Features of dog ecology relevant to rabies spread in Machakos District, Kenya

A random sample of households in Machakos District of Kenya was surveyed using personal interviews to determine features of dog ecology relevant to the spread of rabies. A mean of 1,35 dogs/household, a dog to person ratio of 1:9,6 and a mean of 10,4 dogs/km² were estimated. The male to female ratio was 1:0,67 with 26% of the dog population being less than three months old. The dogs had a mean age of 1,8 years. The proportion of the dogs which fed on household leftovers and waste was 94,7%. Dogs were restricted in 19,4% of the households, while 69% of the dogs spent all of their time free outdoors. One-third of the dog population over three months old had been vaccinated against rabies. Considering the endemic status of rabies in Machakos District, methods which could be devised to control the disease are discussed.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201

ANTlMICROBlAL SUSCEPTIRILITY AND PLASMIDS FROM ESCHERICHIA COLI ISOLATED FROM RATS

Objectives: To determine if antimicrobial resistance occurs in E. coli isolated from rats andif this resistance is transferable via plasmids.Methods: Sixty Escherichia coli isolates obtained from 215 rats trapped in and aroundNairobi, Kenya, were analysed for antimicrobial susceptibility to eleven commonly usedantimicrobials. Piasmid DNA analysis and in-vitro conjugation tests were conducted ontwenty two resistant isolates.Results: A total of 12 (20%) E. coli were resistant to at least one of the commonly used drugsincluding ampicillin, sulphamethoxazole and streptomycin. Eight (13.3 %) isolates were multidrugresistant. The drug resistant E. coli fell into five plasmid profie groups with plasmidsranging between two and 98 megadaltons (Mda). Resistance to ampicillin was transferable.Conclusion: The results of this study show that rats from the study area may form animportant reservoir for drug-resistant E. coli that could pose a public health hazard

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF BACTERIAL ORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM RATS

Objective: To determine if antimicrobial resistance occurs in v:~rious bacterial speciesisolated from rats.Method: Two hundred and fifteen rats were trapped from areas in and around Nairobi,Kenya. They were sacrificed and their intestinal, liver and sple:n specimens obtained.Various bacterial species were isolated from these specimens. The s ~ecies were analysed forantimicrobial susceptibility to 12 commonly used antimicrobials using the disc diffusiontechnique.Results: The bacterial species isolated included pathogenic and pot~:ntially pathogenic onessuch as Escherichia coli 137,Salrnonellatyphirnuriurn 1, Klebsiellapnt urnoniae 2, Enterobactercloacae 4, Enterobacter sakazakii 2, Citrobacter freundii 3, Mt,rganella rnorganii (2),Pseudornonas aeruginosa 2 and Burkhoddria cepacia 6. Depend ng on the species, theresistance to the various antimicrobials were: 0-100% for cef~~taxime, nalidixic acid,cefuroxime, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, co-amoxyclav, sulfan~ethoxazole, ampicillin,trimethoprim and cephradine, 0-66.6% for gentamicin and 0-25% for apramycin.Conclusion: 'The results showed that, rats from the study area harlloured bacterial specieswith antimicrobial resistance. These micro-organisms may form an important reservoir forantibiotic resistance which could pose a public health hazard. Cor trol of rat populations,better management of sewer systems and waste dumping sites are rt commended in order toreduce occurrence of these drug resistance reservoirs

Impact of mastitis control measures on milk production and mastitis indicators in smallholder dairy farms in Kiambu District, Kenya

Bovine mastitis and mastitis control were investigated on smallholder farms in central Kenya. After an initial observational study, a clinical trial to assess the impact of three different mastitis control strategies - (1) improved udder hygiene (2) treatment of subclinical cases, and (3) a combination of these - was conducted on 100 randomly selected farms with 332 lactating cows. Before the implementation of control measures, the milk yield was low (mean 6.5 kg/day; median 6 kg/day) and somatic cell counts (SCC) were high, with 80 percent and 43 percent of cows, having milk with SCC greater than 250 X 10(3) cells/ml and 600 X 10(3) cells/ml, respectively. Infectious pathogens were also commonly isolated, with 63 percent of cows being positive for pathogenic bacteria. Neither intervention strategy alone had any effect on mastitis indicators or milk yield. In combination, the measures had some impact, lowering the prevalence of contagious pathogens by 18 percent, but this was not reflected in a significantly increased milk yield, lowered SCC or reduced incidence of clinical mastitis