Identity of Fusarium species associated with collar rot and wilt in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)

Background: Despite the immense contribution of passion fruits to people’s livelihood on a global scale, the crop’s productivity remains low owing to fungal diseases causing up to 100% loss. Fungi are highly variable and the identity of species or variates responsible for recently devastating passion fruit wilt and collar rot diseases had not been characterized. This study was aimed at identifying pathogens causing wilt and collar rot symptoms in passion fruits. Methodology: Fungi were isolated from diseased samples collected from three locations in Central Uganda to identify Fusarium spp associated with collar rot and wilting of passion fruit. This was established by differentiating mycelium pigmentation on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), examining slides at X40 magnification under a light microscope for specific macro and microconidia, and amplification with specific Transcription Elongation Factor-1α, TEF 1α primers for identification of Fusarium spp. Results: It was revealed that wilting was associated with a single species, out of 6 selected isolates from the suspected wilted plant, 3 were Fusarium spp associated with the disease in the field but only one of these isolates was proved to be a pathogenic type Fusarium oxysporium. Collar rot was associated with one pathogenic Fusarium spp out of the 6 selected isolates. Conclusion: The results indicate that collar rot and Fusarium wilt are each caused by specific strains of Fusarium pathogens. Recommendation: The identification of pathogenic Fusarium in farmers’ orchards is a starting point for designing effective disease management measures against the predominant fungal pathogenic variants in passion fruits. 

The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Associated Factors among Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Lower Mulago Hospital, Uganda

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) complicates 2-14% of pregnancies. If not treated in pregnancy it may progress to symptomatic urinary tract infection in 25 % of the cases. Some of the complications of untreated ASB in pregnancy include maternal anaemia, pregnancy and premature rupture of membranes.  In the fetus it may cause abortion, and premature labour. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy and associated factors.  This cross sectional study was carried out in lower Mulago hospital antenatal clinic. We consecutively recruited 385 women with no symptoms of urinary tract infection. The outcome of interest was asymptomatic bacteriuria. A questionnaire was used to record clients’ data. Urine specimens were taken for culture and sensitivity. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteria was determined. Bivariate analysis was done to find the association between asymptomatic bacteriuria, with maternal risk factors. Four hundred and eight (408) pregnant women were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of ASB+ was found to be 12.2%.The factors associated with asymptomatic bacteriuria were maternal age ≥35 years, OR 2.84, 95 % CI ( 1.2-6.4), Gravidity≥5, OR 2.2, 95%CI  (1.1-4.4), history of UTI, OR 2.6, 95 % CI (1.3-5.1). The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among women attending antenatal clinic in lower Mulago hospital is high.  Screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria should be done for all women attending lower Mulago hospital antenatal clinic with particular emphasis in all women of the age of  ³ 35 years, multiparous women and those with history of urinary tract infection.

ECONOMIC INTEGRATION FOR DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSMENT AND PROSPECTS

Summary Eastern and Southern Africa has a long history of efforts to achieve operational economic integration and a complex set of overlapping institutional frames. The gains from successful cooperation are agreed ? the basic issues turn on how to attain them. In this context the experiences of the two key actors, PTA (Preferential Trade Area) and SADC (Southern African Development Community), offer insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a broad, secretariat?led trade barrier reducing organization and a narrower (geographically), key sector production coordination, country?led one (SADC). The divergences ? as well as history ? have hampered attempts to coordinate or to merge them and their responses to the opportunities and challenges posed by the re?entry of South Africa into Africa. The latter raises rather more complex issues (and ones less threatening ? or promising in some respects ? to its Eastern and Southern African region potential partners) than is sometimes supposed. Resumé efforts pour d'obtenir l'intégration économique et de rendre celle?ci opérationnelle dans le contexte d'une série complexe de cadres institutionnels parfois superposés. Les gains résultant des réussites dans la coopération ne sont pas contestés: les questions fondamentales tournent autour des moyens d'y parvenir. Dans ce contexte l'expérience de deux acteurs principaux (la PTA – Preferential Trade Area ou Zone commerciale privilégiée et la SADC – Southern African Development Community ou Communauté de développement de l'Afrique australe) offrent des aperçus quant aux avantages et désavantages de l'existence d'une organisation de grande envergure et fondée sur secrétariat, consacrée à la réduction des barrières douannières, et d'une autre organisation, cette fois limitée en termes de sa superficie géographique et menée par des pays, qui cherche à coordiner la production dans les secteurs clef: la SADC. Leurs divergences, et l'histoire même, ont servi d'entrave aux efforts de les coordiner ou de les faire fusionner, surtout en ce qui concerne les nouvelles possibilités et le challenge même de la réintégration de l'Afrique du Sud dans la grande Afrique. Cette réintégration soulève des questions un peu plus complexes (et moins menaçantes) et aussi, moins promettrices sous certains jours pour ses éventuels partenaires dans les régions orientales et australes de l'Afrique) qu'on ne le supposerait parfois. Resumen El Africa oriental y el Africa austral tienen un largo historial de esfuerzos para alcanzar la integración económica operacional y un complejo grupo de estructuras institucionales superpuestas. Los beneficios de una cooperación exitosa no están en discusión ? el punto básico es cómo obtenerlos. En este contexto las experiencias de dos actores clave, (la PTA?Preferential Trade Area o Zona de Comercio Privilegiado, y la SADC ? Southern Africa Development Community o Comunidad para el Desarrollo de Africa Austral), ofrecen interesantes revelaciones sobre los puntos fuertes y débiles de una amplia y burocrática barrera comercial que reduce la organización, y la coordinación de la producción en sectores clave de un área geográfica más reducida, de orientación nacional. Las divergenias ? así como la historia ? han estorbado intentos de combinar o coordinar estos dos aspectos y sus respuestas a las oportunidades o desafíos que presenta el reingreso de Sudafrica al Africa. Esto último plantea más asuntos complejos de los que a veces se suponen (y menos amenazantes ? más prometedores en alugunos aspectos) para sus socios comerciales en potencia en Africa oriental y Africa del sur

Access to safe abortion in Uganda : leveraging opportunities through the harm reduction model

Access to safe and legal abortion services is a far reach for women and girls in Uganda. Although unsafe abortion rates have fallen from 54 to 39 per 1000 women aged 15-45years over a decade, absolute figures show a rise from 294000 in 2003 to 314000 women having unsafe abortions in 2013. Unfortunately, only 50% of the women who develop abortion complications are able to reach facilities for postabortion care. Despite the clinical evidence and the stories from undocumented cases, debate on access to safer and legal abortion is constricted, moralized, and stigmatized. The harm reduction model has shown evidence of benefit in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity due to unsafe abortion while addressing related stigma and discrimination and advancing women's reproductive health rights. This article presents a case for promoting the model in Uganda

Management and use of dairy cattle feed resources on smallholder certified organic pineapple farms in Central Uganda

Formulation of exclusively organic diets that meet maintenance and production requirements of dairy cattle is a major limitation to production of premium organic products of animal origin. This study was therefore carried out to assess the use and availability of feed resources and the coping strategies used by farmers to overcome dry season feed shortages on 64 smallholder certified organic pineapple farms. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and two focus group discussions. Majority of households were headed by males (62.9%) while average age of respondents was 42.5 years. Farmers allocated more land (P<0.05) to organic pineapple production compared to livestock. Beside dairy cattle, farmers also kept chickens, goats and pigs. Tethering was the commonest cattle management system. Fifty three percent of respondents reported using both natural pastures and crop residues as major dairy cattle feed resources while only 19% reported using elephant grass. Banana peels (25.1%) and sweet potato vines (24.7%) were the most important crop residues fed to cattle. Farmers reported high cost of concentrates and scarcity of feeds as their biggest challenges in dairy cattle production. Of the respondents, 51.4% conserved feed for their cattle as fodder banks. As a coping strategy to feed shortages, majority (42.9%) of farmer scavenged for feed resources from both organic certified and nonorganic neighbouring farms which is contrary to organic livestock farming standards. It was, therefore, concluded that management of livestock feeding in the study area fell short of the requirements for organic livestock feeding standards. Research to develop strategies that can use alternative on-farm feed resources through ensiling organic pineapple wastes during the dry season is recommended as a long term strategy to address feed challenges for organic livestock farmers

Variation among banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) populations in Uganda as revealed by AFLP markers and corm damage differences

Abstract Background The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) is a major production constraint of bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) in the world. Differences in damage levels and pesticide response across regions led to the postulation that there might be considerable variation between banana weevil populations (biotypes) with varying levels of virulence. One of the most sustainable options for banana weevil control is the use of host plant resistance. While new resistant varieties are being developed through both conventional crossbreeding and biotechnology, there is a need to assess the genetic variation of banana weevil populations from eastern, central, southern, southwestern and midwest regions of Uganda to determine whether there are biotypes with different virulence levels. This would help guide new control strategies to target all the possible biotypes. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to analyze population genetic diversity using four primer combinations (EcoRI/MSeI). Results Analysis of molecular variance results presented no evidence to support significant genetic variability among the banana weevil populations from eastern, central, southern, southwestern and midwest regions. Practically, all the genetic variation was found to reside within populations (97% for sites and 98% for regions), with only approximately 3% and 2% residing among populations of sites and regions, respectively. Conclusions and recommendations AFLP markers clustered the banana weevils into two distinct populations consequently supporting the hypothesis of possible presence of banana weevil biotypes in Uganda. However, attempts should be made to make follow-up studies on the seemingly unique population of eastern Uganda using more robust molecular techniques to establish whether the eastern Uganda population constitutes a different biotype

Cervicovaginal Bacteriology and Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns among Women with Premature Rupture of Membranes in Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. A 2013 Cochrane review concluded that the choice of antibiotics for prophylaxis in PROM is not clear. In Uganda, a combination of oral erythromycin and amoxicillin is the 1st line for prophylaxis against ascending infection. Our aim was to establish the current cervicovaginal bacteriology and antibiotic sensitivity patterns. Methods. Liquor was collected aseptically from the endocervical canal and pool in the posterior fornix of the vagina using a pipette. Aerobic cultures were performed on blood, chocolate, and MacConkey agar and incubated at 35–37°C for 24–48 hrs. Enrichment media were utilized to culture for GBS and facultative anaerobes. Isolates were identified using colonial morphology, gram staining, and biochemical analysis. Sensitivity testing was performed via Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and dilution method. Pearson’s chi-squared (χ2) test and the paired t-test were applied, at a P value of 0.05. Results. Thirty percent of the cultures were positive and over 90% were aerobic microorganisms. Resistance to erythromycin, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, and ceftriaxone was 44%, 95%, 96%, and 24%, respectively. Rupture of membranes (>12 hrs), late preterm, and term PROM were associated with more positive cultures. Conclusion. The spectrum of bacteria associated with PROM has not changed, but resistance to erythromycin and ampicillin has increased

Barriers and facilitators in the provision of post-abortion care at district level in central Uganda : a qualitative study focusing on task sharing between physicians and midwives

BACKGROUND: Abortion is restricted in Uganda, and poor access to contraceptive methods result in unwanted pregnancies. This leaves women no other choice than unsafe abortion, thus placing a great burden on the Ugandan health system and making unsafe abortion one of the major contributors to maternal mortality and morbidity in Uganda. The existing sexual and reproductive health policy in Uganda supports the sharing of tasks in post-abortion care. This task sharing is taking place as a pragmatic response to the increased workload. This study aims to explore physicians' and midwives' perception of post-abortion care with regard to professional competences, methods, contraceptive counselling and task shifting/sharing in post-abortion care. METHODS: In-depth interviews (n = 27) with health care providers of post-abortion care were conducted in seven health facilities in the Central Region of Uganda. The data were organized using thematic analysis with an inductive approach. RESULTS: Post-abortion care was perceived as necessary, albeit controversial and sometimes difficult to provide. Together with poor conditions post-abortion care provoked frustration especially among midwives. Task sharing was generally taking place and midwives were identified as the main providers, although they would rarely have the proper training in post-abortion care. Additionally, midwives were sometimes forced to provide services outside their defined task area, due to the absence of doctors. Different uterine evacuation skills were recognized although few providers knew of misoprostol as a method for post-abortion care. An overall need for further training in post-abortion care was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Task sharing is taking place, but providers lack the relevant skills for the provision of quality care. For post-abortion care to improve, task sharing needs to be scaled up and in-service training for both doctors and midwives needs to be provided. Post-abortion care should further be included in the educational curricula of nurses and midwives. Scaled-up task sharing in post-abortion care, along with misoprostol use for uterine evacuation would provide a systematic approach to improving the quality of care and accessibility of services, with the aim of reducing abortion-related mortality and morbidity in Uganda