Research Papers/Topics in Zoology

INVESTIGATION INTO THE CLASP REFLEX OF XENOHIS LAEVIS

Abstract Recently ethologists have drawn attention to "form-constant" or stereotyped, behaviour which may be tired off by specific environmental releasers or displayed "in vacuo" without stimulation. An important feature of form-constant behaviour is that it is exhibited by animals reared in complete isolation. Q3n.s has led to the conclusion that animals "have got" certain innate behaviour patterns just as they have got inherited morphological features. These innate patterns are characterist...

THE MOLECULAR CHARACTERISATION OF GIARDIA LAMBLIA IN GHANAIAN CHILDREN

ABSTRACT Diarrhoea is among the six major diseases that causes death among children below age five worldwide. It is also a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children below age five in Ghana. Giardia lamblia is among the major enteropathogen causes of diarrhoea in Ghana. Most studies in Ghana on detecting G. lamblia use microscopy and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. There is not much data on the molecular epidemiology of Giardiasis in Ghana. This study was conducted to determine ...

LIFE-TABLE STUDIES IN CULEX SPECIES AND THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CULEX QUINQUEFASCIATUS SAY TO INSECTICIDES COMMONLY USED IN ACCRA,

Abstract Interest in Cutex qu£nque fa so i atus Say ( = f atigans Wied) has been increasing with the growth of urban areas in the tropical zones of the world because this rjmosquito is an important vector of bancroftian filariasis. When increased urbanization is accompanied: by inadequate sewage treatment, conditions are ideal for proliferation of Cm qu'inquefa&ei a t u sm No other species of mosquito has benefitted rfiore from these acute sanitary problems than has C• qu£nquefaso'£atus�...

BREEDING ECOLOGY AND FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF BLACK-WINGED STILT (HIMANTOPUS HIMANTOPUS) IN GHANA

ABSTRACT The Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is one of few waterbird species that breeds in wetlands on the coast of Ghana. In recent times, its population has seen an increase on Ghana’s coast while other species are declining. The overall aim of the study was to investigate and document the breeding and foraging ecology of the Black winged Stilt in Ghana. The breeding ecology, diurnal time-activity budget and foraging behaviour of Black-winged Stilts were studied at the Densu D...

PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VITRO RESPONSE OF LYMPHOCYTES OF GHANAIAN CHILDREN WITH BURKITT’S LYMPHOMA TO PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MALARIA ANTIGENS

Abstract It has been shown in epidemiological studies that malaria may play a role in the pathogenesis o f endemic Burkitt’s Lymphoma (eBL). The contribution o f m alaria to the pathogenesis o f eBL is believed to be due to the imbalances in the immune regulation during malaria infection. Studies have shown a loss o f CTL function due to a shift o f the immune responses from T h l towards Th2 T-cell function during malaria infection. This study sought to investigate the phenotypes o f perip...

GUINEA WORM: SOCIO-CULTURAL STUDIES, MORPHOMETRY, HISTOMORPHOLOGY, VECTOR SPECIES AND DNA PROBE FOR DRACUNCULUS SPECIES.

Abstract Dracunculiasis still remains as a disease o f public health importance in Ghana, especially in the Northern, Volta and Brong-Ahafo Regions, despite over a decade o f an Eradication Programme. In this study, attempts have been made to determine the problems associated with the eradication o f Guinea worm in the Northern Region o f Ghana, and suggestions provided to overcome them. Also investigated were the longitudinal anatomical variation of the parasite, the vector species and ...

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION, DNA DAMAGE AND MECHANISM OF CYTOGENOTOXICITY INDUCED BY ELECTRONIC WASTES IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Indiscriminate disposal of electronic wastes (e-wastes) in Nigeria is on the increase. The release of hazardous substances from these wastes may have harmful consequences on the environment and public health. In Nigeria, there is dearth of information on environmental contamination and genotoxicity of e-wastes, and the mechanism of genetic damage. This study was designed to investigate the level of contaminants in soil, plant and well water; potential in vivo and in vitro cytogenoto...

INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE ASSOCIATED WITH 2La INVERSION AND MICROSATELLITE LOCI POLYMORPHISM IN Anopheles gambiae s.s. POPULATIONS FROM LAGOS AND OYO STATES, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and deltamethrin are insecticides frequently used in malaria vector control interventions in Africa. Resistance to these insecticides has emerged in the malaria vector, Anopheles. However, the assortment of two genetic mechanisms, 2La inversion and the polymorphism of microsatellite loci, have also been associated with insecticide resistance in Anopheles populations in several countries with limited studies on these resistance mechanisms in Nige...

Feeding and Social Behaviour of Common Primates in the Kakum National Park, Central Region of Ghana

combinations most times. The white crested hOl1lbill and the black and Maxwell's duikers were found to associate with the monkeys during feeding. No natural predators 10 monkeys were found. The agility of the monkeys coupled with various lliarm-response mechanisms seemed to prevent predators from getting close. Poaching by the surrounding communities seemed to be a problem in the Kakum National Park and this affected any initiation of monkey viewing as a tourist attraction. Viewing of monkeys...

EFFECTS OF FALCIPARUM MALARIA ON LEVELS OF SELECTED BIOMARKERS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK IN TYPE 2 DIABETICS AND NON-DIABETIC CONTROLS

ABSTRACT Falciparum malaria and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affect millions of people globally but the effect of the dual conditions on the cardiovascular health of the affected has not been investigated. To better understand this, a study was designed to evaluate the effect of Plasmodium falciparum malaria on levels of selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in diabetics compared with non-diabetic controls by measuring anthropometric indices, blood pressure (Bp), fasting levels of...

OBSERVATIONS ON THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF Oreochromis niloticus (L) FED ON FORMULATED FEEDS

ABSTRACT Five feeds, designated A, B, C, D and E, were used in the culture of Oreochromis niloticus (L) to evaluate and compare their effects on growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), fish production, survival rate and profitability in commercial tilapia farming in Ghana. Feed A contained only wheat bran and was used as the control; Feeds B, C and E were formulated from wheat bran, fishmeal, maize, palm oil and premix vitamins in varied proportions. Feed D was a commercial fish feed...

GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERTENSION IN THE ETHNIC POPULATIONS OF CALABAR AND UYO, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Hypertension is a public health challenge due to its high prevalence, and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension is a complex disease resulting from an interaction of genes and environmental factors. Inconsistent association between polymorphisms of the renin angiotensin aldosterone, the atrial natriuretic peptide systems and hypertension has been reported among various ethnic groups, but not for the Efiks and Ibibios in south-south Nigeria. This study was ...

CYTOKINE AND ANTIBODY RESPONSES TO MALARIA VACCINE CANDIDATE ANTIGENS, PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM GLUTAMATE RICH PROTEIN (GLURP) AND MEROZOITE SURFACE PROTEIN (MSP3) IN GHANAIAN CHILDREN

ABSTRACT GLURP and MSP3 are targets for antibodies involved in antibody-dependent cellular inhibition that may lead to protective immunity against malaria. Comparative assessment of IgG and subclass responses to GLURP and MSP3 in relation to immunity against malaria will provide relevant information that will be useful in future malaria vaccine development. Several studies have led to the recent recognition of the importance of T- cell in the generation of long-term antibody responses in...

A revision of the Afrotropical members of the subgenus Uresipedilum Sasa et Kikuchi, 1995, of the genus Polypedilum Kieffer, 1912, with the description of eleven new species (Diptera: Chiro

ABSTRACT A revision of the Afrotropical members of the subgenus Uresipedilum Sasa et Kikuchi, 1995 showed that most of the earlier species were misidentified. Ten new Afrotropical species are identified and described: P. (U.) spinibojum sp. n., P. (U.) plautum sp. n., P. (U.) lehmanni sp. n., P. (U.) praegnans sp. n., P. (U.) hanisoni sp. n., P. (U.) freemani sp. n.,P. (£/.) dossenudum sp. n., P. (U.) acutulum sp. n., P. (U.) kakumense sp. n., and P. (t/.) gladysae sp. n. Two species, P....

DETECTION OF TICK-BORNE RICKETTSIA SPECIES IN TICKS COLLECTED FROM CATTLE IN SOME SELECTED SITES IN GHANA

ABSTRACT  Ticks continue to facilitate the spread of pathogens globally, thereby influencing the health of both humans and animals. Ticks have been documented to infest animals including pets and livestock, transmitting bacterial pathogens including Rickettsia species. It is common to find many Ghanaian households rearing animals, thus increasing the risk of infection. It is therefore important to identify the present tick species and determine their potential to transmit diseases. This...


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