ABSTRACT Worldwide, acute lower respiratory tract infections in young children are one of the leading causes of childhood mortality. The need to investigate respiratory viruses associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections, more especially all four types of human parainfluenza viruses in Ghana has become crucial due to the limited information available on these viruses. Thus the aim of this study was to detect and characterize human parainfluenza viruses in children that present wi...
ABSTRACT Strategies to reduce HIV-related morbidity and mortality include scale up of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and provision of broad spectrum antibiotics. Cotrimoxazole (CTX) is a widely available low cost antibiotic recommended by WHO in settings with high infectious disease prevalence for treatment and prevention of opportunistic infections and malaria in all HIV-infected individuals. With immune reconstitution following ART, the risk of opportunistic infections greatly diminishes. Con...
ABSTRACT The presence of multiple concurrent infections, or polyparasitism, is quite common in schistosomiasis endemic areas. Msambweni District in the Coast Province of Kenya is highly endemic for Schistosoma haematobium. Previous studies showed an overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in Msambweni District at 40% to 60%. This is a prevalence way above the national prevalence of approximately 23%. There has been continued support by various agencies, including the government and non-governme...
ABSTRACTBackground and objectives: Skin infections are among the common diseases in children of Africa. Among the factors contributing to high prevalence of skin infections, poor hygiene is the most apparent factor yet can be controllable. Schools are organized communities where children from different families with different social status spend much of their time. The role of school is important for cognitive, creative and social development of children. Education regarding proper sanitation...
ABSTRACT Tungiasis is an ecto-parasitic disease of humans and animals caused by the burrowing of gravid female fleas of the genus ‘Tunga’. Of the known species of Tunga fleas, Tunga penetrans and Tunga trimamillata are parasites of humans besides other warm blooded mammals, most of which are peri-domestic. The host of the others is limited to a few genera of wild mammals. The burrowed female flea rapidly expands its body size, causing immense itching, inflammation, pain and debilitation. ...
A bstract It has been show n in epidem iological studies that m alaria m ay play a role in the pathogenesis o f endem ic B urkitt’s Lym phom a (eBL). The contribution o f m alaria to the pathogenesis o f eBL is believed to be due to the im balances in the im m une regulation during m alaria infection. Studies have show n a loss o f C TL function due to a shift o f the im m une responses from T h l tow ards Th2 T-cell function during m alaria infection. This study sought to investigate the p...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Caesarean section is one of the regular procedures in obstetric practices in Ghana. Caesarean surgical site infection is one of the commonest complications associated with caesarean delivery in developing countries. In order to prevent and decrease the occurrence of the caesarean surgical infections in our health facilities, there is the need to assess the risk factors associated with caesarean surgical site infections. Objectives: To determine the incidence of caesarea...
ABSTRACT Introduction; One of the foremost and important steps towards rational anti-fungal use and conservation is drug utilization research. A lot is known about the determinants and patterns of use of antibiotics. However, only few studies have investigated consumption of antifungals in a given population. Methods; the current study is a cross-sectional drug utilisation study of 304 clients purchasing anti-fungal products from retail community Pharmacies. A structured questionnaire was use...
Abstract Background: Essential oil from Mesembryanthemum edule leaves have been used by the Eastern Cape traditional healers for the treatment of respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, dysentery, diabetic mellitus, laryngitis and vaginal infections. The investigation of bioactive compounds in the essential oil of this plant could help to verify the efficacy of the plant in the management or treatment of these illnesses. Materials and methods: Various concentrations of the hydro-distill...
ABSTRACT Plant extracts with medicinal value have been used to treat many diseases that can either be bacterial, fungal or parasitic among many others. Plants with medicinal value produce certain chemical elements known as phytochemicals that have antimicrobial activity. Enteric bacterial pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms that are usually located in the intestinal tracts of either animal or human beings. The pathogenic members are usually associated with infections that are charact...
Abstract: Abstract Purpose Push–pull is an intercropping technology that is rapidly spreading among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The technology intercrops cereals with Desmodium to fight off stem borers, eliminate parasitic weeds, and improve soil fertility and yields of cereals. The above-ground components of push–pull cropping have been well investigated. However, the impact of the technol-ogy on the soil microbiome and the subsequent role of the microbiome on diverse eco...
ABSTRACT Developing therapeutics for infectious diseases requires understanding the main processes driving host and pathogen through which molecular interactions influence cellular functions. The outcome of those infectious diseases, including influenza A (IAV) depends greatly on how the host responds to the virus and how the virus manipulates the host, which is facilitated by protein-protein functional inter-actions and analyzing infection associated genes at the systems level, which may ena...
ABSTRACT A major constraint to increased and sustainable production of tomatoes is its infestation by insect pests particularly the tomato fruit worm Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The control of this insect relies heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides which have negative environmental effects. Some insects have developed resistance to certain insecticides. Efforts are therefore being made to look for alternative control strategies that are environmentally-safe...
ABSTRACT Street children are exposed to environmental, socioeconomic and behavioural factors that increase risk of parasitic infections and are excluded from disease control programmes. The prevalence and intensity of parasitic infections as well as the link between the parasitic infections and anaemia status of these children is not known. Epidemiologic information on parasitic infection among street children in Kenya is required for developing appropriate control programs. This was a compar...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Nosocomial or those infections acquired in a hospital setting are a great cause of morbidity in our patients due to their easy transmissibility from a patient to another at times through the health care provider who does not practice appropriate infection control. Of more importance is the fact that, other than their prevalence going up, resistance to antibiotics has developed within the causative agents of these infections. Medical students, like other health staff, ar...