphaericus are resistant to colistin, nalidixic acid, polymyxin B and streptomycin. However, B. thuringiensis H-14 was resistant to 9 antibiotics, viz. ampicillin, cephalexin, carbenicillin, co-trimoxazole, colistin, cloxacillin, penicillin, nitrofurantoin and polymyxin B whereas B. thuringiensis neoleonensis was found to be resistant to 8 antibiotics. These results may help in isolation of potential and resistant mosquito pathogenic bacteria.

Animals↗

Gujarat model of health management information system with reference to malaria.

The Gujarat model of health management and information system has been developed with the objective of reducing the work load of health workers at all levels pertaining to record keeping and report preparation for enhancing the quality of health services, as well as for better implementation and timely monitoring of health programmes. Pro formas currently in use under various health programmes have been reorganized and updated. For monitoring malaria, the total number of registers has been reduced from seven to one, reporting forms from 23 to six and the number of columns in reporting forms from 493 to 59. The model is expected to save the working time of laboratory technicians (15%) and multi-purpose health supervisors (5%) at PHC level and of all workers (100%) engaged in report preparation at district, state and national levels. The data generated by using this model are expected to be of high quality and accuracy and should lead to more rational planning.

Humans↗

Microscopic diagnosis of malaria in Kheda district of Gujarat.

A study conducted in 1990 revealed that 2% (range 0.6-4.8) of negative blood smears were mislabelled as positive, and 6.7% of positive blood smears were mislabelled as negative. A result of such mislabelling would be inadequate treatment of a large number of patients. Hence the need to look into the training aspect and system of supervision of laboratory technicians. The present system of cross-checking of blood smears at different levels also needs to be reviewed. A study which could address itself to these needs is indicated.

Adult↗

Biting rhythms of malaria vector Anopheles culicifacies in Kheda district, Gujarat.

All night collections on bovine baits were made in 6 villages of Kheda district, Gujarat. During 70 all night bait collections from January to December 1989, a total of 2290 An. culicifacies were collected. An. culicifacies mostly exhibited bimodal rhythms with a seasonal shift in peak biting activities. During the cold season most biting occurred just after dusk and during the warm season late at night. An. culicifacies was more active during moonless hours and its activity showed no correlation with temperature and humidity during most part of the year.

Animals↗

Isolation and laboratory evaluation of an indigenous strain of Bacillus sphaericus (9001).

An indigenous strain of Bacillus sphaericus H5a (9001), possessing high insecticidal properties, was isolated from diseased larvae of Culex species. This strain in comparison with the known strains of B. sphaericus, i.e., 1593 and 2362, was found to be promising against the fourth instar larvae of Anopheles culicifacies, An. stephensi, An. subpictus, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. B. sphaericus 9001 is highly stable and virulent through 25 successive transfers and thus can be effectively used as a biocontrol agent against immature stages of mosquitoes.

Animals↗

Seasonal prevalence of anophelines in Kheda district, Gujarat.

Seasonal changes in the population structure of anophelines were studied in Kheda district, Gujarat. Mosquito collections were made from the villages of Nadiad taluka, representing 3 different physiographic zones. Maximum number of anopheline species (13) were recorded from canal irrigated area followed by 11 species from non-canal irrigated and 8 species from riverine areas. Four anophelines namely An. subpictus, An. culicifacies, An. annularis and An. stephensi were predominant. High densities of An. culicifacies and An. subpictus were recorded in March and August. Results of a four year study (1985 to 1988) on the population of anophelines from 3 different physiographic entities showed marked differences in the seasonal abundance of different species.

Animals↗

A quantitative survey of anophelines in six villages of Kheda District, Gujarat.

Sampling of anophelines from six villages of Kheda district, Gujarat was done using four different methods viz. indoor resting, outdoor resting, bovine bait trap and immature collections. A total of 113,487 specimens representing 17 species were collected. An. subpictus (66.51 per cent) was most abundant species followed by An. culicifacies (14.12 per cent) and An. tessellatus (5.24 per cent). Bovine bait collections were found most productive yielding maximum species and highest number of anophelines per unit of collection efforts. Indoor resting collections yielded poorest diversity and greater number of specimens per unit of collection effort than outdoor resting collections. Maximum diversity was observed in outdoor collections. Most of the species exhibited unimodal prevalence.

Animals↗

Relapse pattern of Plasmodium vivax in Kheda district, Gujarat.

A study on relapse pattern of P. vivax in Kheda district of Gujarat revealed that the relapse rate in P. vivax within 8 months of primary attack was around 40% in untreated cases. It was 2.6% within one year in patients treated with 5-day course of primaquine. Relapses occurred more frequently from April to October and 82% relapses occurred within one year of the primary attack. Relapses occurred up to 4 years after primary attack but they were less frequent in 3rd and 4th year.

Animals↗