The region of Tlemcen is located in the northwestern part of Algeria. Its arid climate leads to the degradation of vegetation in open formation, where can be found the doum, the diss and broom. Other aromatic species ...The region of Tlemcen is located in the northwestern part of Algeria. Its arid climate leads to the degradation of vegetation in open formation, where can be found the doum, the diss and broom. Other aromatic species such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and horehound are considered as well. The four previous aromatic species belong to the family Labiatae for their morphological and botanical characters. The authors propose to design an approach to identify the diversity of malacofauna found on these different Lamiaceae. These are certainly a nutritional source for this malacological fauna. So, a survey was performed in various stations. The malacological richness is estimated to be 19 for thyme, 18 for rosemary, 16 for lavender, and finally 7 for horehound. It includes four families, namely Milacidae, Sphincterochilidae, Helicidae and Subulinidae. Milacidae are present only in horehound and lavender stations. On the other hand, the Sphincterochilidae, namely Sphincterochila candidissima, is absent on horehound. Rumina decollata is the only species in the family Subulinidae. As for the family Helicidae, it is the richest and includes two specific subfamilies： Helicinae and Helicellinae. The first subfamily consists of 11 species of thyme, 10 species of rosemary and lavender. The second subfamily includes 6 species of thyme and rosemary and 3 of lavender, respectively. In addition, the author tries to look for the malacological species specific to each of these plants and those who are common to them as well. Finally, the vertical distribution of gastropods is given.展开更多
Background Researching a water-borne disease in the middle of the Sahara desert might not seem the most relevant concern.However,nomadic Sahelian pastoralists health concerns regarding their livestock and anecdotal re...Background Researching a water-borne disease in the middle of the Sahara desert might not seem the most relevant concern.However,nomadic Sahelian pastoralists health concerns regarding their livestock and anecdotal reports about trematode infections of Fasciola spp.and Schistosoma spp.in desert-raised animals justified an exploratory study focusing on the lakes of Ounianga in Northern Chad.The aim was to test whether trematode parasites such as Schistosoma spp.occur in human populations living around the Sahara desert lakes of Ounianga Kebir and Ounianga Serir in northern Chad.Methods The study was carried out in January 2019 and comprised of three components.First,a cross sectional survey based on a random sample drawn from the population to detect infections with S.haematobium and S.mansoni;second,focus group discussions exploring disease priorities,access to health and health seeking behaviour;and third,surveying water contact sites for intermediate host snails.Samples of trematode parasites and snails were confirmed on species level by molecular genetic methods.For parasitological and malacological surveys descriptive statistics were performed.Qualitative data analysis included the full review of all transcripts,followed by a descriptive and explorative thematic analysis.Results Among 258 participants,the overall S.haematobium prevalence using urine filtration was 39.2%[95%confidence interval(CI):33.5–45.1%],with 51.5%of the infected suffering from heavy infection.The intermediate host snail of S.haematobium(Bulinus truncatus)occurred at water contact sites near both study villages,revealing the potential for local transmission.Although a positive S.mansoni point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen(POC-CCA)test result was obtained from 8.6%(95%CI 5.7–12.8%)of the samples,no intermediate host snails of S.mansoni were found,and the relevance of S.mansoni remains uncertain.Qualitative findings underline the importance of morbidity caused by urinary schistosomiasis,and the lack of access to diagnostics and treatment as a major health concern.Conclusions This research revealed a high prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in the population living around the lakes of Ounianga in the Sahara,a United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)world heritage site in Chad.Despite the high public health importance of the associated morbidity expressed by the population,there is no access to diagnostics and treatment.Further work is needed to develop and test a context-adapted intervention.展开更多
文摘The region of Tlemcen is located in the northwestern part of Algeria. Its arid climate leads to the degradation of vegetation in open formation, where can be found the doum, the diss and broom. Other aromatic species such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and horehound are considered as well. The four previous aromatic species belong to the family Labiatae for their morphological and botanical characters. The authors propose to design an approach to identify the diversity of malacofauna found on these different Lamiaceae. These are certainly a nutritional source for this malacological fauna. So, a survey was performed in various stations. The malacological richness is estimated to be 19 for thyme, 18 for rosemary, 16 for lavender, and finally 7 for horehound. It includes four families, namely Milacidae, Sphincterochilidae, Helicidae and Subulinidae. Milacidae are present only in horehound and lavender stations. On the other hand, the Sphincterochilidae, namely Sphincterochila candidissima, is absent on horehound. Rumina decollata is the only species in the family Subulinidae. As for the family Helicidae, it is the richest and includes two specific subfamilies： Helicinae and Helicellinae. The first subfamily consists of 11 species of thyme, 10 species of rosemary and lavender. The second subfamily includes 6 species of thyme and rosemary and 3 of lavender, respectively. In addition, the author tries to look for the malacological species specific to each of these plants and those who are common to them as well. Finally, the vertical distribution of gastropods is given.
文摘Background Researching a water-borne disease in the middle of the Sahara desert might not seem the most relevant concern.However,nomadic Sahelian pastoralists health concerns regarding their livestock and anecdotal reports about trematode infections of Fasciola spp.and Schistosoma spp.in desert-raised animals justified an exploratory study focusing on the lakes of Ounianga in Northern Chad.The aim was to test whether trematode parasites such as Schistosoma spp.occur in human populations living around the Sahara desert lakes of Ounianga Kebir and Ounianga Serir in northern Chad.Methods The study was carried out in January 2019 and comprised of three components.First,a cross sectional survey based on a random sample drawn from the population to detect infections with S.haematobium and S.mansoni;second,focus group discussions exploring disease priorities,access to health and health seeking behaviour;and third,surveying water contact sites for intermediate host snails.Samples of trematode parasites and snails were confirmed on species level by molecular genetic methods.For parasitological and malacological surveys descriptive statistics were performed.Qualitative data analysis included the full review of all transcripts,followed by a descriptive and explorative thematic analysis.Results Among 258 participants,the overall S.haematobium prevalence using urine filtration was 39.2%[95%confidence interval(CI):33.5–45.1%],with 51.5%of the infected suffering from heavy infection.The intermediate host snail of S.haematobium(Bulinus truncatus)occurred at water contact sites near both study villages,revealing the potential for local transmission.Although a positive S.mansoni point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen(POC-CCA)test result was obtained from 8.6%(95%CI 5.7–12.8%)of the samples,no intermediate host snails of S.mansoni were found,and the relevance of S.mansoni remains uncertain.Qualitative findings underline the importance of morbidity caused by urinary schistosomiasis,and the lack of access to diagnostics and treatment as a major health concern.Conclusions This research revealed a high prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in the population living around the lakes of Ounianga in the Sahara,a United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)world heritage site in Chad.Despite the high public health importance of the associated morbidity expressed by the population,there is no access to diagnostics and treatment.Further work is needed to develop and test a context-adapted intervention.
