The Prevalence of Haemoparasites in Rodents and Shrews Trapped from Domestic and Peridomestic Houses in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. A Hidden Public Health Threat

A total of 70 small mammals were captured from domestic and peri-domestic houses in Morogoro municipality to determine the prevalence, relative abundance and diversity of haemoparasites. Tramping was carried out using Shermans and locally made live traps bated with a mixture of peanut butter and maize bran. Blood samples were collected from supraorbital vein in the captured animals. Thick and thin smears were made and screened for infectious agents of public health importance that included Babesia spp., Plasmodium spp., Trypanosoma spp. and Bacillus spp.Two rodent species from captured samall mammals were identified as Rattus rattus (Roof rat) being the most dominant specie followed by Mastomys natalensis (Farm rat). Four blood protozoan species were found infecting the rodent population namely, Plasmodium spp. (n=6/70, 8.57%), Babesia spp. (n=5/70, 7.14%), Bacillus spp. (n=2/70, 2.86%) and Trypanosoma spp. (n=3/70, 4.29%). The relative abundance of the Rattus rattus was estimated to be (n=60/70, 85.7%) while that of Mastomys natalensis was (n=10/70, 14.3%). There was no any Shrew spp. that were captured in the trapping sites. The diversity of haemoparasites in the study area was 1.01. Plasmodium spp. infections as well as that of Trypanosoma spp were observed in both sexes; however, infections were higher in sub-adult rats. Malaria and sleeping sickness remain as a serious health threat and yet a vaccine is not yet available. Mosquitoes that are biting rodents also bite humans in their houses. So spreading of Plasmodium spp and Trypanosoma spp fromrodents to humans is inevitable. Every year, many people suffer from malaria and sleeping sickness and die as a consequence of these diseases. In most cases children in Africa under the age of five die from Malaria while people of all ages die from sleeping sickness in the tsetse fly infested areas. The public health implications of these findings require communitywide rodents control strategies with strong emphasis on community participation in order to prevent rapid spread of rodent population. Keywords: Haemoparasites, Rodents, Malaria, Sleeping sickness, Public health, Morogoro Municipalit

Owner awareness and knowledge of canine leptospirosis as a zoonotic disease in Morogoro, Tanzania

Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected disease of worldwide distribution, affecting both human and animals caused by infection with pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira. This study was carried out to determine the awareness of canine leptospirosis among dog keeping communities in Morogoro, Tanzania.Methods: Awareness among dog owners for canine leptospirosis was assessed using semi-structured questionnaire among randomly chosen dog owners in Morogoro, Tanzania. Information sought from the dog owners included: awareness of dog diseases in general and specifically canine leptospirosis; clinical signs, transmission, treatment, prevention, and awareness that canine leptospirosis is zoonotic.Results: A total of 124 dog owners participated in the study. Of these, 90% were not aware of the existence of canine leptospirosis. Fifteen percent of the participants were not aware that dogs could get disease. The majority of the respondents (98.4%; n=122) did not know the clinical signs of leptospirosis in dogs. The few (1.6%) who knew mentioned jaundice, bloody diarrhoea, blood in urine, loss of appetite and vomiting as the clinical signs of leptospirosis in dogs. None of the respondents knew how canine leptospirosis is treated, or that the disease is a health risk to humans. Only one respondent (0.8%) knew that the control of canine leptospirosis could be achieved through vaccination.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate there is little awareness of canine leptospirosis and its potential public health risk among dog owners in Morogoro, Tanzania. The findings of this study indicate the need to raise awareness of the disease among the dog owners and the general population.

Entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana reduce the survival of Xenopsylla brasiliensis larvae (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Entomopathogenic fungi, particularly those belonging to the genera Metarhizium and Beauveria have shown great promise as arthropod vector control tools. These agents, however, have not been evaluated against flea vectors of plague. A 3-h exposure to the fungi coated paper at a concentration of 2 × 108 conidia m-2 infected >90% of flea larvae cadavers in the treatment groups. The infection reduced the survival of larvae that had been exposed to fungus relative to controls. The daily risk of dying was four- and over three-fold greater in larvae exposed to M. anisopliae (HR = 4, p<0.001) and B. bassiana (HR = 3.5, p<0.001) respectively. Both fungi can successfully infect and kill larvae of X. brasiliensis with a pooled median survival time (MST±SE) of 2±0.31 days post-exposure. These findings justify further research to investigate the bio-control potential of entomopathogenic fungi against fleas.\ud \u

The community knowledge, awareness, and practices influencing transmission of toxoplasmosis in Mbeya District, Tanzania

Background: Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii is an important but neglected zoonotic disease of global distribution. The study aimed at evaluating community knowledge, awareness, and practices linked to transmission and control of the disease among the residents of urban and peri-urban areas of Mbeya District, Tanzania.  Methods: A cross-section study was conducted from January 2022 to March 2022 in the Mbeya district. A semi-structured questionnaire was self-administered to gather information on social demographic characteristics, knowledge, and risk behaviors related to toxoplasma infection, chi squire was employed to test the difference where p-value &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 100 respondents were recruited. The majority (38.0%) of the respondents were aged 26 - 35 years and (49.0%) had attained primary education. The average mean age was 35.6 (+ 11.5 SD), 57% were male while 43.0% were female. Only 22 percent of the respondents were aware of toxoplasmosis and among them, 10 percent were aware of the clinical manifestations of the disease and 20 percent knew the mode of the disease transmission. Identified risk practices include lack of deworming in cats (81.0%), outdoor cats management (60.0%), disposal of cats' faces in gardens (36.0%), use of cats in controlling rodents (41.0%), and not wearing gloves during gardening (77.0%). Children are noted to be at the highest risk of contracting the disease as they are greatly involved in caring for cats. (49.0%). The knowledge of the disease was found to be associated with sex (males) p value= of 0.041, occupation (medical employees) p-value =0.002, and high level of education of the respondents' p value =0.000.\. Conclusion: The study revealed a low level of knowledge of the participants and practiced risky behaviors for disease transmission. Thus, we recommend to relevant authorities to offer education to the community concerning Toxoplasmosis

Occurrence of Fungi of Public Importance in Rodents Trapped along and inside Grain Storage Facilities in Mbeya Municipal, Tanzania.

This work was supported by the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM and BTD) at the Institute of Pest Management of the Sokoine University of Agriculture.   Abstract Rodents act as agents for the dispersal of pathogenic entities including fungi and enable their colonization in new areas. They interact with the human environment which acts as a route for the transmission of pathogens. A total of 210 rats were trapped in and along the storage facilities in selected wards in Mbeya city. Fresh fecal samples were collected from the intestines by dissecting the abdominal part of the rodent to obtain pellets. Samples were kept in clean envelopes and preserved at -20 0C at Mbeya National Research Institute (NIMR) for further laboratory analysis. Fungi were isolated by culturing in selective media and identification was done by colony morphology. Further confirmation of the isolated Aspergillus flavus was done by nested PCR to confirm the presence flR the gene in the isolates. Aflatoxigenicity of the isolated A. flavus was tested with a controlled experiment in which non-contaminated maize kernels were inoculated with the fungal spores and incubated for up to 15 days and accumulation of the aflatoxin analyzed by indirect competitive ELISA. Aspergillus fumigatus was the dominant fungal specie from the cultured samples, with a prevalence of 26% followed by Aspergillus niger and Fusarium species, both with a prevalence of 9%, Aspergillus flavus 3% and Aspergillus ochraceus 1%.  Indirect competitive ELISA was performed on 10 maize samples that were infected with A. flavus isolates, 10 maize samples free from isolates contamination, and 4 pure isolates of A. flavus to check whether the isolates were potential producers of aflatoxins. The four pure isolates had a high concentration of aflatoxin compared to the samples contaminated with A. flavus isolates. These findings justify that rodents harbor pathogenic fungi in their intestinal tracts and act as dispersal agents of the fungi to foods and other human and animal premises. Effective control measures should therefore be applied in protecting foods and premises from rodents, especially mice and rats to minimize risks of disease spread. Keywords: Pathogenic fungi, Rodents, Aspergillosis, dispersal, and mycotoxin-producing fungi. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/109-05 Publication date:July 30th 202

Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans

Background: One of the most significant and perilous challenges faced by African societies, including Tanzania, is the public health threat posed by zoonotic viruses. This study aimed to ascertain the presence of viruses in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans who shared the same environment.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Ngorongoro district from January to September 2022. Metagenomics next-generation sequencing technologies, including Illumina (MiSeq) and Oxford Nanopore (MinION), were employed to identify viruses in 530 blood samples collected from 200 humans, 230 wild rodents, and 100 domestic dogs. The captured wild rodents belonged to various species: Mastomys spp (n=87), Ratus spp (n=45), Avicanthis spp (n=40), Arcomys spp (n=28), Mus spp (n=16), and Field mice (n=14). The taxonomic classification of viruses was carried out using the Kraken2 program. Results: A total of 20 RNA and 20 DNA viral families were detected. Zoonotic RNA families identified in rodents included Peribunyaviridae, Hantaviridae, Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Retroviridae, Picornaviridae, Arenaviridae, Togaviridae, and Tobaniviridae. The zoonotic DNA families detected in rodents were Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Herpesviridae, Anelloviridae, and Circoviridae. Peribunyaviridae and Hataviridae were identified in both humans and rodents. Unclassified +ssRNA viruses were found in dogs and humans. Herpesviridae was present in all three hosts. When compared to dogs and humans, rodents harbored zoonotic viruses that pose a significant public health safety concern. Conclusion: The study unveiled a noteworthy pattern where the majority of RNA and DNA viruses with zoonotic potential were detected in wild rodents, as opposed to dogs and humans. These findings underscore the pivotal role played by wild rodent populations in the transmission and maintenance of such viruses

Prevalence, characterization and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella isolates from healthy broiler and free-range chickens in Morogoro, Tanzania

Abstract Background: Salmonella enterica is a group of bacteria that cause enteric and systemic infection in animals and human worldwide. Objectives:&nbsp; The study was conducted to determine prevalence, characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Non-Typhoidal Salmonella in indigenous free range and broiler chickens in Morogoro Municipality. Methodology:&nbsp;A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to May 2020 whereby 384 cloaca swab samples from health chickens from Magadu, Mzinga and Bigwa wards were collected. Identification was done by standard bacteriological methods, serotyping and genetically confirmed by PCR using Salmonella specific primers pair and Salmonella enterica primer pair (invA and iroB gene primers). Sensitivity test was done using Ampicillin, Tetracycline, Imipenem, Gentamycin, Ciprofloxacin, Sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim and Cefaclor antimicrobial discs. Descriptive statistic method was used for analysis, and paired t-test assuming unequal variance was used for comparing overall prevalence of Salmonella spp between free range and broiler chickens. Results: Out of 384 samples, 11 (2.9%) samples confirmed to be Salmonella of which 8(4%) were from broilers and 3(1.6%) were from free range chickens. Of the 11 isolates 8 were from group B serotypes and 3 isolates were from group D serotypes. Susceptibility results showed variable level of sensitivity to majority of antibiotics tested however, level of resistance were also found in 7/11 isolates resistant to Ampicillin, 4/11 isolates resistant to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and 3/11 isolates resistant to tetracycline. Three isolates were found to harbor Sulfamethoxazole(sulII) resistant gene.Conclusion:&nbsp;This study revealed the presence of Salmonella carrier among chicken kept in Morogoro with antimicrobial resistances from both free range and broilers chickens. The results underline the importance of the biosecurity measures in the production and processing of chicken for human consumption, similarly improvement of management is recommended to stop transmission of Salmonella from natural carriers to chicken as indicated by fecal carriers found. &nbsp

Assessment of Bacterial Contamination in Herbal Medicine Products Vended in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

Traditional medicines are widely used in Tanzania; however, the microbiological safety of herbal medicine products (HMPs) is unknown. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine microbial levels and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from HMPs vended in Morogoro Municipality. Fifty samples of HMPs were collected from vendors in six wards in the municipality. Bacterial contamination was determined through total viable count and bacterial isolation while susceptibility to the selected antimicrobials was determined by agar disc diffusion method. About 88% of the tested HMPs significantly (p&lt;0.05) had higher total bacterial counts than WHO recommended levels. Ten percent of HMPs were contaminated with the pathogenic E. coli and 8% with S. aureus. The isolated bacteria were only susceptible to ciprofloxacin but were resistant to the rest of the tested antimicrobials at standard doses. Unhygienic handling practices and limited safety knowledge by the HMPs vendors was also observed. Use of the unregulated but vended HMPs may put the users at risk of acquiring infections with pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant bacteria that portends increased treatment challenges

A Decade-Long Change in the Elevational Distribution of Non-Volant Small Mammals on Mount Meru, Tanzania

Understanding species distribution across elevational gradients is crucial for developing conservation strategies for montane biotic systems. A survey of small mammals was conducted on Mount Meru at six elevations, ranging between 1500 m and 3650 m. A total of 803 small mammal individuals, including 2 shrew species and 13 rodent species, were documented. Of these, Crocidura newmarki and Lophuromys verhageni were endemic on Mount Meru. Species richness was highest at mid-elevations, which is in line with the global pattern for small mammals. Prior to our study, the most complete data on small mammals on Mount Meru was collected in 2009. Our study provides an opportunity to show how small mammal elevational distribution has changed, over the last decade. We found six species (Arvicanthis niloticus, Mastomys natalensis, Lemniscomys striatus, Dasymys incomtus, Cricetomys ansorgei, and Montemys delectorum), which were not documented in 2009, but did not find Otomys tropicalis. Interestingly, the community composition at higher elevations in 2021 resembles that at lower elevations in 2009, suggesting that small mammal species have moved their range upward over time. Climate change could be a factor associated with the distributional shift found

Evaluation of community knowledge and awareness of Leptospirosis among households, farmers and livestock keepers in Unguja, Zanzibar

peer reviewedLittle is known of the leptospirosis in Zanzibar. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of leptospirosis among urban and peri-urban communities in Unguja. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing semi-structured questionnaires from January to April 2022. Two hundred respondents were randomly selected (130 males and 70 females) aged between 18 and 89 years). Descriptive analysis was performed to determine the main trends of the knowledge and awareness, while χ2 analysis was conducted to identify associations between demographic characteristics with respondents' knowledge and awareness. The majority of the respondents (64%) were not aware of the etiology of leptospirosis. However, a high percentage of respondents had a favorable attitude (68.6%) towards leptospirosis compared to knowledge and awareness (35%) and practices (29.3%). However, there was low level of knowledge and awareness among the livestock keeper, farmers, fishermen and health care providers. The findings also demonstrated that males had a strong association with occupational physical activities, while educational level was associated with preventive practices. Living in urban or peri-urban appeared strongly associated with practice of the respondents. The results of this study showed a low level of community knowledge and awareness regarding the etiology, mode of transmission and signs of leptospirosis among livestock keeper, farmers, fishermen and health care providers. Although most respondents had a favorable attitude, their low level of knowledge and poor practices indicate that supplementing a positive attitude with enhanced knowledge and awareness is necessary to promote individual engagement in preventive measures