Bovine brucellosis seroprevalence, farmers’ awareness, practices and animal health extension services inputs in Mpwapwa district, Tanzania

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by gram negative cocobacillus bacteria of the genus Brucella. In cattle, the disease is caused by Brucella abortus. One of the main symptoms of brucellosis is the induction of abortion in the late term of gestation and first trimester in humans, drop in milk production resulting in economic and public health. Livestock is a key agricultural sub sector in Tanzania, depended by over 80% of rural household and contribute 5.9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and cattle contribute 75% of all livestock in the country. In Mpwapwa District (Dodoma region), livestock keeping is one of the major means of economic activities, contribute 45% of district GDP and has significant contribution to the poverty reduction and food security. This district had sporadic cases of abortions in cattle and fever of unknown origin human possible related to brucellosis. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the current seroprevalence of brucellosis in this district where there is no history of vaccination against brucellosis. A total of 545 serum samples were collected from sexually active cows and heifers in extensive farming system to detect antibodies against Brucella abortus using Rose Bengal Plate test(RBPT) followed by competitive ELISA(cELISA). A questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) related to milk borne zoonosis (brucellosis) and efficiency of animal health extension services delivery was administered to 73 livestock keepers. Bovine brucellosis seroprevalence indicated that 57/545 (10.5%) cows tested were positive  reactors by RBPT as screening test of which 5/57 (0.92%) confirmed positive by cELISA. 45% of the farmers have experienced several abortions in their cows, 78% were not aware of milk born zoonosis, 43% drink raw milk, 7% eat uncooked meat and 91% are not aware of the zoonotic potential of raw milk consumption. As for animal health services delivery, only 52% of farmers had access to animal health extension services and 97% of farmers have never seen samples being taken from their animals for further laboratory analysis. The findings from this study suggest that both bovine and humans are at potential risk of contracting brucellosis because of the presence of the disease in cattle population, the habit of drinking raw milk, unawareness of the disease and its impact to humans and inadequate extension service delivery. Keywords: Rose Bengal Plate test, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Knowledge and Attitude

Summary of research for development ‘best practice’ technologies validated in the Africa RISING Endamehoni site in Ethiopia, 2013-2016

United States Agency for International Developmen

Calibrating spectral estimation for the LISA Technology Package with multichannel synthetic noise generation

The scientific objectives of the Lisa Technology Package (LTP) experiment, on board of the LISA Pathfinder mission, demand for an accurate calibration and validation of the data analysis tools in advance of the mission launch. The levels of confidence required on the mission outcomes can be reached only with an intense activity on synthetically generated data. A flexible procedure allowing the generation of cross-correlated stationary noise time series was set-up. Multi-channel time series with the desired cross correlation behavior can be generated once a model for a multichannel cross-spectral matrix is provided. The core of the procedure is the synthesis of a noise coloring multichannel filter through a frequency-by-frequency eigendecomposition of the model cross-spectral matrix and a Z-domain fit. The common problem of initial transients in noise time series is solved with a proper initialization of the filter recursive equations. The noise generator performances were tested in a two dimensional case study of the LTP dynamics along the two principal channels of the sensing interferometer.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review D (http://prd.aps.org/

Modeling the electric field induced in a high resolution realistic head model during transcranial current stimulation

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Dynamics and risk of transmission of bovine tuberculosis in the emerging dairy regions of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian government has several initiatives to expand and intensify the dairy industry; however, the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) spread is a challenge. To assess the rate of expansion and risk factors for transmission of bTB within-herds, we carried out a repeated cross-sectional survey at two time points, 2016/17 and 2018, in three regional cities, namely, Gondar, Hawassa and Mekelle, representing the emerging dairy belts of Ethiopia. The total number of herds involved was 128, comprising an average of 2303 cattle in each round. The Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin (SICCT) test was used to identify reactor status and data on herd-level risk factors were collected using a structured questionnaire. In the first survey, the apparent prevalence of bTB, as measured by the SICCT test, was 4.5% (95% CI 3.7-5.4%) at the individual animal-level and 24% (95% CI 17.5-32%) at the herd-level. There was no statistically significant change in the overall apparent prevalence or regional distribution at the second survey, consistent with the infection being endemic. The incidence rate was estimated at 3.6 (95% CI 2.8-4.5) and 6.6 (95% CI 3.0-12.6) cases/100 cattle (or herd)-years at the animal- and herd-levels, respectively. Risk factors significantly associated with the within-herd transmission of bTB were age group and within-herd apparent prevalence at the start of the observation period. We noted that farmers voluntarily took steps to remove reactor cattle from their herds as a consequence of the information shared after the first survey. Removal of reactors between surveys was associated with a reduced risk of transmission within these herds. However, with no regulatory barriers to the sale of reactor animals, such actions could potentially lead to further spread between herds. We therefore advocate the importance of setting up regulations and then establishing a systematic bTB surveillance programme to monitor the impact prior to implementing any control measures in Ethiopia

Feeding your soil-nurturing the people

United States Agency for International Developmen

Health Benefits of Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake in High Risk Populations of California: Results from the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Policy Model

Background Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) has risen over the past two decades, with over 10 million Californians drinking one or more SSB per day. High SSB intake is associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and coronary heart disease (CHD). Reduction of SSB intake and the potential impact on health outcomes in California and among racial, ethnic, and low-income sub-groups has not been quantified. Methods We projected the impact of reduced SSB consumption on health outcomes among all Californians and California subpopulations from 2013 to 2022. We used the CVD Policy Model – CA, an established computer simulation of diabetes and heart disease adapted to California. We modeled a reduction in SSB intake by 10–20% as has been projected to result from proposed penny-per-ounce excise tax on SSB and modeled varying effects of this reduction on health parameters including body mass index, blood pressure, and diabetes risk. We projected avoided cases of diabetes and CHD, and associated health care cost savings in 2012 US dollars. Results Over the next decade, a 10–20% SSB consumption reduction is projected to result in a 1.8–3.4% decline in the new cases of diabetes and an additional drop of 0.5–1% in incident CHD cases and 0.5–0.9% in total myocardial infarctions. The greatest reductions are expected in African Americans, Mexican Americans, and those with limited income regardless of race and ethnicity. This reduction in SSB consumption is projected to yield $320–620 million in medical cost savings associated with diabetes cases averted and an additional savings of$14–27 million in diabetes-related CHD costs avoided. Conclusions A reduction of SSB consumption could yield substantial population health benefits and cost savings for California. In particular, racial, ethnic, and low-income subgroups of California could reap the greatest health benefits