Water from the river is used by residents to serve their domestic needs such as bathing and washing.Īlabameta lacks the necessary social amenities such as electricity, pipe borne water, hospitals, good roads, mobile phone and internet network and recreation centers expected in a human habitat. However, during the dry season, the volume of water is usually drastically reduced to the extent that the rocks in the river are visible but does not become completely dry at all. The river usually produces rapids during the wet season and serves as a conducive breeding site for S. Owena River transverses the community and stretches towards Ondo State. The Community is located in Ife South Local Government of Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria with an area of 730 kilometer square and a population of 135,338(2006 census). The present study therefore aimed to provide information on species composition, seasonal abundance, parity and infectivity of black flies with a view to understanding its public health implication in and in planning effective control strategies in the study area and Osun State, Nigeria at large.Įthical approval was obtained from the Osun State University Health Research Ethics Committee under the Ministry of Health, Osun State while oral consent was obtained from participants. Earlier epidemiological studies by our team revealed high endemicity of onchocerciasis at Alabameta, albeit with low community microfilarial load. Furthermore, Southwestern Nigeria (according to APOC rapid epidemiological mapping in 2008) was identified as one of the onchocerciasis endemic regions of the country. Onchocerciasis is most common in Africa while Nigeria probably has the highest burden of the disease. Onchocerciasis is known to be endemic in many tropical countries and over 18 million people are infected worldwide and 120 million people are at the risk of the disease. The congregation of adult worms and subsequent fertilization to produce microfilariae in the subcutaneous tissues has been known to elicit nodules. volvulus while the rest belong to the forest group and transmit the Forest strain of the parasite which causes more of skin diseases than blinding disease. The first three species are known as Savannah flies which transmit Savannah strain of O. damnosum sensu stricto, Simulium dieguerense, Simulium sanctipauli, Simulium soubrense, Simulium squamosum, Simulium yahense, Simulium leonense, Simulium konkorense. The species include Simulium sirbanum, S. Nine sibling species of Simulium damnosum complex have been taxonomically identified and documented in West Africa. Onchocerciasis is transmitted by members of Simulium damnosum complex through their bite while taking a blood meal. Human onchocerciasis (river blindness) causes blindness and severe dermatitis in Africa and Latin America and is the second leading cause of blindness. Also, the presence of forest species of the flies reduces the risk of resident’s intense exposure to blinding savannah strain of onchocerciasis.Īmong the filarial nematodes, the public health significance of Onchocerca volvulus cannot be overemphasized being the causative organism of the dreadful and debilitating disease onchocerciasis. The zero infectivity in the flies may plausibly indicate the possibility of zero transmission of Onchocerca parasite in the community which if sustained over a period of time may signify the possibility of onchocerciasis elimination. There was absence of infection (zero infectivity) of the flies (p<0.05). The morning biting peak (09hr - 11hr) (137) was higher than the evening biting peak (15hr -17hr) (64) (p<0.05) while nulliparous flies (294) (67%) were more abundant than the parous flies (146) (33%) (p<0.05). There was significant variation in monthly collection of the flies with the month of November having the highest number of flies (194) (44%) while the month of April recorded the lowest number of flies (31) (7%) (p<0.05). A total of four hundred and forty flies were collected during the study period with all of them identified as forest species of Simulium damnosum complex. The Monthly Biting Rate (MBR) of flies was determined using World Health Organization standard formula. The flies were morphologically identified and dissected for the purpose of detecting Onchocerca parasite using dissecting microscope. Adult Simulium damnosum complex were collected along Owena River, Alabameta, by two dark complexioned vector collectors from 07:00hr to 18:00hr weekly using collecting tubes from November 2014 to April 2015. A longitudinal study was carried out to investigate species composition, seasonal abundance, parity and transmission potential of Simulium damnosum complex in Alabameta community in Osun State, Southwestern, Nigeria.
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