Parasitology

Biography

Biography: Akwo Cyril Tabe-Tanyi

Abstract

Given the nature of shared endemicity, malaria and intestinal helminths often co-exist in the same populations. Therefore, much attention is now being given to the interaction between helminths and Plasmodium in the situation of co-infection especially in children and pregnant women. A study was carried out in the Kumba Health District, South West Region of Cameroon to ascertain the existence of co-infection and its effect on anaemia in pregnant women. 305 pregnant women on their first antenatal visit were recruited. With informed consent, demographic, socioeconomic, health, obstetrics and gynaecological data were obtained with the use of questionnaires while capillary blood was also collected for detection and speciation of malaria parasites and packed cell volume (PCV) measurement Parasitaemia was expressed as number of parasites/ul of blood. Stool samples were concentrated by the formol-ether technique and egg load expressed as number of egg/gram of stool. The overall prevalence of malaria, intestinal helminths, co infection and anaemia was 41.3%, 44.6%, 22.0% and 33.8% respectively. P. falciparum was the most prevalent malaria parasite species (95.5%) while A. lumbricoides was the most prevalent intestinal helminth (24.9%). Co infected women were more anaemic (mean PCV = 0.29 ± 0.070) than women infected with malaria only, helminth only as well as uninfected women. Young ages, low income, not using protection against mosquitoes, being single and being primigravid were identified as risk factors for co infection while fever was a clinical indicator of co infection. We confirm that co-infection exists among pregnant women in the Kumba health district and that co-infection increases risk/severity of anaemia.