Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Lassa fever (LF) is a zoonotic infectious disease of public concern in Nigeria. The infection dynamics of the disease is not well elucidated in Nigeria. This study was carried out to describe the pattern of infection, case fatality rate and spread of lassa virus (LASV) from 2017 to 2020. Methods Weekly epidemiological data on LF from December, 2016 to September, 2020 were obtained from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The number of confirmed cases and deaths were computed according to months and states. Descriptive statistics was performed and case fatality rate was calculated. Distribution and spread maps of LF over the four years period was performed on ArcMap 10.7. Results A total of 2787 confirmed cases and 516 deaths were reported in Nigeria from December, 2016 to September, 2020. Increase in number of cases and deaths were observed with 298, 528, 796 and 1165 confirmed cases and 79, 125, 158 and 158 deaths in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. Over 60% of the cases were reported in two states, Edo and Ondo states. The LF cases spread from 19 states in 2017 to 32 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 2020. Ondo state (25.39%) had the highest of deaths rate from LF over the four years. Case fatality rate (CFR) of LF was highest in 2017 (26.5%) with CFR of 23.7, 19.6 and 13.4% in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. The peak of infection was in the month of February for the four years. Infections increases at the onset of dry season in November and decline till April when the wet season sets-in. Conclusion There is an annual increase in the number of LASV infection across the states in Nigeria. There is need to heighten control strategies through the use of integrated approach, ranging from vector control, health education and early diagnosis.

The need for a reliable risk map in the control of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in Kogi East, North Central Nigeria is very important. This study was carried out to determine the effect of environmental risk factors on geospatial distribution of STHs. Epidemiological data were obtained from a district-wide survey conducted in 2018 in Kogi East. Edaphic and climatic factors were downloaded as spatial layers from international recognised health data resources centres. A total of 24 environmental factors were used in determining the risk map of STHs using MaxEnt tool. The predicted high-risk areas of A. lumbricoides , hookworms and S. stercoralis were the central part of Kogi East covering parts of Dekina, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Olamaboro and Omala LGAs with probability of 0.8 to 1.00. Among the factors investigated; Temperature [mean diurnal temperature range (BIO2), temperature annual range (BIO7) and maximum temperature of the warmest month (BIO5)], precipitation [precipitation of the wettest quarter (BIO16)], and soil clay contents were the five factors that exerted most significant influence on the geospatial distribution of STHs in Kogi East, Nigeria. Public health control programmes on STHs should target high-risk areas by including them in mass drug administration, health education as well as provision of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructures.

Anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei and anti-Trypanosoma congolense activities of sera from two species of uninfected zoo-primates, Erythrocebus patas (red patas monkey) and Chlorocebus tantalus (tantalus monkey) were investigated. The sera were screened using thick films and haematocrit centrifugation technique (HCT), to ensure that the donor primates were not infected with trypanosomes. Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Federe strain) and Trypanosoma congolense were suspended in supplemented RPMI (Rossvelt Park Memorial Institute) 1640 medium and the motility of the parasite was used as index of viability after the addition of each test serum. The selected primate sera exhibited some degree of anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei activities in vitro. Red patas monkey serum had an inhibition index of 0.27, while that of Tantalus monkey was 0.34, against Trypanosoma brucei brucei, with mean survival times of 22.00±1.73 hours for red patas monkey serum and 19.67±0.58 hours for tantalus monkey serum, which are significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the control (30.00±0.00 hours). The selected primate sera had pronounced inhibitory activities against Trypanosoma congolense. Sera from the two species of primate had very high anti-Trypanosoma congolense activity showing an inhibition index of 0.91 for Red patas monkey serum and 0.90 for Tantalus monkey serum, with marked and significant reduction (P<0.05) in survival time of 7.00±1.73 hours in Red patas monkey serum and 7.67±0.58 hours in Tantalus monkey serum, compared with the control (74.00±1.00 hours). The in vitro anti-trypanosomal activity of the serum samples was shown to be cidal in nature. The activity was not associated with xanthine oxidase. This study revealed that sera from red patas monkey and tantalus monkey had a moderate anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei activity and a very high anti-Trypanosoma congolense activity in vitro suggesting the presence of some non-specific materials. The mechanisms that allow trypanosomiasis-resistant animals to control blood trypanosomes are being investigated, to identify non-specific factors that kill trypanosomes or limit their proliferation, contributing to host resistance. For instance, xanthine oxidase has been isolated and identified as the protein that kills trypanosomes in Cape buffalo. Humans and several other primates are also known to be resistant to infection by several animal-specific trypanosome species. In this study, sera from some zoo primates, red patas monkey and tantalus monkey, tested on Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma congolense in vitro, showed a slight anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei activity and a very high anti-Trypanosoma congolense activity. These activities were shown to be cidal in nature and not associated with the protein xanthine oxidase. The authors suggest that non-specific factors other than the enzyme xanthine oxidase might have accounted for the sera anti-trypanosomal activities.