22 research outputs found
Slaughterhouse zoonoses: Are workers reservoirs of zoonotic disease?
Slaughterhouse workers are considered a high risk group for zoonotic disease due to increased contact
with animals, animal products and excreta. Globally, slaughterhouse workers have been shown to have an
increased seroprevalence to zoonotic pathogens, though no such studies exist in Kenya. Slaughterhouse
workers may also act as reservoirs of these zoonotic organisms and asymptomatic carriage of pathogenic
bacteria has been demonstrated. This study aimed to determine the carriage of enteropathogens in
slaughterhouse workers in rural western Kenya and to determine if there was asymptomatic carriage of
Staphylococcus aureus specifically Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA). This study was conducted
in the Lake Victoria Crescent region of western Kenya. Five hundred slaughterhouse workers from this
region were asked a comprehensive questionnaire regarding risk factors for zoonotic disease, faecal samples
were collected for examination and culture and a nasal swab was cultured for S. aureus. This study reports
on the seroprevalence of Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, pathogenic Escherichia coli and Campylobacter
spp. in these individuals as well as reporting the nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA. This is the first
community based study regarding S. aureus and MRSA in Kenya. The asymptomatic carriage of these
organisms in slaughterhouse workers highlights a reservoir that may be important in the dissemination of
these pathogens. The study further comments on the risk factors for infection with these pathogens and
suggestions are made for simple hygiene interventions that can reduce disease in slaughterhouse workers
and dissemination to the wider communit
Reflections on IDEAL: What we have learnt from a unique calf cohort study
The year 2020 marks a decade since the final visit was made in the ‘Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock’
(IDEAL) project. However, data generation from samples obtained during this ambitious longitudinal study still
continues. As the project launches its extensive open-access database and biobank to the scientific community,
we reflect on the challenges overcome, the knowledge gained, and the advantages of such a project. We discuss
the legacy of the IDEAL project and how it continues to generate evidence since being adopted by the Centre for
Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). We also examine the impact of the IDEAL project, from the
authors perspective, for each of the stakeholders (the animal, the farmer, the consumer, the policy maker, the
funding body, and the researcher and their institution) involved in the project and provide recommendations for
future researchers who are interested in running longitudinal field studies.The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Government’s Department for International Development and the International Livestock Research Institute.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/prevetmedam2021Veterinary Tropical Disease
The synthesis of a di-N-heterocyclic carbene- amido complex of palladium(II)
A diimidazolium salt incorporating a secondary amine moiety has been used to prepare a palladium(II) di-N-heterocyclic carbene amino complex that can be deprotonated with NaH to give the first example of a transition metal NHC–amide
Palladium(II)-based cis,trans-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane complexes demonstrating a variety of coordination modes and architectures
The reaction of cis,trans-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane·3HX (L·3HX) with PdX2 (X = Br, Cl) affords a wide range of coordination complexes that represent the different coordination modes available to L. Monoligand complexes [Pd(LH)Cl2]Cl (1) and [Pd(LH)Br2]2[PdBr4] (2) demonstrate the bidentate coordination of L with the two cis amino ‘head’ groups chelating the palladium(II) ion and the third trans amino ‘tail’ group being protonated. Diligand complexes [Pd(LH)2]X (X = (NO3)43, (SO4)24) show a ‘head-to-head’ coordination mode with the protonated trans amino groups adopting a conformation that positions them opposite to each other. Both sets of amino groups are engaged in coordination in a cyclic ‘head-to-tail’ fashion found in the hexanuclear ring clusters [{Pd(L)X}6]X6 (X = Cl 5, Br 6). 5 and 6 are isostructural, both in the solid state and in solution, despite accommodating six chloro or bromo ligands into the cluster framework. A trinuclear complex [Pd{Pd(L)Cl2}2Cl2] (7) reveals ‘tail-to-tail’ coordination of two ligands for the centre palladium(II) ion in addition to their ‘head’ amino groups individually chelating other palladium(II) ions. Complexes 1–7 were characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR and by NMR spectroscopy (1–6)
The spread and persistence of exotic phytoseiid, typhlodromahs aripo de leon (acari: phytoseiidae) and its effect on cassava green mite in Kenya
Cassava green mite, Mononychellus tanajoa (Bondar) has been a major pest of cassava since its accidental introduction in Africa. Studies conducted recently on its biological control in the major cassava growing areas in Kenya demonstrate definite establishment of Typhlodromalus aripo in Kenya. This exotic predatory mite was not only found to have established and persisted since its introduction in 199516, but have also over the years spread widely to far distant from the original release sites in western and coastal regions. Where present, T. aripo is still persisting with a percentage presence varying between 0.33 and 100% and with a mean density of approximately 0.1 to 8.9 adults per tip. Consequently, a general trend of decline in the CGM population has also been observed over the years from a mean of approximately 60 to less than 30 mites per leaf. A similar trend was observed with CGM infestation levels. However there are a few areas where it has failed or has temporary established possibly due to factors related to unfavourable weather conditions, lack of cassava on the ground or isolated cassava fields, and cassava variety with characteristics unsuitable in sustaining T. aripo. Studies have also shown its ability to establish in newly planted cassava fields and thereby reducing CGM population from approximately 80 - 300 adults per leaf to below 50 and maintaining it below this level until the time of harvest in both local and improved cassava cultivars