Modelling the risk of Taenia solium exposure from pork produced in western Kenya

The tapeworm Taenia solium is the parasite responsible for neurocysticercosis, a neglected tropical disease of public health importance, thought to cause approximately 1/3 of epilepsy cases across endemic regions. The consumption of undercooked infected pork perpetuates the parasite’s life-cycle through the establishment of adult tapeworm infections in the community. Reducing the risk associated with pork consumption in the developing world is therefore a public health priority. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of any one pork meal in western Kenya containing a potentially infective T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption, an aspect of the parasite transmission that has not been estimated before. To estimate this, we used a quantitative food chain risk assessment model built in the @RISK add-on to Microsoft Excel. This model indicates that any one pork meal consumed in western Kenya has a 0.006 (99% Uncertainty Interval (U.I). 0.0002–0.0164) probability of containing at least one viable T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption and therefore being potentially infectious to humans. This equates to 22,282 (99% U.I. 622–64,134) potentially infective pork meals consumed in the course of one year within Busia District alone. This model indicates a high risk of T. solium infection associated with pork consumption in western Kenya and the work presented here can be built upon to investigate the efficacy of various mitigation strategies for this locality

Effect of cow colostrum on the performance and survival rate of local newborn piglets in Benin Republic

peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, studentThe effect of bovine colostrum, including its thermally labile compounds, on the survival and growth performance of local breed piglets reared by their mother, in Benin, was evaluated over a 49-day trial. Three groups of 16 piglets, stemming from two primiparous sows belonging to a unique traditional farm, were respectively fed for the first 48 h of life with either bovine colostrum heated to 85 °C for 30 min, or thawed bovine colostrum, or colostrum from the mother. Thereafter, the animals that received bovine colostrum turned back to their mother. At day 21, almost all piglets from the group that received heated colostrum died. The highest total weight gain was obtained in the group that received thawed bovine colostrum (P ˂ 0.01), followed by the group left with the mother. Corresponding average daily gains (ADGs) were 56, 34 and 2 g/day, respectively (P ˂ 0.05). At the end of the trial, the treatment effect was highly significant on the survival of piglets (100% in the thawed colostrum group vs. 00 and 50%, respectively, in the heated colostrum group and in the group left with the mother). At day 49, numerically higher weight and ADGs were obtained in the group that received thawed cow colostrum. Thawed bovine colostrum improved the growth performance and piglet survival in the local pig breed in Benin, probably owing to thermally labile components. Bovine colostrum may be used in our farms in order to reduce pre-weaning mortality, improve the profitability of livestock farmers, and ensure survival of traditional farms. The use of bovine colostrum on farms could be facilitated by collaboration between pig farmers and bovine farmers. It could also be facilitated by the creation of a colostrum bank