Assessment and characterization of food types consumed by hadzabe hunter-gatherer nomads in northern Tanzania

The aim of this study was to assess and characterize the food types consumed by Hadzabe hunter-gatherer nomads in Karatu and Meatu districts, northern Tanzania. A total of 259 respondents from the target districts were involved in the study. Through cross-sectional study design, the data were collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires to investigate the temporal patterns for the availability of food types consumed. Micronutrients (Cadmium, Copper, Chromium, Ferrous, Zinc, Magnesium in mg/l and %Calcium) and proximate composition of macronutrients were analysed in three common consumed roots (Ekwa, Magharitako and Shumugo). Overall, 47 varieties of plant species were consumed but only 15 among them were recognized by their scientific names. Twenty eight type of leaf vegetables, 16 root/tubers and 15 wild fruits/berries were identified among consumed plant materials and 29 animal species. Findings from spatial analysis demonstrated that honey (96.5%), meat (91.9%) and roots (76.4%) were found both during dry and rain season. The analyses of micronutrients showed that Cu, Cr, Mg and Fe (mg/l) in the samples exceeded the WHO Maximum Acceptable Residue Level (MARL). In particular, moisture content in Shumugo roots was higher (90%) than the WHO recommended levels. It is concluded that there are many varieties of wild food consumed and their availability depends on the season. The examined roots for micronutrients are probably toxic for Fe, Cr and Cu that requires further toxicity studies. There is need to raise awareness about the risks and hazards associated with nomadism, that include among other things inadequacy of vital nutrients in their diets that may cause malnutrition; and also toxic natural food types.The project of Carnegie Rise through AFNNET and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Tanzani

Mucosal Vaccination with Recombinantly Attenuated Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B and Protection in a Murine Model

Previous work in our laboratory revealed that mice parenterally vaccinated with recombinantly attenuated staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) or toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 develop protective antibodies against a lethal intraperitoneal (i.p.) toxin challenge. This study investigated the efficacy of nasal and oral immunizations with an SEB vaccine (SEBv) toward an i.p. or mucosal (via an aerosol) toxin challenge. Both vaccination routes, with the immunoadjuvant cholera toxin (CT), elicited comparable SEB-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG levels in saliva. Nasal or oral inoculations also generated SEB-specific IgA, IgG, and IgM in the serum, but the nasal route yielded higher specific IgG titers. SEBv alone, when given nasally or orally, did not induce any detectable SEB-specific antibody. Mice vaccinated mucosally were protected against a 50% lethal dose of wild-type SEB given i.p. or mucosally, thus demonstrating that nasal or oral administration of this SEBv, with CT, elicits systemic and mucosal antibodies to SEB that protect against SEB-induced lethal shock