Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2018
Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals a... more Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals and humans worldwide. However, little is known about T. gondii infection among preschool-aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study of 272 preschool children aged 2.25±1.09 years from four communities (Edunabon, Erin-Ijesha, Ijebu-jesa and Ile-Ife) in Osun State, Nigeria was conducted between January and July 2016, and the demographic data was obtained via questionnaires. Antibody titres against T. gondii of serum samples were assessed by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 6.9% (19/272). There was no significant difference in seroprevalence of T. gondii infection between boys (7.04%; 10/142) and girls (6.92%; 9/130; p=0.97). No associations were found between age, gender, parental educational level, occupation and religion, and T. gondii seropositivity. None showed statistical significance between the risk factors tested after multivariate adjustment; neve...
Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenom... more Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenomenon in Nigeria. Seroepidemiological studies have not been previously carried out among the preschool aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted in pre-school children in four communities from Osun State, Nigeria between January and July 2016. A total of 308 children Aged 9 months and 5 years were studied comprising 53.2% (164/308) male and 46.8% (144/308) female. Blood samples were collected and screened for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larva T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24 - 35kDa specific for T. canis. Questionnaires were given to parents/guardians of the studied children to collect information regarding relationship between infection and host factors. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 37.3%. The seroprevalence in the studied prescho...
... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against fa... more ... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against falciparum infection in Barkin Ladi, an area of multi-drug resistant malaria. NB Molta, S Oguche, SD Pam, IC Omalu, VP Gyang, JO Dabit. Abstract. ...
Background: Buruli ulcer is a chronic, indolent, necrotizing infectious disease of the skin and s... more Background: Buruli ulcer is a chronic, indolent, necrotizing infectious disease of the skin and soft tissues characterized by the formation of large ulcers, often in the arms or legs. Nigeria is a Buruli ulcer disease (BUD)endemic country with its control programme still in infancy. As a result, samples are sent to laboratories outside the country. Some patients go to neighbouring countries with more established programmes for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a basis of diagnosis and treatment. Hence, this study was embarked upon to assist the national control programme in overcoming the PCR diagnosis test challenge. Method: This was a cross-sectional and community-based type of study of Buruli ulcer patients from 15 states,mostly from southern Nigeria; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Swab and Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) samples were received from Janu...
Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenom... more Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenomenon in Nigeria. Seroepidemiological studies have not been previously carried out among the preschool aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted in pre-school children in four communities from Osun State, Nigeria between January and July 2016. A total of 308 children Aged 9 months and 5 years were studied comprising 53.2% (164/308) male and 46.8% (144/308) female. Blood samples were collected and screened for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larva T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24 - 35kDa specific for T. canis. Questionnaires were given to parents/guardians of the studied children to collect information regarding relationship between infection and host factors. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 37.3%. The seroprevalence in the studied prescho...
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, Feb 1, 2015
Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described as the most widespread zoonotic infe... more Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described as the most widespread zoonotic infection of humans and other animals. Information concerning T. gondii infection among schoolchildren is unavailable in Lagos City, Nigeria. Methods: This crosssectional study investigated the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection among primary schoolchildren (PSC) from a community located in the center of Lagos, southern Nigeria, from November 2013 to March 2014. A total of 382 PSC were screened for the presence of sera anti-T. gondii antibodies using a latex agglutination test (TOXO Test-MT, Tokyo, Japan). A cutoff titer of ≥ 1:32 was considered positive, while titers ≥ 1:1,024 indicated high responders. Questionnaires were also used to obtain data on possible risk factors from parents/guardians. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 24% (91/382), and 83.5% (76/91) of seropositive PSC were classifi ed as high responders. Among the risk factors tested, including contact with cats and soil, consumption of raw meat and vegetables, and drinking unboiled water, none showed statistical signifi cance after multivariate adjustment. No associations were observed among age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and parents' occupation/educational level. Conclusions: The fi ndings in this study show evidence of active infection, and hence, there is need for urgent preventive measures in this city. Further investigation is required to clarify the transmission routes. Policy makers also need to initiate prevention and control programs to protect pregnant women and immunocompromised patients in particular because they are more severely affected by T. gondii infection.
Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, Feb 1, 2019
Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among school aged children (SAC) in Nigeria remains endemi... more Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among school aged children (SAC) in Nigeria remains endemic, hence the need for regular surveillance to attract the attention of policy makers. This cross-sectional study investigated the current prevalence and factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections among school aged children in an urban slum of Lagos City, Nigeria. Single stool samples from 384 school aged children (188 boys and 196 girls) were examined by employing Merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration (MIFC) and Kato-Katz methods. Demographic characteristics and risk factors were obtained by questionnaires investigation. The overall prevalence was 86.2% in school children, out of them 39.1% had polyparasitism. IPIs showed the highest to the lowest prevalence of 62% (238/384), 25% (97/384), 12.3% (47/384), 11.8% (45/384), 9.9% (38/384), 8.4% (32/384), 3.4% (13/384), and 0.5% (2/384) found in Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Giardia duodenalis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Trichuris trichiura, Blastocystis hominis, and hookworm infections, respectively. MIFC technique showed superiority to Kato-Katz technique in the detection of IPIs (p < 0.0001). Drinking untreated water was a significant risk factor for these school aged children in acquiring protozoan infections after multivariate adjustment (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.08-3.20, p = 0.02). Intestinal parasitic infections are very severe among school aged children in the urban slums, thus regular mass de-worming programs, health education, and the provision of safe drinking water is recommended to combat IPIs among the school aged children.
Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals a... more Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals and humans worldwide. However, little is known about T. gondii infection among preschool-aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study of 272 preschool children aged 2.25±1.09 years from four communities (Edunabon, Erin-Ijesha, Ijebu-jesa and Ile-Ife) in Osun State, Nigeria was conducted between January and July 2016, and the demographic data was obtained via questionnaires. Antibody titres against T. gondii of serum samples were assessed by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 6.9% (19/272). There was no significant difference in seroprevalence of T. gondii infection between boys (7.04%; 10/142) and girls (6.92%; 9/130; p=0.97). No associations were found between age, gender, parental educational level, occupation and religion, and T. gondii seropositivity. None showed statistical significance between the risk factors tested after multivariate adjustment; nevertheless, residing in Ijebu-jesa community was shown to be associated with an increased risk of infection (p=0.04). This is the first report of T. gondii infection among preschool children in Nigeria. Prevalence studies such as this could help in the development of strategies for the future for disease prevention and control of T. gondii transmission.
... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against fa... more ... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against falciparum infection in Barkin Ladi, an area of multi-drug resistant malaria. NB Molta, S Oguche, SD Pam, IC Omalu, VP Gyang, JO Dabit. Abstract. ...
In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in southern Nigeria... more In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in southern Nigeria, which previously was unknown, in addition to evaluating disease awareness and potential risk factors for schoolchildren in an urban slum community. In total, 366 primary schoolchildren were investigated for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. Blood was collected and screened by a Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larval T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24-35kDa specific for T. canis. Children were considered seropositive if their serum reacted with TcES when diluted to a titer of 1:32. Questionnaires concerning possible risk factors were given to the schoolchildren to acquire data on this infection. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 86.1% (315/366). The logistic regression analysis of risk factors showed that children's age (odds ratio (OR)=2.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08-7.66, p=0.03), contact with dogs (OR=0.51, 95% CI=0.28-0.94, p=0.03), the age of the dog (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.18-0.68, p=0.002), the feeding location of the dog (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.12-0.79, p=0.01), the consumption of raw vegetables (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.54-1.48, p=0.004), and the drinking of unboiled water (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.26-0.90, p=0.02) were risk factors associated with Toxocara infection. Although there was a high awareness of dogs being hosts of some parasites in this study, not much was known about T. canis. This is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among primary schoolchildren in southern Nigeria. The high seroprevalence recorded is an indication of high transmission with the consequent risk of visceral or ocular larval migrans and neurologic toxocariasis in these children. Our findings suggest the need for prompt interventional measures, particularly health education on personal hygiene.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2018
Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals a... more Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals and humans worldwide. However, little is known about T. gondii infection among preschool-aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study of 272 preschool children aged 2.25±1.09 years from four communities (Edunabon, Erin-Ijesha, Ijebu-jesa and Ile-Ife) in Osun State, Nigeria was conducted between January and July 2016, and the demographic data was obtained via questionnaires. Antibody titres against T. gondii of serum samples were assessed by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 6.9% (19/272). There was no significant difference in seroprevalence of T. gondii infection between boys (7.04%; 10/142) and girls (6.92%; 9/130; p=0.97). No associations were found between age, gender, parental educational level, occupation and religion, and T. gondii seropositivity. None showed statistical significance between the risk factors tested after multivariate adjustment; neve...
Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenom... more Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenomenon in Nigeria. Seroepidemiological studies have not been previously carried out among the preschool aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted in pre-school children in four communities from Osun State, Nigeria between January and July 2016. A total of 308 children Aged 9 months and 5 years were studied comprising 53.2% (164/308) male and 46.8% (144/308) female. Blood samples were collected and screened for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larva T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24 - 35kDa specific for T. canis. Questionnaires were given to parents/guardians of the studied children to collect information regarding relationship between infection and host factors. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 37.3%. The seroprevalence in the studied prescho...
... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against fa... more ... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against falciparum infection in Barkin Ladi, an area of multi-drug resistant malaria. NB Molta, S Oguche, SD Pam, IC Omalu, VP Gyang, JO Dabit. Abstract. ...
Background: Buruli ulcer is a chronic, indolent, necrotizing infectious disease of the skin and s... more Background: Buruli ulcer is a chronic, indolent, necrotizing infectious disease of the skin and soft tissues characterized by the formation of large ulcers, often in the arms or legs. Nigeria is a Buruli ulcer disease (BUD)endemic country with its control programme still in infancy. As a result, samples are sent to laboratories outside the country. Some patients go to neighbouring countries with more established programmes for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a basis of diagnosis and treatment. Hence, this study was embarked upon to assist the national control programme in overcoming the PCR diagnosis test challenge. Method: This was a cross-sectional and community-based type of study of Buruli ulcer patients from 15 states,mostly from southern Nigeria; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Swab and Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) samples were received from Janu...
Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenom... more Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenomenon in Nigeria. Seroepidemiological studies have not been previously carried out among the preschool aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted in pre-school children in four communities from Osun State, Nigeria between January and July 2016. A total of 308 children Aged 9 months and 5 years were studied comprising 53.2% (164/308) male and 46.8% (144/308) female. Blood samples were collected and screened for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larva T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24 - 35kDa specific for T. canis. Questionnaires were given to parents/guardians of the studied children to collect information regarding relationship between infection and host factors. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 37.3%. The seroprevalence in the studied prescho...
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, Feb 1, 2015
Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described as the most widespread zoonotic infe... more Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described as the most widespread zoonotic infection of humans and other animals. Information concerning T. gondii infection among schoolchildren is unavailable in Lagos City, Nigeria. Methods: This crosssectional study investigated the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection among primary schoolchildren (PSC) from a community located in the center of Lagos, southern Nigeria, from November 2013 to March 2014. A total of 382 PSC were screened for the presence of sera anti-T. gondii antibodies using a latex agglutination test (TOXO Test-MT, Tokyo, Japan). A cutoff titer of ≥ 1:32 was considered positive, while titers ≥ 1:1,024 indicated high responders. Questionnaires were also used to obtain data on possible risk factors from parents/guardians. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 24% (91/382), and 83.5% (76/91) of seropositive PSC were classifi ed as high responders. Among the risk factors tested, including contact with cats and soil, consumption of raw meat and vegetables, and drinking unboiled water, none showed statistical signifi cance after multivariate adjustment. No associations were observed among age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and parents' occupation/educational level. Conclusions: The fi ndings in this study show evidence of active infection, and hence, there is need for urgent preventive measures in this city. Further investigation is required to clarify the transmission routes. Policy makers also need to initiate prevention and control programs to protect pregnant women and immunocompromised patients in particular because they are more severely affected by T. gondii infection.
Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, Feb 1, 2019
Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among school aged children (SAC) in Nigeria remains endemi... more Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among school aged children (SAC) in Nigeria remains endemic, hence the need for regular surveillance to attract the attention of policy makers. This cross-sectional study investigated the current prevalence and factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections among school aged children in an urban slum of Lagos City, Nigeria. Single stool samples from 384 school aged children (188 boys and 196 girls) were examined by employing Merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration (MIFC) and Kato-Katz methods. Demographic characteristics and risk factors were obtained by questionnaires investigation. The overall prevalence was 86.2% in school children, out of them 39.1% had polyparasitism. IPIs showed the highest to the lowest prevalence of 62% (238/384), 25% (97/384), 12.3% (47/384), 11.8% (45/384), 9.9% (38/384), 8.4% (32/384), 3.4% (13/384), and 0.5% (2/384) found in Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Giardia duodenalis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Trichuris trichiura, Blastocystis hominis, and hookworm infections, respectively. MIFC technique showed superiority to Kato-Katz technique in the detection of IPIs (p < 0.0001). Drinking untreated water was a significant risk factor for these school aged children in acquiring protozoan infections after multivariate adjustment (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.08-3.20, p = 0.02). Intestinal parasitic infections are very severe among school aged children in the urban slums, thus regular mass de-worming programs, health education, and the provision of safe drinking water is recommended to combat IPIs among the school aged children.
Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals a... more Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis in animals and humans worldwide. However, little is known about T. gondii infection among preschool-aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study of 272 preschool children aged 2.25±1.09 years from four communities (Edunabon, Erin-Ijesha, Ijebu-jesa and Ile-Ife) in Osun State, Nigeria was conducted between January and July 2016, and the demographic data was obtained via questionnaires. Antibody titres against T. gondii of serum samples were assessed by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 6.9% (19/272). There was no significant difference in seroprevalence of T. gondii infection between boys (7.04%; 10/142) and girls (6.92%; 9/130; p=0.97). No associations were found between age, gender, parental educational level, occupation and religion, and T. gondii seropositivity. None showed statistical significance between the risk factors tested after multivariate adjustment; nevertheless, residing in Ijebu-jesa community was shown to be associated with an increased risk of infection (p=0.04). This is the first report of T. gondii infection among preschool children in Nigeria. Prevalence studies such as this could help in the development of strategies for the future for disease prevention and control of T. gondii transmission.
... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against fa... more ... Efficacy of single-dose amodiaquine co-administered with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine against falciparum infection in Barkin Ladi, an area of multi-drug resistant malaria. NB Molta, S Oguche, SD Pam, IC Omalu, VP Gyang, JO Dabit. Abstract. ...
In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in southern Nigeria... more In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in southern Nigeria, which previously was unknown, in addition to evaluating disease awareness and potential risk factors for schoolchildren in an urban slum community. In total, 366 primary schoolchildren were investigated for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. Blood was collected and screened by a Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larval T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24-35kDa specific for T. canis. Children were considered seropositive if their serum reacted with TcES when diluted to a titer of 1:32. Questionnaires concerning possible risk factors were given to the schoolchildren to acquire data on this infection. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 86.1% (315/366). The logistic regression analysis of risk factors showed that children's age (odds ratio (OR)=2.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08-7.66, p=0.03), contact with dogs (OR=0.51, 95% CI=0.28-0.94, p=0.03), the age of the dog (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.18-0.68, p=0.002), the feeding location of the dog (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.12-0.79, p=0.01), the consumption of raw vegetables (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.54-1.48, p=0.004), and the drinking of unboiled water (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.26-0.90, p=0.02) were risk factors associated with Toxocara infection. Although there was a high awareness of dogs being hosts of some parasites in this study, not much was known about T. canis. This is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among primary schoolchildren in southern Nigeria. The high seroprevalence recorded is an indication of high transmission with the consequent risk of visceral or ocular larval migrans and neurologic toxocariasis in these children. Our findings suggest the need for prompt interventional measures, particularly health education on personal hygiene.
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