An attempt was made to determine the annual economic losses due to bovine fascioliasis in Nigeria. The estimates were based on an average annual disease incidence of 2.5%, an assumed mortality rate of 1%, a total liver condemnation rate of 7%, a cattle population of 10 million and an annual slaughter rate of 10%. When the annual cost of treating and controlling fascioliasis amounting to N30,000 was added to other costs, total annual loss due to fascioliasis was estimated at some N5 million. The importance of fascioliasis as a major source of production loss in the animal industry in Nigeria is discussed.
Antibodies to phosphorylcholine and carbohydrate determinants responsible for much of the cross-reactivity among nematodes are subclass restricted in humans and absent in the IgG4 subclass. Total IgG and IgG4 antibody responses to Onchocerca volvulus were examined by enzyme immunoassay and by immunoblot. Significant background IgG reactivity was detected in both assays in US control sera and sera from patients with intestinal nematode infections, but background reactivity was negligible in the IgG4 assays. IgG4 antibodies were detected by enzyme immunoassay in 17 of 18 Nigerian onchocerciasis serum samples and in 2 of 9 endemic control serum samples. Cross-reactive IgG4 antibodies were present in serum pools from patients infected with other filariae. IgG4 antibodies recognized a restricted subset of O. volvulus antigens in immunoblots relative to IgG. These results confirm the previously reported enhanced specificity of IgG4 antibody assays for filariasis and extend the observation to include onchocerciasis. Whereas IgG4 subclass antibody serology is more specific than measurement of total IgG antibodies for onchocerciasis, cross-reactivity among filariae limits the utility of this approach.
115 blood donors were screened for the presence of malaria and other blood parasites at the Blood Bank, University College Hospital, Ibadan, between January and July, 1984. 11.3% of these had blood parasites; 7.8% had Plasmodium falciparum with parasitaemias from 0.03-0.2%, and 3.5% had Loa loa microfilaraemia. No other blood parasites were observed. Serological examination by the indirect fluorescent antibody test revealed that 86% of the donors had malaria antibody with reciprocal titres ranging from 16 to 512. There was no significant association between ABO blood group and malaria parasitaemia or antibody titre.
The bacterial and parasitic infections associated with field cases of bovine fascioliasis due to Fasciola gigantica were investigated; 47.6% of infected cattle had blood parasites, 61.9% had faecal-borne parasites and 85.8% had positive bacterial isolates in the bile in contrast to 13.3% with blood parasites, 71.1% with faecal-borne parasites and 28.9% positive for bile bacteria among uninfected cattle. Trypanosoma spp., Babesia, Paramphistomum and Schistosoma were the most commonly found parasites associated with fascioliasis. On the other hand Staphylococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and mixed infections of these with other Enterobacteriaceae were the common bacteria isolated from the bile of infected cattle. The parasitaemia of Babesia was significantly higher in infected than uninfected cattle but there was no significant difference in strongyle egg count between the 2 groups of cattle.
A total of 120 gastro-intestinal tracts and 960 faecal samples were examined to assess the prevalence and seasonal changes in the gastro-intestinal helminth parasites of Red Sokoto (maradi) goats slaughtered at Ibadan between May 1991 and April 1992. Egg types of strongyles, Strongyloides, Trichuris, Skrjabinema, Dicrocoelium and Moniezia were encountered in 93%, 83%, 44%, 0.9%, 2.3% and 31% of the faecal samples respectively. However, only strongyle, Strongyloides and Trichuris eggs occurred in large numbers and were more common during the rainy season than in the dry season. The parasites recorded and their prevalences were Haemonchus contortus (90.0%), H. ovis (5.0%), Strongyloides papillosus (80.8%), Trichostrongylus colubriformis (78.3%), T. axei (69.2%), Trichuris ovis (72.5%), T. globulosa (38.3%), Oesophagostomum columbianum (67.5%), Cooperia curticei (58.3%) Gaigeria pachyscelis (40.8%), Skrjabinema ovis (5.0%), Nematodirus battus (5.8%), Moniezia expansa (29.2%), M. benedeni (10.0%), Paramphistomum spp. (5.0%) and Cysticercus tenuicollis (33.3%). Haemonchus ovis is reported for the first time in Nigeria. Mixed infections were most prevalent. Young goats were more commonly infected and had higher worm counts than adult goats. Only Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Strongyloides and Cooperia spp. occurred in large numbers. Irrespective of the age of the goats, higher worm counts were generally encountered during the rainy season than in the dry season. The results are discussed in relation to the control of helminthiasis in grazing animals in Nigeria.
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