OJUROMI TESLIM OLADELE

Zoology and Environmental Biology

At the Zoology And Environmental Biology department office

Appointment on Visitation important

Topic: Medical Parasitology

Description: My research interest is on molecular studies and prevalence of protozoan and helminths species in Nigeria and other parts of the world. I am currently studying the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and microsporidia species in our environment. They are parasitic pathogens have been reported to be agents of diarrhoea in both immuno-competent and immuno-compromised host and animals. The main objective of current research is to identify and characterize species of these organisms in our environment in order to have adequate knowledge and understanding of the zoonotic potential of the parasites. It is also aimed at determining the species subtypes from both human and animal samples and compares the genotype of isolates from animals to those found in human strains. Additionally, studies on isolation of active compounds from medicinal plants to test for their potency on protozoan parasites are in progress.

#	Certificate	School	Year
1.	Ph.D (MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY)	UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, LAGOS, NIGERIA	2010

Diversity of Ticks and Molecular Identification of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Dogs from Rural Communities of Lagos State, Nigeria

Ticks are obligatory ectoparasitic hematophagous arthropods capable of transmitting a wide range of microorganisms of medical and veterinary importance globally. There is limited knowledge of tick-borne diseases in dogs in Lagos. This study examined the prevalence of tick infestations and the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in rural Lagos State, Nigeria. Ticks were collected from dogs in the Ojo and Badagry Local Government Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria, and morphologically identified, as well as tested for tick-borne pathogens using PCR. Questionnaires were administered to dog owners to assess risk factors associated with ticks and tick-borne pathogens. A total of 165 ticks 87 females; 78 males were collected and microscopically identified to be Rhipicephalus, 138 83.6%, , Haemaphysalis 20 12.1% , and Hyalomma 7 4.2% and the overall prevalence of tick-borne pathogens was B. vogeli 30.0%, H. canis 40.0% and E. canis 100%. All three pathogens B. vogeli, H. canis, and E. canis, were present in ticks collected from Ojo LGA, but only E. canis was found in Badagry LGA. This study highlights a significant presence of tick-borne pathogens in Lagos State, with E. canis showing a wider geographic distribution. These findings emphasize the need for improved awareness, surveillance, and tick control strategies to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission to dogs and, potentially, humans in rural Nigeria.

OJUROMI OLADELE is a Associate Professor / Reader at the Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology

OJUROMI has a Ph.D in MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY from UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, LAGOS, NIGERIA