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At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Xanthoderma: case report and differential diagnosis.

There are many possible causes of yellow-orange discoloration of the skin. It is important to ascertain the presence or absence of scleral icterus in determining the diagnosis. Yellow sclerae are found in patients with all causes of hyperbilirubinemia due to the predilection of bilirubin for elastic tissue. The sclerae are also involved in the staining due to some drugs such as quinacrine. Hypercarotenemia, lycopenemia, and riboflavinemia do not involve the sclerae. In our case there are several possible causes for yellow-orange pigmentation of the skin. The patient had malaria, as well as a history of hepatitis, both of which could have resulted in hyperbilirubinemia. However, a bilirubin level of 1.2 mg/100 ml was not sufficient to result in jaundice. The most important finding was that his sclerae were uninvolved, leading us to consider other causes of yellow-orange coloration. The localization of the pigment to the palms and soles is consistent clinically with the diagnosis of hypercarotenemia. This was verified by a serum beta-carotene level slightly above normal. In this case, the carotenemia was due to the ingestion of red palm oil, which the patient had consumed in great quantities while living in Liberia. The surprisingly low level of serum beta-carotene is explained by the fact that he had not consumed red palm oil or another concentrated source of carotene for about three months since living in the United States. Due to the lipophilic nature of the carotenoids, sufficient amounts remained in the tissue to produce discoloration for up to five months, regardless of serum levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Abortive development of Wuchereria bancrofti in a West African strain of Culex pipiens fatigans.

The detailed morphology of the larvae of Wuchereria bancrofti developing in a refractory strain of Culex pipiens fatigans from Liberia, West Africa, has been described. The abortive development of the parasite in the thoracic muscles of the mosquito was characterized mainly by: (i) retardation or complete failure of initial division of the G-cell, (ii) partial or complete encapsulation of developing larvae, especially at the anal and excretory vesicle areas of late first-stage, (iii) breakdown of the forming internal structures with formation of clusters of DNA-and RNA-positive material, and (iv) anomalous development of some larvae in which extra-corporeal growth of internal tissues took place.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1972

Human infection with monkeypox virus: laboratory investigation of six cases in West Africa.

Between September 1970 and May 1971 six cases of human infection with monkeypox virus were identified in three West African countries-Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Four of the cases were confirmed by viral isolation, and two were diagnosed on epidemiological and serological evidence. Poxvirus strains isolated from the four cases were indistinguishable from reference monkeypox strains (Copenhagen and Utrecht), and all were easily differentiated from variola and vaccinia viruses. The isolated strains produced small necrotic haemorrhagic pocks on CAM, grew well at 39.0 degrees C, formed large plaques in Vero cell cultures, showed markedly more virulence for chick embryos and mice than do variola strains, and produced large necrotic haemorrhagic local lesions with generalized illness and florid secondary exanthem when inoculated into rabbit skin.The finding of smallpox-like illness in humans resulting from infection with a poxvirus of lower animal origin serves to emphasize the importance of thorough epidemiological and laboratory evaluation of all suspect smallpox cases occurring in areas where smallpox has been or is about to be eradicated.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1979

Some observations on onchocerciasis including sowda in the Yemen Arab Republic.

A pilot study on onchocerciasis and sowda was carried out in the south-western region of the Yemen Arab Republic. Of 61 persons examined in eight villages 35 (= 57%) were found positive for microfilariae by the skin-snip method, 13 had typical manifestations of sowda, 17 had other onchocercal-suggestive skin lesions and five had subcutaneous nodules. A single larva of Simulium damnosum s.I. was collected in Wadi Barakani. Numerous larvae and pupae of S. ruficorne and S. hargreavesi were taken in fast-flowing streams in four localities. The examination of microfilariae and adult worms by scanning electron microscopy as well as the histochemical staining of microfilariae for the demonstration of acid phosphatase activity confirmed that the concerned filaria belongs to the species Onchocerca volvulus. No morphological differences could be detected between the smaller number of the examined worms from the Yemen and the extensive parasite material from Liberia, West Africa.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Lessons learned from applied field research activities in Africa during the malaria eradication era.

The Malaria Conference in Equatorial Africa, convened by the World Health Organization in 1950 in Kampala, Uganda, was a milestone in the history of modern malaria control activities on the continent of Africa. It presented and assessed the available international information on epidemiological aspects of this disease and attempted to coordinate the various methods of research and control of malaria. Its two main recommendations were that malaria should be controlled by all available methods, irrespective of the degree of endemicity of the disease, and that the benefits that malaria control might bring to the indigenous population should be evaluated.The first period of field research and pilot control projects in Africa was between 1950 and 1964. A large number of studies in several African countries showed that the use of residual insecticides such as DDT and HCH might decrease, at times considerably, the amount of malaria transmission, but interruption of transmission could not be achieved, except in two relatively small projects in the forest areas of Cameroon and Liberia. During the second period, from 1965 to 1974, the difficulties of malaria eradication and control in Africa became more evident because of the development of resistance of Anopheles gambiae to DDT, HCH, and dieldrin; moreover administrative, logistic, and financial problems had emerged. It became clear that the prospects for malaria control (let alone those for eradication) were related to the availability of a network of basic health services. A number of "pre-eradication" programmes were set up in order to develop better methods of malaria control and to improve the rural health infrastructures. Much field research on the chemotherapy of malaria was carried out and the value of collective or selective administration of antimalarial drugs was fully recognized, although it became obvious that this could not play an important part in the decrease of transmission of malaria in Africa.The role of research as one of the ways of solving the technical problems of malaria control in tropical Africa was stressed from the early days of the global malaria eradication programme; the past ten years have seen an immense expansion of this activity.

Africa↗
PubMed1978

[Investigations on the susceptibility of Mastomys natalensis to Trypanosoma (trypanozoon) brucei gambiense (author's transl)].

Mastomys natalensis ("redeyed variant") proved to be as susceptible as suckling rats to infections with Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei gambiense (14 passages after isolation). The susceptibility of M. natalensis and rats was significantly higher than that of mice. After 21 further passages the T. (T.) b. gambiense strain was fully adapted to M. natalensis. Polymorphic trypanosome strains could be isolated from pigs and dogs in Liberia using M. natalensis as recipient rodents. Some of these strains were examined for their sensitivity to human plasma in the "blood incubation infectivity test" (BIIT) using M. natalensis as well. 6 strains were highly resistant resp. subresistant to human plasma and can be regarded as potentially infective (T. (T.) b. gambiense) for man. Referring to the investigations 1.) on the susceptibility, 2.) the isolation of trypanosome strains of the subgenus Trypanozoon from animal and 3.) the biological differentiation of these strains in the BIIT, M. natalensis can be regarded as suitable experimental animals for field and laboratory studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Acid phosphatase patterns in microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus s.l. from the Upper Orinoco Basin, Venezuela.

The patterns of acid phosphatase in strains of Onchocerca volvulus s.l. which parasitize an Amerindian population (Yanomami) in Venezuela's Upper Orinoco Basin were examined by using the naphthol AS-TR phosphate method. The study sample consisted of 40 Yanomami inhabiting a savannah area at 950 m above sea level and 21 Yanomami residents of a tropical rainforest area at an altitude of 250 m. Stained intrauterine microfilariae, still within the egg case, exhibited a diffuse distribution of the enzyme in the early stages of embryonic development and a negative reaction at a more developed stage. Four of the five enzyme staining patterns described by Omar (1978) were found in the 3157 microfilariae examined from skin snips. Their distribution was: Type I--17.2%, Type III--0.5%, Type IV--75.6% and Type V--6.6%. No examples of Type II were observed. The results indicate that acid phosphatase patterns of the Upper Orinoco Onchocerca strain most resemble those of strains from Guatemala and Yemen, and are different from the African strains found in Upper Volta and Liberia. The relative frequency of acid phosphatase patterns was modified by cryopreservation of microfilariae.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1980

Scanning electron microscope study on larvae of Wuchereria bancrofti from the vector and from experimental rodent hosts.

The surface structures of larvae of Wuchereria bancrofti from Liberia were examined by scanning electron microscopy. For this study microfilariae from man, first-stage, second-stage, and third-stage larvae from the vector Aedes aegypti, and fourth-stage larvae from the experimental rodent hosts Mastomys natalensis and Meriones unguiculatus were available. From these larvae the structure of the anterior ends, the cuticle in the midbody regions, and the posterior ends are presented. As an obvious structure at the anterior end of the microfilaria and the first-stage larva there is a cephalic cap with a hook on its left side. Three spines are found on the right side close behind the border of the cap. The amphidial openings are found immediately beside the cephalic cap. A simply formed oval mouth is found in the second-stage larva. A small elevation is situated on each side of the mouth. On the anterior end of the third-stage larva there are eight papillae. The four outer papillae are round, the four inner papillae are cone-shaped. The caudal extremity of this larva carries three characteristic bubble like papillae. The mouth of the fourth-stage larva from the experimental rodent host is surrounded by an oral field. The cephalic papillae are indented and the amphidial openings are associated with papillary protuberances. The cuticle of these larvae is regularly annulated. On the caudal extremity, the dorsal papilla is reduced.

Aedes↗
PubMed1982

The fine structure of adult Onchocerca volvulus. II. The intestine and the reproductive system of the male worm.

The morphology of the gut and the genital duct of five male worms from Liberia and two male worms at least five years old, from Upper Volta are described. The lumen of the intestine can be distended vesicularly or it can be reduced to a cleft which is filled with microvilli. The intestinal epithelium contains concentric spherules or dense bodies with piles of lamellae. In parts of the intestine of a live worm the cells can be completely disintegrated. The wall of the testis consists of a squamous epithelium which contains numerous dense bodies on the luminal side. The wall of the vas deferens is a squamous or cuboid epithelium which contains glycogen and various particles. In the ejaculatory duct the epithelial cells are linked together by desmosomes at their luminal side. The brownish appearance of some organs under the light microscope is related to the accumulation of iron containing particles.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Onchocerciasis diagnosis and the probability of visual loss in patients with skin snips negative for Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae.

Two methods have been used to verify the diagnosis of patients living in the onchocerciasis hyperendemic region of Liberia found to have O.v. negative skin snips. The first was based on a histological and an electronmicroscopic examination of the skin to determine whether the characteristic onchocerciasis dermatitis was absent, and to compare the results with age matched subjects having minimal to densely O.v. mf infested skin. The second method involved the skin response of patients with O.v. mf negative skin snips to topically applied DEC. No O.v. mf were found in skin snips serially sectioned and examined histologically from patients in which the results of incubation studies were completely negative. Skin snips from these seemingly O.v. mf negative patients had a dermatitis, whereas no dermatitis was found in skin snips taken from subjects living in nearby nonendemic areas. Patients with O.v. mf positive skin snips responded to DEC applied topically with increased pruritus and a papular rash whose severity was proportionate to the intensity of infestation. Patients with O.v. mf negative skin snips responded to DEC applied topically with increased pruritus and developed either a localized papular rash or widely dispersed papules; confirmation of onchocerciasis in these patients was found in the identification of O.v. mf in histological sections of the papules.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Yoruba traditional bonesetters: the practice of orthopaedics in a primitive setting in Nigeria.

Enquiries involving 165 Yoruba traditional healers revealed that the practice of surgery by these healers is rudimentary. Three traditional bonesetters were visited and interviewed extensively about their methods of diagnosis and treatment of fractures. Treatment sessions of one of the bonesetters were attended by the author and some aspects of his management were photographed. Case histories of two inpatients were recorded. The merits and demerits of the practice of traditional bonesetters are highlighted. Bonesetting as practiced by the Yoruba was compared and contrasted with similar treatment by other ethnic groups in Nigeria and with accounts available in the literature about other places like Liberia, Mali, East Africa, India, and China. The need to encourage Yoruba bonesetters to refer difficult cases to a modern hospital is stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Investigations on female Onchocerca volvulus for the evaluation of drug trials.

Females of O. volvulus show several typical morphological alterations during their ontogenesis. In order not to attribute such natural findings to the efficacy of drugs in drug trials female worms isolated from untreated patients in Liberia and Togo were examined by light microscopy. Local incrustations could be found regularly on the surface of the female parasite. Different inclusions are described which could often be found. They partially lead to degeneration and calcification. For the evaluation of ovocidal or embryocidal efficacy of drugs the developmental stages of 290 untreated female worms were quantitatively assessed, normal and pathologically altered forms were distinguished. Embryos were obviously not produced continuously but in intervalls of unknown length and frequency. Two third of the females contained embryos and microfilariae, one third showed eggs only or had empty uteri. The number of the developmental stages per female varied considerably. On the average more than 200,000 stages per female were found.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Analysis of enzymatically isolated adults of Onchocerca volvulus after treatment of patients with suramin or metrifonate.

The application of a new technique is described permitting a better recognition of activities of drugs on macrofilariae of Onchocerca volvulus. In two villages of a hyperendemic focus in Liberia onchocercomata were excised from untreated persons and from patients treated with conventional doses of suramin or metrifonate. The adult worms were enzymatically isolated with collagenase and microscopically examined for degenerative alterations including calcifications and for the presence of eggs and embryos in the female parasites. Six weeks after the last dose of suramin the degenerative alterations could not be distinguished qualitatively from those in untreated worms, but a statistically significant macrofilaricidal efficacy could be shown by quantitative analyses, although more than half of the parasites were still alive at this early date. Metrifonate did not show any macrofilaricidal effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Eight new Afrotropical Spinitectus spp. (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae) from freshwater fishes with a key to the members of the genus in the region.

Seven new species of the genus Spinitectus Fourment, 1883, recovered from several species of freshwater fishes from West and Central Africa, are described. The eighth species, Spinitectus allaeri Campana-Rouget, 1961 recorded by Moravec (1974) in Egypt, is assigned to Spinitectus moraveci n. sp. The new and known species have been divided into three groups according to the number of spines in the first row behind the anterior end. The Spinitectus spp. in Group A have fewer than 20 spines in the first row and the group contains Spinitectus mormyri Campana-Rouget, 1961, Spinitectus thurstonae Ogden, 1967 and Spinitectus micropectus n. sp. Those in Group B have between 20 and 40 spines in the first row and comprise the species S. allaeri, Spinitectus menzalei Hugot, 1979, Spinitectus maleficius n. sp., Spinitectus macilentus n. sp., Spinitectus minusculus n. sp., Spinitectus macherius n. sp., Spinitectus mucronatus n. sp. and Spinitectus moraveci n. sp. Group C species have more than 45 spines in the first row and consist of Spinitectus polli Campana-Rouget, 1961, Spinitectus petterae Boomker, 1993, Spinitectus zambezensis Boomker, 1993, and Spinitectus monstrosus n. sp. The species that are quite distinctive are S. mucronatus, which has characteristic spinulation and lateral floats on the eggs; S. monstrosus, which has characteristic spinulation and an exceptionally long left spicule; S. micropectus, which has approximately 80 rows of large spines and six post-cloacal papillae and S. maleficius, that has approximately 20 rows of large spines and seven post-cloacal papillae. The remaining species can be differentiated by the number of spines in the first row, the number of post-cloacal papillae, the number of labial papillae and, in the females, the distance between the anus and the vulva and the position of the gravid uterine coils in relation to the anterior end. S. moraveci differs from S. allaeri in that the first six rows of spines are raised, giving the anterior end an inflated appearance, in the number of post-cloacal papillae, and in that the distance between the anus and the vulva is considerably shorter. There are distinct morphological similarities between the Spinitectus species recovered from Heterobranchus isopterus and/or Clarias vanderhorsti (Clariidae) in Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, those recovered from Mormyrus spp. (Mormyridae) in western Zaire, Angola and Cameroon, and those recovered from Mastacembelus spp. (Mastacembelidae) in eastern Zaire.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Africa, Central↗
PubMed1994

Authorship in the East African Medical Journal.

Between 1978 and 1987, Kenyan authors contributed an average of 47% of papers published in the East African Medical Journal (EAMJ), in comparison to 24% originating from Nigeria and 29% from other countries, mainly those in the eastern and central African region. From January 1988 to December 1993, 44.1% of the papers published in EAMJ originated from Kenyan authors as compared to 26.7% from Nigerian authors and 29.2% from authors in other countries. During this six year period, there has been a steady increase in authorship from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Tanzania, whereas authorship from Uganda and Zambia has declined. Many authors from Saudi Arabia are individuals originally from Nigeria now working in Saudi Arabia. These data indicate that Kenyan authorship has dropped by 3% over the last six years compared to the 1978-1987 period, while that of Nigeria has increased by at least 3% over the same period. During the period under review, EAMJ has attracted papers from as far as China, Turkey, Malaysia, Canada, USA, France, Sweden and Hungary. Similarly, papers have been received from other African countries not previously contributing to the journal; these include: Gabon, Mozambique, RSA, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Burundi, Namibia, Liberia, Egypt, Somalia and Zaire. Possible factors influencing authorship in the EAMJ are discussed.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1975

Lassa fever: review of epidemiology and epizootiology.

The basic ecology of Lassa fever appears to involve enzootic transmission of virus in commensal populations of a single murine species, Mastomys natalensis. Virus may spill over from the rodent cycle to man by various routes. Secondary spread between humans may occur within domiciliary groups, and persons infected within the community who develop clinical disease may introduce the virus into hospital and begin a cycle of nosocomial infection.Between 1969, when Lassa fever was first described, and June 1975, the disease was recognized on 9 discrete occasions, affecting 114 persons. Over one-third of these infections were acquired by person-to-person spread within hospitals. In only one outbreak (in Sierra Leone) were the majority of cases acquired in the community. Recent observations have indicated hyperendemic disease in eastern Sierra Leone. Cases have occurred in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and serological evidence exists for activity of the virus elsewhere in West and Central Africa. Seasonal factors appear to play a role in the appearance of human cases. Attack rates have been higher in adults than in children. The source of infection and potential routes of virus transmission in the various epidemics are discussed, and perspectives for future epidemiological research are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sexual activity before marriage in sub-Saharan Africa.

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa there is notable concern about the consequences of premarital sexual intercourse, such as illegal abortions and pregnancy-related school dropouts, and the potential risk of HIV infection. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, the authors investigated sexual activity among never-married women aged 15-24 in Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, and Zimbabwe. While there are important cross-country differentials, in most countries the majority of unmarried adolescents have been sexually active. Contrary to the common belief that teenage premarital sexual activity is a new phenomenon caused by socioeconomic development, particularly Western education, the data show that in most countries sexual activity among unmarried adolescents was also common in the past, and that increases across cohorts have occurred mostly in countries where the prevalence was already high. For most countries, there is little support for theories claiming that education is associated with loose morals and high levels of premarital sexual activity. The findings highlight the importance of family-planning services for unmarried adolescents and of family-life education in primary schools to reach children before they become sexually active.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

[The closed hexagon immunodiffusion (CHI) for the diagnosis of onchocerciasis (author's transl)].

1273 sera from microfilaria-positive and -negative persons living in an onchocerciasis-endemic area in Liberia were examined. For this purpose a modification of the Ouchterlony-test was performed and compared with other methods. In the complement-fixation test many sera showed complement inhibition without any possibility to eliminate it. There were considerably varying titers in the indirect hemagglutination test. This helped to distinguish groups with different correlations to microfilaria-findings. The closed hexagon immunodiffusion after TRAAVIK, SIEBKE and KJELDSBERG (1972) - a modified OUCHTERLONY-test - proved to be nearly as good as indirect hemagglutination. An advantage of the CHI test is that it is easy to carry out. CHI reacted in 64% of microfilaria-positive and in 25% of microfilaria-negative cases.

Complement Fixation Tests↗