Effect of Brucella Infection on Reproduction Conditions of Female Breeding Cattle and Its Public Health Significance in Western Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

The most common clinical manifestations of brucellosis in livestock are associated with reproduction. This paper reports the result of a cross-sectional study conducted between October, 2007 and April, 2008 in Western Tigray, North Ethiopia, with the objectives of assessing the effect of Brucella infection on reproduction conditions of female breeding bovine and to explore the presence of Brucella seroreactors in vulnerable humans. A total of 1,354 and 246 sera were collected from female cattle and humans, respectively. The sera were screened using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and positive samples were confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT). Reproductive conditions for female cattle and risk to human brucellosis seropositivity were tested by using logistic regression analysis. The result indicated that the overall prevalence in female cattle was 6.1%. The study showed 1.2% prevalence among human risk groups, all of which were herdsmen. Logistic regression identified parity status, calving interval, abortion history, and abortion period were significantly associated with seropositivity. The association was not significant with reproductive status and parity number. Proper hygienic practices and team work between veterinary and health personnel should improve the efforts to combat disease transmission

El procés de desistiment de les persones empresonades : obstacles i suports

La voluntat d'aconseguir els millors resultats en les polítiques de reinserció és compartida tant per les persones que lideren les institucions de rehabilitació com pels equips que fan recerca en aquesta matèria. Aquest treball pretén contribuir-hi analitzant el procés de transició entre la presó i la vida en llibertat. Enfront els enfocaments que consideren que la predisposició inicial -antecedents personals, familiars i d'entorn- és el principal factor que explica la continuïtat o el cessament de l'activitat delictiva d'una persona, la recerca que aquí es presenta parteix de la premissa que, en el decurs de la vida adulta, existeixen nous esdeveniments que expliquen la trajectòria futura. En aquest sentit, es presta especial atenció als mecanismes de transició entre la presó i la vida en llibertat i, particularment, al paper que aquests juguen en els processos de desistiment del delicte.La voluntad de conseguir mejores resultados en las políticas de reinserción es compartida tanto por las personas que lideran las instituciones de rehabilitación como por los equipos que investigan en esta materia. Este trabajo pretende contribuir a esta voluntad analizando el proceso de transición entre la cárcel y la vida en libertad. Frente a los enfoques que consideren que la predisposición inicial -antecedentes personales, familiares y de entorno- es el principal factor que explica la continuidad o el cese de la actividad delictiva de una persona, la investigación que aquí se presenta parte de la premisa que, en el transcurso de la vida adulta, existen nuevos acontecimientos que explican la trayectoria futura. En consecuencia, se presta especial atención a los mecanismos de transición entre la prisión y la vida en libertad y, particularmente, al papel que estos juegan en los procesos de desistimiento del delito

Tsetse bloodmeal analyses incriminate the common warthog Phacochoerus africanus as an important cryptic host of animal trypanosomes in smallholder cattle farming communities in Shimba Hills, Kenya

Trypanosomes are endemic and retard cattle health in Shimba Hills, Kenya. Wildlife in the area act as reservoirs of the parasites. However, wild animal species that harbor and expose cattle to tsetse-borne trypanosomes are not well known in Shimba Hills. Using xeno-monitoring surveillance to investigate wild animal reservoirs and sources of trypanosomes in Shimba Hills, we screened 696 trypanosome-infected and uninfected tsetse flies for vertebrate DNA using multiplegene PCR-High Resolution Melting analysis and amplicon sequencing. Results revealed that tsetse flies fed on 13 mammalian species, preferentially Phacochoerus africanus (warthogs) (17.39%, 95% CI: 14.56–20.21) and Bos taurus (cattle) (11.35%, 95% CI: 8.99–13.71). Some tsetse flies showed positive cases of bloodmeals from multiple hosts (3.45%, 95% CI: 2.09–4.81), including warthog and cattle (0.57%, 95% CI: 0.01–1.14). Importantly, tsetse flies that took bloodmeals from warthog had significant risk of infections with Trypanosoma vivax (5.79%, 95% CI: 1.57–10.00), T. congolense (7.44%, 95% CI: 2.70–12.18), and T. brucei sl (2.48%, 95% CI: 0.33–5.29). These findings implicate warthogs as important reservoirs of tsetse-borne trypanosomes affecting cattle in Shimba Hills and provide valuable epidemiological insights to underpin the parasites targeted management in Nagana vector control programs in the area.Table S1: Data on tsetse fly bloodmeal hosts and trypanosome infections in the different study-blocks in Shimba Hills, Kenya.Data Availability Statement: The dataset used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author FIE on reasonable request. DNA sequences of vertebrate species generated during the current study are available in the GenBank under accession numbers: MZ816958-MZ816971.A German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in-region postgraduate scholarship; the BioVision Foundation Switzerland; European Union’s Integrated Biological Control Applied Research Programme—tsetse repellent component; the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit; UK’s Department for International Development (DFID); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and the Kenyan Government.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogensam2022Zoology and Entomolog

Evaluation of rK39 rapid diagnostic tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis : longitudinal study and meta-analysis

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum. It is an important veterinary disease, and dogs are also the main animal reservoir for human infection. The disease is widespread in the Mediterranean area, and parts of Asia and South and Central America, and is potentially fatal in both dogs and humans unless treated. Diagnosis of canine infections requires serological or molecular tests. Detection of infection in dogs is important prior to treatment, and in epidemiological studies and control programmes, and a sensitive and specific rapid diagnostic test would be very useful. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has been reported to be variable. We evaluated the sensitivity of a RDT based on serological detection of the rK39 antigen in a cohort of naturally infected Brazilian dogs. The sensitivity of the test to detect infection was relatively low, but increased with time since infection and the severity of infection. We then carried out a meta-analysis of published studies of rK39 RDTs, evaluating the sensitivity to detect disease and infection. The results suggest that rK39 RDTs may be useful in a veterinary clinical setting, but the sensitivity to detect infection is too low for operational control programmes

Comparative Study of rK39 Leishmania Antigen for Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease for which serodiagnostic tests are available, but not yet widely implemented in rural areas. The rK39 recombinant protein is derived from a kinesin-like protein of parasites belonging to the Leishmania donovani complex, and has been used in the last two decades for the serodiagnosis of VL. We present here a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating serologic assays (rK39 strip-test, rK39 ELISA, Direct Agglutination Test [DAT], Indirect Immunofluorescence test [IFAT] and ELISA with a promastigote antigen preparation [p-ELISA]) to diagnose VL to determine the accuracy of rK39 antigen in comparison to the use of other antigen preparations. Fourteen papers fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion selection criteria. The summarized sensitivity for the rK39-ELISA was 92% followed by IFAT 88% and p-ELISA 87%. The summarized specificity for the three diagnostic tests was 81%, 90%, and 77%. Studies comparing the rK39 strip test with DAT found a similar sensitivity (94%) and specificity (89%). However, the rK39 strip test was more specific than the IFAT and p-ELISA. In conclusion, we found the rK39 protein used either in a strip test or in an ELISA is a good choice for the serodiagnosis of VL

An overview of the clinical use of filter paper in the diagnosis of tropical diseases.

Tropical infectious diseases diagnosis and surveillance are often hampered by difficulties of sample collection and transportation. Filter paper potentially provides a useful medium to help overcome such problems. We reviewed the literature on the use of filter paper, focusing on the evaluation of nucleic acid and serological assays for diagnosis of infectious diseases using dried blood spots (DBS) compared with recognized gold standards. We reviewed 296 eligible studies and included 101 studies evaluating DBS and 192 studies on other aspects of filter paper use. We also discuss the use of filter paper with other body fluids and for tropical veterinary medicine. In general, DBS perform with sensitivities and specificities similar or only slightly inferior to gold standard sample types. However, important problems were revealed with the uncritical use of DBS, inappropriate statistical analysis, and lack of standardized methodology. DBS have great potential to empower healthcare workers by making laboratory-based diagnostic tests more readily accessible, but additional and more rigorous research is needed