Agriculture is the main activity carried out in Cameroon and pesticide use is believed to be a common rule for its success. Most of the farms are situated close to water bodies, thus constituting a potential risk to non-target aquatic organisms. Declines of amphibian populations have been a worldwide issue of concern for the scientific community during the last several decades. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of an insecticide used by local farmers in Buea on amphibians. Parastar 40WP® which is constituted of imidacloprid + lambda-cyhalothrin a commonly used insecticide was applied on tadpoles of the African common toad Amietophrynus regularis (Reuss, 1833) in a static renewal experiment. The acute toxicity test was carried out after a range finding test from which seven test concentrations were selected. These concentrations were 0.0025 mg/l, 0.005 mg/l, 0.01 mg/l, 0.05 mg/l, 0.1 mg/l, 0.5 mg/l and 0.2 mg/l. Signs of toxicity such as hyperactive symptoms, loss of balance, motionlessness and death were recorded. A varying degree of mortality (dose-dependent) was noticed during the test. On the contrary, no such toxicity signs and mortality occurred in the control, indicating that they were caused by the test substance. The 24h LC50 was 3.66mg/l, which is less than the recommended application dose (125 mg/l). Products constituted of imidacloprid and lambdacyhalothrin should therefore be handled with care and far from water bodies because of their potential to cause harm to non-target aquatic biota.

No abstract

To estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites of the barn swallow (<em>H. rustica</em>) in Dschang and to see if this bird can be a risk to public health, an investigation was carried out in three sites. An analysis of 51 swallows showed that 35.29% of these birds carry at least one species of ectoparasite. Four species were identified, with the following prevalence: 31.37% (<em>Eomenacanthus stramineus</em>), 5.88% (<em>Goniocotes gallinae</em>), 3.92% (<em>Menacanthus cornutus</em>) and 3.92% (<em>Menopon gallinae</em>). The only significant difference in prevalence between sites was observed with <em>E. stramineus</em> and <em>G. gallinae</em>. Sex did not influence the prevalence of ectoparasites. Swallows of low weight were the most infested. The diversity of nest building material is an indicator of the exploration of several types of media for nest building. Diversity and equitability indexes were 1.05 and 0.53, respectively. A survey carried out using questionnaires showed that swallows are consumed by 30% of the respondents and are used in traditional medicines. These interactions can pose risks to the human population, although we did not find any zoonotic species.

Widespread extensive and improper application of pesticides may pose risk to aquatic ecosystem and affect non-target organisms. This study aimed at assessing chemical pollution with pesticides using the PRIMET (Pesticides Risks in the tropics to Man, Environment and Trade) model in the Benoe stream. Ecotoxicological data on pesticides, pesticide and water physico-chemistry were used as input parameters. Water parameters were measured monthly for 06 months in 08 sampling points along the stream. Pesticide characteristics were obtained from the Pesticides Properties Data Base (PPDB) and the PRIMET software. The risk assessment was done for 44 active ingredients used in the area and whose ecotoxicological and physico-chemical data were available. Water parameters significantly (p<0.05) varied across seasons. Based on the Exposure Toxicity Ratio (ETR)

Millions of people suffer from poisoning worldwide and some die because of complications. The aim of this study was to assess five-year trends in poisoning among patients referred to the Buea Regional Hospital. Data was collected from records in the Emergency Unit, in records from 01/01/2013 to 31/12/2017, using a form designed for the purpose. A total of 335 cases of poisoning were recorded. Twenty-nine (29) types of poisoning agents were recorded; the highest percentage was dog bite (23.28%), followed by food poisoning (18.81%). There was a temporal dynamic in poisoning as the year 2015 had the highest number of cases with percentage of 25.38% while the year 2014 had the lowest number of cases with a percentage of 13.44%. Moreover, the gender was not associated with poisoning as the percentage in males (50.15%) was not significantly (P > 0.05) different from the percentage in females (49.85%). Besides that, the gender did not determine poisoning circumstances (P > 0.05) even though more female were concerned with suicide attempts. Accidental poisoning was significantly (P < 0.001) more common (86.27%) than suicide attempts (13.73%). Based on the marital status, single patients were significantly (P < 0.001) more affected (65.97%) as compared to married ones (34.03%). Additionally, the frequency varied significantly (P > 0.001) in terms of patient's occupation with unemployed being the most affected group (63.28%) as compared to workers (36.72%). Based on ages, the age group (16-30 years) was the most affected (40.90%). Fortunately, the percentage of healed cases (97.91%) was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than the percentages of cases reported dead (2.09%); nevertheless, chronic signs such as immune suppression, cancer, mutation and reduction of reproductive capacities may appear many years later. Inevitably, more studies on poisoning should be made; this will raise the necessity to sensitize populations on poisoning and the need to create poison management centres.