Serological evidence of brucellosis among predisposed patients with pyrexia of unknown origin in the north eastern Nigeria.

Brucellosis is the zoonosis of world wide distribution and common cause of economic loss and ill health among animals and human populations. Patients with pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) who were predisposed to brucellosis through rearing of animals and consumption of different animal products were tested for presence of Brucella abortus antibodies using Rose Bengal and serum agglutination antigens. Twenty six (5.2%) of the 500 patients had B. abortus antibody. The high titres of 320, 640 and 1280 obtained in the sera of patients in this study are suggestive of the endemicity of the disease in this environment. No significant difference in age and sex distribution of brucella antibody prevalence was observed. Similarly, spatial distribution of brucella antibody in different locations was not statistically significant. Although higher serological prevalence was noted in children and students than in other populations examined, the difference in prevalence between the various occupational groups was not significant. Animal handling activities including rearing are not important factors in the prevalence of brucellosis. However, among the rearers, the highest prevalence (20%) was observed among cattle handlers followed in decreasing order of prevalence by goat rearers (10%), mixed sheep and cattle rearers (9%), mixed sheep and goat rearers (8%), and 4% among each of sheep rearers and non rearers of animals. In addition, consumers of yoghurt and fresh goat milk had higher prevalence (20%) than consumers of other milk products. However, brucella antibody prevalence between consumers and non-consumers of animal products was not significantly different. The high economic loss and public health implications of brucellosis necessitates the need for effective surveillance as well as appropriate preventive and control measure among human and animal populations.

Taste sensitivity to sodium chloride and sucrose in a group of adolescent children in Northern Nigeria.

In a sub-population of Nigerian children in the southern rain forest of Edo State, we recently observed widespread relative insensitivity to the taste of sodium chloride (NaCl-salt). This prompted the present study, in which we measured taste recognition threshold to NaCl (30, 60, 120, 180 mM) and sucrose (15, 50, 100, 150 mM) in a group of fifth-and sixth-grade pupils in the northeastern semi-Sahel part of Nigeria, in order to observe the extent to which the findings cited above would apply to similar groups of Nigerians with different ethnic backgrounds in other parts of the country. Three hundred twenty-eight pupils (149 boys, 179 girls) from 9 to 18 years of age were involved. Five subjects were taste-blind to the highest concentration (180 mM) of NaCl. In addition, 44.5% of the study population did not taste NaCl until a concentration of 60 mm or higher was used. This distribution was influenced neither by gender (x2 = 2.75, df = 3, P = .43) nor age (r = .029, P = .60). In addition, only 33% of the population recognized sucrose sweetness at a sucrose concentration of 15 mm or lower. The remaining two-thirds of the population had sucrose threshold values of 50 mm or higher and neither gender (x2 = 3.09, df = 3, P = .379) nor age (r = .046, P = .41) influenced these findings. These results substantiate our earlier observations that relative taste insensitivity to salt (NaCl) may be common in Nigerian children. When compared to our earlier data, these results indicate that taste insensitivity to NaCl and sucrose may be more common in children in the northern parts of the country, thus suggesting that geographic location and ethnicity may be important variables in taste perception of NaCl and sucrose in adolescent Nigerians.