Misdiagnosis and clinical significance of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Western Kenya in the era of human immunodeficiency virus epidemic

Objectives: To determine and document the role of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in TB-like disease morbidity and demonstrate the confusion they cause in the diagnosis of TB in western Kenya.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: One provincial and nine District hospitals in western Kenya.Subjects: Tuberculosis suspects.Interventions: Sputa from 872 tuberculosis suspects underwent microscopy and culture on solid and liquid media. The growth was identified using the Hain’s GenoType® Mycobacterium CM and GenoType® Mycobacterium AS kits. Consenting clients were screened for HIV infection using Trinity Biotech Uni-GoldTM test and positive cases were confirmed with the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. A questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data.Main outcome measures: ZN smear positivity / negativity; Culture positivity or negativity; Mycobacterium species isolates (tuberculous or non-tuberculous); HIV status.                                                      Results: Sputa from 39.1% (341/872) of the participants were ZN smear positive, of these 53.1% (181/341) were culture positive. Only 3.8% (20/531) of the ZN smear negatives were culture positive. In total 41.4% (361/872) participants were infected with mycobacteria, of which 44.3% (160/361) were culture negative and 55.7% (201/361) were culture positive. The culture positives yielded 92.5% M. tuberculosis complexand 7.5% NTM. The overall prevalence of the NTM disease was 1.72% (15/872).                                                                            Conclusion: A low prevalence of NT M pulmonary disease in western Kenya is reported in this study, but some the NTM disease cases could have been misdiagnosed as TB cases

Occurrence and pathology of caprine arthritis - encephalitis in young goats in Kenya

APPARITION ET PATHOLOGIE DE L'ARTHRITE ET DE L'ENCEPHALITE CAPRINES CHEZ LES JEUNES CHEVRES AU KENYA Résumé Six chevreaux SEA (race “petite chèvre de l'Afrique de l'Est”) et leurs croisements âgés de 3-16 semaines venant de trois districts du Kenya étaient examinés. Du point de vue clinique, l'on a observé chez ces chevreaux une incoordination, des tremblements fasciculaires, le tournis, le torticolis et la paralysie de tous les membres. Ceux qui sont arrivés in extremis étaient couchés, bêlaient comme s'ils souffraient de grandes douleurs et essayaient de ruminer. A l'autopsie, tous les chevreaux avaient un collapsus pulmonaire et des petites taches rougesfoncées; deux avaient le cerveau congestionné et un avait une dilatation des ventricules latéraux avec beaucoup de liquide. Un chevreau avait les articulations carpiennes enflées et une portion de l' intestin grêle presque complètement encerclée de tissu lymphoïde. Chez tous les chevreaux, le mésentère et les autres ganglions lymphatiques étaient légèrement hypertrophiés. Au microscope, tous les chevreaux avaient une encéphalite ventriculaire non-suppurative, une pneumonie lobaire et une hyperplasie lymphoïde généralisée. D'après les aspects cliniques et les traits macroscopiques et microscopiques, il a été conclu que tous les chevreaux sont morts de la forme encéphalitique de l'arthrite et de l'encéphalite caprines (AEC). Il s'agit du premier rapport sur la forme nerveuse de l' AEC au Kenya et également du premier rapport qui ait rassemblé à la fois des informations sur l'encéphalite et l'arthrite chez un chevreau. Summary Six kids of the Small East African (SEA) goat and their crosses aged between 3-16 weeks from three districts of Kenya were examined. Clinically, the kids were observed to have incoordination, muscle tremors, staggering, torticollis and paralysis of all limbs. Those brought in extremis were recumbent, bleating like in extreme pain and attempted to chew. On postmortem examination, all the kids had partially collapsed lungs and small dark red patches, two had congested brains and one had dilation of the lateral ventricles with excessive fluid. One kid had swollen carpal joints and a portion of the small intestine was almost completely encircled with lymphoid tissue. The mesenteric and other lymph nodes were moderately enlarged. Microscopically, all kids had non-suppurative ventricular encephalitis, interstitial pneumonia and generalized lymphoid hyperplasia. On the basis of clinical presentations, gross and microscopic features, it was concluded that they all had died of the encephalitic form of caprine arthritis – encephalitis (CAE). This is the first report of the nervous form of CAE in Kenya, and also the first to document encephalitis together with arthritis in a kid. Bull. Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. (2005) 53, 77-8

Prevalence Of Sole Haemorrhages And Its Correlation With Subclinical And Chronic Laminitis In Dairy Cows

La prévalence et les facteurs de risque de la fourbure aigue étaient déterminés chez 300 vaches laitières de 29 fermes en zéro-pâturage et de 3 ferme en pâturage à Nairobi et dans les districts périurbains. La boiterie était estimée à l\'aide d\'un système d\'évaluation de la locomotion universellement reconnu. Les onglons étaient examinés et une couche de 1-2mm d\'épaisseur de la corne de la sole était rognée pour exposer davantage les lésions qui étaient en-dessous. La localisation des lésions sous les onglons était enregistrée selon les 6 zones universellement reconnues. La prévalence de la fourbure aigue infraclinique et chronique était de 49,3% et 21% respectivement. Alors que l\'hémorragie de la sole n\'était observée que chez 82% sur les 70,3% des vaches souffrant de fourbure aigue (à la fois infraclinique et chronique), elle a en revanche été notée chez toutes les 49,3% des vaches en phase infraclinique de fourbure aigue. Les hémorragies étaient réparties en 5 catégories universellement reconnues. Les hémorragies dans la zone 4 en-dessous de l\'onglon étaient souvent associées à la fourbure aigue infraclinique, tandis que celles dans les zones 2, 3 et 6 étaient surtout associées à la fourbure aigue chronique. Les hémorragies « faible à modérée » (point 1 et 2) avaient une forte corrélation (χ2 = 18,01 ;

Prognostic indicators and the importance of trimming in noninfective claw disorders in cattle

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 32 smallholder dairy farms in Nairobi and its environs, in which 300 cows were examined for claw  disorders. The objective was to evaluate characteristics of claw disorders in dairy cows in smallholder production units in Nairobi and its environs. After a purposive selection of the farms and a systematic sampling of the cows, hind limb claws of all the 300 cows were examined for disorders. Thorough washing and trimming of the claws were done. Claw disorders that were chronic in nature were the most destructive and incorrigible by claw trimming. Apart from chronic nature of the disorders, other prognostic indicators were the laminitic features of claw damage which mainly included invasive erosions of the horn leading to excessively thinned sole, excessively softened and crumbling horn of the sole, widespread penetrating sole haemorrhages and crookedly shaped claws. Thesefeatures of chronic laminitis occurred concurrently with heel or sole erosion, white line separation, sole ulcers, horizontal hoof wall fissures and double soles. In most smallholder farms, cows with these disorderswere neglected to the extent that trimming was inadequately corrective. Regular claw examination and corrective trimming should be adopted as routine procedures in dairy cow production

Radiographic features of laminitic claws of dairy cows around Nairobi.

The objective of the study was to determine the common radiographic features in laminitic claws from dairy cows using abattoir samples. A total of 192 claws were collected from Wangige slaughter slab and 126 claws from Kiserian abattoir. The claws were examined for gross lesions. Dorso-palmar/dorso-plantar and lateral radiographic exposures of each claw were taken and evaluated for radiographic changes. Subclinical and chronic laminitis was respectively present in 35% and 21% of the claws examined and 44% of the claws showed extreme deformities. Concurrent appearance of lesions was in 27% of the claws. Radiographic changes were observed in the pedal bones but not in the adjacent joints. Dilated vascular channels (61%) and prominently visible non-dilated vascular channels (24%) in the pedal bones were observed in subclinical and chronic laminitis. The most frequently observed radiographic changes in pedal bones were: irregular (serrated) margins (14%), exostoses (8%), and narrowing (6%), complete absence (3%) or partial absence (1%) of its apex. Other changes on the pedal bones were: rotation (4%), “dropping (sinking)” (3%), fissure fractures (2%), periostitis (1%) and osteolysis (1%). Most of these radiographic changes were seen in claws that had chronic laminitis with extreme deformities. It is concluded that radiographic changes in laminitis occur during the chronic phase and are most severe when concurrent extreme deformities of the claws are present

Prevalence of laminitis and the patterns of claw lesions in dairy cows in Nairobi and the Peri-Urban Districts

Prospective study was carried out to determine the characteristics of claw lesions in dairy cattle in Nairobi and the peri-urban districts between December 2005 and May 2006. The gaits of 300 dairy cows in 29 zero-grazed and 3 pasture-grazed farms were evaluated and their claws examined for laminitis and other lesions. A retrospectivestudy was also conducted on case records for dairy cattle foot lameness in the Large Animal Clinic of the University of Nairobi. Claws were also collected from abattoirs and examined for lesions. Data was analyzed with GENSTAT for Windows Discovery Edition 2. From the retrospective study, the prevalence of laminitic lesions was 0.79%while infective lesions particularly interdigital necrobacillosis and sole abscesses had prevalence of 35.7% and 11.1% respectively. In the prospective study, the prevalence of laminitis was 70.3%, sole bruising 45%, heel erosion 27.3%, white line separation 18% and double soles 17%. However, the total prevalence of infective claw lesions was 4.7%. Abattoir claws had lesions with similar trends as prospective survey.Current nutrition, housing and management practices that are adopted for increasing productivity and improving hygiene, may account for changes seen in claw lesion patterns of increased laminitis and decreased infective lesions in dairy cattle

A retrospective study on the prevalence of plastic materials in the rumen of sheep and goats in Nairobi, Kenya.

A retrospective study of small ruminant necropsy cases between January 1982 and December 2012 was conducted at the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of plastic materials in the rumen of sheep and goats examined at post mortem over the period. A total of 770 carcasses (367 sheep and 403 goats) presented for post mortem were studied. The overall prevalence of rumen plastic materials in the rumen was 4.2%. The prevalence was higher in goats (7.2%) than sheep (0.8%) and also was significantly (p<0.05) higher in older animals (5.5%) than in younger ones (2.4%). There were increases in the cases of plastic materials in the rumen in recent years (2002-2012) compared to the earlier years (1982-2001), though more cases were examined at post mortem in the earlier years. A significantly higher (p<0.05) prevalence rate (15.0%) of plastic materials in the rumen was observed in the period between 2003 and 2007. More cases of plastic materials in the rumen were observed in the dry seasons than the wet seasons. Observations in the current study may be a reflection of increased indiscriminate disposal of waste plastic materials in the urban and peri-urban areas of Nairobi. Good waste management and sound animal husbandry practices are required to prevent mortalities related to ingestion of plastic materials in sheep and goats in Nairobi, Kenya.Key words: Plastic materials, rumen, necropsy, sheep and goat

Carrier status for Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species in free range farm and market healthy indigenous chickens and ducks

Background: Listeria organisms are documented to be zoonotic; one of the sources of infection is the domestic fowl where it could occur as in apparent infection. The carriage of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria in indigenous birds has not been documented in Kenya. Objective: To establish whether healthy looking indigenous chickens and ducks could be carriers of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species. Design: Field survey of indigenous chickens and ducks in three districts of Kenya. Setting: Embakasi and Dagoreti divisions in Nairobi district; Athi river division in Machakos district; and Ngong division in Kajiado district, in Kenya. Subjects: One hundred and thirty six indigenous chickens and 39 ducks reared under free range scavenging system in Nairobi, Machakos and Kajiado districts, in Kenya, were sampled. Methods: In surveying the birds, the cloacal and pharyngeal swabs were taken from each bird separately using sterile cotton - tipped applicator swabs. The swabs in saline were transported in a coolbox to the laboratory for bacterial isolation and characterization. Interventions: None (only compared farmed and the traded birds). Main outcome measures: Isolation of Listeria species and pathogenicity of Listeria isolates. Results: Two Listeria monocytogenes and seven other Listeria species were recovered from the oropharyngeal swab samples of farm and market chickens but none from respective cloacal swabs. No Listeria was recovered from either oropharyngeal or cloacal swabs of farmed ducks and slaughter chickens. Traded chickens yielded more Listeria isolates as compared to farmed chickens. Conclusion: This study shows that indigenous chickens in Kenya are carriers of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species. East African Medical Journal Vol.81(10) 2004: 529-53

Gross and histopathological findings in Cercopithecus aethiops with experimental Cyclospora infection in Kenya

Purity N Nguhiu1, Claire N Wamae2,3, Japheth K Magambo4, Paul G Mbuthia5, Daniel C Chai6, Dorcas S Yole61Department of Veterinary Services, Kabete, Ministry of Livestock Development, Nairobi, 2Directorate of Research and Development, Kenya Methodist University, Meru, 3Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, 4Meru University College of Science and Technology, Meru, 5Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi, 6Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Institute of Primate Research, Karen, Nairobi, KenyaAbstract: In 2009, experimental Cyclospora infections were established in two juvenile female and two adult male Cercopithecus aethiops (African green monkeys) at Nairobi's Institute of Primate Research (IPR). The study animals were humanely sacrificed, and gross and histopathological evaluation was done at seven weeks post-infection. On gross examination, the juveniles had no abnormalities except for a slight enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes, while the adults displayed more pathology of enlarged lymph nodes, hemorrhagic gastrointestinal tracts, widespread necrotic foci of the liver, and enlarged spleens. Significant histopathological findings were observed in both the juveniles and adults, which ranged from mild inflammatory reactions in the stomach and intestines to intense cellular infiltrations with mitotic activity and lymphocytic infiltrations around the periportal area of the livers. The lymph nodes had extensive hyperplasia with many mitotic cells.Keywords: Cyclospora spp., cyclosporiasis, nonhuman primates, pathological findings, histopathological findings, African green monkey

A case of newcastle disease in parrots in Nairobi, Kenya

No Abstract Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa Vol. 55 (4) 2007: pp. 292-29