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PubMed2003

Knowledge and utilization of edible mushrooms by local populations of the rain forest of south Cameroon.

Indigenous knowledge of edible fungi and their utilization by local populations were investigated in southern Cameroon from 1996 to 1999. Some 100 participants from the major ethnic groups, comprising Bantu farmers and Bagyeli (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers, were interviewed. Mushroom usage by 30 families, (319 persons), was monitored daily for over a year. Mushroom knowledge among both groups was extensive. Over 50 vernacular names were provided by respondents. In Bantu households, women and children, and to some extent hunters, harvest mushrooms. In contrast, the whole Bagyeli household participates. Bantu harvest mushrooms preferentially in secondary forests while Bagyeli collect them predominantly in primary forests. Mushroom consumption is low for both groups, 1.1 and 1.4 kg of fresh mushrooms per person per year, respectively, a rate that is much lower than in central and eastern Africa. The apparent discrepancy between extensive mushroom knowledge and rather infrequent mushroom consumption probably relates to the social valuation of mushrooms.

Adult↗
PubMed1956

Bilharziasis survey in British Somaliland, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Sudan, and Yemen.

A survey of bilharziasis and its vectors in certain countries of north-east Africa and of the Red Sea area, carried out between December 1951 and February 1952, is described within the framework of a review of the somewhat scattered and incomplete information already available on this subject in the literature. Clinical inquiry and microscopic examination of random stool and urine specimens were used to obtain data on the endemicity of the disease, and many samples of suspect mollusc vectors of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni were collected from varied habitats and subsequently classified. A section on malacology discusses the difficulties of systematization of the African freshwater snails. The need for a fuller investigation of human incidence, particularly in the inland and highland districts, is stressed, and the author suggests measures for the control of vectors, sanitation of water channels, prophylaxis of the disease, health education and legislation, and biological and chemical research. He draws the conclusion that the future economy of these countries depends upon the joint efforts of the physician, the malacologist, the chemist, and the engineer in controlling the spread of bilharziasis from the highly endemic areas to regions where its incidence is still slight.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1962

A survey of Simulium control in Africa.

It has become possible to control or even eradicate the Simulium fly vectors of Onchocerca volvulus, the causative organism of onchocerciasis. There are two vectors in Africa-namely, S. damnosum, characteristic of the rivers of West Africa, and S. neavei, which breeds on the carapaces of crabs in the streams of East Africa. The use of DDT applied to the water at a concentration as low as 0.1 p.p.m. for 30 minutes eliminates the larvae of Simulium. Such larvicidal methods have eradicated S. neavei from western Kenya and virtually eradicated S. damnosum from the Victoria Nile in Uganda. Excellent control sufficient to render the transmission of onchocerciasis almost negligible has been obtained at Léopoldville (Republic of the Congo) and in circumscribed areas in southern Chad, Northern Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The following survey describes operational research on Simulium control carried out in Kenya, Uganda, the Congo, Chad, Nigeria, Ghana, Upper Volta and Sierra Leone.

Africa↗
PubMed2004

The effect of repeated half-yearly diethylcarbamazine mass treatment on Wuchereria bancrofti infection and transmission in two East African communities with different levels of endemicity.

The effect of repeated half-yearly mass treatment with diethylcarbamazine (DEC, 6 mg/kg body weight) on infection and transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti was assessed and compared in communities with high and low endemicity in eastern Africa, with pretreatment microfilaria (mf) and circulating filarial antigen (CFA) prevalences of 29.4% and 53.2% in the high endemicity community and 3.1% and 18.7% in the low endemicity community, respectively. Human infection was monitored by repeated cross-sectional surveys, and transmission by weekly light trap collection of vector mosquitoes in selected houses in each community. Treatments resulted in a progressive decrease in microfilaremia and circulating antigenemia in both communities, with relative reductions being considerably higher for mf than for CFA. Among pretreatment mf-positive individuals, more than 60% were diagnosed as mf negative and mean mf intensities were reduced by 99% in both communities after two treatment rounds. In contrast, only moderate reductions were seen in circulating antigenemia among pretreatment CFA-positive individuals, with mean intensities still being 24-39% of pretreatment values after two treatment rounds. Among the pretreatment mf/CFA-positive individuals, clearance to a CFA-negative status was negligible. Complete CFA clearance was only observed among pretreatment CFA-positive but mf negative individuals who also had much lower initial mean CFA levels than the mf-positive individuals. After treatment, the intensity of transmission decreased in the high-endemicity community, but this appeared mainly to be a consequence of a drought-induced reduction in vector density rather than to reduced mf load in the human population, since the proportion of mosquitoes carrying infective larvae was not reduced. No change in transmission or mosquito infectivity was observed after treatment in the low-endemicity community. Implications of these observations for the control of Bancroftian filariasis are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Fascioliasis: diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment].

Fascioliasis is a trematode, disease of liver and bile ducts of sheep, cattle, and other ruminants throughout the world that is caused by the fluke, Fasciola hepatica. Human infection has been reported in Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, the US, Europe, eastern Africa, Japan and Australia. The parasite's miracidium invades one of the various Lymnaea water snail hosts. Infection results from ingestion of encysted metacercariae attached to raw watercress (Nasturtium officinale). Symptoms recorded from human cases included irregular fever, epigastric pain and abdominal tenderness, obstructive jaundice and leucocytosis with eosinophilea up to 60%. Specific diagnosis is based on recovery of the eggs in the patient's stool or from biliary tract drainage. Treatment is with emetine hydrochloride given intramusculary. Bithionol is given orally at a dosage of 30-50 mg/kg but on alternate days from 10 to 15 doses. Praziquantel is probably effective. Preventive measures include education of the public on mode of transmission of life cycle of the parasite, and dipping fresh watercress into boiling water for a few sec, or drying suspected watercress.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of liver cancer: an overview.

The incidence of liver cancer varies widely throughout the world, with high rates in sub - Saharan Africa, eastern and southeastern Asia, and Melanesia and a low incidence in Northern and Western Europe and the Americas. Primary cancers of the liver in adults are of two main histological types: hepatocellular carcinoma, which is derived from hepatocytes, and cholangiocarcinoma, which is derived from the epithelial lining of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Hepatocellular cancer is a frequently occurring tumor in individuals in many developing countries, where several important risk factors have been demonstrated, including chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses and other environmental factors, such as exposure to aflatoxin, consumption of alcohol, and cigarette smoking. By contrast, cholangiocarcinoma is less common, accounting for only 7.7% of malignant tumors of the liver in the United States. However, in parts of Southeast Asia, cholangiocarcinoma occurs more frequently; it is responsible for more than 60% of liver tumors in northeastern Thailand. The geographic distribution worldwide coincides with endemic areas of the liver flukes, Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis. The interaction between genes and the environment and the interplay of environmental factors, which include diet and other lifestyle parameters, illustrate the complexity underlying susceptibility.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low cytomegalovirus sero-prevalence in Irish pregnant women.

The aim of this study was to determine the sero-prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG antibody in pregnant women in Ireland and assess individual risk factors for prior acquisition of CMV. In 2002, sera from 1047 pregnant women were tested by enzyme immunoassay for CMV IgG. Age and nationality were recorded for each patient. Among Irish-born women the following additional factors were also recorded: socio-economic status, number of children and occupational exposure to children. Only 30.4% (204/670) of Irish women were CMV antibody positive compared to 89.7% (322/359) of non-Irish women (p < 0.001). Non-Irish women were mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. Lower socio-economic group and increasing number of children were significant independent predictors of CMV sero-positivity among Irish pregnant women (p < 0.05). Irish pregnant women have one of the lowest reported CMV sero-prevalence rates worldwide, indicating low circulation of CMV within the community. However, up to 70% of Irish women are susceptible to a primary infection during pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Efficiency of KAT-quick P.f. test (KAT medical, SAR) among the populations of drug-resistant parasites].

The KAT-Quick P.f. test (KAT Medical, South African Republic) is based on the detection of protein HPR II produced by trophozoites and young gametocytes of P. falciparum. This test was conducted by the authors in the distribution areas of P. falciparum strains differing in the spectrum of drug resistance. Five hundred and forty-nine blood samples from febrile patients in Vietnam (n=84), Sierra Leone (n=41), Nigeria (n=14), Tanzania (n=8), Kenya (n=5), and Tadjikistan (n=397) were tested. Microscopy served as a primary control. Detection of P. falciparum DNA, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with included primers (nested PCR) of the most sensitive modification of PCR was a final control. The efficiency of the KAT-Quick P.f. test was estimated as a ratio of the number of its positive results to those of PCR. It was equal to 98-95%. The KAT-Quick P.f. test revealed no false-positive case associated with the genome of the parasite. The specificity of the test was determined as a ratio of the number of its negative (no P. falciparum) results to those of PCR. The blood samples from patients with vivax malaria and from those with nonmalarial fever were investigated. There was no cross reaction of the KAT-Quick P.f. test system for P. falciparum with that for P. vivax. The KAT-Quick P.f. test yielded no positive reaction with the blood from patients with non-malarial fever. Drug resistance depending on the spectrum of specific drugs caused its emergence may be determined by one or several mechanisms that are ultimately determined by one, the key mechanism. Thus, the findings suggest that multidrug resistance of P. falciparum does not trigger the occurrence of changes in its surface antigen--HRPII that is responsible for the efficiency of the KAT-Quick P.f. test. These may be also extrapolated to other rapid tests patterned after the same principle.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1991

Catha edulis, an international socio-medical problem with considerable pharmacological implications.

It is evident from the mentioned studies that the medical and psychosocial effects of khat chewing are hazardous both to the individual and the community. The habituation of khat chewing seriously effects the psychoeconomic structure of the subject. Being aware of the increasing prevalence of khat chewing (often together with other drugs), it is essential to assess the health and socio-economic problems of khat habituation in order to take further, appropriate medical and social measures.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1991

Assessment of serological assays for the diagnosis of HIV-1 infections.

Many serologic techniques are available for the detection of HIV-1 infection, but their diagnostic performances have been reported to vary depending on the testing situations. We evaluated eight different serologic assays for detecting HIV-1 antibody in sera from suspected high risk groups in North and East Africa. These included: one ELISA bead assay, three indirect ELISAs, two competitive ELISA assays, one gelatin agglutination assay and a recombinant dot-blot assay. A panel of 38 HIV-1 antibody confirmed positive human sera and a panel of 60 HIV negative sera were tested. All sera yielding discordant results were retested for verification of reactivity. Among the different assays evaluated for detecting HIV-1 antibody, sensitivities ranged from 0.919 to 0.974 and test efficiencies ranged from 94.2-98.9%. All assays failed to detect at least one western blot confirmed positive serum; three tests (Organon, DuPont recombinant and Serodia) produced only one false-negative result. Five of the eight assays did not produce any false-positive results. The Organon viral lysate and the DuPont recombinant ELISAs exhibited the best overall performance (test efficiency = 98.9%).

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1991

Imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria in American travelers to Africa. Implications for prevention strategies.

Data from the US National Malaria Surveillance System were analyzed to assess characteristics of travelers who acquired Plasmodium falciparum infections in Africa and evaluate the impact of chloroquine resistance on the incidence of imported malaria. Although the number of cases acquired in East Africa has stabilized, the number of imported P falciparum infections acquired in West Africa increased threefold from 1985 to 1988, and the proportion of travelers who reported failure of chloroquine prophylaxis increased from 10% to 48%. Fifty-eight percent of patients who acquired malaria in West Africa had not used chemoprophylaxis. To curb the rising incidence of P falciparum infections in American travelers, the Centers for Disease Control revised malaria prophylaxis recommendations to include the use of mefloquine in areas of chloroquine resistance. Use of malaria protection measures by travelers to West Africa must also be improved.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1990

Species complex of vectors and epidemiology.

This work collates previous and recent cytotaxonomically defined segregates of the Simulium damnosum complex from western and eastern Africa. Standard cytotaxonomic procedures were used on new samples from Nigeria, Cameroon and Malawi. The main onchocerciasis vectors comprising cytotypes, cytoforms and cytospecies are highlighted and indications of host preferences are given. Thyolo form, the vector implicated in the Thyolo Highlands of Malawi, is reported for the first time. Also reported are new foci of two genetically distinct savanna taxa: Volta form and S. damnosum s.s.. The associations between forest taxa and onchocerciasis in the Forest Zone of west Africa together with the interplay of vector distributions at the interface of this and the Savanna Zone in relation to the epidemiology of onchocerciasis are discussed. The role of individual members of the species complex in epidemiology is less understood in east Africa and the Yemen but is briefly discussed.

Africa↗
PubMed1990

Population decline of Simulium woodi and reduced onchocerciasis transmission at Amani, Tanzania, in relation to deforestation.

To investigate an apparent decline of the onchocerciasis vector Simulium woodi, in the Simulium neavei group, weekly 12-hour biting catches on man were carried out for 13 months near Amani and compared with those obtained 22 years earlier. The results showed a marked fall in biting S. neavei s.l. females and supported earlier findings on the aquatic stages. The mean biting-catch in 1985/6 was only 13% of that in 1963/4 and comprised 91% S. woodi and 9% the more common, but largely zoophilic, Simulium nyasalandicum (Amani form). The infection rate of S. woodi with Onchocerca volvulus larvae had also fallen markedly from 17% to 3% of parous flies; no S. nyasalandicum females were infected. Recent onchocerciasis surveys indicate that reduced transmission has resulted in lower infection rates in man. Exposure by deforestation of the breeding sites of S. woodi in small shaded streams seems to have caused the simuliid's population decline. Reduced populations of S. neavei group vector species have been reported in other deforested parts of eastern Africa. Our long-term quantitative data on declining numbers of biting females without control measures, help to corroborate such reports. Control may no longer be necessary in some areas allowing a greater concentration of limited resources.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Afrotropical Culicoides: Synhelea Kieffer, 1925, resurrected as subgenus to embrace 10 species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Synhelea Kieffer, 1925, is resurrected from synonymy to embrace 10 species of Afrotropical Culicoides. C. tropicalis Kieffer, 1913, is the subgenotype. C. vagus is made a synonym of C. dutoiti while apomorphies common to the remaining species camicasi, congolensis, dispar, moucheti, pellucidus, perettii, tauffliebi and vicinus are discussed. The broad similis group of Cornet & Chateau (1971), under which these 10 species of Synhelea were originally assembled, is not only maintained but expanded by a further 11 species. Various distributional and descriptive data pertinent to Synhelea throughout the Afrotropical region are tabulated, and keys to adult males and females presented. C. perettii and C. moucheti are new records for South Africa. C. dutoiti, C. perettii and C. tropicalis are recorded for the 1st time from Malawi while C. dutoiti and C. tropicalis are newly recorded from Botswana and Namibia respectively. Where available, notes on larval habitats are given. Synhelea is considered endemic to the Afrotropical region and is briefly differentiated from the 25 subgenera currently recognized worldwide. Numerous illustrations accompany the diagnosis.

Africa, Eastern↗