Papers by Andreas A kudom
There is great concern about the increasing rise in the rate of caesarean section in both develop... more There is great concern about the increasing rise in the rate of caesarean section in both developed and developing countries. This study was to ascertain the prevalence and compare outcomes of elec-tive and emergency caesarean sections among women who deliver at the University of Cape Coast Hospital, Ghana. This retrospective study reviewed records of 645 women who delivered through cae-sarean sections during the period of January 2014 and December 2015. The prevalence of caesarean section was 26.9%. There was a significantly higher rate of adverse fetal outcomes (P=0.016) among babies born through emergency caesarean section. There were 12 (1.9%) women who had cae-sarean section done based on maternal request. The caesarean section rate found in this study was high. The lack of availability of technology for diagnosing fetal distress found in this study could possibly lead to over diagnosis of fetal distress. Thus availability of such diagnostic technology could reduce the high caesarean section rate. The high numbers of women requesting caesare-an section without medical indication should be investigated and the motivation factors identified so as to curb the practice.
Malaria Journal, 2015
There is a growing interest in larval control intervention to supplement existing malaria control... more There is a growing interest in larval control intervention to supplement existing malaria control strategies, particularly in urban areas. However, effective implementation requires a good understanding of habitat ecology of Anopheles mosquitoes. Clean water bodies have long been reported by several studies as a preferred breeding habitat for Anopheles gambiae. Other studies have also reported the breeding of An. gambiae in polluted water bodies. However, the term clean or polluted is mostly based on visual examination and is not well defined. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing water quality in Anopheles breeding habitats and the practicability of larval control in Cape Coast, Ghana. A larval survey was conducted for 15 months in Cape Coast. In individual breeding habitats, habitat characteristics, physicochemical parameters and bacterial fauna were measured in both Anopheles positive breeding (APL) habitats and habitats colonized by only Culex species. The sibling species of An. gambiae were identified using PCR assay. Anopheles coluzzii dominated in almost all the APL habitats found in this study. The habitats had high levels of salinity and ammonium ions. However, ammonium ions were significantly higher (p = 0.001) in habitats colonized by only Culex larvae compared to APL habitats. About 47 % of the habitats that were colonized by only Culex larvae had no measurable dissolved oxygen while An. coluzzii was absent in such habitats. High concentration of faecal bacteria confirmed faecal contamination in both groups of breeding habitats. From the results, it was evident that larval stages of An. coluzzii have tolerance to high levels of salinity and organic pollution in breeding habitats. However, its level of tolerance to organic pollution is probably lower than Culex larvae. The nature of breeding habitats found in the city demonstrates the opportunistic behaviour of An. coluzzii and how its breeding requirements are so intimately intertwined with the haphazard and uncontrolled human activities in the urban area. Considering the nature of APL habitats, larval control intervention could greatly reduce Anopheles population. However, improving basic hygiene and sanitation in the city could even make larval control intervention more practical and cost effective.
International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016
Acta Tropica, 2015
Nuisance from Culex mosquitoes in Ghana has a serious negative impact on the standard of living i... more Nuisance from Culex mosquitoes in Ghana has a serious negative impact on the standard of living in many urban communities. In addition, a perceived lack of efficacy of long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) against nuisance mosquitoes contributes to their discontinued use. This again compromises malaria control, even if Anopheles species themselves would still be susceptible to the insecticides used. Control strategies involve pyrethroid insecticides but information on Culex mosquito susceptibility to these insecticides is limited. A nationwide survey was conducted to address this problem. In adults, susceptibility to permethrin, deltamethrin and DDT as well as enzyme activity and kdr mutation were determined. Cone and tunnel bioassay were also carried out to determine the efficacy of LLINs against the mosquitoes. Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex decens were identified in the study area. Higher deltamethrin and DDT resistance and relatively low permethrin resistance were observed in both species. High enzyme activities and kdr mutations were observed in C. quinquefasciatus but not in C. decens. However, reduced efficacy of LLINs was observed in both mosquito species. This adds up to the evidence of the spread of pyrethroid resistance in mosquitoes and its negative impact on control strategies.
Insecticides play a major role in controlling the spread of malaria. However, this means of prote... more Insecticides play a major role in controlling the spread of malaria. However, this means of protection is losing its efficacy due to the development of resistance to commonly used insecticides. Pyrethroids are often used in vector control projects due to lower human toxicity, high insecticidal potency and rapid knockdown (KD) effects. Anopheles gambiae is a major vector of malaria in West Africa and has shown pyrethroid resistance in several countries. The other species tested, Culex. quinquefasciatus, is not a vector of malaria but causes important inconvenience to the locals. In this study A. gambiae and C. quinquefasciatus larvae were collected from five separate locations in Central and Western Ghana: Amamoma, Duakor, North O.L.A., Okyereko and Sekondi. Adult mosquitoes were exposed to permethrin (0.75%) and DDT (4%) according to WHO protocol. Knockdown, mortality and resistance were recorded over a 24-hour period. Six experiments were conducted under WHO protocol resulting in a...
Journal of Apicultural Research, 2010
ABSTRACT Luffa aegyptiaca (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) is a plant of economic importance in Ghan... more ABSTRACT Luffa aegyptiaca (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) is a plant of economic importance in Ghana and in other parts of the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Cultivation of the plant in Ghana has reduced over the last two decades, so it now mostly grows in the wild. A survey was conducted in coastal Ghana to provide baseline information about pollinators of the plant, to inform decisions on the conservation of it and its pollinators. Apis mellifera, three species of Xylocopa and two of Amegilla were identified among the flower visitors as likely pollinators. Preliminary measures of the efficiency of these visitors as pollinators were made and the relationship between visitor behaviour and the phenology of the plant was studied. Flowers were open for about 10 h, and over 80% of female flowers received pollen within the first 3 h of opening. Out of 120 female flowers observed, A. mellifera visited 49.2%, Xylocopa spp visited 35.8% and Amegilla spp visited 15%. Xylocopa spp visited flowers early in the day, were most active during the period that most flowers received pollen, and deposited pollen on stigmas of all female flowers they visited. Whilst a single visit by Xylocopa spp or Amegilla spp. could leave enough pollen for fertilization and fruit formation, multiple visits by A. mellifera might be required for successful pollination to occur. These results suggest that Xylocopa and Amegilla are more efficient pollinators of L. aegyptiaca than A. mellifera. The importance of these findings for the conservation of the plant and its associated insect species are discussed.
Journal of Insect Science, 2011
Control programs using conventional insecticides to target anthropogenic mosquito habitats are ve... more Control programs using conventional insecticides to target anthropogenic mosquito habitats are very expensive because these habitats are widespread, particularly in cities of most African countries. Additionally, there are serious environmental concerns regarding large-scale application of most conventional insecticides. Clearly there is a need for alternative methods that are more effective, less expensive, and environmentally friendly. One such method would be the application of preparations made from parts of the neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Jussieu (Sapindales: Meliaceae). In this study, aqueous crude extracts and crude powder were prepared from different parts of neem, and the efficacies of the preparations on juvenile stages of Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) were evaluated in the laboratory. When larvae were exposed to a concentration of 0.1 g/mL extract for 24 hours, percent mean mortality (± SE) was 72.7 ± 1.8 for the bark, 68.7 ± 1.6 for fruits and 60 ± 1.6 for leaves. These means were not significantly different ( 2 = 4.12; df = 2; p = 0.127). At a concentration of 0.01 g/mL, > 95% of the larvae died within 24 hours of exposure to powdered neem leaf, but it took 120 hours to reach the same level of larval mortality in aqueous leaf extract. The crude extract slowly inhibited the growth and development of mosquitoes while the crude powder acted more as a barrier; the mosquitoes probably died from suffocation. However, both types of preparations can be made and used by local people to control mosquito breeding in anthropogenic habitats, especially in urbanized areas.
As a result of different levels of pollination efficiency of pollinators, knowledge on appropriat... more As a result of different levels of pollination efficiency of pollinators, knowledge on appropriate pollinators of a plant has become important, especially in the management and conservation of both the pollinators and the plants. In this study, the pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera and Xylocopa olivacea, important pollinators of Luffa aegyptiaca, were assessed in the southern coastal part of Ghana from June 2009 to September 2010. Pollination efficiency of A. mellifera and X. olivacea was estimated in terms of fruit set and fruit size. Further, data on daily and seasonal nectar dynamics of Luffa aegyptiaca were collected. In the early mornings (0600-0700), X. olivacea was the most frequent visitor (0.47 min-1) on the female flowers compared to A. mellifera (0.13 min-1). The mean nectar (sugar) concentration in the dry season was 36.58 ± 0.55 %, which was higher than the 34.03 ± 0.38 % obtained for the rainy season (F = 14.986; df = 2; P < 0.0001). Total amount of sugar in ...
Ananas comosus var comosus (L.) Merr. is the third most important tropical fruit in the world pro... more Ananas comosus var comosus (L.) Merr. is the third most important tropical fruit in the world production and the leading foreign exchange earner among fresh fruits exported from Ghana. A survey was conducted in pineapple farms in the Central region of Ghana to identify floral visitors and their activities on the flowers. Nectar concentration and energetics and effect of floral visitors on fruit production were determined. Fourteen species of butterflies and one ant species were the main insect floral visitors as well as four species of sunbirds. The mean nectar concentration was 23.3% (± 0.39, SE) and pollination limitation did not significantly affect fruit yield (weight: p = 0.285; length: p = 0.056; width: p= 0.268). The study showed that butterflies, ants and sunbirds are the main floral visitors on A. comosus. However their visits did not results in pollination and fruit production was not affected in any way by floral visitation. Still, it was found that A. comosus provides an...
Parasites & Vectors, 2015
Background: Besides its role as a pathogen vector, Culex species also indirectly promotes the tra... more Background: Besides its role as a pathogen vector, Culex species also indirectly promotes the transmission of malaria if the use of bed nets or indoor residual spraying is discontinued due to a lack of insecticide efficacy against it. A recent survey revealed widespread occurrence of pyrethroid resistance among urban populations of this mosquito in Ghana. In order to plan and implement insecticide-based resistance management strategies, this study was carried out to assess resistance status of Culex species to organophosphate and carbamate in urban areas in Ghana and the possible mechanisms involved as well as environmental factors associated with its distribution.
PLoS ONE, 2014
Background: The effectiveness of insecticide treated nets is under threat across Africa south of ... more Background: The effectiveness of insecticide treated nets is under threat across Africa south of the Sahara from the selection of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. To maintain progress against malaria it is necessary to identify alternative residual insecticides for mosquito nets. Mixtures of pyrethroid and insecticides with novel mode of action provide scope for both improved control and management of resistance through concurrent exposure to unrelated insecticides.
Malaria Journal, 2010
Background: Since 2001, there has been a tremendous increase in number of households protected by... more Background: Since 2001, there has been a tremendous increase in number of households protected by ITN and IRS in Ghana. However, there has not been evidence of a reduction in malaria cases as expected and reported deaths have rather increased since 2007. As a result, this study was undertaken to get a better understanding of perceptions of malaria, knowledge on mosquitoes and the value attached to ITNs among secondary and tertiary students in Cape Coast. Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered randomly to gather data on demographic characteristics of students, knowledge of mosquitoes and ITNs and attitude towards the use of ITN in seven public high schools and four tertiary institutions in Cape Coast metropolis. In addition, curriculums of science courses common to all students from junior high school to the university were carefully examined. Results: A total of 492 students took part in this study and more than 90% of them had high knowledge of malaria transmission and ITN, but little knowledge of mosquito life history. Only 1% in secondary and 2.1% in tertiary institutions had seen or knew about all the development stages of mosquitoes. In high school and tertiary institutions, 24.2% and 10.8% of respondents, respectively, were able to mention other genera of mosquitoes, apart from Anopheles. Though 93.9% in senior high school and 86.7% in the tertiary institutions knew that ITNs are either used to protect oneself from mosquito bites or to prevent malaria, 32.7% of the respondents in secondary and 21.9% in tertiary institutions who owned ITN did not use them. Conclusions: The study reveals that respondents did not have adequate knowledge on the biology and behaviour of mosquitoes. This appears to weaken their knowledge of the link between the use of ITN and malaria control; the effect of this is that a significant number owned ITNs but did not use them. The implication is that if people will really accept and use ITN or other mosquito control interventions, then just creating awareness of those interventions is not enough but people should also be educated on the life history of mosquitoes and on the mechanism of the control strategies. This can be effectively done through the formal education system.
Journal of Vector Ecology, 2012
The study was carried out to characterize potential larval habitats in the city of Sekondi with t... more The study was carried out to characterize potential larval habitats in the city of Sekondi with the aim of assessing the relative importance of anthropogenic and natural water bodies as larval habitats. Insecticide-resistance status of Anopheles gambiae senso lato in the southwestern part of the coastal savannah zone in Ghana was also assessed against four different classes of insecticides. Larval surveys were carried out in two communities that are separated by a lagoon. Although the lagoon was a potential mosquito larval habitat, we showed that it was not an important mosquito breeding site. The major larval habitats were anthropogenic, resulting from human behavior. Some of the organically polluted breeding sites were inhabited by both An. gambiae s.l. and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. The data also showed that An. gambiae s.l. has currently developed a strong resistance to DDT and pyrethroid insecticides in southwestern Ghana, where the species was reported to be susceptible about a decade ago. The use of insecticides in households was implicated as a possible cause of the development of resistance among An. gambiae s.l. populations in the area. The management of insecticide resistance among malaria vectors needs urgent attention if insecticide-treated materials can continue to be used for malaria control.
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
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Papers by Andreas A kudom