Assessment of Physico-chemical Parameters of Soils in Fallowing Farmlands on the Abundance of Human Infecting Geohelminths in Mgbuitanwo Emohua, Rivers State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to determine the effects of soil physico-chemical parameters on the abundance of human infecting geohelminths in soils of environments used for open defaecation in Mgbuitanwo Emohua, Rivers State, Nigeria. A total of 240 soil samples were collected randomly from soils found in fallowing Farmlands used for open defaecation in Mgbuitanwo Community in Emohua local Government Area of Rivers State, between the months of January-June 2013 and 2014 respectively. The samples were analysed for temperature, pH, and organic content and Centrifugal flotation method was used to examine the samples for geohelminths. Evaluation after two variations gave an average of 60(50%) of the soil samples as positive for geohelminths as follows; 5 (4.2%), 40(33.3%) and 15(12.5%) for clayey, loamy and sandy soils respectively, with a soil temperature mean of 26.8± 1°C, pH 5.9 ± .5 and soil organic matter 12.4 ± 1%. The effects of these parameters on the geohelminths was statistically significant (P<.05). Eggs and larvae of human infecting geohelminths were recovered Eighty-eight times; Ascaris spp. 31(35.2%), Trichuris spp. 23 (26.1%), Ancylostoma duodenale 18 (20.5%), Strongyloides spp. 4 (4.5%), Enterobius spp. 8(9.1%), Trichostrongylus spp. 2(2.3%) and Schistosoma mansoni 2(2.3%). The high presence of human infecting geohelminths in soils of the study area portends a public health danger. Therefore, combination of sanitation and community health education is a necessary and effective control measure against geohelminths.