Animal health research and development

A book chapter on veterinary health services in Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe’s veterinary delivery system and research capability have been shaped by the need to prevent, control, manage and/or eradicate animal diseases.202 Although major epidemics like rinderpest, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and African east coast fever have been eradicated, there is still need to ensure that any reintroduction of these diseases is prevented. The Department of Veterinary Services has the mandate to provide animal health services and has had to put in place special control measures for some of the endemic diseases such as foot and mouth disease, contagious abortion, anthrax, beef measles and salmonellosis. These diseases affect both the export and domestic beef markets. For purposes of foot and mouth disease surveillance and control, the country is divided into foot and mouth disease control zones through a network of cattle and buffalo proof cordon fences. Epidemiological surveillance, monitoring and reporting of specified diseases and pests as of2004 relied on a countrywide network of veterinary infrastructure that comprised the following: eight provincial and 53 district offices; 308 subdistrict animal management and health centres in the smallholder sector and six in commercial fanning areas; one central veterinary laboratory; and three provincial diagnostic laboratories in Bulawayo, Mutare and Masvingo

Contacts and foot and mouth disease transmission from wild to domestic bovines in Africa

Wildlife is a maintenance host for several significant livestock diseases. Interspecific pathogen transmission may occur in complex socio-ecological systems at wild-domestic interfaces that have so far been seldom studied. We investigated the relationship between the dynamics of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle populations with respect to frequency of contacts with African buffalo at different buffalo-cattle interfaces. A total of 36 GPS collars were deployed on African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and cattle (Bos taurus, Bos indicus) to assess contact patterns at the periphery of 3 protected areas in Zimbabwe. Simultaneously, a longitudinal survey of 300 cattle with five repeated sampling sessions on known individuals during 16 months was undertaken. Immunological assays (ELISAs), that allowed tracking the production of antibodies following infection or vaccination, were used to assess serological transitions (i.e., incidence and reversion) in the surveyed cattle. Variation in rates of serological transitions across seasons, sites and as a function of the frequency of contact with buffalo was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. The incidence in the cattle populations of FMD antibodies produced following infection varied among sites and as a function of contact rates with African buffalo. The incidence was higher for sites with higher contact rates between the two species. The serological incidence was also related to seasons, being higher during the dry or rainy seasons depending on sites. The reversion rate pattern was the opposite of this incidence rate pattern. Vaccination seemed partly efficient at the individual level, but it did not prevent the diffusion of FMD viruses from the wild reservoir host to the domestic cattle population. Furthermore, antibodies were detected in areas where cattle had not been vaccinated, suggesting that the virus may have spread without being detected in domestic populations. Access to resources shared by buffalo and livestock, particularly water and grazing areas during the dry season, could partly explain the observed patterns of FMD transmission. We discuss how insights on ecological processes leading to wildlife-livestock contacts may provide some innovative solutions to improve FMD management, including surveillance, prevention or control of buffalo-borne outbreaks, by adopting strategies targeting risky areas and periods. (Résumé d'auteur

Seroprevalence of foot-and-mouth disease in goats from Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the level of exposure to the South African Territories (SAT) serotypes (SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3) of the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) of apparently healthy, unvaccinated indigenous goats from four selected districts of Matabeleland South Province in Zimbabwe. A total of 538 serum samples from the four districts were tested using the solid phase blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall seroprevalence was 1.5% (8/538; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.7 – 3.03) and it varied from 0% (Beitbridge district) to 7.3% (Bulilimamangwe district). A significant p value (p = 0.012) was obtained between Bulilimamangwe and Gwanda districts only. The other values among the rest of the districts were not significant (p > 0.05). Of the sero-positive samples; 3 were positive to SAT1, 3 to SAT2 and 2 to SAT3. Our results provide the first serological indication of the presence of antibodies against FMDV in goats in Zimbabwe.Keywords: Foot-and-mouth disease, Goats, Seroprevalence, Zimbabw