HR: 11:00h
AN: NB32D-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Associations of aquatic invertebrates and water quality in the ecology of an emerging tropical disease
AU: * Benbow, M
EM: benbow@msu.edu
AF: Michigan State University, Department of Entomology, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
AU: Merritt, R W
EM: merrittr@msu.edu
AF: Michigan State University, Department of Entomology, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
AU: Kimbirauskas, R
EM: kimbira1@msu.edu
AF: Michigan State University, Department of Entomology, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
AU: Kolar, R
EM: kolarreb@msu.edu
AF: Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
AB: Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection is commonly called Buruli ulcer, a rapidly emerging skin disease that is often disfiguring and causes severe and lasting morbidity in developing nations of the tropics and sub-tropics. Outbreaks of BU are nearly always associated with slow-flowing aquatic habitats affected by human-mediated landscape changes, and biting aquatic insects are thought to play a role in transmission. As a part of a World Health Organization initiative, we are determining landscape factors that determine water quality conditions conducive for enhanced M. ulcerans growth and abundance in the aquatic environment. In June 2004 we collected water quality and invertebrate data from 12 water bodies near Accra, Ghana, Africa. Preliminary analyses found predator-dominated communities (from 47% - 64%) with Hemiptera (e.g., Belostomatidae and Naucoridae) most often collected. Using exploratory canonical correspondence analysis, sites separated out by functional feeding groups and water quality variables. Higher water hardness and total suspended solids was most associated with scrapers (i.e., snails) and shrimp, respectively. PCR evidence suggests that M. ulcerans is found among snails, fish and invertebrates. Future studies are proposed that take a multi-scale, multidisciplinary approach for identifying disturbance metrics that can be used to predict human Buruli ulcer incidence near monitored water bodies.
DE: 1845 Limnology
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 1890 Wetlands
DE: 9305 Africa
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly