The use of chemoprophylaxis in East African Zebu village cattle exposed to trypanosomiasis in Muhaka, Kenya

A study conducted to assess the efficacy of chemoprophylaxis for the improvement of the health and productivity of East African Zebu village cattle exposed to trypanosomiasis. Examines the cost-effectiveness of the treatment. Includes data on calf pre-weaning health and weight traits, weight traits of calves from 12-18 months of age, calf post-weaning health and weight traits, and breeding cow health and production traits - for the non-prophylactic and prophylactic groups

Gadolinium and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis: time to tighten practice

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a relatively new entity, first described in 1997. Few cases have been reported, but the disease has high morbidity and mortality. To date it has been seen exclusively in patients with renal dysfunction. There is an emerging link with intravenous injection of gadolinium contrast agents, which has been suggested as a main triggering factor, with a lag time of days to weeks. Risk factors include the severity of renal impairment, major surgery, vascular events and other proinflammatory conditions. There is no reason to believe that children have an altered risk compared to the adult population. It is important that the paediatric radiologist acknowledges emerging information on NSF but at the same time considers the risk:benefit ratio prior to embarking on alternative investigations, as children with chronic kidney disease require high-quality diagnostic imaging

Seroprevalences of vector-transmitted infections of small-holder dairy cattle in coastal Kenya

A cross-sectional study was carried out from July to September 1989 in Kaloleni Division, Coast Province, Kenya to estimate the prevalence of vector-transmitted diseases in small-holder dairy cattle and to identify the risk factors associated with different management systems. One hundred and thirty of the 157 herds with dairy cattle in Kaloleni Division were surveyed. These were from three agro-ecological zones (coconut¯cassava, cashewnut¯cassava and livestock¯millet), comprised two management systems (stall-feeding and herded grazing) and were herds with either dairy cattle only or with Zebu and dairy cattle. A formal questionnaire sought answers to questions on cattle health and management practices. A total of 734 dairy and 205 Zebu cattle in 78 dairy and 52 mixed (dairy and Zebu) herds were sampled and screened for haemoparasites (Trypanosoma, Anaplasma, Babesia, and Theileria infections). Sera were tested for antibodies to Theileria parva, using the schizonts-antigen indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) test and to antibodies for Babesia bigemina and antigens to Anaplasma marginale by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Packed-cell volume (PCV) also was measured. Tick-control measures were practised by all except three of the farmers. Despite this, overall seroprevalence to T. parva was >70% suggesting either that control practices were not strictly implemented or they were ineffective. The seroprevalence of T. parva in adult cattle kept in stall-feeding systems in the coconut¯cassava zone was significantly lower (57±8% (S.E.)) than in herded-grazing systems (79±3%) and there was no association between antibody prevalence and age of cattle in this zone. Antibody prevalences in cattle in the cashewnut¯cassava and the drier livestock¯millet zone increased with age. Cattle in herded-grazing systems had an overall lower seroprevalence of T. parva infection in the livestock¯millet zone (45±6%) than in the other two zones. Analysis was confined to the coconut¯cassava zone for B. bigemina and to the coconut¯cassava and cashewnut¯cassava zones for A. marginale. Mean prevalences of B. bigemina were 40.9±9 and 73±6% for dairy cattle under stall-feeding and herded-grazing systems, respectively, and increased with age. Antigen prevalences of A. marginale were over 80% in all age groups of cattle in the coconut¯cassava and cashewnut¯cassava zones. Overall trypanosome prevalence in cattle was <1%. Trypanocidal treatment was uncommon. The variations in antibody prevalence associated with risk factors such as feeding system, agro-ecological zone and age of animal suggest that management system influenced exposure to tick-borne infection (particularly, T. parva infections) in small-holder dairy cattle in coastal Kenya

Health and productivity of East African Zebu under village management in a tsetse area on the coast of Kenya

Evaluates the health and productivity of East African Zebu cattle under village management in a tse-tse infested area surrounding the Muhaka Forest on the Kenya Coast south of Mombassa, and assesses the cost-effectiveness of intervention with trypanocidal drugs

ISSR-BASED MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF TRITICUM EASTIVUM L. CULTIVARS

Abstract: Molecular genetic markers are widely used tools in genotype and species identification. Genetic relationship study was performed with 20 ISSR primers among 12 Indian wheat accessions (6 salt tolerant and 6 salt susceptible). Genomic DNA from wheat genotypes were analyzed using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Thirteen ISSR primers produced 78 amplified DNA fragments ranging in size from 100-2200 base pairs, 6 fragments were monomorphic (7.7%) and 72 fragments were polymorphic (92.3%) with an average of 6 fragments per primer and 5.53 polymorphic fragments per primer. Six primers were found to be highly informative as they gave unique bands to differentiate between salt susceptible and salt tolerant genotypes. From ISSR profiles similarity matrix was obtained and Jaccard&apos;s similarity coefficient was observed in between 0.40 to 0.77 and on this basis a dendogram was constructed with UPGMA method. Easy handling, high information levels and reliability are the features that justify the utility of ISSR markers in DNA fingerprinting and genetic variability analysis which is highly useful for finding genes controlling agronomically important traits in whea

Identification of a target population for immunisation against East Coast fever in coastal Kenya

Two experiments were carried out to identify the target population of cattle for immunisation against East Coast fever (ECF) using the infection-and-treatment method. Firstly, a sentinel-calf study was used to determine the age window for ECF immunisation by determining ages at clinical detection of infection with Theileria parva. Six groups of five naive cross-bred (Bos taurus/Bos indicus) male calves, introduced at intervals of 2 months at a mean age of 26 days, were exposed to natural tick challenge on a high ECF-risk, small-holder farm in the coastal lowland, coconut¯cassava agro-ecological zone of coastal Kenya. Secondly, a challenge study evaluated the relationship between the presence of T. parva antibodies and immunity. Ten indigenous adult Zebu cattle and nine Zebu young stock purchased from farmers in the same zone, and eight cross-bred calves (survivors of the sentinel-calf study) were challenged with 10 times the immunising dose of T. parva Marikebuni stock. Twenty-four of these 27 cattle had high antibody titres before challenge. Two cross-bred calves, obtained from an ECF-free area and seronegative to T. parva schizont antigen, also were challenged and used as susceptible controls. Twenty-five (83%) of the 30 sentinel calves contracted ECF over an age range of 36¯116 days (mean 72 days). The remaining five calves died of other causes within 2 months of arrival on the farm. Fourteen of the 25 calves survived the infection and developed antibodies to T. parva. Despite tick control, seven of these 14 calves had a second episode of ECF and two died. In total, 13 of the 25 calves that contracted ECF died. Only one of 19 indigenous Zebu animals developed clinical ECF when challenged with T. parva Marikebuni (mild clinical signs with spontaneous recovery). Of the eight cross-bred survivors from the first experiment, only one succumbed to ECF when challenged and it died. Both susceptible cross-bred calves developed severe clinical signs of ECF and one died. The experimental studies show that in the high ECF-risk areas of the coconut¯cassava zone of coastal Kenya, immunisation against ECF in cross-bred (B. taurus/B. indicus) cattle should be targeted at an early age (preferably within 1¯2 months of birth)

Economic aspects of cattle production and of chemoprophylaxis for control of trypanosomiasis in village East African Zebu Cattle in Kenya

Results of a cost-benefit analysis of cattle production and of chemoprophylaxis for control of trypanosomiasis in village East African zebu cattle in Kenya

Household-level Impacts of Dairy Cow Ownership in Coastal Kenya

This study uses heteroskedastic Tobit and Censored Least Absolute Deviations models to examine the impacts of dairy cow ownership on selected outcomes for a sample of 184 households in coastal Kenya. The outcomes examined include gross household cash income, gross non-agricultural income, consumption of dairy products, time allocated to cattlerelated tasks, number of labourers hired and total wage payments to hired labourers. The number of dairy cows owned has a large and statistically significant impact on household cash income; each cow owned increased income by at least 53% of the mean total income of households without dairy cows. Dairy cow ownership also increases consumption of dairy products by 1.0 litre per week, even though most of the increase in milk production is sold. The number of dairy cows has no significant effect on total labour for cattle-related tasks. However, in contrast to previous studies, labour allocation to cattle by household members decreases and labour requirements for dairy cows are met primarily by an increase in hired labour. Dairy cow ownership results in relatively modest increases in payments to hired labourers and the number of hired labourers employed. The large positive impacts on income and the substitution of hired for household labour in cattle care suggest that intensification of smallholder dairying can be beneficial as a development strategy in the region if disease and feed constraints are addressed

Tsetse feeding habits and tsetse challenge at sites of the African Trypanotolerant Livestock Network

Reports the feeding preferences of Glossina species at sites of the African Trypanotolerant Livestock Network. Estimates tsetse challenge and relates the results with trypanosome prevalence in cattle. Examines the relationship between tsetse challenge using linear regression analysis. Also examines the difference between the slopes of the regression lines obtained for trypanotolerant and susceptible cattle using a 't-test'