ABSTRACT This study describes the validation of a sybr green-1 based in vitro test of susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs. The assay was evaluated by determining fluorescence development at various ranges of parasitaemia of 3D7 clones incubated with sybr green in the dark. The flourescence was measured with a fluorimeter after every 1hr time interval of incubation. The effect of haemoglobin on the sybr green fluorescence was also investigated with salmon sperm DNA. T...
ABSTRACT Bulinus truncatus and Biomphalariapfeifferi were cultured in varying concentrations ofseawater to study the effect of salinity on the survival and growth of adults and juveniles. The eggs were investigated for their hatchability. The experiment was conducted over a period of seven weeks for the snails while the eggs were studied over a two week period. Daily and weekly percentage mortality were determined . Weekly changes in weight and shell length was determined and used as an index...
ABSTRACT Ability of mosquitoes to ingest microfilariae (mf), promote their maturation to the infective stage, and their survival rate to parasite maturation for transmission to humans seems to differ according to geographic mosquito strains. The proportion of ingested m f that develops successfully into L3 may decrease (limitation) or increase (facilitation) with higher mf uptake. Transmission intensity depends on a number of factors such as the level of infection in the human population, vec...
Abstract Merozoite surface protein-119 (MSP-119) specific antibodies which include processing inhibitory, blocking and neutral antibodies have been identified in individuals exposed to Plasmodium falciparum. Here we intend to look at the effect of single and multiple amino acid substitutions ofMSP-119 on the recognition by polyclonal antibodies from children living in Igbo-Ora, Nigeria. This would provide us with information on the possibility of eliciting mainly processing inhibitory antibod...
ABSTRACT The pathogenesis of severe complications of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is still poorly understood in spite of its potentially fatal consequences. This poses practical challenges for malaria control efforts, especially, in discriminating children who are really at risk of severe malaria from those with incidental malaria in moderate and high malaria transmission areas. The search for reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for severe malaria is yet to produce encouraging resu...
ABSTRACT The emergence of widespread drug-resistance strains of the malaria parasites militates against strives for more potent antimalarial drugs. Therefore, a renewed effort to search for new drugs from medicinal plants focusing on the mangroves in Ghana has become imperative. Hence, this study aimed at evaluating the in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity and toxic effect of the crude extract of Avicennia africana leaf in rats. The pulverized dried leaves were extracted with 70% ethano...
ABSTRACT The continuous Chloroquine (CQ) use resulted in intensified parasite resistance to CQ. This led to adaptation of artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) as the first-line antimalarial drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in January, 2005. Despite the replacement, anecdotal evidences suggest that CQ is still being used in many communities in Ghana. This study was conducted to investigate the continuous use of CQ and its effect on CQ resistance markers in the Central Reg...
ABSTRACT The use of sulfadoxinepyrimethaine (SP) as an intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) against malaria during pregnancy has become a policy in most sub-Sahara African countries but crucially depends on the efficacy of SP. This study sets out to evaluate the effectiveness of the SP given to the pregnant women in the selected health facilities in the Central region of Ghana to prevent maternal malaria in the pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the effecti...
ABSTRACT Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that affects mostly tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and caused by diverse pathogens that belong to the genus Leishmania. The pentavalent antimonials developed in 1945 are still first line treatment drugs for both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis while amphotericin B is a second line treatment drug. These treatments come with toxic side effects even at effective doses and the lack of vaccine demand the urgent need for new anti ...