Malaria Endemicity in the Rural Communities of Ebonyi State,Nigeria

Malaria remains a global health threat. Approximately 97% of the population is at risk in sub-Saharan countries, particularly Nigeria. This study compared the performance of 2 diagnostic methods in assessing malaria endemicity in the rural communities of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 1,140 study participants were screened for malaria parasite using Rapid Diagnostic Test kits (RDT) in the field, while thick and thin films for microscopy were examined in the laboratory. Our result showed that malaria prevalence was 56.8 by RDT and 38.6% by microscopic test. Age group under 10 years had the highest prevalence of 28.9% (RDT) and 23.6% (microscopy), respectively. The highest prevalence of 19.5% by RDT was recorded in Onicha Local Government Area, while the highest prevalence of 13.4% with microscopy was recorded in Ezza North Local Government Area. The sensitivity and specificity of microscopic examination were both 100%, while those of RDT were 95.5% and 75.9%, respectively.     

Resource limitation,habitat segregation,and species interactions of british tree-hole mosquitoes in nature

Summary The insect fauna of water-filled tree holes in southern Britain consists primarily of the mosquitoes Aedes geniculatus, Anopheles plumbeus, Culex torrentium, and a benthic detritivorous fauna that includes primarily the scirtid beetle Prionocyphon serricornis and the chironomid midge Metriocnemus martinii. Culex torrentium has been documented only relatively recently in tree holes but all three species of mosquitoes partition the resource in space and time. When mosquito larvae were forced to coexist in natural tree holes at limiting densities and at higher than natural levels of interspecific encounter, there was no evidence that Aedes geniculatus or Anopheles plumbeus affected pupation success, pupal weight, or development time of the other or that either Aedes geniculatus or C. torrentium affected the survivorship, pupation success, pupal weight, and biomass yield of the other. When A. geniculatus at limiting densities were forced in natural tree holes to live without or to coexist with natural or twice natural densities of P. serricornis and M. martinii, the presence, absence, or superabundance of the benthic insects did not affect pupation success or pupal weight of A. geniculatus; development time of A. geniculatus was faster when a superabundance of the benthic fauna was present. Effects of the benthic fauna on A. geniculatus are slight and the only significant interaction is facilitative, not competitive. The pattern of habitat segregation among treehole mosquitoes in southern Britain is characteristic of their respective genera and we propose that this pattern is more likely (but not certain) to have arisen through a process of independent evolution than through competitively driven niche shifts among already coexisting species.