Publications by authors named "Tchuinkam Timoleon"

Little is known about the behaviors of African equatorial rain forest mosquito species and their potential role as sylvatic and bridge-vectors of various pathogens of animal and public health. In 2016 and 2017, the diversity and sources of water supporting immature development of mosquitoes in Talangaye Rainforest (South West Cameroon) before, during and after deforestation were investigated. Mosquito eggs, larvae and pupae were collected from 12 natural, seminatural, and artificial water sources and reared to adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Understanding the epidemiological features of malaria is a key step to monitoring and quantifying the impact of the current control efforts to inform future ones. This study establishes the prevalence and frequency of malaria in a forest-savannah ecozone for 5 consecutive years in Cameroon.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 3 health centers of Makenene from 2016 to 2020, a period covering the second long-lasting insecticide net mass distribution campaign.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Long-lasting insecticide nets (LLINs) are the recommended tools against mosquito-borne diseases. However, their physical integrity and bioefficacy in the field could be affected by several factors. This study evaluated the physical integrity and bioefficacy of nets used in Makenene since 2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

After vanishing from the public eye for more than 50 years, bed bugs have resurged to become one of the most widely discussed and heavily researched insect pests in the world. This study presents the basic information of infestations of tropical bed bugs, Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), in Cameroon. A total of 248 immature stage and adult bed bug specimens were collected from households and a travel agency in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There has been a renewed interest for larviciding during the recent decade. Although biological larvicides are considered not to be harmful to non-target organisms, there is still not sufficient data on the effect of new long-lasting larvicide formulations such as VectoMax G combining and on the environment especially on non-target organisms. The present study aimed to assess the possible influence of VectoMax G on the diversity and abundance of the aquatic fauna cohabiting with mosquito larvae in breeding habitats during a larviciding trial in the city of Yaoundé.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Malaria remains a major public health concern in Cameroon. Understanding vector distribution and malaria transmission dynamics is of paramount importance for evaluating the performance of control strategies. This study assesses patterns of malaria transmission in four eco-epidemiological settings in Cameroon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MALDI-TOF MS has recently been proposed as an accurate tool for arthropod identification, including ticks. In this study, we evaluate and confirm the ability of MALDI-TOF MS, to identify different tick species collected in Cameroon, considering other lines of evidence (morphology and molecular). A total of 1483 adult ticks were collected from cattle in five distinct sites in the Western Highland of Cameroon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Malaria transmission and prevalence is still not well documented across Cameroon particularly in medium-sized cities or localities representing high transit zone. Different risk factors could be associated with persistence malaria transmission such as population movement from high to low transmission settings. A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out to determine malaria prevalence and risk factors in Makenene, a small city in a forest-savannah which is a crossroads between different parts of the country where travellers usually stop-over day and night to rest.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to malaria among communities in the equatorial forest region of south Cameroon, specifically in Olama and Nyabessan.
  • Interviews with 186 households revealed that a significant majority had good knowledge of malaria and high ownership of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), yet malaria prevalence remained high at 63.9% in Nyabessan and 48.65% in Olama.
  • Despite community awareness and use of preventive measures, malaria transmission persists, highlighting the need for additional control strategies to enhance malaria prevention efforts in the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 944 ticks were analyzed, revealing that 23% were positive for various pathogens, including Anaplasmataceae and Piroplasmida, with a co-infection rate of 3.4%.
  • * The results indicate that ticks in this region carry diverse microorganisms that pose a potential risk for zoonotic diseases, highlighting the importance of monitoring tick populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the contribution of secondary vectors to malaria transmission, there is still not enough information on their susceptibility status to insecticides. The present study assesses the resistance profile of to DDT. WHO tube tests were used to screen mosquito populations collected from the far-north region of Cameroon for susceptibility to 4% DDT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Rapid pyrethroid resistance is a major challenge for malaria vector control in Cameroon, with insufficient data on its exact status across the country.
  • The study evaluated resistance profiles through bioassays, species identification, and detection of target site mutations, finding high frequencies of the kdr L1014F allele and some occurrence of the N1575Y mutation in various regions.
  • Overexpression of several detoxification genes and significant differences in cuticular hydrocarbon lipids were noted, highlighting the need for increased research and action to address insecticide resistance in malaria control strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arbovirus diseases represent a significant public health problem in Cameroon and vector surveillance is a key component of prevention strategies. However, there is still not enough evidence of the efficacy of different sampling methods used to monitor mosquito population dynamic in different epidemiological settings. The present study provides data on the evaluation of ovitraps and different adult sampling methods in the city of Yaoundé and its close vicinity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To contribute to the mission of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and guide future interventions in Cameroon in general, and in Makenene in particular, this study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population of Makenene towards the fight against malaria.

Methods: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a descriptive cross-sectional household community survey was carried out in randomly selected households in Makenene, a locality situated between forest and savannah ecotypes.

Results: Out of the 413 households surveyed, all (100%) claimed to have heard of malaria with over 94% (n = 391) associating disease transmission with mosquito bites.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The spread of resistance to pyrethroids in malaria-carrying mosquitoes poses a significant challenge for current malaria control strategies, highlighting a need for alternative insecticides such as carbamates and organophosphates.
  • A study conducted in Cameroon evaluated the resistance levels of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to bendiocarb and malathion, using both bioassays and molecular techniques, and found widespread resistance except in specific locations.
  • The research revealed high frequencies of the ace-1 G119S mutation and overexpression of multiple resistance-related genes, indicating that the development of resistance to these alternative insecticides could undermine future malaria control efforts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Very little data exist on the biology of an afrotropical rainforest mosquito Eretmapodites (Er.) in a world undergoing dramatic changes due to deforestation. The aim was to assess the efficacy of different trapping methods in the collection of Er.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The expansion of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya in the past 15 years has ignited the need for active surveillance of common and neglected mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The surveillance should be designed to detect diseases and to provide relevant field-based data for developing and implementing effective control measures to prevent outbreaks before significant public health consequences can occur. Mosquitoes are important vectors of human and animal pathogens, and knowledge on their biodiversity and distribution in the Afrotropical region is needed for the development of evidence-based vector control strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The surveillance of mosquito vectors is important for the control of arboviruses diseases worldwide. Detailed information on the bionomics and distribution of their main vectors, and is essential for assessing disease transmission risk and for better planning of control interventions.

Methods: Entomological surveys were carried out from November 2019 to November 2020 in six localities of Yaoundé city following a transect from urban to rural settings: two urban (Obili, Mvan), two peri-urban (Simbock, Ahala) and two rural areas (Lendom, Elig-essomballa)-during rainy and dry seasons.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Malaria remains a major public health problem in Cameroon. Critical steps to improve disease control include assessing human population adherence to vector control interventions, especially in areas with different cultural backgrounds. The present study seeks to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of populations towards malaria prevention in four ecoepidemiological settings in Cameroon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The emergence of insecticide resistance in could pose major challenges for arboviral-borne disease control. In this paper, insecticide susceptibility level and resistance mechanisms were assessed in (Linnaeus, 1762) and (Skuse, 1894) from urban settings of Cameroon. The F1 progeny of and collected in Douala, Yaoundé and Dschang from August to December 2020 was tested using WHO tube assays with four insecticides: deltamethrin 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In order to improve our understanding of the fundamental limits of core interventions and guide efforts based on prioritization and identification of effective/novel interventions with great potentials to interrupt persistent malaria transmission in the context of high vector control coverage, the drivers of persistent disease transmission were investigated in three eco-epidemiological settings; forested areas in Cameroon, coastal area in Kenya and highland areas in Ethiopia.

Methods: Mosquitoes were sampled in three eco-epidemiological settings using different entomological sampling techniques and analysed for Plasmodium infection status and blood meal origin in blood-fed specimens. Human behavioural surveys were conducted to assess the knowledge and attitude of the population on malaria and preventive measures, their night activities, and sleeping pattern.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

While malaria remains a serious public health concern, its rapid or prompt diagnosis in remote areas is important in the fight against the disease. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of widely used Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits for routinely detection of asymptomatic patients. A total of 400 asymptomatic participants of both sexes aged between 1-89 years from Menoua Division (Santchou and Dschang) were tested for malaria infection using both microscopy and CareStart™ RDT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Cameroon, pyrethroid-only long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are still largely used for malaria control. The present study assessed the efficacy of such LLINs against a multiple-resistant population of the major malaria vector, Anopheles coluzzii, in the city of Yaoundé via a cone bioassay and release-recapture experimental hut trial. Susceptibility of field mosquitoes in Yaoundé to pyrethroids, DDT, carbamates and organophosphate insecticides was investigated using World Health Organization (WHO) bioassay tube tests.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Species of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) belonging to the subgenus Culiciomyia were collected in partially logged areas and in surrounding pristine forest (Talangaye Forest) in the Nguti Subdivision in the South-West Region of Cameroon. Mosquitoes were collected mainly by sweep netting through forest floor vegetation. Morphological species identification of African Culiciomyia relies almost exclusively on the structure of the male genitalia and the shapes of comb scales on the maxillary palpi of males.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To identify potential sylvatic, urban and bridge-vectors that can be involved in current or future virus spillover from wild to more urbanised areas, entomological field surveys were conducted in rural, peri-urban and urban areas spanning the rainy and dry seasons in western Cameroon. A total of 2650 mosquitoes belonging to 37 species and eight genera were collected. Mosquito species richness was significantly influenced by the specific combination of the habitat type and the season.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF