ABSTRACT Data on 2n-numbers of some fifty-five (55) species , belonging to six families of some Ghanaian shield bugs, collected in Southern Ghana, west Africa are presented. Microphotographs and tracings of karyotypes observed for each species are produced as figures. Histograms of chromosome numbers of the various families have been constructed and these results together with the existing information in literature, is analyzed and discussed. In all two hundred and seventeen (217) species of...
ABSTRACTStudies were carried out under ambient laboratory conditions of 32 °C ± 2 and 74 - 87 % r.h. to determine the suitability of sorghum grain as a substrate that would support both the feeding and breeding of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn). Three sorghum varieties (Framida, Mankaraga and Naga-White) and one maize variety (Obatanpa) grown in Ghana were used in thestudy. Three forms of the substrates: Whole grain, Coarsely-ground grain and Grain flour were used for bioassays. The Fj proge...
ABSTRACT The monitoring of the current global strategy for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) can be confounded if other parasites indistinguishable from Wuchereria bancrofti also occur in endemic areas. An incidental examination of cattle blood revealed microfilariae that were morphologically similar to W. bancrofti. This study was therefore conducted to characterize these cattle filarial parasite. A total of 284 cattle from Somanya, Winneba and Axim were screened randomly for fila...
Studies on toxicological and sedative effects of Datura innoxia plant parts (leaf, seed, stem, pod and root) on Clarias gariepinus fingerlings were conducted under laboratory conditions using the static bioassays and continuous aeration. The aim was to develop an effective anaesthetic from an indigenous plant material that will be available at low cost to aquaculturists and which would be non-toxic to the fish and consumers. The active ingredients and their compositions in the plant par...
Abstract As an aid to the control o f the schistosome host snails, effective bioactive materials namely cassava, cocoyam, and sweet potato (Domeh, 1998), sugarcane and peels, all in their raw and processed states were tested in simulated natural environment experiments. The experiments were conducted using ‘biopots’ traps designed using a pot with few small windows created on the sides to allow easy diffusion o f test materials to reach the water body to attract the snails It was observe...
ABSTRACT Mole National Park is the largest and oldest national park in Ghana. With a large number of species of birds, mammals and reptiles, the number of tourists in Mole National Park keeps increasing and therefore creating room for human disturbance in diverse ways. Using the total area count method, this study established the species of waterbirds at Mole National Park and determined the seasonal variations in their diversity and abundance in four permanent wetlands from August 2015 to F...
ABSTRACT Data is presented on 2n~numbers of some forty- six (46) species of Tropical Reduviidae collected in Southern Ghana, West Africa. This information is combined with existing data and together analyzed and discussed. It was found that the roccgnised morphological plasticity of Reduviidae extends to the diploid numbers as well. However a level of cytological organization was found to exist within the family. Three autosomal-Chromosome groups: 20A, 24A and 23A are proposed. It has emerged...
ABSTRACT The transmission of zoonotic gastrointestinal parasites in cattle is dependent on the availability of intermediate hosts, poor sanitation and principally, the husbandry and management practices of cattle. The research work was aimed at studying cattle as reservoirs for parasitic zoonotic diseases in the Lower Manya Krobo District of southern Ghana. Microscopic examinations were done on stool samples to determine the prevalence and intensity of egg counts among cattle (N = 486) sampl...
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 Intraspecific variation in Achatina achatina achatina Linne (one of the numerous giant African snails) in Ghana was studied using chronological features, body characters and reproductive potential. Snails were collected from June to August, 2006, from four ecological regions namely Ashanti (Amansie East district), Central (Assin South district), Eastern (Suhum- Kraboa- Coaltar district) and Western (Wassa West district). In this study, the four snail populations showed a broad range ...
ABSTRACT The behavioural responses of the schistosome host snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi to 40 naturally occurring (crude and semi - processed) plant products were studied using diffusion olfactometers. Out of the 40 plant products, 21 were tested in the raw (unprocessed) states, 3 were boiled, 4 were dried and 12 were fermented. Seven (7) out of the 21 raw plant product (33.33%) acted as significant attractants/ arrestant for the adult snails while 6 emerged statistically significant attract...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out from October to November 2013 in Jomoro district of the Western Region of Ghana to assess the prevalence of trypanosomes in pigs and tsetse flies. Besides, the study identifies tsetse fly species and their apparent density in the study area. The methods employed during the study were molecular technique and microscopy of stained blood smears for parasitological study. Entomological surveys were also conducted using a total of 16 un-baited biconical traps for...
ABSTRACT Field studies were performed to identify the vector species o f Dracunculus medinensis. From these studies, Mesocyclops kieferi was implicated as a maj'or vector. Other vector species identified were Mesocyclops aspericornis and Thermocyclops inopinus. Studies were also carried out in the endemic villages using a questionnaire to ascertain the pattern of disease incidence during the years 1994- 1996. The results revealed that the socio-cultural practices of the people assist in promo...
ABSTRACT The limited ability of molecular typing methods to differentiate Mycobacterium ulcerans strains from the same geographic areas, particularly at the local level, hampers our understanding of Buruli ulcer (BU) epidemiology and calls for the search for molecular epidemiological tools with higher discriminatory power. Moreover, the current available laboratory tests for BU diagnosis have various limitations, ranging from low diagnostic sensitivities to financial and technical constraints...
fflpaODDCTICW Cocoa Xllce many other plants of economic Importance, has a host of its own attendant pests among which lepidopterous caterpillars feature fairly prominently. Early reports on entomological pests in Wsst Africa (lamborn, 191U—1915j Patterson lyllti Peacock, 1913) almost invariably included one or other lepidopterous pest attacking some part of the cocoa tree or seedling. Recent reports* too, abound in information an the problem of Lepidoptera on cocoa e.g. Entwiatle (1960, 1...