The Bondo Stakeholders' Workshop, February 26th - 27th, 2001

This paper is a review of the workshop held at Bondo in Kenya to assess the role of local stakeholders in the of co-management of Lake Victoria's fisheries within the frame of the LVFRP

An alternative management strategy for Lake Victoria (Kenya)

In Kenya, fisheries resource management has been based on the top-down centralized approach since the colonial days. Stakeholders have never been consulted concerning management decisions. The 4-beaches Study was undertaken to investigate the potential for an alternative management system for Lake Victoria

Role of heterogeneous astrocyte receptor expression in determining astrocytic response to neuronal disorders

Following neuronal disorders, astrocytes carry out either neuroprotection or neurodegeneration. Previous authors suggest that favoring of neurodegeneration or neuroprotection by astrocytes can be due to many factors such as the influence of cytokines following their binding on their receptors on astrocytes. These receptors have however been shown to be region specific and heterogeneous. Further, research exploiting their role and influence in determining astrocytic response remains partly elucidated. A review of previous and ongoing research on these receptors would be helpful in the disclosure of astrocytic responses to neuronal disorders.Keywords: Astrogliosis, Heterogenous astrocyte expression, Antagonistic astrocyte reaction, Nervous injury, Astrocyte mediated neurodegeneratio

Methodologies of the 4-beaches Survey and Stakeholder Workshops

As it is clearly indicated in the title of this book section, it overviews the methodologies used in the 4-beaches Survey and in the various Stakeholders' Workshops held in all the three riparian countries of the Lake Victoria

A putative, novel coli surface antigen 8B (CS8B) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains harbor multiple fimbriae and pili to mediate host colonization, including the type IVb pilus, colonization factor antigen III (CFA/III). Not all colonization factors are well characterized or known in toxin positive ETEC isolates, which may have an impact identifying ETEC isolates based on molecular screening of these biomarkers. We describe a novel coli surface antigen (CS) 8 subtype B (CS8B), a family of CFA/III pilus, in a toxin producing ETEC isolate from a Kenyan collection. In highlighting the existence of this putative CS, we provide the sequence and specific primers, which can be used alongside other ETEC primers previously described

Exposure of Kenyan population to aflatoxins in foods with special reference to Nandi and Makueni counties

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Effects of fodder production on smallholder farmers’ household income in Homa Bay County, Kenya: An application of propensity score matching

The global feed production has increased in the past few years. Despite the growing trend, the current production does not meet the demand in Kenya. The government of Kenya has initiated several efforts towards promoting fodder production to increase milk production and household income. This study analysed the effects of fodder production on household income in Homa Bay County, Kenya using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique. The study used primary data collected through structured questionnaires in Homabay County, Kenya from a sample size of 300 smallholder farmers. Results indicated that years of schooling, herd size, household size, labour used in land preparation, and land size under fodder had a positive influence on the probability of farmers to mainly feed their livestock on Napier grass. On the contrary, the number of extension contacts negatively influenced the probability of farmers feeding their livestock on Napier grass. Results show that there was a significant difference between the incomes of farmers who fed their cattle on Napier grass and those who mainly grazed their cattle on natural grass. Specifically, smallholder farmers who fed their livestock on Napier grass reported a Kshs. 3,916.67 (USD 25.71) higher income than their counterparts who grazed their livestock on natural grass reflecting an increase by 24.94%. Thus, the study recommends the need for both the national and county governments to incorporate fodder production as a key area for livestock development agenda in their policy plans to improve the farmers’ income

Evaluation of Agronomic Characteristics, Disease Incidence, Yield Performance, and Aflatoxin Accumulation among Six Peanut Varieties (Arachis hypogea L.) Grown in Kenya

Diseases contribute to attainment of less than 50% of the local groundnut potential yield in Kenya. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics (flowering and germination), disease incidence, yield performance (biomass, harvest index, 100-pod, 100-seed, and total pod weight), and aflatoxin accumulation in six peanut varieties. A field experiment was conducted using four newly improved peanut varieties: CG9, CG7, CG12, and ICGV-SM 90704 (Nsinjiro), and two locally used varieties: Homabay local (control) and 12991, and in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The disease identification followed the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) rating scale and further isolation of fungal contaminants was conducted by a direct plating technique using potato dextrose agar. The aflatoxin levels in the peanuts were determined after harvesting using the ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection (UHPLC-FLD) technique. ICGV-SM 90704 showed the least average disease incidence of 1.31 ± 1.75%, (P < 0.05); the lowest total aflatoxin levels (1.82 ± 1.41 μg kg−1) with a range 0.00–0.85 μg kg−1 for total aflatoxins and a range 0.00–1.24 μg kg−1 for Aflatoxin B1. The locally used varieties (12991 and the control) revealed the highest disease incidence (5.41 ± 8.31% and 7.41 ± 1.88%), respectively. ICGV-SM 90704 was the best performing among all the six varieties with an average total pod weight (9.22 ± 1.19 kg), 100-pod weight (262.93 ± 10.8 g), and biomass of (27.21 ± 5.05 kg) per row. The 12991 variety and the control showed the least total pod weight (1.60 ± 0.28 and 1.50 ± 1.11 kg, respectively) (P = 0.0001). The newly improved varieties showed lower disease rates, low levels of aflatoxins, and higher yields than the locally used varieties

Genomic epidemiology of Escherichia coli:Antimicrobial resistance through a One Health lens in sympatric humans, livestock and peri-domestic wildlife in Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundLivestock systems have been proposed as a reservoir for antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria and AMR genetic determinants that may infect or colonise humans, yet quantitative evidence regarding their epidemiological role remains lacking. Here, we used a combination of genomics, epidemiology and ecology to investigate patterns of AMR gene carriage in Escherichia coli, regarded as a sentinel organism.MethodsWe conducted a structured epidemiological survey of 99 households across Nairobi, Kenya, and whole genome sequenced E. coli isolates from 311 human, 606 livestock and 399 wildlife faecal samples. We used statistical models to investigate the prevalence of AMR carriage and characterise AMR gene diversity and structure of AMR genes in different host populations across the city. We also investigated household-level risk factors for the exchange of AMR genes between sympatric humans and livestock.ResultsWe detected 56 unique acquired genes along with 13 point mutations present in variable proportions in human and animal isolates, known to confer resistance to nine antibiotic classes. We find that AMR gene community composition is not associated with host species, but AMR genes were frequently co-located, potentially enabling the acquisition and dispersal of multi-drug resistance in a single step. We find that whilst keeping livestock had no influence on human AMR gene carriage, the potential for AMR transmission across human-livestock interfaces is greatest when manure is poorly disposed of and in larger households.ConclusionsFindings of widespread carriage of AMR bacteria in human and animal populations, including in long-distance wildlife species, in community settings highlight the value of evidence-based surveillance to address antimicrobial resistance on a global scale. Our genomic analysis provided an in-depth understanding of AMR determinants at the interfaces of One Health sectors that will inform AMR prevention and control