Genetic analysis of African swine fever virus from the 2018 outbreak in South-Eastern Burundi

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that causes high mortality, approaching 100%, in domestic pigs and wild boars. The disease has neither a cure nor a vaccine, and it is caused by an ASF virus (ASFV), the only member of the family Asfarviridae, genus Asfivirus, and the only known DNA arbovirus. Twenty-four genotypes of ASFV have been described to date, and all of them have been described in Africa. ASF is endemic in Burundi, and several outbreaks have been reported in the country; the disease continues to economically impact on small-scale farmers. This study aimed at genetic characterization of ASFV that caused an ASF outbreak in the Rutana region, Burundi, in the year 2018. Tissue samples from domestic pigs that died as a result of a severe hemorrhagic disease were collected in order to confirm the disease using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to conduct partial genome sequencing. Nucleotide sequences were obtained for the B646L (p72) gene, the intergenic fragment between the I73R and I329L genes, and the central variable region (CVR) of the B602L gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the Burundian 2018 ASFV grouped the virus within B646L (p72) genotype X and clustered together with those reported during the 1984 and 1990 outbreaks in Burundi with high nucleotide identity to some ASFV strains previously reported in neighboring East African countries, indicating a regional distribution of this ASFV genotype. Analysis of the intergenic fragment between I73R and I329L genes showed that the Burundian 2018 ASFV described in this study lacked a 32-base pair (bp) fragment present in the reference genotype X strain, Kenya 1950. In addition, the strain described in this study had the signature AAABNAABA at the CVR (B602L) gene and showed 100% amino acid sequence identity to viruses responsible for recent ASF outbreaks in the region. The virus described in this study showed high genetic similarities with ASFV strains previously described in domestic pigs, wild suids, and soft ticks in East African countries, indicating a possible common wild source and continuous circulation in domestic pigs in the region

Assessing the burden of Taenia solium cysticercosis in Burundi, 2020

Background. Taenia solium cysticercosis is a zoonotic disease that is endemic in many low- and middle-income countries where risk factors for disease transmission are present. The economic impact of cysticercosis on public health and on the pig production sector is not well known in many of those countries, including Burundi. This study aimed at estimating the burden of T. solium cysticercosis in Burundi including data on humans and&nbsp;pigs. Methods. Epidemiological and economic data were collected from literature up to July 30, 2021 and governmental and non-governmental agencies. Direct and indirect costs for neurocysticercosis (NCC)-associated epilepsy and losses due to porcine cysticercosis were estimated to assess the economic burden, while the health burden was estimated using zoonotic disability-adjusted life years (zDALYs). Different probability distributions (Uniform, Beta, Dirichlet and Gamma) were applied depending on the type of epidemiological parameter. Monte Carlo simulations and 100,000 iterations were used to calculate the 95% uncertainty interval (UI) for each parameter and perform sensitivity&nbsp;analyses. Results. In Burundi, 4.26 million USD (95% UI, 1,858,308–8,190,951) were estimated as economic impact due to T. solium cysticercosis in humans and pigs, of which 40.2% (95% UI, 10.3–75.1) of the total costs were due to NCC-associated epilepsy and 59.8% (95% UI, 24.9–89.7) of the losses due to porcine cysticercosis. The cost per NCC-associated epilepsy case was 72 USD (95% UI, 25–168), representing 30.8% of the GDP per capita in 2020. The probable incident cases and deaths for NCC-associated epilepsy were 9065 (95% UI, 2370–16,716) and 61 (95% UI, 16–114), respectively. More than 2 zDALYs (95% UI, 1.1–3.4) per thousand person-years was estimated, of which an average of 1.3 DALYs [0;0] (95% UI, 0.3–2.6) was due to NCC- associated epilepsy and 0.8 animal loss equivalents (ALEs) (95% UI, 0.3–1.5) due to porcine&nbsp;cysticercosis. Conclusions. This study provides evidence of a significant burden of T. solium cysticercosis for Burundi’s population. We urge policy makers to use these evidence-based results and put T. solium cysticercosis on the public health agenda of the country. This study recommends urgent action to find solutions for integrated control strategies for T. solium cysticercosis in&nbsp;Burundi.</p

Knowledge, perceptions and practices regarding brucellosis in pastoral communities of Kagera Region, Tanzania

Proceeding of the 35 Scientific Conference of the Tanzania Society of Veterinary Association, Volume 35, 105-109A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2017 to assess the knowledge, perception and practices of brucellosis by pastoralists of Kagera ecosystem, Tanzania using qualitative methods. Five focus group discussions of six participants were conducted with livestock farmers, administration leaders, religious representatives and youth. In addition, discussions with three key informants were conducted, involving officials of livestock, wildlife and public health department in each district. Data were analyzed using content analysis with inductive and deductive methods. This study revealed low knowledge regarding brucellosis by interviewees. Although participants recognized brucellosis as a zoonotic disease, they seemed to consider it of less importance. In addition, participants had low knowledge on causes, symptoms and mode of transmission of this disease. However, they perceived the interactions between humans, livestock and wildlife together with the neighborhood with other countries to be potential risks for introduction of brucellosis in their communities. Moreover, their habit of drinking unpasteurized milk, the lack of protective gears assisting animals giving birth and poor vaccination program need to be improved by community health education. A coordinated one Health approach is needed and further studies are suggested to reveal the status of brucellosis in Kagera ecosystem to guide its control and prevention

Knowledge, perceptions and practices regarding brucellosis in pastoral communities of Kagera Region, Tanzania

Proceeding of the 35 Scientific Conference of the Tanzania Society of Veterinary Association, Volume 35, 105-109A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2017 to assess the knowledge, perception and practices of brucellosis by pastoralists of Kagera ecosystem, Tanzania using qualitative methods. Five focus group discussions of six participants were conducted with livestock farmers, administration leaders, religious representatives and youth. In addition, discussions with three key informants were conducted, involving officials of livestock, wildlife and public health department in each district. Data were analyzed using content analysis with inductive and deductive methods. This study revealed low knowledge regarding brucellosis by interviewees. Although participants recognized brucellosis as a zoonotic disease, they seemed to consider it of less importance. In addition, participants had low knowledge on causes, symptoms and mode of transmission of this disease. However, they perceived the interactions between humans, livestock and wildlife together with the neighborhood with other countries to be potential risks for introduction of brucellosis in their communities. Moreover, their habit of drinking unpasteurized milk, the lack of protective gears assisting animals giving birth and poor vaccination program need to be improved by community health education. A coordinated one Health approach is needed and further studies are suggested to reveal the status of brucellosis in Kagera ecosystem to guide its control and prevention

Knowledge, perceptions and practices regarding brucellosis in pastoral communities of Kagera Region, Tanzania

Proceeding of the 35 Scientific Conference of the Tanzania Veterinary Association, Volume 35: 105-114A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2017 to assess the knowledge, perception and practices of brucellosis by pastoralists of Kagera ecosystem, Tanzania using qualitative methods. Five focus group discussions of six participants were conducted with livestock farmers, administration leaders, religious representatives and youth. In addition, discussions with three key informants were conducted, involving officials of livestock, wildlife and public health department in each district. Data were analyzed using content analysis with inductive and deductive methods. This study revealed low knowledge regarding brucellosis by interviewees. Although participants recognized brucellosis as a zoonotic disease, they seemed to consider it of less importance. In addition, participants had low knowledge on causes, symptoms and mode of transmission of this disease. However, they perceived the interactions between humans, livestock and wildlife together with the neighborhood with other countries to be potential risks for introduction of brucellosis in their communities. Moreover, their habit of drinking unpasteurized milk, the lack of protective gears assisting animals giving birth and poor vaccination program need to be improved by community health education. A coordinated one Health approach is needed and further studies are suggested to reveal the status of brucellosis in Kagera ecosystem to guide its control and prevention

Knowledge, perceptions and practices regarding brucellosis in pastoral communities of Kagera Region, Tanzania

Proceeding of the 35 Scientific Conference of the Tanzania Veterinary Association, Volume 35: 105-114A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2017 to assess the knowledge, perception and practices of brucellosis by pastoralists of Kagera ecosystem, Tanzania using qualitative methods. Five focus group discussions of six participants were conducted with livestock farmers, administration leaders, religious representatives and youth. In addition, discussions with three key informants were conducted, involving officials of livestock, wildlife and public health department in each district. Data were analyzed using content analysis with inductive and deductive methods. This study revealed low knowledge regarding brucellosis by interviewees. Although participants recognized brucellosis as a zoonotic disease, they seemed to consider it of less importance. In addition, participants had low knowledge on causes, symptoms and mode of transmission of this disease. However, they perceived the interactions between humans, livestock and wildlife together with the neighborhood with other countries to be potential risks for introduction of brucellosis in their communities. Moreover, their habit of drinking unpasteurized milk, the lack of protective gears assisting animals giving birth and poor vaccination program need to be improved by community health education. A coordinated one Health approach is needed and further studies are suggested to reveal the status of brucellosis in Kagera ecosystem to guide its control and prevention

Complete genome analysis of African swine fever virus responsible for outbreaks in domestic pigs in 2018 in Burundi and 2019 in Malawi

Several African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in domestic pigs have been reported in Burundi and Malawi and whole-genome sequences of circulating outbreak viruses in these countries are limited. In the present study, complete genome sequences of ASF viruses (ASFV) that caused the 2018 outbreak in Burundi (BUR/18/Rutana) and the 2019 outbreak in Malawi (MAL/19/Karonga) were produced using Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform and compared with other previously described ASFV complete genomes. The complete nucleotide sequences of BUR/18/Rutana and MAL/19/Karonga were 176,564 and 183,325 base pairs long with GC content of 38.62 and 38.48%, respectively. The MAL/19/Karonga virus had a total of 186 open reading frames (ORFs) while the BUR/18/Rutana strain had 151 ORFs. After comparative genomic analysis, the MAL/19/Karonga virus showed greater than 99% nucleotide identity with other complete nucleotides sequences of p72 genotype II viruses previously described in Tanzania, Europe and Asia including the Georgia 2007/1 isolate. The Burundian ASFV BUR/18/Rutana exhibited 98.95 to 99.34% nucleotide identity with genotype X ASFV previously described in Kenya and in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The serotyping results classified the BUR/18/Rutana and MAL/19/Karonga ASFV strains in serogroups 7 and 8, respectively. The results of this study provide insight into the genetic structure and antigenic diversity of ASFV strains circulating in Burundi and Malawi. This is important in order to understand the transmission dynamics and genetic evolution of ASFV in eastern Africa, with an ultimate goal of designing an efficient risk management strategy against ASF transboundary spread