Volume 7, Issue 1, July 2014, Pages 65–77
R.I. KAMWA NGASSAM1, H. KOUNINKI2, B. MONGLO3, E. DJEKINE4, S. LIANG5, and L.A. TCHUEM TCHUENTE6
1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maroua / Faculty of Sciences, P.O. Box 46 Maroua, Cameroon
2 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
3 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
4 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
5 Department of Environmental and Global Health, University of Florida / College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Emerging Pathogens Institutes 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
6 Centre for Schistosomiasis and Parasitology, P.O. Box 7244, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Like many African cities affected by urban schistosomiasis, Maroua in the Far North Region of Cameroon has a moderate level of schistosomiasis transmission, as indicated by human infections. This study was designed to identify and map some potential transmission sites of schistosomiasis in Maroua. Water ponds were surveyed for snail intermediate host of schistosome and mapped using a handheld Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Snail status was assessed via cercaria shedding procedure. The vegetation cover, human water contact activities and some physico-chemical characteristics of the water including pH, temperature, salinity, total dissolve solute (TDS) were measured and documented. Twenty two water ponds were surveyed and 21 of them were found to have at least one of the two identified schistosome snail host species. A total of 658 specimens of snails were collected: 57.45% B. senegalensis and 42.55% B. globosus. Eleven water ponds were found to have both snail host and the 10 other have single species (8 with B. senegalensis and 2 with B. globosus). Ten (1.56%) of the 642 snails were found to shed Schistosoma cercariae: 2.21% in B. senegalensis and 0.71% in B. globosus and they were not significantly different (?2 = 1.431, p= 0.232). The presence of B. senegalensis and B. globosus (two known intermediate snail host of S. haematobium) snail and their infections with Schistosoma suggest possible local transmission of human schistosomiasis in Maroua. Exposure to these water environments may pose infection risk to general population, in particular children who seem to have greater water contact.
Author Keywords: Mapping, Bulinus senegalensis, Bulinus globosus, schistosomiasis, Maroua, urban area.
R.I. KAMWA NGASSAM1, H. KOUNINKI2, B. MONGLO3, E. DJEKINE4, S. LIANG5, and L.A. TCHUEM TCHUENTE6
1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maroua / Faculty of Sciences, P.O. Box 46 Maroua, Cameroon
2 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
3 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
4 Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Maroua / Higher Teachers' Training College, P.O. Box 55 Maroua, Cameroon
5 Department of Environmental and Global Health, University of Florida / College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Emerging Pathogens Institutes 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
6 Centre for Schistosomiasis and Parasitology, P.O. Box 7244, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Like many African cities affected by urban schistosomiasis, Maroua in the Far North Region of Cameroon has a moderate level of schistosomiasis transmission, as indicated by human infections. This study was designed to identify and map some potential transmission sites of schistosomiasis in Maroua. Water ponds were surveyed for snail intermediate host of schistosome and mapped using a handheld Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Snail status was assessed via cercaria shedding procedure. The vegetation cover, human water contact activities and some physico-chemical characteristics of the water including pH, temperature, salinity, total dissolve solute (TDS) were measured and documented. Twenty two water ponds were surveyed and 21 of them were found to have at least one of the two identified schistosome snail host species. A total of 658 specimens of snails were collected: 57.45% B. senegalensis and 42.55% B. globosus. Eleven water ponds were found to have both snail host and the 10 other have single species (8 with B. senegalensis and 2 with B. globosus). Ten (1.56%) of the 642 snails were found to shed Schistosoma cercariae: 2.21% in B. senegalensis and 0.71% in B. globosus and they were not significantly different (?2 = 1.431, p= 0.232). The presence of B. senegalensis and B. globosus (two known intermediate snail host of S. haematobium) snail and their infections with Schistosoma suggest possible local transmission of human schistosomiasis in Maroua. Exposure to these water environments may pose infection risk to general population, in particular children who seem to have greater water contact.
Author Keywords: Mapping, Bulinus senegalensis, Bulinus globosus, schistosomiasis, Maroua, urban area.
How to Cite this Article
R.I. KAMWA NGASSAM, H. KOUNINKI, B. MONGLO, E. DJEKINE, S. LIANG, and L.A. TCHUEM TCHUENTE, “Identification and mapping of some potential transmission foci of schistosomasis in Maroua, Far North Region, Cameroon,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 65–77, July 2014.
