Local Perceptions on the Status, Values and Conservation and Ethnobotanical Implications of Medicinal and Multipurpose Plants in and Around Selected Church Forests in Central Ethiopia

Societies have varied attitude and perception on the forest resources nearby them. Ethnobotanical knowledge should be integrated with biophysical studies in order to be used for managing and conserving forests. The objectives of the study were to assess the existing knowledge about the uses of plant species and to examine the plant species. Three sites were selected around central Ethiopia encompassing three church forests. Focus group discussion, questionnaire-based social survey and vegetation inventory were undertaken. The focus group discussants were selected from traditional healers, elders of the society, development agents, and people who are knowledgeable about the vegetation of the areas. Voucher specimens were collected for those species difficult to identify . The data analysis was done by descriptive statistics using Excel 2010 and SPSS v20. The results indicated agricultural expansion, charcoal making and fuel wood as the major causes of deforestation in Site 1, Site 2 and Site 3 respectively. Religious preaching was stated by group discussants as the most effective solution to reverse the degradation and to protect the church forests. The plant species have varied uses as traditional medicine, food, construction wood, household utensils, and firewood but higher percent of the mentioned species were used either for human or livestock medicine. Sørensen similarity index indicated Site 1 and Site 2 have 12.5%, Site 1 and Site 3 have 10.9% and Site 2 and Site 3 have 43.5% similarities. Documenting the wealth of indigenous knowledge and in situ conservation of the plant species are key recommendations

Physico-chemical Characteristics of the Soils in Three Church Forest of Central Ethiopia

Physical and chemical properties of soils interact each other either positively or negatively depending on the condition. Vegetation has influence on the soil physico-chemical characteristics. Land use land cover changes are the main factors in the process of land resource degradation. The objectives of this study were to define the soil texture, bulk density and extent of organic carbon in church forests and adjacent croplands and to compare the values. Transect lines of 100 meter apart and plots of 20 m × 20 m were established to collect soil samples in the church forests and individual farm plots. The distance between plots was 100 m. Horizon based soil sampling was undertaken. Soil samples were collected on a diagonal position from 2 edges and the center from 2 soil horizons (H1 and H2) for soil texture and soil organic carbon (SOC) analysis. For bulk density (BD) soil core samplers were used. The data was analyzed using one way ANOVA in SPSS v20. Mean separation was undertaken by least significance difference. The results revealed the %clay content was significantly higher in croplands than church forests and the %sand was higher in church forests than croplands at (p<0.05). The SOC was significantly higher in H1 than H2 and in church forests than croplands at (p<0.05). The better soil characteristics were obtained in church forests than in croplands. Hence, it is recommended to conserve the natural forests as in the church forests to maintain better property of the soil through enhancing soil organic matter, soil organic carbon and by decreasing soil bulk density

Molluscicidal effects of endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) on fasciola transmitting snails

A study was conducted to investigate the molluscicidal effects of crude water suspension of unripe green Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) berries (Type 44) on different developmental stages of Lymnaea natalensis and Lymnaea truncatula. Concentration of 20 ppm for exposure period of 24 hours induced 100 % mortality in young L. natalensis and L. truncatula snails, while higher concentration was required for mature snails of both species. The LC90 on L. natalensis with shell height of 5-9.8 mm., 10–2.9 mm. and 13–18.5 mm. was 19.8, 21.1, 22.8 ppm, respectively. With regards to L. truncatula the LC90 for snails with a shell height of 3.4-5.4 mm and 5.7–8.2 mm was 19.5 and 21 ppm, respectively. Study on time-concentration relationship revealed that exposing snails for one hour required a concentration of 48.9 and 72.5 ppm in young (6–12.4 mm.) and adult (12.5–18.5 mm.) L. natalensis to cause 90% mortality, respectively. In the case of L. truncatula snails (4.5–7.4 mm) 54.5 ppm was needed to produce 90 % mortality. However, both snail species were killed at about a concentration of 20 ppm between 6 and 24 hours of exposure times. Key words/phrases: Endod, fascioliasis, Lymnaea natalensis, Lymnaea truncatula, Molluscicide SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Vol.25(2) 2002: 275-28

Investigation on public knowledge, attitude and practices related to pet management and zoonotic canine diseases in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Many infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to human and the other way. Despite this there is limited information about public knowledge on pet husbandry and diseases control practices in Addis Ababa. The objectives of this study are to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices towards pet husbandry, contact-related attitude and zoonotic diseases among dog-owning households in Addis Ababa. A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted to assessthe public’s perception. A total of 252 dog-owning households from four sub-citiesof Addis Ababa were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Of the total 252respondents, majority of them (70.2%) did not take their dog to veterinary serviceon regular basis (at least once a year). Over half of the respondents (59.1%) fed rawmeat to their dogs and 79.3% of the owners obtained the meat from local unlicensedmarkets. The majority of the respondents (87%) in the current study believed therisk of acquiring zoonotic diseases from dogs. However, most of them (95.4%) knewonly rabies and only 4.6% of them knew parasitic diseases in addition to rabies.Only 61.9% of the respondents reported having ever received information aboutpet-associated diseases or precautions to reduce the risk of these diseases. Out ofthose who received information, 48% of them obtained from their friends and/orrelatives. Only 9% and 9.6% of them received information from veterinarians andhealth workers, respectively. The result suggests a need for awareness creation onproper pet management and zoonotic diseases prevention practices for pet-owninghouseholds, with concerted efforts by veterinary, human and public health  professionals.Keywords: Attitude, Canine zoonosis, Knowledge, Practice

Control of aquatic leeches (Lymnatis nilotica) using Phytolacca dodecandra (Endod) in Sodo District, Gurage Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia

Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming serious problem in some parts of the country. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of leech in selected streams in Sodo district, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and to evaluate the efficacy of endod on leech in field condition and its impact on other non-target aquatic fauna following the request of the district craving for intervention. Estimation of prevalence of leech was assessed before application; 24 hrs, 10 days and 30 days post application of endod based on the number of leeches collected per person per 5 minutes. Findings from interview of the local communities revealed that 95% of the respondents rated leech as the major animal health problem in the district and 65% of them have seen human infested by leech at least once in their life. The mean leech count per person per 5 minutes before application of endod ranged from 16.8-38 in different streams. Stock solution of endod berries suspended in water for 16 hrs was continuously applied to various streams so as to maintain concentration of 20 g/m3 of water for 6 hrs. Application of endod caused mortality of most of the leech population resulting in 97-100% reduction which persisted for minimum of 30 days post application in most of the streams. Most of the local communities witnessed that endod rendered the treated water bodies free of leech for 2-3 months. It has also caused mortality of tadpoles, frogs and round worms found in streams while it doesn’t cause any visible toxicity to different water insects. Moreover, no livestock toxicity due to endod was recorded post application. In conclusion, endod can be used to control leech without causing serious toxicity to most of the aquatic fauna, human and livestock with continuous application for 6 hrs at concentration of 20 g/m3. However, care should be taken in using appropriate concentration and it should not be used in water bodies that contain fish because it is toxic to fish at the dose required to control leeches. Keywords: Aquatic Leech/Lymnatis nilotica; Cattle; Phytolacca dodecandra/Endod; Stream; Sodo distric

Enzymatic and fecundity evaluation of Fasciola hepatica exposed to different doses of γ- irradiation in Ethiopian sheep

The upshot of γ-irradiated Fasciola hepatica infection on the activity of plasma glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and γ-glutamyl&nbsp; transpeptidase (GGT) was evaluated in 36 sheep infected with a single dose of 30, 60, 120, and 240 grays and those kept as negative and positive control over 17 weeks. During this period, serum and faecal samples, as well as body weight gains, were taken at weekly intervals. Furthermore, the effects of the irradiation dose (500) for oral vaccination and on the recovery of adult flukes were assessed following primary infection. Eggs were first detected in the faeces of infected sheep on week 8 post-infection. The parasite viability was severely&nbsp; affected by doses of γ-irradiation of 120 Gy or 240 Gy. In the aforementioned doses, relatively low numbers of mature flukes of about 60 (17.1%) and 38 (10.8%) were recovered than the control group, respectively. The sensitized lambs also showed less hepatic damage&nbsp; compared with the controls as indicated by lower levels of the serum enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase and γ- glutamyl transferase&nbsp; significant body weight loss was observed between weeks 6 and 8 post-infection followed by a steady increase of the mean weight of&nbsp; infected animals across time. In conclusion, vaccination of sheep with γ irradiated metacercariae of F. hepatica appeared to affect the number and development of the fluke population resulting in reduced hepatic damage during migration, reduced fecundity after patency, as measured by worm and egg counts, levels of serum glutamate dehydrogenase and γ- glutamyl transferase

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of irradiated Salmonella Gallinarum against homologous challenge infection in Bovans brown chickens

Fowl typhoid is a systemic poultry disease caused by Salmonella Gallinarum (SG). It is responsible for significant economic loss, due to its severe&nbsp; morbidity and mortality. An irradiated vaccine is one of the possible alternatives to prevent and control fowl typhoid. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of irradiated SG using a randomized control trial in chicken. A field strain of SG was exposed to different doses of gamma irradiation to determine its effect on the viability of SG. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed by administering irradiated SG orally to 3 groups (5 each) of 5 weeks old Bovans brown chickens at 2400, 2500, and 2600 gray (Gy). The protective efficacy of 108colony forming units (CFU) of SG irradiated at 2400 Gy administered orally and subcutaneously was then evaluated using homologous challenge infection and compared with SG 9R commercial vaccine using 40, 5-week old Bovans brown chickens where the chickens were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Chickens in Group 1were exposed to 108 CFU of irradiated SG orally; Group 2 to the same dose subcutaneously; Group 3 to SG 9R strain commercial vaccine subcutaneously, Group 4 to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) orally. Data related to survival, antibody response, and pathological lesions were recorded. Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Fisher’s exact tests were used to examine for statistical&nbsp; significance. Irradiation at 2600 Gy caused complete inactivation of SG whereas SG exposed to 2400 Gy showed better immunogenicity and was safe for chickens. Antibody response in a group of chickens vaccinated with irradiated SG administered subcutaneously (SC) was significantly higher than&nbsp; those vaccinated with the SG 9R vaccine on day 7 (p=0.003) and day 14 (p=0.002) post-immunization. Comparative evaluation of the protective efficacy based on the mortality rate of chickens after challenge showed that 2400 Gy irradiated SG vaccine administered SC and SG 9R vaccine-induced equal protection of 50% while the irradiated vaccine administered orally protected only 10% of chickens against homologous challenge infection. SG was not isolated from the liver, spleen, and feces of chickens that survived challenge infection until the end of the experiment. Irradiated SG administered SC is shown to be a promising vaccine against fowl typhoid. Further studies using a large sample size involving tuning of irradiation dose to improve immunogenicity and use of booster vaccination are recommended. Keywords: Chicken; Fowl typhoid; Gamma irradiation; Salmonella Gallinarum; Vaccin

Disease-Related Knowledge and Practices of Tuberculosis Patients

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS) strategy for effective control of TB. Disease-related knowledge, beliefs and practices need to be recognized to tailor the DOTS strategy into the local norms. This study was performed with two objectives: i) to assess TB-related knowledge among TB patients in two rural hospitals in Ethiopia, ii) to assess the practices that contribute to delay in the initiation of anti-TB treatment. METHODS: The study was conducted between June 2000 and May 2001.Two hundred twenty two known adult TB patients attending TB clinics in Jimma and Hossana hospitals were interviewed on their knowledge, attitude and practice related to TB using pre-tested structured questionnaire. Patients belonged to 14 ethnic groups. RESULTS: Sixty percent (134/222) were female. The average family size of patients was 5.3. The number of illiterate female patients was greater than that of males (p = 0.002). Only 36% (80/222) of patients gave a correct response on the transmission of TB. Similarly, only 34 % (76/222) knew about symptoms indicative of TB. Hundred and fifty (67.5 %) patients sought medical help after experiencing TB indicative symptoms for more than one month. Age, sex, education, occupation, and religion did not affect TBrelated knowledge. Thirty-seven (16.7 %) patients used traditional medicine for at least one week before they came to a health institution. The diagnosis of TB had a negative social impact. Forty-eight (21.6 %) patients were either divorced, expelled from their family, abandoned by friends, or lost job. CONCLUSION: Health education targeting basic concepts on the transmission of TB and also targeting the need for early diagnosis is important in TB control. TB control programs may need to include traditional healers into the control strategy to refer patients with specific symptoms.Ethiop J Health Sci. Vol. 13, No. 1 January 72 200

Prevalencija tripanosomoze i njezinih prijenosnika u deva u pokrajini Fentale u Jugoistočnoj Šoi u Etiopiji

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of camel trypanosomosis and assess the distribution and dynamics of the vectors responsible for transmission of the disease in five localities of Fentale district from September 2008 to January 2009. Parasitological examination was conducted using the microhaematocrit centrifugation technique (MHCT) and examination of Giemsa stained blood smears. The only species of trypanosome identified was Trypanosoma evansi with a prevalence of 4.7% by MHCT and 4.4% by blood smear. The prevalence was higher in male (6.8%) than female (4%) camels. With regard to age, calves (less than 2 years of age) were negative; the prevalence is high (7.7%) in young camels (between 3-4 years of age) and 4% in adult camels (older than 4 years of age). However, the difference in prevalence between sex and age groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The prevalence using blood smears was found to be different between different localities; the highest being 7.8% for Kobo and the lowest 2% for Haro kersa. The mean packed cell volume (PCV) of Trypanosoma evansi positive camels (22.43%) was significantly lower than that of negative camels (28.13%) (P0,05). Prevalencija na temelju pretrage krvnih razmazaka bila je različita u životinja iz različitih područja. Najveća prevalencija dokazana je u životinja na području Kobo (7,8%), dok je najmanja (2%) bila na području Haro Kersa. Srednja vrijednost hematokrita u invadiranih deva bila je statistički značajno manja (22,43%) u usporedbi s neinvadiranim devama (28,13%) (P<0,05). Više od 99% ulovljenih kukaca pripadalo je muhama roda Stomoxys. Preostali su kukci pripadali rodovima Tabanus, Chrysops i Lyperosia. Najveći broj kukaca bio je ulovljen tijekom rujna, a najmanji tijekom prosinca. Razumljivo je da je prevalencija nametnika Trypanosoma evansi bila viša tijekom kišnih razdoblja. Autori smatraju da se dobiveni nalazi ne mogu odnositi na sva područja kao i sva godišnja doba pa zato predlažu da se nastave istraživanja, koja će obuhvatiti različita razdoblja te ulogu različitih prijenosnika bolesti

The vulnerabilities of computerized physician order entry systems: a qualitative study

Objective To test the vulnerabilities of a wide range of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems to different types of medication errors, and develop a more comprehensive qualitative understanding of how their design could be improved. Materials and Methods The authors reviewed a random sample of 63 040 medication error reports from the US Pharmacopeia (USP) MEDMARX reporting system where CPOE systems were considered a “contributing factor” to errors and flagged test scenarios that could be tested in current CPOE systems. Testers entered these orders in 13 commercial and homegrown CPOE systems across 16 different sites in the United States and Canada, using both usual practice and where-needed workarounds. Overarching themes relevant to interface design and usability/workflow issues were identified. Results CPOE systems often failed to detect and prevent important medication errors. Generation of electronic alert warnings varied widely between systems, and depended on a number of factors, including how the order information was entered. Alerts were often confusing, with unrelated warnings appearing on the same screen as those more relevant to the current erroneous entry. Dangerous drug-drug interaction warnings were displayed only after the order was placed rather than at the time of ordering. Testers illustrated various workarounds that allowed them to enter these erroneous orders. Discussion and Conclusion The authors found high variability in ordering approaches between different CPOE systems, with major deficiencies identified in some systems. It is important that developers reflect on these findings and build in safeguards to ensure safer prescribing for patients