BackgroundTo improve effectiveness of malaria control interventions, it is essential to deepen the knowledge of contextual factors that govern people's practice for preventive and curative measures. The aim of this study was to determine factors that influence the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in three rural communities of Côte d'Ivoire, two of which benefited from recent interventions.MethodsThe study was carried out in 957 households in three villages (Bozi, N'Dakonankro and Yoho) located in central Côte d'Ivoire. Indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP), malaria knowledge and practice, placing special emphasis on LLINs, were investigated during a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Principal component analysis was used to calculate the SEP of households by means of a list of household assets ownership. The concentration index was used to assess the direction of the association between SEP and a given variable. To compare groups or means, Fisher's exact test, χ2 and Kruskal-Wallis test were used, as appropriate.ResultsSignificant differences were found between SEP and reported malaria symptoms, such as fever or hot body, convulsion, anaemia and jaundice (yellow eyes). Individuals from the least poor group cited more often the use of bed nets and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) compared to poorer groups. The mean number of individuals reporting the use of bed nets and LLINs was different between groups with different educational level. Moreover, the mean number of LLINs in a household was influenced by the presence of children below five years of age.ConclusionThe study not only confirmed that education and SEP play important roles in the prevention and control of malaria and promotion of health in general, but pointed at the basic essential knowledge and the key behavioural elements that should guide education and learning processes among the poorer segments of the population. In turn, such knowledge may change behaviour and lead to an increased utilization of LLINs.

Evolution spatiale et temporelle des dégâts du jasside Jacobiella facialis Jacobi, 1912 (Cicadellidae) Mots clés : Jasside, pluviométrie, évolution spatio-temporelle, cotonnier, protection, Côte d'Ivoire. KONE et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 11(3): 1190-1201, 2017 1191 Spatial and temporal variation of the injury levels of jassid Jacobiella facialis Jacobi, 1912 (Cicadellidae) in relation to rainfall variation for the last two decades in the cotton growing area of Côte d'Ivoire ABSTRACT Jassid Jacobiella facialis is a sucking pest of cotton in Côte d'Ivoire. For the last decades, its attacks are persistent throughout the entire crop cycle despite insecticide treatments. This study aimed at analyzing the spatial and temporal distributions of pest damage in relation to rainfall trends over the past two decades. From 1993 to 2015, pest and rainfall surveys were carried out through a network involving more than 300 fields. Data revealed an annual variation in the pest damage levels, fluctuating between 0.52 and 6.01 attacked plants for 30 explains significantly the resurgence of the pest. In fact, the distribution of high pest pressure in the Northeast corresponds, during the last decade, particularly to rainfalls lower than 320 mm. This suggests the development of a new strategy for effective management of J. facialis. P. W. E.

The abusive use of synthetic pesticides in the phytosanitary protection of cotton in Côte d'Ivoire threatens the viability of the production system. The search for alternative control methods is therefore necessary. Phytosanitary strategies involving plant-based biopesticides have been explored. The insecticidal activity of essential oils of plant species of the genus Ocimum has been the subject of numerous investigations. The objective of this study is to compare the insecticidal potential of two species of the same genus Ocimum gratissimum and O. canum on a major cotton pest, the pink worm Pectinophora gossypiella. Adults of the insect were exposed in the laboratory to the toxic effect of different concentrations of these oils by topical application using a micro applicator. The lethal concentrations causing respectively 50 % (LC50) and 90% (LC90) death in the populations tested were determined for each of the essential oils. The oil extracted from O. gratissimum was the most toxic with LC50 and LC90 respective values of 1.01 % and 5.05 % as compared to O. canum (LC50 = 11.33 % and LC90= 30.04 %). The high toxicity of O. gratissimum may be explained by the presence of 24.57 % thymol and 37.79 % p-cimene in its chemical composition. The extract of O. gratissimum has shown in laboratory the highest potentiel insecticidal activity, it‘s field use can therefore be suggested for the control of this cotton pest.

Urban malaria is an underestimated serious health concern in African countries. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of malaria transmission in an urban area by evaluating the level of human exposure to bites using an salivary biomarker ( Salivary Gland Protein-6 peptide 1 [gSG6-P1] peptide). Two multidisciplinary cross-sectional studies were undertaken in five sites of Bouaké city (three urban districts and two surrounding villages, used as control; Côte d'Ivoire) during the rainy season and the dry season. Blood samples were obtained from children 6 months to 14 years of age for immunological tests. The level of anti-gSG6-P1 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies was significantly higher in the rainy season than the dry season in both urban and rural sites ( < 0.0001). Interestingly, children with the highest anti-gSG6-P1 IgG responses in the rainy season were infected by . Surprisingly, no difference of anti-gSG6-P1 IgG level was observed between urban and rural areas, for either season. The current data suggest that children in the urban city of Bouaké could be as highly exposed to bites as children living in surrounding villages. The immunological biomarker of human exposure to bites may be used to accurately assess the potential risk of malaria transmission in African urban settings.

BackgroundIn some African cities, urban malaria is a threat to the health and welfare of city dwellers. To improve the control of the disease, it is critical to identify neighbourhoods where the risk of malaria transmission is the highest. This study aims to evaluate the heterogeneity of malaria transmission risk in one city (Bouaké) in a West African country (Côte d’Ivoire) that presents several levels of urbanization.MethodsTwo cross-sectional studies were conducted in three neighbourhoods (Dar-es-Salam, Kennedy and N’gattakro) in Bouaké during both the rainy and dry seasons. Data on insecticide-treated net (ITN) use and blood samples were collected from children aged between 6 months and 15 years to determine the parasite density and the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum and the level of IgG against the Anopheles gSG6-P1 salivary peptide, used as the biomarker of Anopheles bite exposure.ResultsThe specific IgG levels to the gSG6-P1 salivary peptide in the rainy season were significantly higher compared to the dry season in all neighbourhoods studied (all p < 0.001). Interestingly, these specific IgG levels did not differ between neighbourhoods during the rainy season, whereas significant differences in IgG level were observed in the dry season (p = 0.034). ITN use could be a major factor of variation in the specific IgG level. Nevertheless, no difference in specific IgG levels to the gSG6-P1 salivary peptide was observed between children who declared “always” versus “never” sleeping under an ITN in each neighbourhood. In addition, the prevalence of P. falciparum in the whole population and immune responders was significantly different between neighbourhoods in each season (p < 0.0001).ConclusionThis study highlights the high risk of malaria exposure in African urban settings and the high heterogeneity of child exposure to the Anopheles vector between neighbourhoods in the same city. The Anopheles gSG6-P1 salivary peptide could be a suitable biomarker to accurately and quantitatively assess the risk of malaria transmission in urban areas.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2696-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.