Performance Evaluation of Highly Admixed Tanzanian Smallholder Dairy Cattle Using SNP Derived Kinship Matrix

The main purpose of this study was to understand the type of dairy cattle that can be optimally used by smallholder farmers in various production environments such that they will maximize their yields without increasing the level of inputs. Anecdotal evidence and previous research suggests that the optimal level of taurine inheritance in crossbred animals lies between 50 and 75% when considering total productivity in tropical management clusters. We set out to assess the relationship between breed composition and productivity for various smallholder production systems in Tanzania. We surveyed 654 smallholder dairy households over a 1-year period and grouped them into production clusters. Based on supplementary feeding, milk productivity and sale as well as household wealth status four clusters were described: low-feed–low-output subsistence, medium-feed–low-output subsistence, maize germ intensive semi-commercial and feed intensive commercial management clusters. About 839 crossbred cows were genotyped at approximately 150,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci and their breed composition determined. Percentage dairyness (proportion of genes from international dairy breeds) was estimated through admixture analysis with Holstein, Friesian, Norwegian Red, Jersey, Guernsey, N’Dama, Gir, and Zebu as references. Four breed types were defined as RED–GUE (Norwegian Red/Friesian–Guernsey; Norwegian Red/Friesian–Jersey), RED–HOL (Norwegian Red/Friesian–Holstein), RED–Zebu (Norwegian Red/Friesian–Zebu), Zebu–RED (Zebu–Norwegian Red/Friesian) based on the combination of breeds that make up the top 76% breed composition. A fixed regression model using a genomic kinship matrix was used to analyze milk yield records. The fitted model accounted for year-month-test-date, parity, age, breed type and the production clusters as fixed effects in the model in addition to random effects of animal and permanent environment effect. Results suggested that RED–Zebu breed type with dairyness between 75 and 85% is the most appropriate for a majority of smallholder management clusters. Additionally, for farmers in the feed intensive management group, animals with a Holstein genetic background with at least 75% dairy composition were the best performing. These results indicate that matching breed type to production management group is central to maximizing productivity in smallholder systems. The findings from this study can serve as a basis to inform the development of the dairy sector in Tanzania and beyond

The cost‐effectiveness of prophylaxis strategies for individuals with advanced HIV starting treatment in Africa

Introduction Many HIV‐positive individuals in Africa have advanced disease when initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) so have high risks of opportunistic infections and death. The REALITY trial found that an enhanced‐prophylaxis package including fluconazole reduced mortality by 27% in individuals starting ART with CD4 <100 cells/mm3. We investigated the cost‐effectiveness of this enhanced‐prophylaxis package versus other strategies, including using cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing, in individuals with CD4 <200 cells/mm3 or <100 cells/mm3 at ART initiation and all individuals regardless of CD4 count. Methods The REALITY trial enrolled from June 2013 to April 2015. A decision‐analytic model was developed to estimate the cost‐effectiveness of six management strategies in individuals initiating ART in the REALITY trial countries. Strategies included standard‐prophylaxis, enhanced‐prophylaxis, standard‐prophylaxis with fluconazole; and three CrAg testing strategies, the first stratifying individuals to enhanced‐prophylaxis (CrAg‐positive) or standard‐prophylaxis (CrAg‐negative), the second to enhanced‐prophylaxis (CrAg‐positive) or enhanced‐prophylaxis without fluconazole (CrAg‐negative) and the third to standard‐prophylaxis with fluconazole (CrAg‐positive) or without fluconazole (CrAg‐negative). The model estimated costs, life‐years and quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALY) over 48 weeks using three competing mortality risks: cryptococcal meningitis; tuberculosis, serious bacterial infection or other known cause; and unknown cause. Results Enhanced‐prophylaxis was cost‐effective at cost‐effectiveness thresholds of US$300 and US$500 per QALY with an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of US$157 per QALY in the CD4 <200 cells/mm3 population providing enhanced‐prophylaxis components are sourced at lowest available prices. The ICER reduced in more severely immunosuppressed individuals (US$113 per QALY in the CD4 <100 cells/mm3 population) and increased in all individuals regardless of CD4 count (US$722 per QALY). Results were sensitive to prices of the enhanced‐prophylaxis components. Enhanced‐prophylaxis was more effective and less costly than all CrAg testing strategies as enhanced‐prophylaxis still conveyed health gains in CrAg‐negative patients and savings from targeting prophylaxis based on CrAg status did not compensate for costs of CrAg testing. CrAg testing strategies did not become cost‐effective unless the price of CrAg testing fell below US$2.30. Conclusions The REALITY enhanced‐prophylaxis package in individuals with advanced HIV starting ART reduces morbidity and mortality, is practical to administer and is cost‐effective. Efforts should continue to ensure that components are accessed at lowest available prices

Late Presentation With HIV in Africa: Phenotypes, Risk, and Risk Stratification in the REALITY Trial.

This article has been accepted for publication in Clinical Infectious Diseases Published by Oxford University PressBackground: Severely immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals have high mortality shortly after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated predictors of early mortality and "late presenter" phenotypes. Methods: The Reduction of EArly MortaLITY (REALITY) trial enrolled ART-naive adults and children ≥5 years of age with CD4 counts .1). Results: Among 1711 included participants, 203 (12%) died. Mortality was independently higher with older age; lower CD4 count, albumin, hemoglobin, and grip strength; presence of World Health Organization stage 3/4 weight loss, fever, or vomiting; and problems with mobility or self-care at baseline (all P < .04). Receiving enhanced antimicrobial prophylaxis independently reduced mortality (P = .02). Of five late-presenter phenotypes, Group 1 (n = 355) had highest mortality (25%; median CD4 count, 28 cells/µL), with high symptom burden, weight loss, poor mobility, and low albumin and hemoglobin. Group 2 (n = 394; 11% mortality; 43 cells/µL) also had weight loss, with high white cell, platelet, and neutrophil counts suggesting underlying inflammation/infection. Group 3 (n = 218; 10% mortality) had low CD4 counts (27 cells/µL), but low symptom burden and maintained fat mass. The remaining groups had 4%-6% mortality. Conclusions: Clinical and laboratory features identified groups with highest mortality following ART initiation. A screening tool could identify patients with low CD4 counts for prioritizing same-day ART initiation, enhanced prophylaxis, and intensive follow-up. Clinical Trials Registration: ISRCTN43622374.REALITY was funded by the Joint Global Health Trials Scheme (JGHTS) of the UK Department for International Development, the Wellcome Trust, and Medical Research Council (MRC) (grant number G1100693). Additional funding support was provided by the PENTA Foundation and core support to the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London (grant numbers MC_UU_12023/23 and MC_UU_12023/26). Cipla Ltd, Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare/GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck Sharp & Dohme donated drugs for REALITY, and ready-to-use supplementary food was purchased from Valid International. A. J. P. is funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 108065/Z/15/Z). J. A. B. is funded by the JGHTS (grant number MR/M007367/1). The Malawi-Liverpool–Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, University of Malawi College of Medicine (grant number 101113/Z/13/Z) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi (grant number 203077/Z/16/Z) are supported by strategic awards from the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom. Permission to publish was granted by the Director of KEMRI. This supplement was supported by funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mapping the medical outcomes study HIV health survey (MOS-HIV) to the EuroQoL 5 Dimension (EQ-5D-3L) utility index

10.1186/s12955-019-1135-8Health and Quality of Life Outcomes1718

In-vitro antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants from Longisa region of Bomet district, Kenya

Background: Current strategies to overcome the global problem of antimicrobial resistance include research in finding new and innovative antimicrobials from plants. This study was carried out to determine the antibacterial activity of plant extracts of Olea africana stem-bark, Psidium guajava leaves, Vernonia amygdalina leaves, Lantana camara leaves and Mangifera indica leaves which are used in folklore medicine to treat infections of microbial origin in Longisa region of Bomet District, Kenya.Methods: Methanol extracts were derived and screened. Standard cultures of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 were used in the study. The antibacterial tests used were the agar well diffusion assays at concentration 1gm/ml. Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) was determined in the plant extract that showed some efficacy against the tested microorganisms. Gentamicin (10&mu;g) was used as a positive control.Results: The methanol extracts showed weak antibacterial activity against the study organisms compared to Gentamicin. All extractsexhibited a significant bactericidal activity against S. aureus while L. camara and V. amygdalina lacked efficacy against P.aeruginosa andE.coli. O.africana and P. guajava presented the lowest MIC against S.aureus (62.5 mg/ml and 250 mg/ml respectively P.guajava and M.indica showed analogous MICs against P.aeruginosa (250 mg/ml). P.guajava exhibited a better MIC against E.coli (500 mg/ml).Conclusions: This in-vitro study corroborated the antimicrobial activity of the selected plants used in folklore medicine. The plants could be potential sources of new antimicrobial agent.Key words: Medicinal Plant extracts, antibacterial activity, MICAfrican Health Sciences 2009; 9(S): 42-4

Range Science Leadership Development in Kenya: A Continuing Legacy of Graduate Education

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Milk Composition for Admixed Dairy Cattle in Tanzania

It is well established that milk composition is affected by the breed and genotype of a cow. The present study investigated the relationship between the proportion of exotic genes and milk composition in Tanzanian crossbred dairy cows. Milk samples were collected from 209 animals kept under smallholder production systems in Rungwe and Lushoto districts of Tanzania. The milk samples were analyzed for the content of components including fat, protein, casein, lactose, solids-not-fat (SNF), and the total solids (TS) through infrared spectroscopy using Milko-Scan FT1 analyzer (Foss Electric, Denmark). Hair samples for DNA analysis were collected from individual cows and breed composition determined using 150,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Cows were grouped into four genetic classes based on the proportion of exotic genes present: 25–49, 50–74, 75–84, and &gt;84%, to mimic a backcross to indigenous zebu breed, F1, F2, and F3 crosses, respectively. The breed types were defined based on international commercial dairy breeds as follows: RG (Norwegian Red X Friesian, Norwegian Red X Guernsey, and Norwegian Red X Jersey crosses); RH (Norwegian Red X Holstein crosses); RZ (Norwegian Red X Zebu and Norwegian Red X N’Dama crosses); and ZR (Zebu X GIR, Zebu X Norwegian Red, and Zebu X Holstein crosses). Results obtained indicate low variation in milk composition traits between genetic groups and breed types. For all the milk traits except milk total protein and casein content, no significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were observed among genetic groups. Protein content was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher for genetic group 75–84% at 3.4 ± 0.08% compared to 3.18 ± 0.07% for genetic group &gt;84%. Casein content was significantly lower for genetic group &gt;84% (2.98 ± 0.05%) compared to 3.18 ± 0.09 and 3.16 ± 0.06% for genetic group 25–49 and 75–84%, respectively (p &lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) between breed types with respect to milk composition traits. These results suggest that selection of breed types to be used in smallholder systems need not pay much emphasis on milk quality differences as most admixed animals would have similar milk composition profiles. However, a larger sample size would be required to quantify any meaningful differences between groups

Evaluation of Microbial and Nutritional Quality of Fermented Dried Roasted Thick Porridge (Mkarango)

Most of the products of maize flour fermentation in Kenya undergo wild fermentation in a natural process. One of these is locally roasted maize flour commonly known by its local name Mkarango which is popular in the Western region of Kenya where it is used in different ways. Mkarango is mostly made through wild fermentation which is known to pose health risks as it is unhygienic and time-consuming, with the quality of the resultant product being inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the population of lactic acid bacteria, and sensory characteristics of dried roasted thick porridge (mkarango). Six different mkarango products made with addition of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis in different ratios were studied for microbial quality, mineral element content and sensory characteristics. Titratable acidity and pH properties of the products were also determined. These were done following recommended standards. After 24 hours of fermentation, products with Yeast+ L. plantarum+ L. brevis (1:2) and Milk+ L. plantarum+ L. brevis (1:2) had the highest pH values (5.12) while products with Milk+ L. plantarum+ L. brevis (2:1) had the lowest pH values (4.8). Yeast, molds, and Lactic Acid Bacteria had the highest in all the samples tested while Enterobacteriaceae the least. The overall acceptability of the product of the product prepared from Milk + L. plantarum + L. brevis (2:1) had the final score of 4.7 on the 5-point hedonic scale. The results of the trace elements zinc and iron ranged from 2.7 mg/100 g to 3.9 mg/100 g and 2.7 mg/100 g to 16.9 mg/100 g on the product respectively. Fermentation creates an environment that is conducive for the population of lactic acid bacteria. This results in increased volume of lactic acid that is responsible for improved nutritional quality of Mkarango