Comparative clinico-haematological analysis in young Zebu cattle experimentally infected with Trypanosoma vivax isolates from tsetse infested and non-tsetse infested areas of Northwest Ethiopia

Background: Ethiopia, particularly in the Northwest region, is affected by both tsetse and non-tsetse fly transmitted trypanosomosis, with significant impact on livestock productivity. The aim of this study was to determine and compare clinical findings and haematological values between experimental infections induced by Trypanosoma vivax isolates from areas of either transmission mode. Sixteen young (aged between 6 and 12 months) Zebu cattle (Bos indicus), purchased from a trypanosome-free area and confirmed to be trypanosome-negative, were randomly assigned into four groups of four animals. Groups 1, 2 and 3 were infected with an isolate from a tsetse infested or one of two isolates from a non-tsetse infested area, and group 4 was a non-infected control. All animals in the infected groups were inoculated intravenously with 2 × 106 trypanosomes from donor animals. The experimental animals were monitored for eight consecutive weeks post infection for clinical signs, parasitaemia and haematological changes in packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hgb), total red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, differential WBC count and blood indices (mean corpuscular volume [MCV], mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration).<p></p> Results: Infection was characterized by reduced feed intake, weakness, pyrexia, parasitaemia, rough hair coat, enlarged prescapular lymph nodes, lacrimation, weight loss, pallor mucus membrane and dehydration. Body weight loss in all infected groups was significantly higher than in the non-infected control. Similarly, body weight loss was higher (P < 0.001) in animals infected with the tsetse infested isolate than with the non-tsetse infested isolates. The mean PCV, Hgb, total RBC and WBC counts were lower (P < 0.001), and mean MCV was higher (P = 0.01) in all infected groups than in non-infected control animals at different time points during the study period. Except for minor variations in haematological values, the overall changes were similar in all infected groups.<p></p> Conclusion: Clinical signs and significant reduction in haematological values in the infected groups indicated the pathogenicity of the T. vivax parasites. Pathogenicity of T. vivax from the non-tsetse infested area can be considered as nearly as important as that of its counterpart derived from the tsetse infested area

Pattern of skin diseases in children attending the dermatology clinic in Alert referral hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a retrospective study

Background: A Skin disease, which is estimated to affect between 21 and 87% of children, are the reason for up to a third of outpatient visits to pediatricians and dermatologists. It can possibly re-sult in considerable anxiety, parental worry, and embarrassment to the child and lead to loss of confidence, disruption of social relations, and feeling of stigmatization. This study aimed to assess the pattern of skin diseases in children attending at ALERT referral hospital.Methods: The study setting is ALERT referral hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based, retrospective, cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out between July and August 2020. All children younger than 12 years, who were diagnosed for skin diseases from May 2018 to May 2020, were included. Four hundred twenty-three children were sampled using a random sampling method. SPSS Version 20 software was used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that 385(91%) of patients had one skin disease and the remaining 38(9%) had two or more skin diseases. Fungal infections were present in30.1% of the cases fol-lowed by eczema, which accounted for 27.4%. Among fungal infections, Tinea Capitis (106/116), 91.4% followed by Tinea Corporis and Tinea Pedis were the most common in ALERT dermatology clinic. Among eczema cases, family atopic dermatitis (82/106), 77% was the most common. The result showed seasonal variation in some diseases.Conclusion: Skin fungal infections were the most common followed by eczema, pigmentary dis-order, infestation, viral infection, urticaria, bacterial infection, and others. There was some sea-sonal variation in some diseases

Comparative clinico-pathological observations in young Zebu (Bos indicus) cattle experimentally infected with Trypanosoma vivax isolates from tsetse infested and non-tsetse infested areas of Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: The Northwest region of Ethiopia is affected by both tsetse and non-tsetse transmitted trypanosomosis with a huge impact on livestock productivity. The objective of this experimental study was to determine clinical and pathological findings in young Zebu cattle experimentally infected with Trypanosoma vivax isolates from tsetse infested and non-tsetse infested areas of Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 18 cattle (Bos indicus) aged between 6 and 12 months, purchased from a trypanosome-free and confirmed to be trypanosome negative divided into three groups of six animals were used. Animals in the first two groups (Group TT: tsetse infested isolate infected and Group NT: non-tsetse infested isolate infected) received 2 mL of infected blood from donor animals at 10(6) trypanosomes/mL, and the remaining group was non-infected control (NIC). Each group was observed for a period of eight consecutive weeks, daily for clinical signs and once per week for parasitaemia. Postmortem examinations were done on euthanized animals, and tissue samples were taken for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The prepatent period of the disease was earlier in the NT group 6 days post infection (dpi) than TT group 12 dpi. The infection was characterized by reduced feed intake, intermittent pyrexia and parasitaemia, enlarged lymph nodes, lacrimation, reduced feed intake and emaciation. Less frequently diarrhea, oedema and nervous signs were observed in both groups of infected animals. At necropsy, infected animals showed enlarged spleen, enlarged lymph nodes, pneumonic and emphysematous lung, enlarged liver, and haemorrhages on the brain and intestine. Histopathological analysis revealed lymphoid hyperplasia of the spleen, necrosis of the liver, encephalitis and hyperplasia of lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: Trpanosoma vivax isolates from both tsetse infested and non-tsetse areas showed a variety of virulence factors leading to the development of acute clinical signs, gross and histopathological lesions. However, the parasitaemia and clinical signs appeared earlier in the NT compared to TT infected groups

Genotype by environment interaction and grain yield stability of Ethiopian black seeded finger millet genotypes

Finger millet ( Eleusine coracana \ua0(L.) Gaertn) is an important cereal widely produced in Ethiopia across diverse agro-ecologies. It is valued by local farmers for its ability to grow in adverse agro-climatic conditions, where other cereals fail. The yield potential of this crop is in the range of 4-5 tonnes/ha, but the current national average grain yield is far below the potential (2.1 tonnes). Lack of improve varieties which are stable, high yielder and stress tolerant is a major limiting factor to production of this crop in Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted using twelve black seeded finger millet (Eleusine coracana subsp. coracana) genotypes, including local and standard checks (Degu) at two locations (Bako and Gute) in Ethiopia for three years (2014 - 2016). The objective of this study was to identify stable and high yielding genotypes for grain yield and other agronomic traits among the black seeded finger millet genotypes of Ethiopia. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model analysis of variance revealed highly significant (P<0.01) differences between environments, genotype, and Interaction Principal Component Analysis (IPCA-I), but significant variations (P<0.05) for G x E interactions. This indicates that the genotypes performed differently over environments and that the test environments are highly variable. Only the first IPCA-I showed high significance (P<0.01) and contributed 48.39% of the total genotype by environment interaction (G x E). Genotypes BKFM0020, BKFM0006 and BKFM0010, which had high grain yield, but with IPCA value close to zero, indicated the wide adaptability/stability. Similarly, analysis using Eberhart and Russell model revealed that these genotypes were within the relatively acceptable range of regression coefficients (bi), approaching to one (0.742, 0.8176 and 1.0578), and deviation from regression closer to zero (s2di) (0.0385, -0.0661 and -0.0248), respectively. This implied that pipeline genotypes were stable, widely adaptable and high yielders than the other genotypes. Genotype and genotype by environment (GGE bi-plot) analysis also revealed that these candidate genotypes were stable and high yielder. Besides, these genotypes showed resistance to blast disease, which is a threat to finger millet production in the study areas. Therefore, these genotypes were selected as potential candidates for possible release in western Oromia and similar agro-ecologies of the country.Le petit mil ( Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) est une c\ue9r\ue9ale importante largement produite en \uc9thiopie dans les diff\ue9rents zones agro-\ue9cologiques. Il est appr\ue9ci\ue9 par les agriculteurs locaux pour sa capacit\ue9 de grandir dans des conditions agro-climatiques d\ue9favorables, o\uf9 les autres c\ue9r\ue9ales \ue9chouent. Le potentiel du rendement en grain de cette culture de mil se situe entre 4 \ue0 5 t ha-1, mais le rendement moyen national actuel est tr\ue8s inf\ue9rieur au potentiel (2,1 tonnes). Le manque de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es, stables, \ue0 rendement en grain \ue9lev\ue9 et tol\ue9rantes au stress est un t facteur majeur limitant la production de cette culture de mil en \uc9thiopie. Une exp\ue9rience au champs a \ue9t\ue9 conduite avec douze g\ue9notypes des grains noir de mil (Eleusine coracana subsp. Coracana), y compris des contr\uf4les locaux et standard (Degu) \ue0 deux locations (Bako et Gute) en \uc9thiopie pendant trois ans (2014 - 2016). L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019identifier des g\ue9notypes stables et de rendement tr\ue8s\ua0\ue9lev\ue9 pour le rendement en grain de mil et d\u2019autres caract\ue9ristiques agronomiques parmi les genotypes des grains noir de mil en \uc9thiopie. L\u2019analyse de variance du methode avec effet principal additif et interaction multiplicative (AIM) a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 des diff\ue9rences tr\ue8s significatives (P <0,01) entre les locations, le g\ue9notype et l\u2019analyse en composantes principales de l\u2019interaction (IPCA-I), mais des variations significatives (P <0,05) pour G x E interactions. Cela indique que les g\ue9notypes se sont comport\ue9s diff\ue9remment selon les locations et que les locations de test sont tr\ue8s variables. Seule la premi\ue8re IPCA-I a montr\ue9 une signification \ue9lev\ue9e (P <0,01) et a contribu\ue9 pour 48,39% du total des interactions g\ue9notype par la location (G x E). G\ue9notypes BKFM0020, BKFM0006 et BKFM0010, qui avait un rendement en grain \ue9lev\ue9, mais avec une valeur IPCA proche de z\ue9ro, a indiqu\ue9 la grande adaptabilit\ue9 / stabilit\ue9. De m\ueame, une analyse utilisant les m\ue9thodes\ua0d\u2019Eberhart et Russell a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que ces g\ue9notypes se situaient dans la plage relativement acceptable des coefficients de r\ue9gression (bi), se rapprochant de un (0,742, 0,8176 et 1,0578) et de l\u2019\ue9cart par rapport \ue0 la r\ue9gression proche de z\ue9ro (s2di) (0,0385, 0,0661 et -0,0248), respectivement. Cela impliquait que les g\ue9notypes de pipeline \ue9taient stables, largement adaptables et ont eu le rendement tr\ue8s\ua0\ue9lev\ue9 que les autres g\ue9notypes. Les analyses de g\ue9notype et g\ue9notype par la location (bi-parcelle GGE) ont \ue9galement r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que ces g\ue9notypes candidats \ue9taient stables et avaient une bonne rentabilit\ue9. En outre, ces g\ue9notypes ont montr\ue9 une r\ue9sistance \ue0 la maladie fongique qui constitue une menace pour la production de mil dans les zones d\u2018 \ue9tude. Par cons\ue9quent, ces g\ue9notypes ont \ue9t\ue9 s\ue9lectionn\ue9s comme candidats potentiels pour une lib\ue9ration \ue9ventuelle dans l\u2019ouest d\u2019Oromia et des zones agro-\ue9cologiques similaires du pays

GENETIC DIVERSITY AND ECO-GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ELEUSINE SPECIES COLLECTED FROM ETHIOPIA

Eleusine is a small grass genus with three basic chromosome numbers (x=8, 9 and 10) and comprises of eight species including E. coracana subsp. coracana, (finger millet), which is an important subsistence crop in Africa and India. Research on these species could assist the development of high yielding and multiple stress tolerant variety(s) of the cultivable species, and also guide development of strategic genetic resource management and utilisation of the genus. A total of 72 accessions, sampled from five major species, E. coracana (including both E. coracana subsp. coracana and E. coracana subsp. africana), E. intermedia, E. indica, E. multiflora and E. floccifolia were analysed for genetic variation and inter-relationships using 20 microsatellite markers. All the SSR markers displayed high genetic polymorphism, with polymorphic information content ranging from 0.46 (UGEP110) to 0.91 (UGEP66). A total of 286 alleles were observed with an average of 14.3 alleles per locus. Classic F-statistics revealed the highest intra-specific polymorphism recorded for E. africana (32.45%), followed by E. coracana (16.83%); implying that genetic polymorphism is higher in the cultivable subspecies and its wild relatives, than the other species. Allelic frequency based inter-species genetic distance analysis, showed wider genetic distance between E. indica and E. multiflora (0.719); a narrow genetic distance between E. coracana sub-species africana and E. coracana subspecies coracana (0.3297). The weighted neighbor joining-based clustering revealed that the majority of the accessions in a species share strong similarity and are grouped together than do accessions of inter species.Eleusine est une herbe avec trois nombres de chromosomes de base (x=8, 9 et 10) et comprend huit esp\ue8ces dont E. coracana subsp. coracana, (finger millet), qui est une culture de subsistence importante en Afrique et en Inde. La recherche sur ces esp\ue8ces pourrait aider dans le d\ue9veloppement des vari\ue9t\ue9s d\u2019esp\ue8ces cultivables \ue0 rendement \ue9lev\ue9 et de tol\ue9rance aux stress multiples, et guider le d\ue9veloppement de la gestion des ressources g\ue9n\ue9tiques strat\ue9giques et l\u2019utilisation du genus. Un total de 72 accessions \ue9chantillonn\ue9es de cinq esp\ue8ces majeurs \ue0 savoir E. coracana (incluant E. coracana subsp. coracana et E. coracana subsp. africana), E. intermedia, E. indica, E. multiflora et E. floccifolia \ue9taient analys\ue9es pour variation g\ue9n\ue9tique et relations mutuelles utilisant 20 marqueurs microsatellites. Tous les marquers SSR ont manifest\ue9 un polymorphisme g\ue9n\ue9tique \ue9lev\ue9, avec un contenu d\u2019information polymorphique allant de 0.46 (UGEP110) \ue0 0.91 (UGEP66). Un total de 286 all\ue8les \ue9tait observ\ue9 avec une moyenne de 14.3 all\ue8les par locus. Les statistiqies classiques F ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 le polymorphisme intrasp\ue9cifique le plus \ue9lev\ue9 enregistr\ue9 pour le E. africana (32.45%), suivi de E. coracana (16.83%), ce qui implique que le polymorphisme g\ue9n\ue9tique est le plus \ue9lev\ue9 dans les sous esp\ue8ces cultivables et ses homologues sauvages que les autres esp\ue8ces. L\u2019analyse de la fr\ue9quence all\ue9lique de la distance g\ue9n\ue9tique entre esp\ue8ces a montr\ue9 une plus large distance g\ue9n\ue9tique entre E. indica et E. multiflora (0.719); une \ue9troite distance g\ue9n\ue9tique entre les sous esp\ue8ces Africana de E. coracana et les sous esp\ue8ces coracana de E. coracana (0.3297). La pond\ue9ration des groupements a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que la majorit\ue9 des accessions au sein d\u2019une esp\ue8ce partage une forte similarit\ue9 et sont group\ue9es ensemble en comparaison aux accessions des intra-esp\ue8ces

Integrating energy access, efficiency and renewable energy policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: a model-based analysis

The role of energy in social and economic development is recognised by sustainable development goal 7 that targets three aspects of energy access: ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services, substantially increase the share of renewable energy, and double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. With the projected increase in population, income and energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa, demand for energy services is expected to increase. This increase can be met through increasing the supply while at the same time improving households' energy efficiency. In this paper, we explore the interactions between the three SDG7 targets by applying two Integrated Assessment Models, IMAGE and MESSAGE, that incorporate socio-economic heterogeneity of the end-user. The results of the study depict the synergistic relationships between the three SDG7 objectives. Relative to pursuing only the universal access target, integration of all three targets could i) reduce residential final energy consumption by up to 25%, enabling the use of mini-grid and stand-alone systems to provide better energy services, ii) cut annual energy-use-related residential emissions by a third, and iii) lower energy related investments by up to 30% to save scarce finance

Selective advantage of implementing optimal contributions selection and timescales for the convergence of long-term genetic contributions

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Accumulation of long-term genetic contributions over time with a line of best fit

Data Descriptor: Daily observations of stable isotope ratios of rainfall in the tropics

We present precipitation isotope data (δ2H and δ18O values) from 19 stations across the tropics collected from 2012 to 2017 under the Coordinated Research Project F31004 sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rainfall samples were collected daily and analysed for stable isotopic ratios of oxygen and hydrogen by participating laboratories following a common analytical framework. We also calculated daily mean stratiform rainfall area fractions around each station over an area of 5° x 5° longitude/latitude based on TRMM/GPM satellite data. Isotope time series, along with information on rainfall amount and stratiform/convective proportions provide a valuable tool for rainfall characterisation and to improve the ability of isotope-enabled Global Circulation Models to predict variability and availability of inputs to fresh water resources across the tropics.Fil: Munksgaard, Niels C.. James Cook University; Australia. Charles Darwin University. School of Environmental Research; AustraliaFil: Kurita, Naoyuki. Nagoya University; JapónFil: Sánchez Murillo, Ricardo. Universidad Nacional; Costa RicaFil: Ahmed, Nasir. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission; BangladeshFil: Araguas, Luis. International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea); AustriaFil: Balachew, Dagnachew L.. International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea); AustriaFil: Bird, Michael I.. James Cook University; AustraliaFil: Chakraborty, Supriyo. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology; IndiaFil: Kien Chinh, Nguyen. Center for Nuclear Techniques; VietnamFil: Cobb, Kim M.. Georgia Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Ellis, Shelby A.. Georgia Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Esquivel Hernández, Germain. Universidad Nacional; Costa RicaFil: Ganyaglo, Samuel Y.. National Nuclear Research Institute; GhanaFil: Gao, Jing. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Gastmans, Didier. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Kaseke, Kudzai F.. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; India. University of California Santa Barbara; Estados UnidosFil: Kebede, Seifu. Addis Ababa University; EtiopíaFil: Morales, Marcelo Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Mueller, Moritz. Swinburne University of Technology; MalasiaFil: Poh, Seng Chee. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu; MalasiaFil: Santos, Vinícius dos. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Shaoneng, He. Nanyang Technological University; SingapurFil: Wang, Lixin. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; IndiaFil: Yacobaccio, Hugo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Zwart, Costijn. James Cook University; Australi