Papers by Rodrigue MINTSA
Veterinary World, Nov 13, 2024
Background and Aim: Rodents are carriers or reservoirs of various bacteria, protozoa, viruses, an... more Background and Aim: Rodents are carriers or reservoirs of various bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and ectoparasites. Given the proximity of various rodent species and humans, there is a potential for the transmission of pathogens. Data on ecto- and endo-parasite prevalence in rodent populations in Gabon are limited. To fill this gap, we conducted a study in Libreville to investigate the occurrence of ecto- and endo-parasites in rodents.
Materials and Methods: We captured and euthanized 68 rodents belonging to the genus Praomys and examined their ecto- and endo-parasite fauna, dissected their gastrointestinal tract for helminths, and prepared blood smears to examine blood-borne pathogens.
Results: Our analyses identified three pathogen taxa: helminths (Protospirura spp., Trichuris spp., and Taenia spp.), protozoa (Babesia spp.), bacteria (Anaplasma spp.), and arthropods (Laelaps and Haemaphysalis). Overall, 91.2% of the rodents were infected with at least one pathogen and ectoparasite, with helminth and ectoparasite occurrence rate of 63.2% and ectoparasite occurrence at 44.1%. Protozoan infections (Babesia spp.) were found in 10.3% of the rodents, whereas bacteria (Anaplasma spp.) had an occurrence rate of 39.7%.
Conclusion: Native rodents in Libreville harbor various infectious agents, ecto- and endo-parasites. These findings highlight the potential health risks associated with Praomys rodents for the transmission of various diseases to human population in Gabon and emphasize the need for investigation of rodents for their role as disease carriers.
Keywords: Anaplasma, Babesia, Gabon, Haemaphysalis, Helminths, Laelaps, Praomys.
Revue Canadienne de Géographie Tropicale, 2018
Les changements d’occupation du sol, rapides en périphérie urbaine, se caractérisent généralemen... more Les changements d’occupation du sol, rapides en périphérie urbaine, se caractérisent généralement par une conversion des écosystèmes naturels en espaces anthropisés. Libreville, principale ville du Gabon, exerce diverses pressions sur sa zone périphérique. La présence de riches écosystèmes à proximité a motivé la création récente du Parc National d’Akanda. Or, les pressions anthropiques et les modifications en cours ou potentielles dans cette zone représentent de réelles menaces de dégradation de ces écosystèmes fragiles. La cartographie de l’occupation du sol a été obtenue à partir des images satellitaires Landsat de 1990, 2000 et 2014. La méthode de classification, incluant l’utilisation de divers indices, a permis la distinction de 5 classes d’occupation du sol. Les analyses cartographiques et statistiques démontrent que la dynamique d’occupation du sol de la zone d’étude est dominée par une progression du bâti et une réduction de la forêt secondaire particulièrement dans la partie sud de la zone.
In order to follow the Preventive Chemotherapy (PC) for the transmission control as recommended b... more In order to follow the Preventive Chemotherapy (PC) for the transmission control as recommended by WHO, Gabon initiated in 2014 the mapping of Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH). Here, we report the results of the Northern and Eastern health regions, representing a third of the land area and 12% of its total population. All nine departments of the two regions were surveyed and from each, five schools were examined with 50 schoolchildren per school. The parasitological examinations were realized using the filtration method for urine and the Kato-Katz technique for stool samples. Overall 2245 schoolchildren (1116 girls and 1129 boys), mean aged 11.28 ± 0.04 years, were examined. Combined schistosomiasis and STH affected 1270 (56.6%) with variation between regions, departments, and schools. For schistosomiasis, prevalence were 1.7% across the two regions, with no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the Northern (1.5%) and the Eastern (1.9%). Schistosomiasis is mainly caused by Schistosoma haematobium with the exception of one respective case of S. mansoni and S. guineensis. STH are more common than schistosomiasis, with an overall prevalence of 56.1% significantly different between the Northern (58.1%) and Eastern (53.6%) regions (p = 0.034). Trichuris trichiura is the most abundant infection with a prevalence of 43.7% followed by Ascaris lumbricoides 35.6% and hookworms 1.4%. According to these results, an appropriate PC strategy is given. In particular, because of the low efficacy of a single recommended drug on T. trichiura and hookworms, it is important to include two drugs for the treatment of STH in Gabon, due to the high prevalence and intensities of Trichuris infections. : list of schools surveyed per region and department with their respective geographical position. Non-italic = public school; italics = private school. In bold = urban school; normal = rural school, : Number of infected schoolchildren (prevalence in %) for each parasite according to school and department investigated. N is the number of schoolchildren examined. * p < 0.05 (Fisher-Exact-test); * is followed by school number or by department name with a significant difference, : Intensity of infection (mean ± standard deviation) for each parasite according to school and department investigated. N is the number of schoolchildren examined. * p < 0.05 (Mann-Whitney test); * is followed by the school number or department code with significant difference. L, M and H indicate class intensity of infection. L = light-intensity infection, M = moderate-intensity infections, H = heavy-intensity infections according to each species.
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Papers by Rodrigue MINTSA
Materials and Methods: We captured and euthanized 68 rodents belonging to the genus Praomys and examined their ecto- and endo-parasite fauna, dissected their gastrointestinal tract for helminths, and prepared blood smears to examine blood-borne pathogens.
Results: Our analyses identified three pathogen taxa: helminths (Protospirura spp., Trichuris spp., and Taenia spp.), protozoa (Babesia spp.), bacteria (Anaplasma spp.), and arthropods (Laelaps and Haemaphysalis). Overall, 91.2% of the rodents were infected with at least one pathogen and ectoparasite, with helminth and ectoparasite occurrence rate of 63.2% and ectoparasite occurrence at 44.1%. Protozoan infections (Babesia spp.) were found in 10.3% of the rodents, whereas bacteria (Anaplasma spp.) had an occurrence rate of 39.7%.
Conclusion: Native rodents in Libreville harbor various infectious agents, ecto- and endo-parasites. These findings highlight the potential health risks associated with Praomys rodents for the transmission of various diseases to human population in Gabon and emphasize the need for investigation of rodents for their role as disease carriers.
Keywords: Anaplasma, Babesia, Gabon, Haemaphysalis, Helminths, Laelaps, Praomys.
Materials and Methods: We captured and euthanized 68 rodents belonging to the genus Praomys and examined their ecto- and endo-parasite fauna, dissected their gastrointestinal tract for helminths, and prepared blood smears to examine blood-borne pathogens.
Results: Our analyses identified three pathogen taxa: helminths (Protospirura spp., Trichuris spp., and Taenia spp.), protozoa (Babesia spp.), bacteria (Anaplasma spp.), and arthropods (Laelaps and Haemaphysalis). Overall, 91.2% of the rodents were infected with at least one pathogen and ectoparasite, with helminth and ectoparasite occurrence rate of 63.2% and ectoparasite occurrence at 44.1%. Protozoan infections (Babesia spp.) were found in 10.3% of the rodents, whereas bacteria (Anaplasma spp.) had an occurrence rate of 39.7%.
Conclusion: Native rodents in Libreville harbor various infectious agents, ecto- and endo-parasites. These findings highlight the potential health risks associated with Praomys rodents for the transmission of various diseases to human population in Gabon and emphasize the need for investigation of rodents for their role as disease carriers.
Keywords: Anaplasma, Babesia, Gabon, Haemaphysalis, Helminths, Laelaps, Praomys.