ABSTRACT In Ghana, onchocerciasis control with mass ivermectin treatment began in 1987. Despite over two decades of interventions, the disease remains persistent with reports of sub-optimal/poor parasite responses to the drug. Some treated patients are observed with higher microfilarial repopulation rates in skin than expected, an indication of sub-optimal response. Although ivermectin is still effective in reducing microfilaridermias, it is uncertain if its embryostatic effect has been comp...
ABSTRACT Ivermectin (IVM) still remains the only safe drug for the mass control of onchocerciasis, and the continued success of the control programmes depends on its efficacy. However, recent reports show that there are populations of adult Onchocerca volvulus responding suboptimally to IVM. This requires assessment of parasitological response profile of O. volvulus to IVM and genetic analysis of Beta-tubulin gene known to be associated with IVM selection, to determine the a...
ABSTRACT Differences in habitat types affect host-parasite interactions and can increase the risk of epizootic outbreaks in wild populations. It is thought that parasitism is a necessary factor in conservation biology and is important in understanding ecological parasitology and vertebrate conservation management. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of avian malaria in forest and savanna birds. A total of 132 birds of 39 species belonging to 20 families were trapped in two w...
Abstract The citrus industry is subject to a number of serious insect pests. Of these, the most important is a sedentary group known as the ..Armoured Scale Insects (Diaspididae). Ebeling (1950) states bnao they are of greater economic importance to the industry than a ll the other pests put together. A great deal has been published on various aspects o f the biology, ecology and control o f the Diaspididae, much o f the work appearing in the books of Quayle (193S), Ebeling (1950) and Bodenhe...
ABSTRACT The strategy of using insecticides against Simulium damnosum s.I. vectors, adopted by Control Programmes for human onchocerciasis in West Africa has led to increased vector biology studies and has at the same time also revealed the paucity of our knowledge in this area. To effectively control the vectors means that laboratory colonies need to be established to enable experiments to be carried out. It also means there is a need to intensify research on aspects of the biology that dete...
SUMMARY A parasitological, clinical, periodicity and entomological study of lymphatic filariasis was earned out at Gomoa Okyereko, an irrigation project community in Southern Ghana to provide baseline information on the infection and its transmission in the community. Out of a total of 636 inhabitants, fifty percent of the residents were selected from the compiled demographic data using computer generated random numbers to constitute the study population. Quantitative examination of night blo...
ABSTRACT Used crankcase oil is disposed off indiscriminately and it eventually finds its way into the aquatic environment resulting in surface and ground water contamination by complex interacting chemicals and substances. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, additives, antioxidants and trace levels of chlorinated solvents have been detected in used engine oil and these pose a great risk to fish populations and the human consumer of fish. This study (i) investigated the sub...
ABSTRACT The search for antimalarial compounds was necessitated by Plasmodium falciparum resistance to most antimalarial drugs. In endemic countries where malaria is prevalent, medicinal plants are often used to treat malaria. In this study, the in vitro antimalarial activities of crude aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Anacardium occidentale and Cymbopogon citratus, were evaluated against P. falciparum. Fourteen fresh blood samples obtained from infected children and adults aged 15 to 25 ye...
ABSTRACT This study compares some ecological aspects (territory size, group size, clutch size and food supply rate) of three communally breeding bird species, namely Yellow-billed Shrike (Corvinella corvina), Green Wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) and Brown Babbler (Turdoides plebejus), on the Legon campus of the University of Ghana. This was in response to the limited literature on communal breeding bird species despite their widespread distribution in Africa. The methodology involved dir...
Abstract This study is aimed at determining the status, prevalence and significance of female urogenital schistosomiasis (FUGS) in schistosomiasis endemic population at risk of HIV transmission in Jos, Plateau State. Epidemiological circumstances that predisposed individuals to urogenital schistosomiasis and HIV in Jos Plateau State, was investigated. FUGS was determined from parasitological and immunological techniques. Circulating cathodic (worm) antigen (CCA) was used as an additional imm...
ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis remains endemic in Ghana, with Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium being the two dominant species of the schistosome parasites. In some parts of Africa, previous works indicated the occurrence of pairings between these two species, resulting in the production of non-viable eggs (parthenogenesis). In Ghana, although both species occur in sympatry, it is yet to be shown whether this can lead to hetero-specific pairing within the definitive host leading to consequent ...
ABSTRACT C ytological in vestigation s were made on some African Coreiods in the South-Eastern cocoa growing areas of Ghaia. Data is presented on karyotypes of the group. The now known karyotypes of the Coreoidea has been increased from 113 to 140 species by this study. E ffo rt has been ne.de to correlate information from this study with what exists in the litera tu re on morphological and cytotaxonomic studies rela tin g to the higher systematics cf the Coreoidea. Coreidae, Alydidae and Rho...
Abstract Schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent parasitic infection apart from malaria. Unlike the latter, whose prevalence tends to fluctuate with the rains in many areas of high endemicity for the year, schistosome infection prevalence may be usually high throughout the year in areas where the disease is endemic. Available WHO(1991) document indicates that the disease afflicts more than 200million people while 500-600million are considered to be at risk of infection in 76 countries. F...
SUMMARY Schistosoma haematobium antigens are the least studied amongst the three major human schistosomes (S. haematobium, S. mansoni and S. japonicum), mainly because of difficulty in maintaining the life cycle of this parasite in the laboratory. As a result, work on identification of potentially diagnostic and protective S. haematobium antigens lags behind. The work reported in this thesis was aimed at characterizing monoclonal antibodies recently produced against S. haematobium antigens s...
Abstract Schistosomiasis is a helminthic disease that affect many people all over the world causing illnesses that prevent people from farming and performing other activities, and at times gives rise to malignancies which are fatal. Between 1999 and 2004, some aspects of the epidemiology of schistosomiasis, were studied among 3190 inhabitants of Dogon-Karfe (the boundary with Jos North Local Government Area), Gigiring, Anglo-Jos Bukuru, Vom, Zawan, Mararaba-Jama’a and Farin-Lamba, all in J...