Vector-Borne Pathogens in Guard Dogs in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Canine vector-borne diseases are of great relevance not only regarding animal welfare but also in relation to the One Health concept. Knowledge concerning the most relevant vector-borne pathogens in dogs is scarce and limited to stray dogs in most western African regions, and there is virtually no information about the situation in kept dogs presenting (regularly) to vets. Therefore, the blood samples of 150 owned guard dogs in the Ibadan area-in the southwest of Nigeria-were collected and analyzed for the DNA of Piroplasmida (Babesia, Hepatozoon, Theileria), Filarioidea (e.g., Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens), Anaplasmataceae (e.g., Anaplasma, Ehrlichia), Trypanosomatidae (e.g., Leishmania, Trypanosoma), Rickettsia, Bartonella, Borrelia and hemotropic Mycoplasma using molecular methods. Overall, samples from 18 dogs (12%) tested positive for at least one pathogen. Hepatozoon canis (6%) was the most prevalent blood parasite, followed by Babesia rossi (4%). There was a single positive sample each for Babesia vogeli (0.6%) and Anaplasma platys (0.6%). Moreover, one mixed infection with Trypanosoma brucei/evansi and Trypanosoma congolense kilifi was confirmed (0.67%). Generally, the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in this sample group of owned dogs in southwest Nigeria was lower than in prior studies from the country and in other parts of Africa in total. This leads to the assumption that, firstly, the exact geographical location has a major influence on the incidence of vector-borne diseases, and, secondly, it seems to make a difference if the dogs are owned and, therefore, regularly checked at a veterinary clinic. This study should raise awareness of the importance of routine health check-ups, tick and mosquito prophylaxis, and a well-managed infectious disease control program to prevent vector-borne diseases in canines.

Epidemiology of malaria among HIV/AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Malaria related HIV morbidity and death is a concern in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the epidemiology of malaria among people living with HIV is vital for adequate intervention. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of malaria in HIV patients in sub-Saharan Africa. We searched PubMed, AJOL, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. The overall pooled prevalence and pooled Odds Ratio (OR) with their 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were estimated using the random-effects model and potential causes of heterogeneity in prevalence estimates were investigated using subgroup and meta-regression analysis. 58 studies, including 23,911 HIV patients, were identified between January 1990 and October 2020. The overall pooled prevalence of malaria in HIV patients was 22.7% (95% CI 18.0; 28.1). The Prevalence of malaria among HIV/AIDS patients was 33.1%, 30.2%, 15.3%, and 12.6% in Southern, Western, Central, and Eastern regions of SSA respectively. Prevalence of malaria in the central and western was higher [26.7% (95% CI 20.6; 33.9)] than 13.6% reported in the southern and eastern regions (95% CI 8.8; 20.5). There was a significant decrease in malaria prevalence among HIV/AIDS patients in the Eastern and Southern SSA regions from 21.9% (95% CI 15.5; 30.0) in the 2000-2010 period to 9.7% (95% CI 5.5-16.4) in the post-2010 period compared to the central and western regions. HIV infected patients with low CD4 + T cell count (CD4 < 200 cells/mm3) were 2.19 times more likely to become infected with malaria than those with high CD4 + T cell count (CD4 ≥ 200 cells/mm3) (pooled odds ratio (POR): 2.19 (95%CI 1.20;3.98), while patients on antiretroviral therapy (POR): 0.37 (0.23; 0.59), and in WHO clinical stages I and II (POR): 0.64 (0.28; 1.46), had a lower odds of been infected with malaria. Our review suggests that due consideration should be given to malaria among HIV/AIDS patients in SSA. In particular, the assessment and improvement of preventive measures for malaria/HIV co-infection in high-prevalence regions is important. For the treatment of both diseases, prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole and antiretroviral therapy should also be encouraged.

Prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection in pregnant women in Nigeria: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection during pregnancy is a major cause of foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The current study estimated the prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection among pregnant women in Nigeria. We systematically searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and AJOL databases for studies that estimated the prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection in pregnant women up to December, 2019, and identified additional studies from reference lists. Twenty-seven studies which fulfilled eligibility criteria were included in final systematic review and meta-analysis. The prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection of individual study varied from 2.1% to 95.4%. Most surveys were performed in the southern parts of Nigeria. We observed a high degree of heterogeneity in most pooled estimates (I2 > 75%; p < 0.01). The pooled estimate of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection prevalence across studies for the entire period was 34.3% (95% CI: 24.0-46.3), ranging from 34.7% (95% CI: 22.8-48.9) in primigravida to 28.5% (95% CI: 15.8-45.8%) in the first trimester. Studies conducted from 2000-2009 (51.3%; 95% CI: 29.1-73.0), southern Nigeria (41.8%; 95% CI: 28.2-56.7), rural areas (52.1%; 95% CI: 19.4-83.0), and median sample size ≥ 246 (41.5; 95% CI: 25.9-58.9), had the highest pooled prevalence. Asymptomatic P. falciparum infection is considered high in pregnant women in Nigeria. This results, therefore, emphasize the need to actively diagnose and treat asymptomatic malaria infection during all antenatal care visits.

Parasitic contamination and public health risk of commonly consumed vegetables in Ibadan-Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: vegetables form a major component of the human diet. However, poor agronomic practices may put consumers at risk of parasitic infections. This study evaluated the parasitic contamination of vegetables grown in selected farms in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty vegetable species: African eggplant (Solanum macrocarpon), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), cucumber (Brassica oleracea), spinach (Amaranthus cruentus), white jute (Corchorus olitorius), pumpkin (Telfaria occidentalis), green pepper (Capsicum sp.), okro (Abelmoschus esculentus), quill grass (Celosia argenta L), tomato (Lycopersicum sativus) were collected from farms within Ibadan. Samples were washed in water, and the resulting washing solution was filtered and centrifuged to concentrate the parasitic stages. Sediments were examined by iodine and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stained smears technique. RESULTS: parasites were detected in 14 (5.0%, 95% CI 32.6%-67.3%) of samples. The highest contaminated vegetable was white jute 32.1 (95% CI 17.9%-50.6%), followed by pumpkin 7.1(95% CI 1.9-22.6), quill grass 7.1% (95% CI 1.9-22.6) and lettuce 3.5 (95% CI 0.6-17.7). The commonest parasites were Strongyloides stercoralis larvae 42.9 (95% CI 21.3-67.4), Entamoeba histolytica/E.dipaar 21.4 (95% CI 7.5-47.5), Trichostrongylus spp 21.4 (95% CI 21.3-67.4), and Ascaris sp. 14.3 (95% CI 4.0-39.9). CONCLUSION: these findings provide evidence of contamination of vegetables from farms in Ibadan with parasites of public health importance. Information on best practices should be designed, packaged and disseminated through appropriate channels to enhance positive behavior change among farmers.