Diarrheal diseases prevalence among children of Sudan and socio cultural risks related; systematic review and meta analysis.

It is estimated that more than 4% of the causes of inpatient deaths in 2017 were due to diarrheal diseases. The current study is aimed to provide pooled prevalence of microorganisms causing diarrhea among Sudanese as well as determine any socio-cultural risk factors associated. A systematic review of the literature was conducted and regulated in accordance to PRISMA. After abstract and full text screening Twenty-one research articles were recruited to the study. Among witch eighteen research articles determined prevalence of causative microorganisms of Diarrhea; eight research articles determining prevalence of causative microorganisms of Diarrhea were conducted in Khartoum State, five in Gezira State, two in White Nile State, one in Kordofan State while two studies were conducted in several States. Moreover, majority of studies were concerned of prevalence among children while two studies were toward general population as well as mothers of children. The pooled prevalence of viral diarrhea in less than five years old children was 22.90% [15.37, 30.43] among more than 14 thousands' participants, the pooled prevalence of parasitic diarrhea was 31.40% [19.53, 43.27] among participants from different age groups while the pooled prevalence of bacterial diarrhea was 36.20% [14.00, 58.40]. No associated risk factors were able to be synthesized from included studies.

Tuberculosis in Sudan: systematic review and meta analysis.

Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB). Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year -making it the world's top infectious disease. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. Its presumed that TB was the cause of 1% of the total deaths among inpatients in Sudan in 2017. The current study is aimed to provide pooled prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among Sudanese as well as to determine any socio-cultural risk factors associated. A systematic review of the literature was conducted and regulated in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. After abstract and full text screening only twenty-six articles met our inclusion criteria and passed the quality assessment procedure. Pulmonary tuberculosis prevalence was assessed in sixteen included studies among participants from Khartoum, Gezira, Kassala, Blue Nile, River Nile, White Nile, Gadarif, Red sea, North Kordofan, Northern State, Sennar and West Darfur States, representing a total sample size of 11,253 participants of suspected individuals such as febrile outpatients, TB patients' contacts and other groups such as HIV/AIDS patients, hemodialysis patients, School adolescents as well as pregnant women. The pooled prevalence was 30.72% [CI: 30.64, 30.81]. Moreover, Khartoum State recorded the highest pooled prevalence as 41.86% [CI: 14.69, 69.02] based on a total sample size of 2,737 participants. Furthermore, male gender and rural residence were found to be significantly associated with TB infection. Further research with larger sample sizes targeting prevalence and risk factors of TB among Sudanese population is needed to be conducted.

Pneumonia in Sudan: Systematic and Scoping Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis.

In addition to excessive burden of non-communicable diseases, natural and manmade disasters, and internal conflicts, Sudan is predominantly susceptible to communicable diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, which bring about an extra burden of demand for high-quality healthcare. According to the WHO and the Sudan Health Observatory, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in Sudan. This study therefore aimed to illustrate pneumonia literature in Sudan, estimate infection prevalence regardless of the cause among Sudanese children and adults, and demonstrate its related risk factors. A systematic and scoping review of the literature was conducted and regulated in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). After abstract and full-text screening, only 15 articles met our inclusion criteria and passed the quality assessment procedure. Seven included studies determined prevalence of pneumonia; the overall pooled prevalence was around 30%. Furthermore, 12 research articles investigated risk factors related to pneumonia among Sudanese population. Further research with larger sample sizes targeting risk factors of pneumonia among Sudanese population is needed to be conducted.

Pathogenicity of an Indigenous Strain of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) (MET-GRA4 Strain) as a Potential Biological Control Agent Against the Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae).

Metarhizium anisopliae Metchnikoff (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) is a fungal pathogen that causes disease in various insect pests, and it can be exploited and developed as a biological control agent to combat the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). The study on indigenous isolates is crucial especially for development of bioinsecticides in the future. The M. anisopliae strain called MET-GRA4 was tested for pathogenicity against adult red palm weevil and treated in vitro with different spore viabilities. The isolates exhibited pathogenicity with 100% mortality 21 d postinfection. The median lethal time (LT50) for 85% viable spores was 8.6 d, while 39% viable spores had an LT50 value of 21.37 d, with 92 and 16.6% mycosis, respectively. The species MET-GRA4 strain was molecularly characterized using ITS1 and ITS4 from pure culture (Isolate A), mass-produced spores (Isolate B), and infected red palm weevil cadavers (Isolate C). The DNA sequences obtained matched M. anisopliae sequences, with 99% similarity. This new isolate of M. anisopliae has potential as a targeted bioinsecticide for management of red palm weevil.

Two New Species and Seven New Records of Horse Fly (Diptera: Tabanidae) From Malaysia, Including a Description of New Species and Modified Keys.

Horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) are of medical and veterinary importance, as their blood-sucking feeding habit enables them to transmit several disease-causing agents. In Malaysia, the family Tabanidae consists of 120 species belonging to eight genera. The current study describes two new species (Chrysops idlani sp. nov. and Tabanus ekor sp. nov.) and presents new records for seven species: Tabanus fontinalisSchuurmans Stekhoven, 1926; Tabanus fuscifronsSchuurmans Stekhoven, 1926, Tabanus latifasciesSchuurmans Stekhoven, 1926, Tabanus megalops (Walker, 1854), Tabanus rhinargusPhilip, 1962, Tabanus salvazai (Surcouf, 1922), and Tabanus tristisWulp, 1881. Complete descriptions and illustrations are provided for the new species, and species variations for the new records are discussed. Male Tabanus latifasciesSchuurmans Stekhoven, 1926 and Tabanus perakiensis Ricardo, 1911 are thoroughly described herein.

Aphid-induced Defences in Chilli Affect Preferences of the Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).

The sweetpotato whitefly (WF), Bemisia tabaci, is a major pest that damages a wide range of vegetable crops in Malaysia. WF infestation is influenced by a variety of factors, including previous infestation of the host plant by other insect pests. This study investigated the effects of previous infestation of host chilli plants by the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) on the olfactory behavioural response of B. tabaci, using free-choice bioassay with a Y-tube olfactometer. We analysed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by non-infested and M. persicae-infested chilli plants using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our results showed that female WFs preferred non-infested to pre-infested plants. Collection and analysis of volatile compounds emitted by infested plants confirmed that there were significant increases in the production of monoterpenes (cymene; 1,8-cineole), sesquiterpenes (ß-cadinene, α-copaene), and methyl salicylate (MeSA) compared to non-infested plants. Our results suggest that host plant infestation by aphids may induce production of secondary metabolites that deter B. tabaci from settling on its host plants. These results provide important information for understanding WF host selection and dispersal among crops, and also for manipulating WF behaviour to improve IPM in chilli.

Multiplex PCR in determination of Opiinae parasitoids of fruit flies, Bactrocera sp., infesting star fruit and guava.

Malaysia is a tropical country that produces commercial fruits, including star fruits, Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidales: Oxalidaceae), and guavas, Psidium guajava L. (Myrtales: Myrtaceae). There is a high demand for these fruits, and they are planted for both local consumption and export purposes. Unfortunately, there has been a gradual reduction of these fruits, which has been shown to be related to fruit fly infestation, especially from the Bactrocera species. Most parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae) are known as parasitoids of fruit fly larvae. In this study, star fruits and guavas infested by fruit fry larvae were collected from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. The parasitized larvae were reared under laboratory conditions until the emergence of adult parasitoids. Multiplex PCR was performed to determine the braconid species using two mitochondrial DNA markers, namely cytochrome oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b. Two benefits of using multiplex PCR are the targeted bands can be amplified simultaneously using the same reaction and the identification process of the braconid species can be done accurately and rapidly. The species of fruit flies were confirmed using the COI marker. The results obtained from our study show that Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Fopius arisanus (Sonan), and Pysttalia incisi (Silvestri) were parasitoids associated with Bactrocera carambolae (Drew and Hancock) (Diptera: Tephritidae) infested star fruits. Fopius arisanus was also the parasitoid associated with Bactrocera papayae (Drew and Hancock) infested guavas. Maximum parsimony was been constructed in Opiinae species to compare tree resolution between these two genes in differentiating among closely related species. The confirmation of the relationship between braconids and fruit fly species is very important, recognized as preliminary data, and highly necessary in biological control programs.

Lack of correlation between microscopic lesion scores and gross lesion scores in commercially grown broilers examined for small intestinal Eimeria spp. coccidiosis.

Comparisons were made between microscopic lesion scores (MLSs) and gross lesion scores (GLSs) in sections from small intestine of broilers during three routine coccidiosis screenings. The duodenal and jejunal GLS were determined and recorded by different evaluators. During each screening, 2-cm sections of duodenum and jejunum were collected, and sections of intestine were then scored using a microscopic lesion scoring system. No correlation between MLS and GLS was observed in duodenum in two out of three coccidiosis screenings, and no correlation was observed between MLS and GLS in jejunum in three out of three screenings. Our findings demonstrate that, if used alone in coccidiosis screening, GLSs can underestimate infections and may not provide a true representation of the magnitude of Eimeria maxima infection within broiler flocks.

Quantitative pathology of small intestinal coccidiosis caused by Eimeria maxima in young broilers.

The objective of this study was to apply a microscopic lesion scoring system for assessing the severity of experimental coccidiosis. To accomplish this objective, we examined the effects of varying doses of E. maxima in chicks by comparisons of gross and microscopic lesion scores, body weight gains, feed conversion ratios and faecal oocyst counts. In the battery trial, 3-day-old chicks inoculated with 2.5 x 10(3) or more oocysts had significantly lower growth rate than the controls. The mean feed conversion ratio for days 0 to 36 were significantly greater than those of 0 to 10 and 0 to 17 p.i. The intestinal gross lesion scores and microscopic lesion scores were significantly affected by days p.i. and oocyst dosage. In the floor pen trials, the mean adjusted body weights of 3- and 14-day-old chicks inoculated with 2.5 X 10(4) oocysts of the same strain of E. maxima were significantly lower than the controls. Gross and microscopic lesion scores regressed with significant (P<0.05) linearity on body weight gains. Under experimental conditions, both duodenal and jejunal microscopic lesion scores regressed with significant linearity on gross lesion scores.