Incidence Of Plague Research Articles

Assessing the effectiveness of intervention to prevent plague through community and animal-based survey.

Bubonic plague, transmitted by infected flea bites, is the most common form of plague and, left untreated, can progress to the pneumonic form, which is highly contagious. Surveillance focusing on reservoir and vector is considered to be the main approach to prevent plague. Common rodent control methods include the use of rodenticide and snap traps but, in a plague context, the dispersal of fleas from killed animals may pose a serious health threat. Therefore, there is a need for strategies which address reservoir and vector control. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of combination of reservoir and vector control through community-based surveillance. Activities were implemented by local previously trained community agents in two active plague foci in Madagascar. Kartman bait stations containing rodenticide and insecticide were placed indoors while live traps were set outdoors. Small mammals were identified and killed with their fleas. Effectiveness of control measures was evaluated by comparison of plague incidence two years before and after intervention using data on reported human cases of plague from the Central Laboratory of Plague. A total of 4,302 small mammals were captured, with the predominance of the black rat Rattus rattus. Our results found a reduction in plague incidence in the treated site for at least two years after treatment. Community-based interventions played an important role in reducing contact between humans-rodents-fleas. Our study confirms the importance of animal surveillance during the low plague transmission season. The combination of reservoir and vector control with community involvement may be effective at reducing the risks of plague spillover to humans. The strategy of using Kartman bait stations indoors with live traps outdoors can be used to refine proactive plague prevention, however, due to the potential development of resistance to pesticides in flea and rat populations, overuse should be considered.

Climate-driven marmot-plague dynamics in Mongolia and China

The incidence of plague has rebounded in the Americas, Asia, and Africa alongside rapid globalization and climate change. Previous studies have shown local climate to have significant nonlinear effects on plague dynamics among rodent communities. We analyzed an 18-year database of plague, spanning 1998 to 2015, in the foci of Mongolia and China to trace the associations between marmot plague and climate factors. Our results suggested a density-dependent effect of precipitation and a geographic location-dependent effect of temperature on marmot plague. That is, a significantly positive relationship was evident between risk of plague and precipitation only when the marmot density exceeded a certain threshold. The geographical heterogeneity of the temperature effect and the contrasting slopes of influence for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and other regions in the study (nQTP) were primarily related to diversity of climate and landscape types.

¿LA LUNA INFLUYE EN EL RENDIMIENTO DEL MAÍZ AMARILLO DURO? HALLAZGOS DEL TRÓPICO SECO

<p><strong>Background: </strong>The hard yellow<strong> </strong>corn (<em>Zea mays </em>L.) is essential in the livestock sector. In Peru, the variety Marginal 28-T is cultivated with the moon´s calendar, although relationships of moon phases with yellow corn have not been demonstrated. <strong>Objective:</strong> To determine the influence of the moon phase (new moon, first quarter, last quarter, and full moon) on development yield and plague incidence in hard yellow corn Marginal 28-T. <strong>Methodology:</strong> A completely randomized factorial design 2 x 4 (two seasons of four moon phases) and four repetitions with 104 experimental units. Plant and ear height, grain weight, yield, <em>Spodoptera frugiperda</em>, <em>Ustilago maydis</em>, and<em> Helmintosporium maydis</em> attacks were evaluated. <strong>Results:</strong> The corn sown during the new moon produced the highest and longer plants and ears, with 218 cm and 116 cm, respectively. The highest grain weight, with 45.50 and 44.30 g in 100 grains, and the highest yields, with 3.78 y 3.55 t∙ha<sup>-1</sup>, were obtained with the corn sown during the last quarter and full moon, respectively. The number of defoliated plants by <em>S. frugiperda </em>was lowest in corn sown during the last quarter and the new moon. There were no infected plants with <em>U. maydis</em> during the first quarter, last quarter, and full moon. Plants sown during a full moon had the lowest damage by <em>H. maydis</em>. <strong>Implications:</strong> The corn´s response can be affected by the moon phases. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Hard yellow corn Marginal 28-T planted during the full moon and last quarter produced the highest yield and lowest height and was more tolerant to plague attacks than corn sown during other moon phases. However, it is still necessary to consider the influence of precipitation as a factor for better yields.</p>

Predicting global potential distribution of Peromyscopsylla hesperomys and Orchopeas sexdentatus and risk assessment for invading China under climate change.

Peromyscopsylla hesperomys and Orchopeas sexdentatus are regarded to be representative plague vectors in the United States. The incidence of plague is rising globally, possibly due to climate change and environmental damage. Environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation have a significant impact on the temporal and spatial distribution of plague vectors. Maximum entropy models (MaxEnt) were utilized to predict the distributions of these two fleas and their trends into the future. The main environmental factors influencing the distribution of these two fleas were analyzed. A risk assessment system was constructed to calculate the invasion risk values of the species. Temperature has a significant effect on the distribution of the potentially suitable areas for P. hesperomys and O. sexdentatus. They have the potential to survive in suitable areas of China in the future. The risk assessment system indicated that the risk level for the invasion of these two species into China was moderate. In order to achieve early detection, early interception, and early management, China should perfect its monitoring infrastructure and develop scientific prevention and control strategies to prevent the invasion of foreign flea vectors.

Human ABO Blood Groups and Their Associations with Different Diseases.

Introduction Human ABO blood type antigens exhibit alternative phenotypes and genetically derived glycoconjugate structures that are located on the red cell surface which play an active role in the cells' physiology and pathology. Associations between the blood type and disease have been studied since the early 1900s when researchers determined that antibodies and antigens are inherited. However, due to lack of antigens of some blood groups, there have been some contentious issues with the association between the ABO blood group and vulnerability to certain infectious and noninfectious diseases. Objective To review different literatures that show the association between ABO blood groups and different diseases. Method Original, adequate, and recent articles on the same field were researched, and the researcher conducted a comprehensive review on this topic. Thus, taking out critical discussions, not only a descriptive summary of the topic but also contradictory ideas were fully retrieved and presented in a clear impression. In addition, some relevant scientific papers published in previous years were included. The article search was performed by matching the terms blood types/groups with a group of terms related to different diseases. The articles were screened and selected based on the title and abstract presented. Results The susceptibility to various diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infections and hematologic disorders, cognitive disorders, circulatory diseases, metabolic diseases, and malaria, has been linked with ABO blood groups. Moreover, blood group AB individuals were found to be susceptible to an increased risk of cognitive impairment which was independent of geographic region, age, race, and gender. Disorders such as hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes were also more prevalent in individuals with cognitive impairment. Early etiological studies indicated that blood type O has a connection with increased incidence of cholera, plague, tuberculosis infections, and mumps, whereas blood type A is linked with increased incidence of smallpox and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection; blood type B is also associated with increased incidence of gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, E. coli, and salmonella infections; and blood type AB is associated with increased incidence of smallpox and E. coli and salmonella infections. Diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, and family history for ischemic heart disease are the most common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and can be genetically transmitted to offspring. Higher incidence of cancers in the stomach, ovaries, salivary glands, cervix, uterus, and colon/rectum was common in blood type A people than in O type people. The link between the ABO blood type and thromboembolic diseases and bleeding risk are intervened by the glycosyltransferase activity and plasma levels and biologic activity of vWF (Von Willebrand factor), a carrier protein for coagulation factor VIII which is low in O type. Conclusion Several studies related to the ABO phenotype show that genetically determined human ABO blood groups were correspondingly linked with an increased risk of various infectious and noninfectious diseases. However, further investigations are needed particularly on the molecular level of ABO blood groups and their association with various diseases.

Plague-Needs Continuous Surveillance System

Plague was considered to be a re-emerging disease since 1990s. The number of plague cases showed rising trend, and outbreaks were reappearing in various countries of the world after decades of quiescence. Plague is a zoonotic disease primarily of rodents. Natural decline in plague incidence would not justify the conclusion that plague has disappeared from the area Plague is transmitted between rodent and mammals via fleas. Rodents are the carriers of viral, rickettsial, nematode and bacterial diseases and are responsible for the transmission of more than 35 communicable diseases including Hanta viruses. Despite major advances in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, it has not been possible to eradicate plague. The lack of continuous baseline surveillance resulted in an undetected sudden increase of the disease incidence in an enzootic/ endemic plague foci of the world, and a sudden outbreak of human cases, what was then considered a re-emerge of the disease. Regular plague surveillance work enhanced the possibility of detecting and delimiting plague foci and helped in determining the necessity for plague control programme. It is not uncommon to observe the long years of quiescence in natural plague foci and the sudden appearance of human cases is always destabilizing for national or even international authorities.

Yersinia Outer Membrane Vesicles as Potential Vaccine Candidates in Protecting against Plague.

Despite the relatively low incidence of plague, its etiological agent, Yersinia pestis, is an exceptional epidemic danger due to the high infectivity and mortality of this infectious disease. Reports on the isolation of drug-resistant Y. pestis strains indicate the advisability of using asymmetric responses, such as phage therapy and vaccine prophylaxis in the fight against this problem. The current relatively effective live plague vaccine is not approved for use in most countries because of its ability to cause heavy local and system reactions and even a generalized infectious process in people with a repressed immune status or metabolic disorders, as well as lethal infection in some species of nonhuman primates. Therefore, developing alternative vaccines is of high priority and importance. However, until now, work on the development of plague vaccines has mainly focused on screening for the potential immunogens. Several investigators have identified the protective potency of bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a promising basis for bacterial vaccine candidates. This review is aimed at presenting these candidates of plague vaccine and the results of their analysis in animal models.

The delayed effect of cooling reinforced the NAO-plague connection in pre-industrial Europe

Previous studies on the connection between climate and plague were mostly conducted without considering the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulations and long-term historical observations. The current study seeks to reveal the sophisticated role of climatic control on plague by investigating the combined effect of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and temperature on plague outbreaks in Europe from 1347 to 1760 CE. Moving correlation analysis is applied to explore the non-linear relationship between NAO and plague transmission over time. Also, we apply the cross-correlation function to identify the role of temperature in mediating the NAO-plague connection and the lead-lag relationship in between. Our statistical results show that the pathway from climate change to plague incidence is distinctive in its spatial, temporal, and non-linear patterns. The multi-decadal temperature change exerted a 15–22 years lagged impact on the NAO-plague correlation in different European regions. The NAO-plague correlation in Atlantic-Central Europe primarily remained positive, while the correlation in Mediterranean Europe switched between positive and negative alternately. The modulating effect of temperature over the NAO-plague correlation increases exponentially with the magnitude of the temperature anomaly, but the effect is negligible between 0.3 and −0.3 °C anomaly. Our findings show that a lagged influence from the temperature extremes dominantly controls the correlation between NAO and plague incidence. A forecast from our study suggests that large-scale plague outbreaks are unlikely to happen in Europe if NAO remains at its current positive phase during the earth's future warming.

Risk prevention of plague and suggestions for coping in China

Plague is listed by the WHO as one of 20 infectious diseases that have re-emerged. Plague was prevalent in the world, bringing great disaster to the people around the world. Nowadays, great achievements have been made in the prevention and control of plague in our country. Human plague in China is currently sporadic, but there are still risks of resurgence spread and importation. This paper reviews the incidence of human plague globally and in China in the past ten years, summarizes the characteristics of current plague epidemic globally and in China, analyzes the current risks of plague prevention in China, and puts forward relevant countermeasures.

Wild Rodents and Their Ectoparasites in an Enzootic Plague Focus, Western Iran.

Introduction: Entomological surveys of ectoparasites and their hosts are an essential tool for assessing the risks of rodent-borne diseases transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors. Objectives: This study was carried out to update the epidemiological data of plague with respect to species compositions of the rodents and their ectoparasites at enzootic foci located in Kurdistan Province, Iran. Methods: The rodents' habitats were selected based on past records of plague and subclimates in each study district with especial attention to the vegetation type. The trapped rodents were anesthetized using a chloroform chamber, and the animals were then examined for ectoparasites by brushing their hair over a pan containing water. The ectoparasites were collected with a fine brush and preserved in 70% ethanol in screw cap tubes. Results: A total of 208 rodents were trapped from three districts. Taxonomic ranking of the rodents indicated that the specimens belonged to 2 suborders of Myomorpha and Sciuromorpha, 4 families (Muridae, Muscardinidae, Cricetidae, and Sciuridae), 7 genera, including Meriones, Apodemus, Mus, Sciurus, Microtus, and Dryomys, and 15 species. Out of 208 rodents, only 56 (26.9%) were infested with 22 species of ectoparasites. Totally, 312 ectoparasites were isolated from 56 rodents, including 12 flea species (54.5%), 6 mite species (27.3%), 3 tick species (13.6%), and one louse species (4.6%). Five species of fleas were recorded for the first time in Kurdistan Province, including Ctenophthalmus iranus persicus, Paraceras melis melis, Nosopsyllus iranus iranus, Paraceras sp., and Ctenophyllus spp. Conclusion: The finding revealed new records for rodents and ectoparasites in Kurdistan Province, as well as changes in dominant rodent species and their ectoparasites compared to previous studies. This phenomenon can influence the changes in the incidence of plague and its epidemiology.

Mapping 15 years of crayfish plague in the Iberian Peninsula: The impact of two invasive species on the endangered native crayfish

Crayfish plague, caused by the pathogen Aphanomyces astaci, is one of the main factors responsible for the decimation of the native European crayfish species Austropotamobius pallipes. In Spain, two North American freshwater crayfish species, Procambarus clarkii and Pacifastacus leniusculus, were intentionally introduced during the 1970s for aquaculture and fishery purposes. Since then, incidences of crayfish plague have been continually reported. In this work, we evaluated more than 50 diagnosed cases of crayfish plague that have occurred in the Iberian Peninsula since 2004 by performing a microscopic examination of infected specimens and by molecularly identifying and haplotyping the pathogen. Our results showed that (i) the pathogen A. astaci has been active 45 years since the first introductions of the invasive North American crayfish species in the Iberian Peninsula, and (ii) P. clarkii and P. leniusculus are chronic reservoirs of the crayfish plague pathogen. Moreover, our data confirmed a correspondence between pathogen origin and spread and the specific haplotypes carried by the North American invasive crayfish located in the vicinity of each outbreak. We generated a crayfish plague incidence map of the Iberian Peninsula that shows (i) a northern area, mainly inhabited by alien P. leniusculus, where crayfish plague cases are associated with the b-haplotype specific to P. leniusculus, and (ii) southern, central and eastern areas that are basically inhabited by alien P. clarkii, where crayfish plague cases are associated with the d1- and d2-haplotypes specific to P. clarkii. The results presented here are evidence of the long standing and negative impact of the two invasive crayfish species on the native species, indicating the need for more extensive control measures.

Continuous hypoxia reduces the concentration of streptomycin in the blood

BackgroundA high incidence and mortality of plague in the past two decades occurred in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. High dose streptomycin (6–8 g/d) remained the first practical strategy for controlling the progressive, vicious clinical circumstances for patients with pneumonic plague in the Plateau, as opposed to the routine dosage recommended by the World Health Organization. To investigate whether patients with pneumonic plague truly required a large dosage of streptomycin in the hypoxic environment of the Tibetan Plateau, we investigated the hypothesis that hypoxic environment would change the pharmacokinetics of streptomycin in vivo.Methods(1) We retrospectively analyzed the data of pneumonic plague patients administered streptomycin from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012 in these areas, which came from the database of the Qinghai Center for Disease Control; and (2) We used a persistent hypoxia chamber to simulate the plateau hypoxic environment and fed Sprague Dawley rats in the chambers for one month. Then, we continuously administered hypoxic rats a single loading dose (200 mg/kg) of streptomycin and analyzed its concentrations by high performance liquid chromatography. The pharmacokinetic profiles were analyzed using a non-compartmental method in the Phoenix WinNonlin program.Results(1) There were 32 cases of patients with pneumonic plague in the past two decades totally and 9 of them died (all-cause mortality 28.125%, 9/32), including 7 cases died of delayed diagnosis without treatment of streptomycin, and the only 2 patients received normal dose of streptomycin. (2) The pharmacokinetic behaviors of streptomycin were different between the hypoxic and normal rats. Administration in a hypoxic state resulted in 74.81% and 29.28% decreases in maximum plasma concentration and area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity compared with those values under normal condition for streptomycin.ConclusionsThese results indicated that hypoxic condition could significantly decrease the absorption rate and extent of streptomycin. Therefore, patients with pneumonic plague require higher doses of streptomycin to maintain effective drug concentrations in Qing Hai and the Tibetan Plateau.

Global warming influences dynamics of plague’s epidemic manifestations in XX-XXI centuries

During the second half of 20th century, a high level of plague incidence in the world was in 1960–1979 and 1990–2009. The significant decrease of infection cases was in 1950–1959, 1980–1989, 2010–2015. It is noticed, that the observed cyclical nature of the alternation of high and low incidence plague’s periods, in many respects related to modern trend of climate fluctuations.

Return Migration, Self‐selection and Entrepreneurship

AbstractAre return migrants more entrepreneurial? Existing literature has not addressed how estimating the impact of return migration on entrepreneurship is affected by double unobservable migrant self‐selection, both at the initial outward migration and at the final inward return migration stages. This paper exploits exogenous variation provided by the civil war and the incidence of agricultural plagues in Mozambique, as well as social unrest and other shocks in migrant destination countries. The results lend support to overall negative unobservable return migrant self‐selection, which results in an under‐estimation of the effects of return migration on entrepreneurial outcomes when using a ‘naïve’ estimator that does not control for self‐selection at both the initial migration and at the final return migration stages.

Spatial analysis and identification of high risk plague regions in Pakistan based on associated rodent species distribution.

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestitis, is an infectious bacterial disease that has a high fatality rate if untreated. Rodents are plague reservoirs and play an important role in disease spread. Plague cases have been reported extensively since the second pandemic from the 14th century in countries sharing borders with Pakistan, such as China and India, as well as nearby countries including Russia and central Asia. Despite being centrally located in a plague-infested geographical zone, there has been no plague incidence reported from Pakistan. This study aims to pinpoint some of the potentially important aspects of the disease, which have to be considered when assessing potential risk associated with a plague outbreak in Pakistan. In this context, the occurrence and distribution of plague-associated rodent reservoirs in different regions of Pakistan in relation to those found in the neighboring countries were mapped. In addition, the climatic factors that may also influence disease spread by affecting the growth of the bacteria are also discussed. The combined epidemiological and ecological surveillance studies suggest a prevalence of several potential rodent carriers in certain districts with the possibility of a plague outbreak in Pakistan.

Uso y difusión del frijol de abono (Mucuna deeringiana) en las laderas del litoral Atlántico de Honduras.

The soil, nutrient and water conservation is the main problem faced by farmers and investigators under the corn crop-based systems in Central America and Mexico. Several farmers from Honduras have come up with an efficient technology for the corn planted on hills, in which the bean manure is planted in rotation with corn during the dry season. The results from the conducted survey, at the Departamento de Atlantida in Honduras, indicate that 66 % of the farmers grow most of the corn through the protective mat produced by the beans during the rainy season. Among the advantages of this rotation, compared to the traditional burned and cleared land, are the higher yields with les ser dependency of external imputs, shorter rest periods, lower land preparation costs, less soil erosion and lower risk of drought damages. The problems linked to the diffusion ofthe system include the risk ofland slides and a higher plague's incidence (rats) on the corn planted through the manure mat. Usually, the amount of land available in the regionalland markets is the determining factor on the diffusion of this system, and not the size of the farm nor the form of land tenancy.

Effect of temperature and relative humidity on the development times and survival of Synopsyllus fonquerniei and Xenopsylla cheopis, the flea vectors of plague in Madagascar.

BackgroundPlague, a zoonosis caused by Yersinia pestis, is found in Asia, the Americas but mainly in Africa, with the island of Madagascar reporting almost one third of human cases worldwide. In the highlands of Madagascar, plague is transmitted predominantly by two flea species which coexist on the island, but differ in their distribution. The endemic flea, Synopsyllus fonquerniei, dominates flea communities on rats caught outdoors, while the cosmopolitan flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, is found mostly on rats caught in houses. Additionally S. fonquerniei seems restricted to areas above 800 m. Climatic constraints on the development of the two main vectors of plague could explain the differences in their distribution and the seasonal changes in their abundance. Here we present the first study on effects of temperature and relative humidity on the immature stages of both vector species.MethodsWe examined the two species’ temperature and humidity requirements under experimental conditions at five different temperatures and two relative humidities. By employing multivariate and survival analysis we established the impact of temperature and relative humidity on development times and survival for both species. Using degree-day analysis we then predicted the average developmental threshold for larvae to reach pupation and for pupae to complete development under each treatment. This analysis was undertaken separately for the two relative humidities and for the two species.ResultsDevelopment times and time to death differed significantly, with the endemic S. fonquerniei taking on average 1.79 times longer to complete development and having a shorter time to death than X. cheopis under adverse conditions with high temperature and low humidity. Temperature had a significant effect on the development times of flea larvae and pupae. While humidity did not affect the development times of either species, it did influence the time of death of S. fonquerniei. Using degree-day analysis we estimated an average developmental threshold of 9 °C for S. fonquerniei, and 12.5 °C for X. cheopis.ConclusionsWhile many vector-borne diseases are limited to warm, low-lying regions, plague in Madagascar is unusual in being most prevalent in the cool, highland regions of the country. Our results point towards the possibility that this is because the endemic flea vector, S. fonquerniei, is better adapted to cool temperatures than the exotic flea vector, X. cheopis. Future warming caused by climate change might reduce the area suitable for S. fonquerniei and may thus reduce the incidence of plague in Madagascar.

Current Perspectives on Plague Vector Control in Madagascar: Susceptibility Status of Xenopsylla cheopis to 12 Insecticides.

Plague is a rodent disease transmissible to humans by infected flea bites, and Madagascar is one of the countries with the highest plague incidence in the world. This study reports the susceptibility of the main plague vector Xenopsylla cheopis to 12 different insecticides belonging to 4 insecticide families (carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids and organochlorines). Eight populations from different geographical regions of Madagascar previously resistant to deltamethrin were tested with a World Health Organization standard bioassay. Insecticide susceptibility varied amongst populations, but all of them were resistant to six insecticides belonging to pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides (alphacypermethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, etofenprox, deltamethrin, bendiocarb and propoxur). Only one insecticide (dieldrin) was an efficient pulicide for all flea populations. Cross resistances were suspected. This study proposes at least three alternative insecticides (malathion, fenitrothion and cyfluthrin) to replace deltamethrin during plague epidemic responses, but the most efficient insecticide may be different for each population studied. We highlight the importance of continuous insecticide susceptibility surveillance in the areas of high plague risk in Madagascar.

A Prediction Model for the Animal Plague in Spermophilus dauricus Focus in China

Plague is a fatal infectious disease that causes serious harm to humans. Its occurrence threatens not only public life, but also economic development. Although the incidence of plague in China shows a downward trend, the risk of animal and human plague still persists. By analyzing the data of the Spermophilus dauricus focus in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 1981 to 2012, we established a statistical model to predict the epidemic of the animal plague, which combines the best subset regression method and the exponential smoothing method. According to the data from 1981 to 2011, the model predicted that there is no animal plague epidemic risk in 2012. This result is consistent with the report from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the plague bacillus Yersinia pestis was not detected in the S. dauricus focus in 2012. In addition, our model can be extended to predict the epidemic of plague in other foci. Potential and limitations of the model are discussed.

Relationship of carotid artery intima media thickness to blood pressure, age and body mass index of hypertensive adult patients

Background: The intima-media thickness (IMT) has been established as an early predictor of general arteriosclerosis in patients with hypertension. The aims of this study were to establish the relationship between carotid IMT (CIMT) and blood pressure of hypertensive adult patients and to correlate CIMT with age and body mass index (BMI) in hypertensive adult patients. Patients and Methods: This prospective study was carried out from November 2012 to February 2013 on 200 hypertensive patients aged 21-70 years. The common carotid artery (CCA) was scanned using an ALOKA SSD-3500 ultrasound scanner with Doppler facility and a 7.5MHz linear transducer. Three measurements of the CIMT were obtained at 1cm proximal to the right and left carotid bulb and the mean value of the three measurements was recorded. Results: There were 200 patients comprising 67 males and 133 females. Their ages ranged 21-70 years, mean of 50.62 ± 10.46 years. The right and left mean CIMT was 0.99 ± 0.13 and 0.99 ± 0.18, respectively; while the overall mean CIMT for both sides was 0.99 mm ± 0.13. The mean BMI for the studied group was 29.09 ± 5.68. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) was 157.0 ± 15.5 and 97.6 ± 11.2 mmHg, respectively. There was a significant difference in the mean CIMT value for each SBP and DBP groupings. CIMT correlated positively with age and blood pressure, but had a negative correlation with BMI. Carotid plaques were seen in the CCA wall of 20 patients (10%). Conclusion: In hypertensives, age and blood pressureare the most important determinants of CIMT. The incidence of carotid plagues in our patients was high; therefore, good control of blood pressure in hypertensives may reduce the incidence of carotid plaques and stroke.