What drives Adoption of Biofuel (Jatropha Curcas) Production in Central Eastern Malawi?

There is increased interest in production of Jatropha Curcas as a biodiesel feedstock by both local and international companies. The increased interest is due to problems associated with major energy sources such as diesel and petro and their availability. This study aims at providing an understanding of the socioeconomic factors that influence farmers’ adoption of Jatropha Curcas production as a biofuel technology. The study uses data from 70 Jatropha Curcas farmers in Salima district in Malawi. The results indicated that positive and significant determinants of adoption of Jatropha Curcas production by small scale farmers are gender of the household head, plot size and education level of the household head. Based on extent of adoption, the results show that plot size and education level of the household head are the only significant factors that explain the extent of adoption while marriage status negatively influenced extentof adoption. The study recommends that if Malawi government would like to promote the cultivation of Jatropha crop on commercial basis, consideration for land allocated to Jatropha should be a priority. Promotion may be suitable for large commercial farmers who have lots of land. Keywords: Jatropha Curcas production, adoption, Malaw

Evaluation and Deployment of Rice Genotypes Resistant to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Disease in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is the most important biotic stress undermining productivity of the crop envisaged to spur economic growth and improvement of livelihoods in Tanzania. In efforts to exploit economic and ecofriendly natural host resistance for sustained disease management, reactions of 60 promising rice genotypes selected from various germplasm to a mixture of isolates of the virus under artificial inoculation in the Southern highlands zone represented by Kyela district were studied. Twenty of the most promising entries were further verified on farm at two lowland rainfed and two upland ecologies in the district. Resistance or susceptibility of the genotypes was determined by severity of symptoms as scored on a standard international evaluation scale ranging from 1 to 9 and plant height reduction measured as the difference in height between inoculated and uninoculated plants. Results indicated that RYMV isolates used differed by their virulence and the varieties by their vertical resistance. Observed reactions ranged from highly susceptible to highly resistant. About 50% of the genotypes showed a high level of resistance while 20% were highly susceptible. The intermediate reactions were 0% resistant, 10% susceptible and 20% moderately resistant. Susceptible cultivars recorded up to 75% reduction in height and death of plants whereas those resistant had mild symptoms and negligible plant height reduction. Highly resistant genotypes were immune to infection by the virus across all locations. Five of the highly resistant cultivars namely Salama M55, M57, M19, M35, IITA 235 were acceptable to farmers in terms of cycle length, plant and grain types. Further research to enable official release for commercial use and wide scale accessibility of seed to farmers was deemed necessary to ease damage from RYMV. The varieties can also be deployed as sources of resistance in cross breeding programmes to improve the local susceptible cultivars whose background is already acceptable to farmers. Exhaustive screening of germplasm collections to identify diverse sources of novel genes for resistance was also recommended together with verification of high resistance of genotypes across regions

Elucidating the phylodynamics of endemic rabies virus in eastern Africa using whole-genome sequencing

Many of the pathogens perceived to pose the greatest risk to humans are viral zoonoses, responsible for a range of emerging and endemic infectious diseases. Phylogeography is a useful tool to understand the processes that give rise to spatial patterns and drive dynamics in virus populations. Increasingly, whole-genome information is being used to uncover these patterns, but the limits of phylogenetic resolution that can be achieved with this are unclear. Here, whole-genome variation was used to uncover fine-scale population structure in endemic canine rabies virus circulating in Tanzania. This is the first whole-genome population study of rabies virus and the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of rabies virus in East Africa, providing important insights into rabies transmission in an endemic system. In addition, sub-continental scale patterns of population structure were identified using partial gene data and used to determine population structure at larger spatial scales in Africa. While rabies virus has a defined spatial structure at large scales, increasingly frequent levels of admixture were observed at regional and local levels. Discrete phylogeographic analysis revealed long-distance dispersal within Tanzania, which could be attributed to human-mediated movement, and we found evidence of multiple persistent, co-circulating lineages at a very local scale in a single district, despite on-going mass dog vaccination campaigns. This may reflect the wider endemic circulation of these lineages over several decades alongside increased admixture due to human-mediated introductions. These data indicate that successful rabies control in Tanzania could be established at a national level, since most dispersal appears to be restricted within the confines of country borders but some coordination with neighbouring countries may be required to limit transboundary movements. Evidence of complex patterns of rabies circulation within Tanzania necessitates the use of whole-genome sequencing to delineate finer scale population structure that can that can guide interventions, such as the spatial scale and design of dog vaccination campaigns and dog movement controls to achieve and maintain freedom from disease

Implications Of Customary Norms And Laws For Implementing IWRM

Abstract This paper presents the preliminary findings of a WARFSA-funded study, whose objective is to facilitate the formulation of better policies and guidelines for implementing IWRM through a case study of local water conflicts. It is observed that, although the current water reforms in the country focus on the use of statutory legal systems to regulate the use of water resources, the country operates under a plural legal system. Apart from the statutory laws, diverse customary systems are relied upon in resolving waterrelated conflicts. Neglect of these norms and laws may have negative consequences for the majority of the villagers who rely on them. The paper presents some of the water-related conflicts in the study areas and the views of government authorities and river basin managers regarding customary norms and laws for water resource management. Also, the paper describes how different types of conflicts over water resources are handled through official legal channels

Dynamic MAIT cell response with progressively enhanced innateness during acute HIV-1 infection.

Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell loss in chronic HIV-1 infection is a significant insult to antimicrobial immune defenses. Here we investigate the response of MAIT cells during acute HIV-1 infection utilizing the RV217 cohort with paired longitudinal pre- and post-infection samples. MAIT cells are activated and expand in blood and mucosa coincident with peak HIV-1 viremia, in a manner associated with emerging microbial translocation. This is followed by a phase with elevated function as viral replication is controlled to a set-point level, and later by their functional decline at the onset of chronic infection. Interestingly, enhanced innate-like pathways and characteristics develop progressively in MAIT cells during infection, in parallel with TCR repertoire alterations. These findings delineate the dynamic MAIT cell response to acute HIV-1 infection, and show how the MAIT compartment initially responds and expands with enhanced function, followed by progressive reprogramming away from TCR-dependent antibacterial responses towards innate-like functionality

Low specificity of determine HIV1/2 RDT using whole blood in south west Tanzania

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of two rapid detection tests (RDTs) for HIV 1/2 in plasma and in whole blood samples. Methods: More than 15,000 study subjects above the age of two years participated in two rounds of a cohort study to determine the prevalence of HIV. HIV testing was performed using the Determine HIV 1/2 test (Abbott) in the first (2006/2007) and the HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK Dipstick Assay (Chembio) in the second round (2007/2008) of the survey. Positive results were classified into faint and strong bands depending on the visual appearance of the test strip and confirmed by ELISA and Western blot. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the Determine RDT were 100% (95% confidence interval = 86.8 to 100%) and 96.8% (95.9 to 97.6%) in whole blood and 100% (99.7 to 100%) and 97.9% (97.6 to 98.1%) in plasma respectively. Specificity was highly dependent on the tested sample type: when using whole blood, 67.1% of positive results were false positive, as opposed to 17.4% in plasma. Test strips with only faint positive bands were more often false positive than strips showing strong bands and were more common in whole blood than in plasma. Evaluation of the STAT-PAK RDT in plasma during the second year resulted in a sensitivity of 99.7% (99.1 to 99.9%) and a specificity of 99.3% (99.1 to 99.4%) with 6.9% of the positive results being false. Conclusions: Our study shows that the Determine HIV 1/2 strip test with its high sensitivity is an excellent tool to screen for HIV infection, but that – at least in our setting – it can not be recommended as a confirmatory test in VCT campaigns where whole blood is used

Understanding the incidence and timing of rabies cases in domestic animals and wildlife in south-east Tanzania in the presence of widespread domestic dog vaccination campaigns

The “Zero by 30” strategic plan aims to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 and domestic dog vaccination is a vital component of this strategic plan. In areas where domestic dog vaccination has been implemented, it is important to assess the impact of this intervention. Additionally, understanding temporal and seasonal trends in the incidence of animal rabies cases may assist in optimizing such interventions. Data on the incidence of probable rabies cases in domestic and wild animals were collected between January 2011 and December 2018 in thirteen districts of south-east Tanzania where jackals comprise over 40% of reported rabies cases. Vaccination coverage was estimated over this period, as five domestic dog vaccination campaigns took place in all thirteen districts between 2011 and 2016. Negative binomial generalized linear models were used to explore the impact of domestic dog vaccination on the annual incidence of animal rabies cases, whilst generalized additive models were used to investigate the presence of temporal and/or seasonal trends. Increases in domestic dog vaccination coverage were significantly associated with a decreased incidence of rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals. A 35% increase in vaccination coverage was associated with a reduction in the incidence of probable dog rabies cases of between 78.0 and 85.5% (95% confidence intervals ranged from 61.2 to 92.2%) and a reduction in the incidence of probable jackal rabies cases of between 75.3 and 91.2% (95% confidence intervals ranged from 53.0 to 96.1%). A statistically significant common seasonality was identified in the monthly incidence of probable rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals with the highest incidence from February to August and lowest incidence from September to January. These results align with evidence supporting the use of domestic dog vaccination as part of control strategies aimed at reducing animal rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals in this region. The presence of a common seasonal trend requires further investigation but may have implications for the timing of future vaccination campaigns

Understanding the incidence and timing of rabies cases in domestic animals and wildlife in south-east Tanzania in the presence of widespread domestic dog vaccination campaigns

The “Zero by 30” strategic plan aims to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 and domestic dog vaccination is a vital component of this strategic plan. In areas where domestic dog vaccination has been implemented, it is important to assess the impact of this intervention. Additionally, understanding temporal and seasonal trends in the incidence of animal rabies cases may assist in optimizing such interventions. Data on the incidence of probable rabies cases in domestic and wild animals were collected between January 2011 and December 2018 in thirteen districts of south-east Tanzania where jackals comprise over 40% of reported rabies cases. Vaccination coverage was estimated over this period, as five domestic dog vaccination campaigns took place in all thirteen districts between 2011 and 2016. Negative binomial generalized linear models were used to explore the impact of domestic dog vaccination on the annual incidence of animal rabies cases, whilst generalized additive models were used to investigate the presence of temporal and/or seasonal trends. Increases in domestic dog vaccination coverage were significantly associated with a decreased incidence of rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals. A 35% increase in vaccination coverage was associated with a reduction in the incidence of probable dog rabies cases of between 78.0 and 85.5% (95% confidence intervals ranged from 61.2 to 92.2%) and a reduction in the incidence of probable jackal rabies cases of between 75.3 and 91.2% (95% confidence intervals ranged from 53.0 to 96.1%). A statistically significant common seasonality was identified in the monthly incidence of probable rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals with the highest incidence from February to August and lowest incidence from September to January. These results align with evidence supporting the use of domestic dog vaccination as part of control strategies aimed at reducing animal rabies cases in both domestic dogs and jackals in this region. The presence of a common seasonal trend requires further investigation but may have implications for the timing of future vaccination campaigns