Aim: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence, associated risk factors, and zoonotic implications of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 rectal fecal samples were collected from dogs in Maiduguri for coprological examination using the saturated sodium chloride floatation technique. Detection of eggs or oocyst was done on the basis of keys of identification of parasites based on the morphology and size of eggs or oocyst. Results: The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs was 31.5% (63/200) in Maiduguri. The prevalence of the infection was higher in young, male dogs kept outdoor in terms of age, sex, and management; the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The parasites detected in Maiduguri include Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara spp., Dipylidium spp., Isospora spp., and Taenia spp., with Ancylostoma spp. (16%) having the highest prevalence rate. Conclusion: Gastrointestinal parasites have high prevalence in Maiduguri and constitute potential risk to human health because all genera of parasites detected in the study area are of public health importance.

Babesia infection is a tick-borne protozoan disease associated with significant veterinary, economic, and medical importance. This infection affects many hosts, ranging from wild to domestic animals and including man. All vertebrates serve as potential carriers due to the huge diversity of the species. Babesiosis has been associated with severe economic loss in livestock production, especially in cattle farming, and is also a major public health concern in man, which could be fatal. The infection is usually opportunistic, ranging from asymptomatic to symptomatic, usually in immunocompromised subjects or under conditions of stressful management. This study was designed to uncover trends in relation to publication growth and further explore research output regarding babesiosis from data indexed in the WoS. The WoS is the only platform used to map publications on Babesia infection. The search term “babesiosis” or “Babesia infection” was used to extract articles published across the study period from 1982 to 2022. The inclusion criteria were restricted to only articles for the analysis. The results from the search query showed that a total of 3763 articles were published during the study period with an average of 91.70 ± 43.87 articles annually and an average total citation (n = 1874.8). An annual growth rate of 2.5% was recorded during the study period. The year 2021 had the highest number of published articles (n = 193, 5.1%) and citations (n = 7039). The analysis of the most relevant keywords and titles showed that infection (n = 606, 16.1%), babesiosis (n = 444, 11.7%), and Babesia (n = 1302, 16%) were the most relevant keyword plus (ID), author keyword (DE), and title, respectively. The common conceptual framework analysis through K-means clustering showed two clusters comprising 4 and 41 elements, respectively. The United States of America is the top-performing country in terms of article production (n = 707, 20.8%) and the leading funder for babesiosis research, with two of its agencies ranked at the top. These are the Department of Health and Human Services (n = 254, 6.7%) and the National Institute of Health (n= 238,6.3%). Igarashi I. is the top-performing author (n = 231, 6.1%), while Veterinary Parasitology is ranked the top journal (n = 393, 10.4%) in terms of babesiosis publications. Overall, an increase in publications was observed in the study period, with significant output from developed nations.

Many factors, such as the resistance to pesticides and a lack of knowledge of the morphology and molecular structure of malaria vectors, have made it more challenging to eradicate malaria in numerous malaria-endemic areas of the globe. The primary goal of this review is to discuss malaria vector control methods and the significance of identifying species in vector control initiatives. This was accomplished by reviewing methods of molecular identification of malaria vectors and genetic marker classification in relation to their use for species identification. Due to its specificity and consistency, molecular identification is preferred over morphological identification of malaria vectors. Enhanced molecular capacity for species identification will improve mosquito characterization, leading to accurate control strategies/treatment targeting specific mosquito species, and thus will contribute to malaria eradication. It is crucial for disease epidemiology and surveillance to accurately identify the Plasmodium spp. that are causing malaria in patients. The capacity for disease surveillance will be significantly increased by the development of more accurate, precise, automated, and high-throughput diagnostic techniques. In conclusion, although morphological identification is quick and achievable at a reduced cost, molecular identification is preferred for specificity and sensitivity. To achieve the targeted malaria elimination goal, proper identification of vectors using accurate techniques for effective control measures should be prioritized.

Objective: Babesiosis is a significant haemoparasitic infection caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Babesia. This infection has continuously threatened cattle farmers owing to its devastating effects on productivity and severe economic implications. Failure to curb the increase of the infection has been attributed to largely ineffective vaccines. This study was designed to develop a potential vaccine candidate. Method: Rhoptry-associated protein-1 (RAP-1) was used to identify and design a potential multi-epitope vaccine candidate due to its immunogenic properties through an immunoinformatics approach. Results and conclusions: A multi-epitope vaccine comprising 11 CD8+, 17 CD4+, and 3 B-cell epitopes was constructed using the AAY, GPGPG, and KK linkers. Beta-defensin-3 was added as an adjuvant to potentiate the immune response using the EAAK linker. The designed vaccine was computationally predicted to be antigenic (antigenicity scores: 0.6), soluble (solubility index: 0.730), and non-allergenic. The vaccine construct comprises 595 amino acids with a molecular weight of 64 152 kDa, an instability and aliphatic index of 13.89 and 65.82, which confers stability with a Grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) value of 0.122, indicating the hydrophobicity of the construct. Europe has the highest combined class population coverage, with a percentage of 96.07%, while Central America has the lowest population coverage, with a value of 22.94%. The DNA sequence of the vaccine construct was optimized and successfully cloned into a pET-28a (+) plasmid vector. Analysis of binding interactions indicated the stability of the complex when docked with Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2). The subunit vaccine construct was predicted to induce and boost sufficient host cellular and humoral responses in silico. However, further experimental research and analysis is required to validate the findings. Limitation: This study is purely computational, and further experimental validation of these findings through in vivo and in vitro conditions is required.

Background and Aim: Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) remain a major constraint to cattle production, responsible for substantial economic losses through reduced productivity, increased treatment costs, and high mortality. Beyond livestock impacts, ticks transmit a range of zoonotic pathogens, posing significant health risks to communities in close contact with cattle. Despite Borno State having the largest cattle population in Nigeria, there is no prior documentation of cattle farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding ticks, TBDs, and their zoonotic implications. This study aimed to assess farmers’ awareness, preventive behaviors, and tick-control strategies, while evaluating the influence of formal and informal education on these variables. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive KAP survey was conducted among 492 cattle farmers across Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government Area between November 2024 and February 2025. Data were collected using a semi-structured and pre-validated questionnaire translated into local languages. Descriptive statistics summarized KAP, while Chi-square tests assessed associations between education and key outcome variables (significance level: p ≤ 0.05). Results: Most farmers (77.2%) reported observing ticks on their cattle, and 82.9% recognized their role in livestock disease transmission. Tick occurrence was highest during the rainy season (83.7%). Although awareness of livestock TBDs was high, more than half (54.4%) were unaware that ticks transmit diseases to humans. A large proportion (59.8%) reported previous tick bites, but only 10.2% sought medical care afterward. Combined control through acaricides and handpicking was the predominant practice (78.9%). Significant differences between formally and informally educated farmers were observed for lesion recognition after tick bites (χ² = 128.04; p ≤ 0.001), tick-control method (χ² = 26.30; p ≤ 0.001), frequency of handpicking (χ² = 44.27; p ≤ 0.001), and acaricide application methods (χ² = 57.45; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Farmers demonstrated good knowledge of ticks and livestock TBDs but exhibited low awareness of zoonotic risks and poor health-seeking behavior following tick bites. Strengthening public health education, promoting protective practices, and integrating zoonotic TBDs into One Health policies are essential to reducing risks among high-exposure populations. Keywords: acaricide use, Borno State, cattle farmers, knowledge, attitudes, and practices, Nigeria, One Health, tick-control practices, tick infestation, tick-borne diseases, zoonotic infections.

An in vivo study was carried out to evaluate the possible anti-trypanosomal activity of Leptadenia hastata crude root extract with also its associated hematological changes particularly the packed cell volume (PCV) in experimental Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection using Wistar rats. Thirty Wistar rats comprising of both males and females were categorized into six separate groups starting from A to F. Wistar placed in Group A and Group B were inoculated with T. brucei brucei and administered crude root extract of L. hastata at 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, as the treatment. Group C was infected with the parasite but untreated, while Group D was not infected with the parasite and was not treated. The remaining Groups E and F were inoculated with the parasite using diminazene diaceturate at 3.5 and 7.0 mg/kg, respectively. The extract was administered enterally when parasitemia was detected. Standard laboratory techniques were employed to determine parasitemia and PCV after collection of blood samples every 2 days via the tail vein. Infected Groups (A, B, C, E, and F) showed a pre-patent period 2 days post infection (P.I) with mean parasitic counts of 3.93 ± 2.38, 2.46 ± 2.20, 0.67 ± 0.77, 4.60 ± 4.45, and 1.53 ± 1.44, respectively, which continued unabated in groups treated with the extract.The pack cell volume did not decline significantly in the in Groups A and B. Acute toxicity study revealed the absence of any clinical or behavioral changes suggesting toxicity. There was no effect on parasitemia of Wistar rats infected with the parasite after administration of 100 and 200 mg, respectively, using the extract as the treatment. PCV of the groups infected remained fairly constant with the control groups throughout the study with the extract being non-toxic.