Food Safety, Health Management, and Biosecurity Characteristics of Poultry Farms in Arusha City, Northern Tanzania, Along a Gradient of Intensification

Background: With the growth, urbanisation, and changing consumption patterns of Tanzania’s human population, new livestock production systems are emerging. Intensification of poultry production may result in opportunities and threats for food safety, such as improved awareness of biosecurity or increasing prevalence of foodborne pathogens including nontyphoidal Salmonella or Campylobacter spp. We conducted a semiquantitative analysis of poultry production systems in northern Tanzania, with emphasis on biosecurity, health management practices, and prevalence of foodborne pathogens, to gain insight into potential associations between intensification and food safety.   Methods: Interviews were conducted with managers of 40 poultry farms, with equal representation of 4 production systems (extensive, semi-intensive, or intensive production with indigenous chickens, and broiler farming). Per farm, up to 10 birds (total, 386) were tested for cloacal shedding of nontyphoidal Salmonella, with a subset of farms tested for Campylobacter. Data were analysed using univariate statistics, and results were discussed during feedback workshops with participating farmers and extension officers.   Results: Clear differences existed between farm types with regard to implementation of biosecurity and health management practices and use of extension services. By contrast, prevalence of foodborne pathogens (6 of 40 farms or 15% for nontyphoidal Salmonella and 13 of 26 farms or 50% for Campylobacter spp.) was not farm-type specific, indicating that it is driven by other factors. Across farming systems, knowledge and awareness of the presence of antimicrobials in poultry feed and the need to abide by post-treatment withdrawal times were limited, as was access to impartial professional advice regarding treatment.   Conclusion: Different control measures may be needed to protect poultry health compared to public health, and improvements in information provision may be needed for both

Polymerase chain reaction identification of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense in wild tsetse flies from Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Background: Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is the causative agent of acute human African trypanosomiasis. Identification of T. b. rhodesiense in tsetse populations is essential for understanding transmission dynamics, assessng human disease risk, and monitoring spatiotemporal trends and impact of control interventions. Accurate detection and characterisation of trypanosomes in vectors relies on molecular techniques. For the first time in Malawi, a molecular technique has been used to detect trypanosomes in tsetse flies in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.Methods: A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to identify the serum resistance associated (SRA) gene of T. b. rhodesiense in tsetse flies. Of 257 tsetse flies that were randomly caught, 42 flies were dissected for microscopic examination. The midguts of 206 flies were positive and were individually put in eppendorf tubes containing phosphate-buffered saline (PBS buffer) for DNA extraction. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-PCR was first used to isolate all trypanosome species from the flies. TBR PCR was then used to isolate the Trypanozoon group. T. brucei-positive samples were further evaluated by SRA PCR for the presence of the SRA gene.Results: Of 257 flies caught, 185 (72%) were Glossina morsitans morsitans and 72 (28%) were Glossina pallidipes. Three were tenerals and 242 were mature live flies. Of the 242 flies dissected, 206 were positive, representing an 85.1% infection rate. From 206 infected flies, 106 (51.5%) were positive using ITS-PCR, 68 (33.0%) being mixed infections, 18 (8.7%) T. brucei, 9 (4.4%) Trypanosoma vivax, 4 (1.9%) Trypanosoma godfrey, 3 (1.5%) Trypanosoma congolense savanna, 3 (1.5%) Trypanosoma simae, and 1 (0.4%) Trypanosoma simaetsavo. When subjected to TBR PCR, 107(51.9%) were positive for T. brucei. Of the 107 T. bruceipositive samples, 5 (4.7%) were found to have the SRA gene.Conclusions: These results suggest that wild tsetse flies in Malawi are infected with human-infective trypanosomes that put communities around wildlife reserves at risk of human African trypanosomiasis outbreaks. Further studies need to be done to identify sources of blood meals for the flies and for surveillance of communities around wildlife reserves

Comparative analysis of clinical breakpoints, normalized resistance interpretation and epidemiological cut-offs in interpreting antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolates originating from poultry in different farm types in Tanzania

This research article was published in the Access Microbiology, an open research platform Volume 5, Issue 7Introduction. Existing breakpoint guidelines are not optimal for interpreting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data from animal studies and low-income countries, and therefore their utility for analysing such data is limited. There is a need to integrate diverse data sets, such as those from low-income populations and animals, to improve data interpretation. Gap statement. There is very limited research on the relative merits of clinical breakpoints, epidemiological cut-offs (ECOFFs) and normalized resistance interpretation (NRI) breakpoints in interpreting microbiological data, particularly in animal studies and studies from low-income countries. Aim. The aim of this study was to compare antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates using ECOFFs, CLSI and NRI breakpoints. Methodology. A total of 59 non-repetitive poultry isolates were selected for investigation based on lactose fermentation on MacConkey agar and subsequent identification and confirmation as E. coli using chromogenic agar and uidA PCR. Kirby Bauer disc diffusion was used for susceptibility testing. For each antimicrobial agent, inhibition zone diameters were measured, and ECOFFs, CLSI and NRI bespoke breakpoints were used for resistance interpretation. Results. According to the interpretation of all breakpoints except ECOFFs, tetracycline resistance was significantly higher (TET) (67.8 –69.5 %), than those for ciprofloxacin (CIPRO) (18.6 –32.2 %), imipenem (IMI) (3.4 –35 %) and ceftazidime (CEF) (1.7 –45.8 %). Prevalence estimates of AMR using CLSI and NRI bespoke breakpoints did not differ for CEF (1.7 % CB and 1.7 % COWT ), IMI (3.4 % CB and 4.0 % COWT ) and TET (67.8 % CB and 69.5 % COWT ). However, with ECOFFs, AMR estimates for CEF, IMI and CIP were sig- nificantly higher (45.8, 35.6 and 64.4 %, respectively; P<0.05). Across all the three breakpoints, resistance to ciprofloxacin varied significantly (32.2 % CB, 64.4 % ECOFFs and 18.6 % COWT , P<0.05). Conclusion. AMR interpretation is influenced by the breakpoint used, necessitating further standardization, especially for microbiological breakpoints, in order to harmonize outputs. The AMR ECOFF estimates in the present study were significantly higher compared to CLSI and NRI

Antimicrobial resistant coliforms across four poultry production systems in Arusha and Moshi, Tanzania

This research article was published in the PAMJ One Health, Volume 7, Article 4, 11 Jan 2022Introduction: resistance to antimicrobials poses a threat to human and animal health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of resistant coliforms in poultry cloacal samples collected from different poultry systems in Arusha and Moshi districts, Tanzania. Methods: ten administrative wards were randomly chosen in Moshi and Arusha urban districts, with a random selection of one representative farm in each ward per production system (extensive, semi-intensive, intensive, and broiler systems). Per farm, 10 chickens were sampled using cloacal swabs. Samples were tested for the presence of coliforms using MacConkey agar without or with tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, and Imipenem. R software was used for data analysis. Results: of the 80 farms targeted, samples were collected from 79 farms representing a total of 746 samples, of which 648 (86.8%) had coliforms corresponding to 74 of the 79 sampled farms. There was no significant difference in the overall prevalence of coliforms between Moshi (86%) and Arusha districts (87%) (p=0.81). The overall proportions of resistant coliforms in Arusha and Moshi varied depending on each antimicrobial type. The prevalence of coliforms resistant to tetracycline (95%) across all farm types in both districts was higher compared to ciprofloxacin (72%), imipenem (71%), and ceftazidime (84%) (p<0.0001). The median counts of coliform resistance (in log cfu) ranged from 4 to 10, with no significant distinctions between antimicrobial types. Conclusion: there is a widespread presence of antimicrobial resistant coliforms in poultry production systems. High tetracycline resistance was observed across all farm types in both districts

Towards elimination of dog-mediated human rabies: experiences from implementing a large-scale demonstration project in Southern Tanzania

No abstract available

Examining oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) literacy among participants in an HIV vaccine trial preparedness cohort study

Background: PrEP literacy is influenced by many factors including the types of information available and how it is interpreted. The level of PrEP literacy may influence acceptability and uptake. Methods: We conducted 25 in-depth interviews in a HIV vaccine trial preparedness cohort study. We explored what participants knew about PrEP, sources of PrEP knowledge and how much they know about PrEP. We used the framework approach to generate themes for analysis guided by the Social Ecological Model and examined levels of PrEP literacy using the individual and interpersonal constructs of the SEM. Results: We found that PrEP awareness is strongly influenced by external factors such as social media and how much participants know about HIV treatment and prevention in the local community. However, while participants highlighted the importance of the internet/social media as a source of information about PrEP they talked of low PrEP literacy in their communities. Participants indicated that their own knowledge came as a result of joining the HIV vaccine trial preparedness study. However, some expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the drug and worried about side effects. Participants commented that at the community level PrEP was associated with being sexually active, because it was used to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. As a result, some participants commented that one could feel judged by the health workers for asking for PrEP at health facilities in the community. Conclusion: The information collected in this study provided an understanding of the different layers of influence around individuals that are important to address to improve PrEP acceptability and uptake. Our findings can inform strategies to address the barriers to PrEP uptake, particularly at structural and community levels. Trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0406688