Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease

85-89

Authors: Benjamin Obukowho Emikpe, Olajumoke Abimbola Morenikeji, Theophilus Aghogho Jarikre

Objective: To investigate wildlife diseases in Nigeria spanning across 20 years, highlighting various conditions diagnosed in zoo/wild animals using conventional and ancillary pathological techniques. Methods: The animals were closely examined for signs of illness by the attending veterinarian and clinical samples were taken as appropriate. Carcasses were submitted for detailed necropsy by the experienced pathologists and diagnostic samples were taken for cytological, microbial isolation, parasitic identification and histopathology. Results: Between 1991 and 2014 about 262 carcasses of zoo animals were presented for postmortem comprising ruminants (12.2%), primates (16.8%), carnivores (11.5%), reptiles (20.6%), Equidae (4.2%), rodents (5%) and aviary (29.7%). Pasteurellosis and other forms of respiratory diseases were common in ruminants; pneumonia, trichuriasis and dndocarditis were common in primates; tuberculosis and helminthiasis (ancylostomiasis) were common in carnivores; enteritis and impaction were common in reptiles; cholera, salmonellosis and Newcastle diseases were common in aviary. Conclusions: It is important to know the causes of death in zoo animals and wildlife for purposes of preservation and conservation.

100-105

Authors: Mahmoud Mohammed Kardousha

Objective: To report six species of female mosquitoes caught in CDC gravid traps for the first time in Qatar. Methods: Five traps were installed in Al-Khor community, north-eastern Qatar during the outbreak season between October-November, 2010 and February-March, 2011. Results: The collection revealed that the adult female mosquitoes encountered in the gravid traps were: Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas 1771), Anopheles stephensi (Liston 1901), Culex quinquefasciatus (Say 1823), Culex pipiens biotype molestus (Forskal 1775) (Cx. pipiens molestus), Culex tritaeniorhynchus (Giles 1901) and Ochlerotatus dorsalis (Meigen 1830). Except Cx. pipiens molestus, which was previously recorded, the other five species are reported for the first time in Qatar. Among the collected adult females, Cx. pipiens molestus was the most abundant (67.2%), followed by Culex quinquefasciatus (30.2%). The other species were present in small numbers. All of the recorded species have been collected as larval stages in the previous studies except for Ochlerotatus dorsalis which is collected as adult stage for the first time in the current study. Conclusions: The collected species are of potential medical importance that threaten the northeastern area of Qatar. A surveillance program is urgently required to generate a database of mosquito species in the area.

113-119

Authors: Khalil Mohamed, Adil Bahathiq, Narjes Degnah, Suzan Basuni, Al Bagir Mahdi, Ali Al Malki, Ahmad Babalghith

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in pregnant women in Saudi Arabia and detect the risk factors associated with infection. Methods: Data were collected using questionnaires after the participants signed the consent form. ELISA techniques were used to detect both immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against T. gondii for all samples from the participants. Results: About 326 samples were examined by ELISA to detect IgG and IgM. Seroprevalence of IgG was 21.2% (69) while seroprevalence of IgM was 1.2% (4). The majority of pregnant women [168 (52.0%)] were in the third trimester. The history of abortion occurred in 95 (29.1%) for the first or second time while 31 (9.5%) had abortion three times and more. The study found relationship between previous infection with T. gondii and the height of pregnant women. The women with height less than 150 cm were more affected than others (P < 0.02). Association was observed between eating undercooked meat and infection with T. gondii (P = 0.008). Conclusions: Infection with T. gondii was found among Saudi women. High proportions of women (78.8%) are exposed to primary infection which can lead to abortion. Therefore, it is recommended that educational program to raise awareness to prevent the infection should be commenced without delay.

126-132

Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Azzam, Nahed Mohamed Ismail, Bayaumy Bayaumy Mostafa

Objective: To assess the effect of lining material (cement) of Nubaria canal (Beheira Governorate, Egypt) on its water quality. Methods: Trace metal ions (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd) and bacterial indictors for water samples collected from two types of stations (lined and unlined) during successive four seasons were analyzed. The effect of lining on bacterial indicators; total viable bacterial count at 22 and 37 °C, total coliform, fecal coliform and fecal streptococci and presence of some bacterial species were studied. Results: Bacterial indicators and trace metals showed seasonal variations, where the highest values were recorded during summer. A significant reduction for Cu (P < 0.05), Zn (P < 0.01) and Cd (P < 0.001) was recorded in lined stations compared to those of unlined ones. Bacterial indicators recorded the lowest counts in lined stations during all seasons, while there was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) between total coliform values (1.70 ± 0.50) in lined stations and unlined ones (3.57 ± 1.01) during summer. Escherichia coli bacteria were predominant in water samples of Nubaria canal, where it recorded 34.4% of bacterial isolates. Conclusions: Lined material plays a role for reducing the bacterial growth and metals concentration, therefore the lining of canal helps in preventing the discharge of sewage pollution into canal.

136-140

Authors: Aseer Manilal, Tsegaye Tsalla, Zerihun Zerdo, Gemechu Ameya, Behailu Merdekios, Shiju Easo John

Objective: To evaluate the antibiotic activity of mangrove plant, Avicennia marina (A. marina) against human and shrimp pathogens and to delineate bioactive constituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) profiling. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of the different polar and non-polar extracts of A. marina was inspected by well diffusion technique against 16 bacterial pathogens and two fungal pathogens. Results: Of the six organic extracts examined, methanolic extract of A. marina fairly repressed the growth of all bacterial and fungal pathogenic strains tested. In general, mangrove extract was more active against the bacterial pathogens while against yeasts, the activity was lesser. The antibiotic activity was attributed to the presence of diverse bioactive secondary metabolites. The chemical profiling of the methanolic extract was performed by GC combined with mass spectrometry. The results of GC-MS showed that the main phytoconstituents were benzeneethanol,4-hydroxy- (RT = 12.173), followed by benzaldehyde,3-methyl- (RT = 6.811). Finally, the GC-MS data evinced that the antimicrobial activity of A. marina was due to the synergistic effect of all constituents or the activity of major constituents. Conclusions: Considering the urgent need of novel antibiotics, the present study brings out a new insight on the exploration of mangroves for antibiotic production in future.

147-150

Authors: Krishna Prasad Acharya, Bimal Kumar Nirmal, Krishna Kaphle, Manoj Kumar Mahato, Ganga Prasad Yadav, Hari Bahadur Rana

Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of gastrointestinal and liver parasites in yak in the cold desert area of the Mustang District, Nepal. Methods: Fecal samples were collected over a period of three months from 96 yaks from the high Himalayan District of Mustang, Nepal. The samples were tested for the presence of parasites by direct smear, sedimentation, and floatation techniques. Yak herders were surveyed with pre-tested questionnaires by participatory appraisals to explore their knowledge and awareness of parasitic diseases and health management. Results: Examination of fecal samples revealed that 82 were positive for one or more parasites, giving an overall prevalence of 85.42%, in which 6.25% had single and 79.17% had multiple parasitic infection. Animals with poor body condition scores and young age were more susceptible than their counterparts. Inferior body condition scores were attributed to parasitic burden. No significant difference was noted between worm burden and either the sex of the animal or the altitude. Conclusions: A high proportion of yaks in the lower Mustang Region of Nepal suffered from the mild to moderate parasitic infection, significant enough to contaminate the pasture and spread infection to healthy animals. Complementary studies are needed to establish the impact of parasitism on productive performance. Furthermore, nutrition and health management, including regular and strategic parasite monitoring programs are needed for better health and productivity.

155-159

Authors: Abid Ali, Tayyab Ur Rehman, Naveeda Akhtar Qureshi, Hamid Ur Rahman

Objective: To get a clear epidemiological picture of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a new endemic focus, in order to address the most probable epidemic threats and its spread to the neighboring regions. Methods: A total of 870 clinically diagnosed patients were included in the study after taking consent and filling questionnaires from each individual. The field Giemsa-stained slides and cultures were examined microscopically. The data was organized in tables and graphs and analyzed using statistical package SPSS V 21. Results: The ratio of male was higher than females (499:371), cutaneous and mucocutaneous cases were 96.00% and 4.00%, and only 25.20% patient’s used bed nets. A total of 57.10% had dirty places near their homes. Similar cases in the neighborhood and in families were 48.50% and 67.10% respectively. Only 87.35 % of Patients in the age range of 1–20 years received treatment. Up to five lesions per individual were noticed and 72.20% of them had symptomatic secondary infections. The lesions were observed on different sites of the body. Conclusions: Leishmaniasis is neglected in Landi Kotal Khyber Agency, the reasons being prevailing security situations and political sensitivity. North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan are in contact with Afghanis and with local people of Landi Kotal for logistic purposes. They may act as carriers in co-spreading of the species. There are potential risks of cross border transmission, with the probability of future epidemics in the surrounding regions.

163-166

Authors: Donath Samuel Tarimo

Objective: To investigate community knowledge and perceptions on the management of nonmalarial fevers under reduced malaria burden and the implications on the uptake of artmetherlumefantrine (ALu) for malaria treatment. Methods: A cross sectional survey was carried out in Morogoro Municipality in March 2015 to examine community knowledge and perceptions on the management of fever among underfives and effectiveness of ALu for malaria treatment. Household members were interviewed on knowledge of common childhood illnesses, recognition of fever symptom, and illnesses that present with fever; under-fives with a history of fever and malaria test and use of antimalarials in the last two weeks. Notion of whether every fever is due to malaria and the perceived effectiveness of ALu for malaria treatment was also assessed. Results: Fever was reported in 1 146 (69.2%) under-fives, with malaria being the commonest illness (81.8%) which was highly associated with fever (92.1%); other conditions associated with fever were respiratory (60.0%) and gastroenteric (47.8%) conditions. Malaria test was positive in 257/1 140 (22.5%) under-fives; however 23.2% received ALu. The large majority (84.6%) had the notion that not all fevers are due to malaria. About two thirds (63.4%) believed that ALu has reduced fever episodes; however only about a half (54.6%) rated ALu as being very effective. More than two thirds (70.4%) of the respondents would prefer to continue using ALu as a 1st line drug. Conclusions: Fever is still a major health problem recognized to be associated with not only malaria. There is a need for continuous public education that ALu is still effective.