Ethno-veterinary medicinal plants and modes of their traditional application to cure animal ailments in Adaa’Liben district, Ethiopia

Cross-sectional survey of ethno-veterinary medicinal plants was carried out from November 2016 to April 2017 in Ada’a-Liben district, Ethiopia. The purposes of the study were to identify and document medicinal plants, animal ailments treated by the medicinal plants, and modes of preparation of the medicinal plants for the treatment of animals in the study area. Rapid appraisal methods were used to gather relevant information to select study kebeles and identify the 31 informants including traditional healers. Information about the medicinal plants and their usage to cure various animal ailments were gathered through a semi-structured questionnaire, field observation, group discussion and market survey. Thirty one ethnoveterinary medicinal plant species belonging to 23 families were used to treat 24 livestock ailments in the study area. Among the medicinal plants, Zingibera officinale, Solanium incanum, Withania somnitera, and Allium sativum were used to treat blackleg and respiratory diseases whereas Cypresnivies, Cordia africana, Celtisa africana, and Vernonia amygdalina serve for deworming animals. Fresh moist medicinal plants (51.6 %, n = 16/31) were the most frequently used in preparing remedies comparing to dry plants (48.4 %, n = 15/31). The widely used plant part was leaf (51.6 %) followed by fruit, seed and root (each 9.7 %) and leaf/fruit/root mixed, seed/pods, leaf/seed/stem, leaf/root, stem and bulb (each 3.2 %). The modes of preparation of medicinal plant remedies were found to be chopping (35.5 %), grinding (25.8 %), crushing (19.4 %) , decoction and using medicinal plants without processing (6.5 % each), and socking and crushing/shopping (3.2 % each). The most widely used route of administration of these remedies was oral (77.4 %) followed by topical (19.4 %) and nasal (3.2 %). Eighteen species of the medicinal plants were used to traditionally treat more than one animal ailment while the remaining 13 were used to cure only one ailment each. Agricultural expansion was the highest threat for the ethnoveterinary medicinal plants (51.6 %, n = 16/31) followed by drought (19.4 %, n = 6/31), soil erosion and deforestation (9.7 %, n = 3/31 each). In conclusion medicinal plants and remedies derived from them are still important and readily available source of livestock health-care to rural people inthe study area. Awareness creation work for traditional healers and further research on formal in-vivo and in-vitro experimental trails are suggested for a sustainable and efficient utilization of these medicinal plants

Global Distribution, Host Range and Prevalence of Trypanosoma vivax: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma vivax is one of the diseases threatening the health and productivity of livestock in Africa and Latin America. Trypanosoma vivax is mainly transmitted by tsetse fies; however, the parasite has also acquired the ability to be transmitted mechanically by hematophagous dipterans. Understanding its distribution, host range and prevalence is a key step in local and global efforts to control the disease. Methods The study was conducted according to the methodological recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A systematic literature search was conducted on three search engines, namely PubMed, Scopus and CAB Direct, to identify all publications reporting natural infection of T. vivax across the world. All the three search engines were screened using the search term Trypanosoma vivax without time and language restrictions. Publications on T. vivax that met our inclusion criteria were considered for systematic review and meta-analysis. Result The study provides a global database of Trypanosoma vivax, consisting of 899 records from 245 peer-reviewed articles in 41 countries. A total of 232,627 tests were performed on 97 different mammalian hosts, including a wide range of wild animals. Natural infections of T. vivax were recorded in 39 diferent African and Latin American countries and 47 mammalian host species. All the 245 articles were included into the qualitative analysis, while information from 186 cross-sectional studies was used in the quantitative analysis mainly to estimate the pooled prevalence. Pooled prevalence estimates of T. vivax in domestic buffalo, cattle, dog, dromedary camel, equine, pig, small ruminant, and wild animals were 30.6%, 6.4%, 2.6%, 8.4%, 3.7%, 5.5%, 3.8%, and 12.9%, respectively. Stratified according to the diagnostic method, the highest pooled prevalences were found with serological techniques in domesticated buffalo (57.6%) followed by equine (50.0%) and wild animals (49.3%). Conclusion The study provides a comprehensive dataset on the geographical distribution and host range of Trypanosoma vivax and demonstrates the potential of this parasite to invade other countries out of Africa and Latin America

Spatiotemporal analysis and forecasting of lumpy skin disease outbreaks in Ethiopia based on retrospective outbreak reports

IntroductionLumpy skin disease is a viral disease that affects cattle belonging to genus Capripoxvirus (Poxviridae) and lead to significant economic losses.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution of lumpy skin disease (LSD) outbreaks and predict future patterns based on retrospective outbreak reports in Ethiopia.MethodsData were collected through direct communication with regional laboratories and a hierarchical reporting system from the Peasant Associations to Ministry of Agriculture. Time-series data for the LSD outbreaks were analyzed using classical additive time-series decomposition and STL decomposition. Four models (ARIMA, SARIMA, ETS, STLF) were also used to forecast the number of LSD outbreaks that occurred each month for the years (2021–2025) after the models’ accuracy test was performed. Additionally, the space–time permutation model (STP) were also used to study retrospective space–time cluster analysis of LSD outbreaks in Ethiopia.ResultsThis study examined the geographical and temporal distribution of LSD outbreaks in Ethiopia from 2008 to 2020, reporting a total of 3,256 LSD outbreaks, 14,754 LSD-positive cases, 7,758 deaths, and 289 slaughters. It also covered approximately 68% of Ethiopia’s districts, with Oromia reporting the highest LSD outbreaks. In the LSD’s temporal distribution, the highest peak was reported following the rainy season in September to December and its lowest peak in the dry months of April and May. Out of the four models tested for forecasting, the SARIMA (3, 0, 0) (2, 1, 0) [12] model performed well for the validation data, while the STLF+Random Walk had a robust prediction for the training data. Thus, the SARIMA and STLF+Random Walk models produced a more accurate forecast of LSD outbreaks between 2020 and 2025. From retrospective Space–Time Cluster Analysis of LSD, eight possible clusters were also identified, with five of them located in central part of Ethiopia.ConclusionThe study’s time series and ST-cluster analysis of LSD outbreak data provide valuable insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of the disease in Ethiopia. These insights can aid in the development of effective strategies to control and prevent the spread of the disease and holds great potential for improving efforts to combat LSD in the country

Bovine Brucellosis and Its Public Health Significance in Ethiopia

Bovine brucellosis is endemic and widely distributed in Ethiopia. The country has already prioritized top five zoonotic diseases (rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, Rift Valley fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza) in 2019 using reprioritization workshop. So brucellosis is one of the top five neglected zoonotic diseases in the country. According to several studies, the distribution and prevalence of bovine and human brucellosis in Ethiopia varies among regions in terms of animal production and management systems, community living standards and awareness levels. The disease has major zoonotic and economic implications for rural communities, particularly pastoralists. The aim of this article was therefore to review and summarize recent studies (2010–2021) on the prevalence of bovine brucellosis in animals and humans, with reference to Ethiopia. This review describes both bovine and human brucellosis reported from various geographical areas of the country. Reports between the years 2010 and 2021 indicated a prevalence rate between 1.2% and 22.5% at the individual level, and 3.3% and.68.6% at the herd level. However, the human brucellosis seroprevalence rate was 2.15%–48.3% between 2006 and 2021. This increase clearly indicates the expected future threat of this disease in the country. However, control measures and community awareness are lacking. Therefore, actual implementation of prevention and control measures, community awareness, further studies and continual review to provide compiled information for understanding the transmission dynamics of the disease are essential

Livestock producers' knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) regarding antimicrobial use in Ethiopia

Introduction: Inappropriate antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock production is an important aspect of the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Ethiopia, a low-income country with a large and increasing livestock population, AMU in food animals is not properly regulated. Hence, farmers are fully free to use antimicrobials to their (perceived) benefit. Therefore, understanding farmers' mindsets is important to improve antimicrobial stewardship in the livestock sector. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess livestock disease management practices and knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) among livestock producers regarding AMU, residues, and resistance, as well as factors potentially explaining differences in KAB. We determined the KAB of livestock owners of three selected districts of central and western Ethiopia (n = 457), using a pretested questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between potential explanatory variables and the KAB scores of the respondents. Results: The results showed that 44% of the farmers used antimicrobials in the past few years, where antibiotics (21%) and trypanocides (11%) were most widely used to manage livestock diseases. Furthermore, most farmers showed poor knowledge about AMU, residues, and AMR (94%) and unfavorable attitudes (<50% correct answers) toward contributing factors for AMR (97%). On the contrary, 80% of the respondents had overall good behavior scores (≥50% correct answers) related to AMU. Multivariate analysis results showed that having good knowledge, keeping ≥2 animal species, and the occurrence of ≥4 livestock diseases on the farm in a year were strong predictors of bad behavior scores (p < 0.05). The findings of the current investigation also revealed that the incidence of livestock diseases on the farm and a higher level of formal education significantly contributed to better knowledge and desirable attitudes but bad AMU behavior. Conclusion: A low level of awareness about and undesirable attitudes toward AMU and AMR could potentially affect farmers' behavior toward judicious AMU, thus requiring awareness creation efforts on livestock disease management practices

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERISATION OF NON-TSETSETRANSMITTED TRYPANOSOMES IN ETHIOPIA.

Animal African trypanosomosis (AAT) is a disease caused by different trypanosome species affecting a wide range of animal hosts. The disease is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in domestic animals across the globe and causes huge economical losses. The parasites are transmitted through the bite of tsetse or other haematophagous flies. Despite it’s significant impact on the livelihood of farmers in Africa, South America and Asia, insufficient attention has been paid to the exact extent of AAT distribution especially beyond the tsetse belt. Ethiopia is one of the over 40 African countries affected bynbsp;and since long engaged in the control of the disease by fighting the tsetse flies withnbsp;traps and the sterile insect technique in several parts of the country. However,nbsp;epidemiological datanbsp;by the most sensitive diagnostic tools are scanty and the impact of tsetse control campaigns on the distribution of AAT is inherently limited beyond the tsetse-infested areas. Withinnbsp;doctoral study, two cross-sectional epidemiological studies werenbsp;one in cattle and one in dromedary camels using microscopic, serological and molecular diagnostic tools. The first survey was conducted on 1524 cattle to assess bovine trypanosomosis in some tsetse-infested and tsetse-free areas of Ethiopia. With ITS-1 PCR, an overallnbsp;of 31.0% was observed that is significantly (P < 0.001) higher thannbsp;microscopic examination of bloodnbsp;concentration by centrifugation innbsp;tubes (mHCT, 5.3%).nbsp;to the ITS-1 PCR, Trypanosoma vivax (T. vivax) was the predominantnbsp;(24.9%), followed by T. theileri (6.0%), T. congolense (2.9%) and Trypanozoon (1.6%). Mixednbsp;were quite common (14% of all infections). The overall prevalence of trypanosome infections in tsetse area (32.4%) and in non-tsetse area (30.5%) was notnbsp;neither was the prevalence of T. vivax in both areas (respectively 22.6% and 25.7%). The second cross-sectional surveynbsp;conducted on 399 camels in Chifra and Dewe districts of Afar region, Eastern Ethiopia (tsetse-free area). The observed overall prevalence wasnbsp;24.1%, 21.3%, 9.5% and 7.8% with respectively Giemsa stained blood smear (microscopy), CATT/T. evansi (antibody-dectection), RoTat 1.2 PCR, 18S PCR and ITS-1 PCR (DNA detection). Only one T. vivax infection was confirmed by TvPRAC PCR indicating that T.nbsp;is the predominant species affecting dromedary camels in the study areas.nbsp;thenbsp;methods, RoTat 1.2 PCR yielded a significantly higher positivity ratenbsp;18S PCR and ITS-1 PCR. None of the diagnosticnbsp;revealed a significant difference (p >0 .05) in trypanosomosis prevalence between the two districts. Latent class analysis (LCA), for the first time applied on epidemiological data on AATnbsp;Ethiopia, estimated an overall prevalence ofnbsp;Moreover, the modelnbsp;a low sensitivity of CATT/T. evansi (43%) and of the different PCR tests (39%-53%). On the other hand, thenbsp;tests were more specific (86% - 99%) than the CATT/T. evansi (80%). From these epidemiological surveys, wenbsp;that trypanosomosisnbsp;to hinder animal productivity in Ethiopia, both in tsetse-infested and tsetse-free parts ofnbsp;country. Attempts to control AAT therefore shouldnbsp;pay attention to mechanically transmitted pathogenic trypanosomes like T. evansinbsp;T. vivax, and preferably should adoptnbsp;most advanced molecular tests for species identification. The generally low sensitivity of the diagnostic tests, as suggestednbsp;LCA, and the considerable discrepancies between them, necessitate improvements innbsp;regard to allow the collection of more reliable epidemiological data on AAT. Duringnbsp;above epidemiological studies, wenbsp;confrontednbsp;inconsistent results obtainednbsp;the ITS-1 PCR and the 18S PCR-RFLP, particularly with regard to theirnbsp;sensitivity and their limited accuracy in the unequivocal identification of T. vivax in a blood specimen. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing PCRs, we developed a novel T. vivaxnbsp;PCR that targets a sequence within the T. vivax proline racemase (TvPRAC) gene. This single copynbsp;is closely related tonbsp;T. cruzi PRAC gene but does not occur in Trypanozoon and T. congolense. We proved that the TvPRAC PCR is able to amplify its target sequence from thenbsp;of T. vivax from different geographicalnbsp;(Nigeria, Ethiopianbsp;Venezuela), and that it does not cross-react with DNA of T. congolense Savannah type, T. brucei brucei, T. evansi, T. equiperdum, T. theileri, Theileria parva, Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, bovine, goat, mouse, camel and human. The analytical sensitivity of the TvPRAC PCR is 5 times lowernbsp;that of ITS-1 PCR for some strains of T. vivax, but remarkably, for others, it wasnbsp;times higher than ITS-1 PCR. Onnbsp;other handnbsp;analytical sensitivity of TvPRAC PCR is 5 – 125 times higher than that of 18S PCR-RFLP. The diagnostic performance of these three PCRs was compared on 411 Ethiopian bovine blood specimens collected in thenbsp;epidemiological survey on cattle. On these bovine specimens, TvPRAC PCR detected 8.3% T. vivax infections whilenbsp;PCR and 18S PCR-RFLP detected respectively 22.6% and 6.1% T. vivax infections confirming the low specificity of ITS-1 PCR due to difficulties in interpretation of the amplicon profile. From this study, we conclude that a proline racemase based PCR is useful for the species-specific diagnosis of T. vivax infections worldwide. Most PCR based diagnostics for trypanosome infections target the ribosomal DNAnbsp;(rDNA) due to its multiple copy nature. Furthermore, some PCRs like the ITS-1 PCR and the 18S PCR-RFLP are able to detect all pathogenic animal trypanosome species within one single reaction. Unfortunately, as we observed in our previous studies, the accuracy ofnbsp;PCRs to detect T. vivax is challenged by the genetic heterogeneity among T. vivax strains. Thus, in the last part of thisnbsp;study we intended to assess the heterogeneity of the ribosomal DNA locus ofnbsp;T. vivax strains originating from Ethiopia and elsewhere. To this end, we sequenced the rDNA locus of six Ethiopian (three from tsetse-infested and three from tsetse-free areas) and one Nigeriannbsp;vivax strain and we constructed two phylogenetic trees based on the smaller subunitnbsp;of 18S and thenbsp;transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) sequences.nbsp;obtained trees revealed that Ethiopian T.nbsp;strains are considerably heterogeneous and that two strains (one from tsetse-infested and one from tsetse-free area) are more related to the West African and South American strains than tonbsp;East African strains. Therefore, the classification of T. vivax into quot; and nbsp;African" strains is not consistent and might be replaced by T. vivax type A and type B. Furthermore, withnbsp;silico analysis, we were able to show important mismatches of some published PCR primers that were based on sequences obtained from West African T. vivax withnbsp;African T. vivax. Finally, we observed an unusuallynbsp;GC content within the T. vivax rDNA locus. The evaluation of selected PCRs with specimens fromnbsp;under natural T. vivax challenge showed that this high GC content interferes with the diagnostic accuracy ofnbsp;especially in cases of mixed infections with T. congolense. Adding betaine to the PCR reaction mixture enhancesnbsp;amplification of T. vivax rDNA but unfortunately decreases thenbsp;of T. congolense and Trypanozoon DNA. In conclusion this doctoral study showed the importance of epidemiological studies on non-tsetse transmitted AAT in cattlenbsp;camels, with particular focus on T. vivax. It also showed the limitations of the diagnostic tools that are currently available, particularly when it comes to detect and unequivocallynbsp;T. vivax infections. In addition to developing a new molecular diagnostic test for all genotypes of T. vivax, we were able to isolate T. vivax strains from tsetse-free and tsetse-infested areas within Ethiopia. Sequencing of thenbsp;locus enabled us tonbsp;that there exists considerablenbsp;within the T. vivax species that does not seem related to mechanical or cyclical transmission. Furthernbsp;on these isolates should focus on their adaptation to mice and to in vitro culture thus making them available for full genome sequencing,nbsp;sensitivity profiling,nbsp;screening of trypanocidal compounds and studies on their capacitynbsp;developing in tsetse.Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Summary Samenvatting Introduction Objectives and study design Widespread occurrence of Trypanosoma vivax in bovines of tsetse- as well as non-tsetse-infested regions of Ethiopia: a reason for concern? Trypanosome infection in dromedary camels in Eastern Ethiopia: prevalence, relative performance of diagnostic tools and host related risk factors A proline racemase based PCR for identification of Trypanosoma vivax in cattle blood Ribosomal DNA analysis of tsetse and non-tsetse transmitted Ethiopian Trypanosoma vivax strains in view of improved molecular diagnosis General discussion References Curriculum vitaenrpages: 173status: publishe

Pre‐analytical stability of selected biochemical analytes in serum of horses and oxen stored at −20°C

Abstract Background Delays between blood collection and analysis are inevitable, and samples are always stored in the refrigerator. The current study aimed to evaluate the stability of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), total protein (TP), albumin and urea (URA) in horses and oxen after storage at −20°C. Methods Sera from apparently healthy 20 male horses and 20 oxen were obtained and aliquots of serum were divided into 3 portions. The first tube was used for baseline (T0) measurement of analyte values, whereas the other two tubes, T1 and T2, were stored at −20°C for 1 and 2 months, respectively, and analyte measurement was done. Results Results showed that the stability of TP (g/dL), URA (mg/dL) and TC (mg/dL) in oxen was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In horses, the stability of URA (mg/dL), TP (g/dL) and TG (mg/dL) were also statistically significant (p < 0.05). Additionally, URA and TC in oxen exceed TEa following measurement at T2 and TG in horses following measurement at T1 and T2. Conclusion Laboratories should consider the storage temperature and time for specific analytes among animals. Therefore, stability studies at various storage temperatures and times are recommended to fully validate the stability of the analytes

Comparative diagnosis of parasitological, serological, and molecular tests in dourine-suspected horses

Study on comparative sensitivity of parasitological, serological, and molecular tests on 237 horses originating from two dourine-suspected districts of Arsi-Bale highlands of Ethiopia was conducted to determine the prevalence of the disease and degree of agreement of the diagnostic tests. Accordingly, the prevalence of the disease was found to be 4.6%, 36.7%, and 47.6% by parasitological Woo test, RoTat 1.2 and 18S PCR tests, respectively. The seroprevalence of the disease was 27.6% in CATT/Trypanosoma evansi test. In Ethiopia, it was for the first time that trypanosomes from dourine suspected horses were demonstrated in 4.6% of the animals using Woo test. The findings of the present study disclosed that dourine is highly prevalent and one of the major diseases of horses in the area. There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in prevalence of the disease between districts, sexes, and age groups of the animals. However, there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in the prevalence of the disease between emaciated and animals with good body condition. Assessment of the degree of agreement of the diagnostic tests employed revealed low to fair (k - 0.1 - 0.4) with significantly higher sensitivity by PCR than other tests

Comparative diagnosis of parasitological, serological, and molecular tests in dourine-suspected horses

Study on comparative sensitivity of parasitological, serological, and molecular tests on 237 horses originating from two dourine-suspected districts of Arsi-Bale highlands of Ethiopia was conducted to determine the prevalence of the disease and degree of agreement of the diagnostic tests. Accordingly, the prevalence of the disease was found to be 4.6%, 36.7%, and 47.6% by parasitological Woo test, RoTat 1.2 and 18S PCR tests, respectively. The seroprevalence of the disease was 27.6% in CATT/Trypanosoma evansi test. In Ethiopia, it was for the first time that trypanosomes from dourine suspected horses were demonstrated in 4.6% of the animals using Woo test. The findings of the present study disclosed that dourine is highly prevalent and one of the major diseases of horses in the area. There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in prevalence of the disease between districts, sexes, and age groups of the animals. However, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the prevalence of the disease between emaciated and animals with good body condition. Assessment of the degree of agreement of the diagnostic tests employed revealed low to fair [Formula: see text] with significantly higher sensitivity by PCR than other tests.status: publishe