Prevalence of bovine mastitis and antimicrobial sensitivities of the bacterial causes in smallholder farms of Kisumu County, Kenya

Prevalence of bovine mastitis in Kisumu County, risk factors and antibiotic sensitivities of the causative bacteria were determined in this cross-sectional study. Sub-clinical mastitis (SCM) was diagnosed using California Mastitis Test (CMT). Risk factors were identified through the administration of 64 questionnaires and assessment of 134 lactating cows. Bacteria were identified by culturing 72 CMT-positive udder quarter milk samples and their sensitivities to antibiotics investigated using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. Only SCM was detected and had cow level prevalence of 33% (44/134). Prevalence of SCM was significantly (p0.05) higher in cows under complete and semi-zero grazing systems, at mid lactation, those pregnant and with parity of 1-3.  Staphylococcus species was the most common (63.8%, n=58) isolate. Other isolates were E. coli (13.8%), Streptococcus species (12.1%) and Pseudomonas (5.2%). Staphylococcus and Streptococcus isolates were 100% sensitive to streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin and chloramphenicol. Additionally, Streptococcus species were 100% sensitive to ampicillin, tetracycline and cotrimoxazole. Staphylococcus species had developed varying levels of resistance against sulphamethoxazole, cotrimoxazole, ampicillin and tetracycline. Streptococcus species was 100% resistant to sulfamethoxazole. A significantly high SCM prevalence was reported in this study thus an appropriate control strategy is needed that consists of awareness creation, good milking hygiene practices, teat disinfection, regular screening for SCM and preventing spread of mastitis in the herd by milking infected cow(s) last.   

Prevalence of bovine mastitis and antimicrobial sensitivities of the bacterial causes in smallholder farms of Kisumu County, Kenya

Prevalence of bovine mastitis in Kisumu County, risk factors and antibiotic sensitivities of the causative bacteria were determined in this cross-sectional study. Sub-clinical mastitis (SCM) was diagnosed using California Mastitis Test (CMT). Risk factors were identified through the administration of 64 questionnaires and assessment of 134 lactating cows. Bacteria were identified by culturing 72 CMT-positive udder quarter milk samples and their sensitivities to antibiotics investigated using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. Only SCM was detected and had cow level prevalence of 33% (44/134). Prevalence of SCM was significantly (p0.05) higher in cows under complete and semi-zero grazing systems, at mid lactation, those pregnant and with parity of 1-3.  Staphylococcus species was the most common (63.8%, n=58) isolate. Other isolates were E. coli (13.8%), Streptococcus species (12.1%) and Pseudomonas (5.2%). Staphylococcus and Streptococcus isolates were 100% sensitive to streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin and chloramphenicol. Additionally, Streptococcus species were 100% sensitive to ampicillin, tetracycline and cotrimoxazole. Staphylococcus species had developed varying levels of resistance against sulphamethoxazole, cotrimoxazole, ampicillin and tetracycline. Streptococcus species was 100% resistant to sulfamethoxazole. A significantly high SCM prevalence was reported in this study thus an appropriate control strategy is needed that consists of awareness creation, good milking hygiene practices, teat disinfection, regular screening for SCM and preventing spread of mastitis in the herd by milking infected cow(s) last.   

Mortality patterns over a 10-year period in Kibera, an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, 2009–2018

Background Reliable mortality data are important for evaluating the impact of health interventions. However, data on mortality patterns among populations living in urban informal settlements are limited. Objectives To examine the mortality patterns and trends in an urban informal settlement in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, Methods Using data from a population-based surveillance platform we estimated overall and cause-specific mortality rates for all age groups using person-year-observation (pyo) denominators and using Poisson regression tested for trends in mortality rates over time. We compared associated mortality rates across groups using incidence rate ratios (IRR). Assignment of probable cause(s) of death was done using the InterVA-4 model. Results We registered 1134 deaths from 2009 to 2018, yielding a crude mortality rate of 4.4 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]4.2–4.7) per 1,000 pyo. Males had higher overall mortality rates than females (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.44; 95% CI, 1.28–1.62). The highest mortality rate was observed among children aged < 12 months (41.5 per 1,000 pyo; 95% CI 36.6–46.9). All-cause mortality rates among children < 12 months were higher than that of children aged 1–4 years (IRR, 8.5; 95% CI, 6.95–10.35). The overall mortality rate significantly declined over the period, from 6.7 per 1,000 pyo (95% CI, 5.7–7.8) in 2009 to 2.7 (95% CI, 2.0–3.4) per 1,000 pyo in 2018. The most common cause of death was acute respiratory infections (ARI)/pneumonia (18.1%). Among children < 5 years, the ARI/pneumonia deaths rate declined significantly over the study period (5.06 per 1,000 pyo in 2009 to 0.61 per 1,000 pyo in 2018; p = 0.004). Similarly, death due to pulmonary tuberculosis among persons 5 years and above significantly declined (0.98 per 1,000 pyo in 2009 to 0.25 per 1,000 pyo in 2018; p = 0.006). Conclusions Overall and some cause-specific mortality rates declined over time, representing important public health successes among this population