Knowledge and Awareness of Malaria and Mosquito Biting Behaviour in Selected Sites within Morogoro and Dodoma regions Tanzania.

In Tanzania there has been a downward trend in malaria prevalence partly due to use of insecticide-treated bed nets for protection against Anopheles mosquitoes. However, residual malaria transmission attributed to early biting behaviour of malaria vectors is being reported. Knowledge of mosquito feeding behaviour is key to improvements in control approaches. The present study aimed to assess knowledge and awareness on malaria and malaria vectors in-Morogoro and Dodoma regions of Tanzania. A cross sectional study was undertaken in selected sites in Morogoro and Dodoma Tanzania. A structured questionnaire was administered to 218 randomly selected households from each of which the head or second in/charge and the most senior primary school child were interviewed. A total of 400 participants of whom 56 % were females, were recruited into the study. Their ages ranged between nine and 58 years. Among the participants, 70.7 % had primary school education and the rest attained secondary school (16.8 %), university/college (4.0 %) and not attended school at all (8.5 %). Fifteen per cent of the participants were employed, while 45.5 % were self-employed and 39.5 % were studying. Overall, 58.5 % of respondents were knowledgeable of malaria and its vector. However, 78.8 % were not aware that early mosquito bites can transmit malaria and 86.5 % said that only midnight-biting mosquito bite was responsible for malaria transmission. The majority (66 %) of respondents visited a health facility on observing malaria symptoms while 15.8 % took anti-malaria drugs without medical consultation. This study has shown that Anopheles is well known as the night-biting vector of malaria. The majority of participants were not aware of changed biting behaviour of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes and that early outdoor mosquito bite is a risk of malaria transmission. School children have shown a better understanding of malaria and its vector. Therefore, more awareness of Anopheles feeding behaviour is needed

A cross-sectional study on the use and misuse of trypanocides in selected pastoral and agropastoral areas of eastern and northeastern Tanzania

Abstract Background Tsetse-borne African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) greatly influences livestock distribution and significantly slows livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. While a number of control methods targeting the vector tsetse are in field application, treatment with the few available trypanocides continues to be the most widely applied control method. Unfortunately, improper and frequent use of these few available drugs, accelerated by poor veterinary service delivery, promotes trypanosome drug resistance, the magnitude of which has not been delineated. In the present study, current practices on trypanocide application for the control of bovine trypanosomosis in the field in Tanzania were studied with a view to providing policy advice on the safe and sustainable use of trypanocides. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to a total of 200 randomly selected livestock keepers in selected pastoral and agropastoral areas within three districts in eastern and north eastern Tanzania. Results In total, 50% of respondents in all three study districts had primary level education; over 40% had informal education and only 5% with university education (all from one district, Pangani). Age-wise, most respondents were aged 30–59 years with exception of Korogwe where 35% were aged 20–29 years. Over 95% of respondents had knowledge on tsetse as a vector of trypanosomosis and correctly identified tsetse in provided pictures. Furthermore, 98.7% of the respondents applied pyrethroids for vector control. Regarding parasite control practices, this study revealed a high degree of variation in trypanocides usage and the intervals of their application. Whereas only 20% of respondents use chemoprophylaxis for trypanosomosis control, the majority (69–95%) wrongly use diminazene aceturate thinking it is prophylactic, while only 5–30% used the prophylactic drug isometamidium chloride. Most of the respondents (95% in Korogwe, 60% in Pangani and 93.1% in Mvomero) administered the drugs on their own. Improper trypanocides administration was high as respondents in Korogwe (75%) and Mvomero (72%) administered the drugs intravenously with a view to achieving faster drug effect contrary to manufacturers’ recommendations, while 40% of respondents from Pangani used both intravenous and intramuscular routes. Additionally, respondents did not observe the recommended withdrawal periods for the drugs. Conclusions This study revealed a high level of trypanocides misuse which poses a high risk of trypanosome drug resistance development as well as risks to human health from drug residues in consumed animal products. This calls for improvements in veterinary service delivery in pastoral and agropastoral areas of Tanzania to counteract the misuse of chemotherapeutics

Hirudiniasis in Cattle in Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region of Tanzania

Hirudiniasis is a condition caused by infestation by leeches. Despite the annoyance, clinical signs, and associated lesions caused by leeches in both humans and animals, the extent of the problem in Tanzania is not well elucidated. Individual animals and people become infested when they drink, bath, or walk through contaminated water sources. Leech infestations are more common in rural areas where water is scarce especially during the dry season. In this report, clinical cases of hirudiniasis in twenty-seven (27) cattle in Mpwapwa, Tanzania, are presented. The report further reviews the morphological features of leeches and creates awareness among the affected cattle farmers and the general public. A total of two hundred (200) live cattle were examined; out of these, 27 cattle had live leeches. There were, on average, 3–8 leeches per animal. Affected cattle had wounds on the gums, buccal mucosa, root of the tongue, and under the tongue with copious amounts of blood-stained frothy discharge. Further, the affected animals had respiratory distress and were rolling their tongues. The leeches were manually removed from all the affected cattle, with uneventful recovery. Laboratory examination revealed segmented, dorsal-ventral flattened, cylindrical parasites which had posterior and anterior suckers. The leech infestation was linked to drinking water from a pond which was suspected to be contaminated with “undescribed organisms” as indicated by the farmers. A follow-up was made and revealed no new cases and complete recovery of the affected animals. Hirudiniasis is one of the neglected diseases in humans and livestock and, therefore, requires integrated efforts especially in areas where water is scarce during the dry season. It is anticipated that this case report will stimulate interest and more studies in the subject matter to understand the extent of the problem and document the species and distribution of leeches in Tanzania

In vivo effect of Commiphora swynnertonii ethanolic extracts on Trypanosoma congolense and selected immunological components in mice

Abstract Background The search for alternative trypanocidal compounds which can be available at affordable price is of paramount importance for control of trypanosomosis in human and animals. The current study evaluates the in vivo activity of ethanolic stem bark extracts on Trypanosoma congolense and selected immunological components in an inbred Swiss albino mouse model. Methods Groups of mice infected with T. congolense were treated with the stem bark extracts at a rate of 1000 mg/kg, 1500 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg, twice a day in one set and thrice a day in another setting for three days consecutively. Negative (infected and untreated) and positive (infected treated with diminazene diaceturate at 3.5 mg/kg) control groups were used. Levels of parasitaemia were monitored daily for the first 10 days and thereafter 2–3 times per week to the end of experiment. In the other setting, uninfected mice, randomized in groups were treated with the extract but categorized as: thorough mixed extract (TME) and supernatant extract (SE) each at 500 mg/kg and 1500 mg/kg, in 8 hourly intervals respectively for three days consecutively. Control group was administered with phosphate buffered saline with glucose at 0.1 ml/10 g in a similar manner as for the extract. Whole blood and spleen were taken 24 h after the last treatment for hematological and histopathological analysis. Results The groups that received the extracts at 8 hourly intervals drastically reduced the parasitaemia. The higher dose of SE significantly reduced the percentage of lymphocytes (P < 0.05). Both high and low dose of TME significantly reduced lymphocytes percent (P < 0.05) while percent of neutrophils and monocytes increased significantly (P < 0.05). Histopathological changes of the spleen in the mice treated with higher concentrations of the extract of C. swynnertonii were suggestive of lymphocytes toxicity. Conclusion The current study has provided evidence that, in vivo trypanocidal activity of ethanolic bark extracts of C. swynnertonii is probably affected by its negative effect on humoral mediated immune response. Further studies are recommended to determine its potential as an alternative source of lead compounds for trypanocidal drug discovery