Freshwater Macroinvertebrates taxa collected from River Rwizi in south-western Uganda in the dry and wet seasons in 2017

Rwizi river, a major contributor to the waters of L. Victoria, is an important freshwater reserve and supports a large and rapidly growing population in Western Uganda. Though it is referred to as a life-line river, it is greatly disturbed by human activities but scanty information exists on extent of damage the river faces. A comprehensive study was made using biological and and physico-chemical aspects of the water to assess water quality along the river system. These data are for benthic macroinvertebrates of the Rwizi system from 21 sites sampled for six months, three in the wet season and three in the dry season. The data sheet contains the date of data collection, site name, season (wet or dry), macroinvertebrate orders and abundances under each macroinvertebrate family collected using the kick-sampling method. This data was used to compute diversity indices and to assess impact of human activity on water quality in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. The Bioassessment used was The Tanzania River Scoring System (TARISS) and classification of taxa was to the require level of classification (Baetidae and hydropsychidae further classification is not included here)

Prevalence of antibodies to Brucella species in commercial raw bovine milk in Southwestern Uganda

Abstract Objectives The purpose and objective of this research was to explore the prevalence of antibodies against Brucella species in raw milk samples collected in Southwestern Uganda, one of the biggest milk producing regions in the Country. We hypothesized that there is a high level of antibodies in milk samples from this region. This builds more evidence to other studies in the region on the level contamination of raw milk. Results A total of 185 raw milk samples, collected from dairy farms and factories in southwestern region, were tested for antibodies to Brucella spp. using the milk ring test (MRT) and indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (i-ELISA).We found a prevalence of 26.5% (49/185) by the two methods. This is related to previous reports in the region and adds more evidence on the need for further investigations to confirm the source of these antibodies and their relationship with disease in milk producing animals

Assessment of three medical and research laboratories using WHO AFRO_SLIPTA Quality Standards in Southwestern Uganda: a long way to go

Introduction: While the laboratory represents more than 70% of clinical diagnosis and patient management, access to reliable and quality laboratory diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa remains a challenge. To gain knowledge and suggest evidence based interventions towards laboratory improvement in Southwestern Uganda, we assessed the baseline laboratory quality standards in three medical and research laboratories in Southwestern Uganda. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey from October, 2013 to April, 2014. Selected laboratories, including one private research, one private for profit and one public laboratory, were assessed using the WHO AFRO_SLIPTA checklist and baseline scores were determined. Results: The three laboratories assessed met basic facility requirements, had trained personnel, and safety measures in place. Sample reception was properly designed and executed with a well designated chain of custody. All laboratories had sufficient equipment for the nature of work they were involved in. However, we found that standard operating procedures were incomplete in all three laboratories, lack of quality audit schemes by two laboratories and only one laboratory enrolled into external quality assurance schemes. The SLIPTA scores were one star for the research laboratory and no star for both the public and private-for-profit laboratories. Conclusion: While most of the laboratory systems were in place, the low scores obtained by the assessed laboratories reflect the need for improvement to reach standards of quality assured diagnostics in the region. Therefore, routine mentorship and regional supportive supervision are necessary to increase the quality of laboratory services