Association Between Farming Activities and Plasmodium falciparum Transmission in Rural Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Background The connection between malaria-associated morbidities and farming activities has not been succinctly reported. This study aimed to address the connectivity between farming activities and malaria transmission. Methods The study took place in the agricultural setting of Nigeria Edu local government (9° N, 4.9° E) between March 2016 and December 2018. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to obtain information on their occupation and malaria infection. Infection status was confirmed with blood film and microscopic diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum was based on the presence of ring form or any other blood stages. Individuals who are either critically ill or lived in the community less than 3 months were excluded from the study. Results Of the 341 volunteers, 58.1% (52.9% in Shigo and 61.4% in Sista) were infected (parasitaemia density of 1243.7 parasites/μL blood). The prevalence and intensity of infection were higher among farmers (71.3%, 1922.9 parasites/μL blood, P = 0.005), particularly among rice farmers (2991.6 parasites/μL blood) compared to non-farmer participants. The occurrence and parasite density follow the same pattern for sex and age ( P < 0.05). Children in the age of 6 to 10 years (AOR: 2.168, CI: 1.63–2.19) and ≥ 11 years (AOR: 3.750, CI: 2.85–3.80) groups were two-and four-fold more likely to be infected with malaria. The analysis revealed that the proximity of bush and stagnant water to the farmer (73.9%, AOR: 3.242, CI: 2.57–3.61) and non-farmer (38.1%, AOR: 1.362, CI: 1.25–1.41) habitations influence malaria transmission. Conclusion This study highlights farming activities as a risk factor for malaria infection in agro-communities. Integrated malaria control measures in agricultural communities should therefore include water and environmental management practices.

Diversity of Anopheles Larvae in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, North-East Nigeria

“…The very high abundance of Anopheles larvae in paddy (rice field) is presumably due to the early stage of rice growth and heavy rainfall during the survey which agrees with previous findings other researchers who reported that early stages of rice growth have been associated with high densities of mosquito larvae [9][10][11][12][13].Larval counts and density of Anopheles mosquitoes are known to be high during rainy seasons and decline at dry seasons [14]. Studies have shown similar trends where greater assemblages of anopheline species were associated with villages in rice growing which had permanent and diverse larval habitats [15].…”

Malaria transmission and prevalence in rice-growing versus non-rice-growing villages in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Our search yielded 2913 studies after removal of duplicates ( figure 1 ). 53 studies 8 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 (with a total of 113 160 participants) met the inclusion criteria, various subsets of which were included in the quantitative, semi-quantitative, and qualitative analyses depending on the outcome of interest (appendix pp 2–7). 23 (43%) studies reported data on parasite prevalence, five (9%) on malaria incidence, 36 (68%) on human biting rate, 22 (42%) on sporozoite rate, and 19 (36%) on entomological inoculation rate.…”

“…22 studies reported malaria prevalence in rice-growing and non-rice-growing villages and were included in the meta-analysis, with 16 studies 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 33 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 43 , 47 , 49 , 52 , 55 , 58 conducted before 2003 and seven studies 58 , 64 , 66 , 70 , 73 , 74 , 75 since 2003 (one study included analyses both before and since 2003; figure 2 A). Before 2003, rice-growing was not associated with increased malaria prevalence (crude RR 0·82 [95% CI 0·63–1·06], 16 studies, 99 574 participants; adjusted OR [aOR] 0·73 [95% CI 0·57–0·89], two studies, 11 955 participants; appendix p 8).…”

Adaptive admixture atACKR1(the Duffy locus) may have shapedPlasmodium vivaxprevalence in Oman

“…While little documentation exists regarding the presence of P. vivax in Oman beyond the early 1900s, there is evidence of agriculture in some regions of Oman dating back to the first millennium AD 90 . Agriculture has been linked to malaria transmission in several countries [91][92][93] , and P. vivax may have been present in Oman by the time Fy ES was introduced. Whether this could have driven strong selection, however, is unclear.…”