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Pharmacologia

Year: 2013 | Volume: 4 | Issue: 4 | Page No.: 320-326
DOI: 10.17311/pharmacologia.2013.320.326
Temporal Relationship of Environmental Arsenic and M. ulcerans Infection in the Amansie West District
Samuel Fosu Gyasi, John Asiedu Larbi and Esi Awuah

Abstract: Background: Temporal variations of infectious diseases in humans range from childhood related disorders such as measles, diphtheria and chickenpox to faecal-oral infections, such as cholera and rotavirus, vector-borne diseases. The causes of such seasonal and longer period cycles in the incidence of these diseases have long puzzled epidemiologist. Buruli Ulcer (BU), an ulcerative disease of skin, subcutaneous tissue and sometimes bone has also been linked to temporal relationships in recent times. Methodology: In this study, arsenic and other physicochemical parameters from streams and soils around streams were analysed over a period of 24 months for temporal relationship and BU transmission. Results: Results from the study showed that, mean arsenic concentration for the streams in the entire sampling community was (0.6325 mg L-1; Range, 0.01-1.458). This figure exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for arsenic in drinking water (0.01 mg L-1). The results further revealed the influence of temporal relationship with arsenic levels in all the steams. Mean arsenic levels in the streams during the dry sampling periods over the period of study were significantly high in all the communities compared to the wet sampling counterpart (p<0.05). Conclusion: Results of the study have confirmed that, the Amansie West District is generally polluted with arsenic and these levels are high during dry periods which coincide with peak periods of BU incidence in endemic regions. It has therefore indicated a temporal relationship between Mycobacterium ulcerans infection incidences and relatively dry periods.

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How to cite this article
Samuel Fosu Gyasi, John Asiedu Larbi and Esi Awuah, 2013. Temporal Relationship of Environmental Arsenic and M. ulcerans Infection in the Amansie West District. Pharmacologia, 4: 320-326.

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