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Epidemiological investigation of Peste des petits ruminants in selected regions of Tanzania
No full textThesisPeste des petits ruminants (PPR), one of the most economically important disease of
small ruminants has been earmarked for eradication following the successful global
eradication of rinderpest. The disease is caused by peste des petits ruminants virus
(PPRV).
For eradication to be successful, the different PPR situations and
contexts in each region and country must be well understood and reflected upon. In this
study, the objective was to conduct an epidemiological assessment of the spread and
persistency of PPR in selected areas of Tanzania with focus on distribution of antibodies
to PPRV, PPRV genetic diversity and identification of practices by small stock farmers in
response to this disease.
The study was carried out using samples collected between 2013 to 2016. Sera samples
were collected from clinically healthy sheep and goats for detection of antibodies to
PPRV, together with blood, swabs and tissues for detection of the virus using molecular
assays.
A questionnaire was also administered in order to collect demographic
characteristics, knowledge and practices relating to this disease from small ruminant
farmers during sample collection. The overall true seroprevalences from samples
collected in 2013 and 2015 was 27% (n = 3838) and for samples collected in 2016 was
30% (n = 328). Seroprevalences for samples collected in 2013, 2015 and 2016 show that
the disease is continuing to spread in the country as seropositivity was observed in
regions where previously no disease had been reported. Presence of the virus was found
in samples collected in Morogoro and Arusha regions in 2016. Molecular characterization
of the virus clustered them into two lineages, II and III. This confirmed presence of two
lineages circulating in animals from the same herd, adding another dimension into the
complexity of the disease in Tanzania.
Other findings were confirmation
of co-infections with Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae, Pasteurella
multocida and Capripoxvirus which cause similar clinical signs to PPR, complicating
clinical diagnosis but emphasizing the importance of laboratory confirmation. Small
ruminant farmers’ knowledge by regions on the disease occurrence was found to be high
in Arusha region (northern Tanzania) and low in Morogoro region (eastern Tanzania),
corresponding with the seroprevalences observed from samples collected in 2013, 2015
and 2016 in the said regions. Risk practices identified during outbreaks included trading
of live animals, use of veterinary drugs and unattendance to sick animals. These risk
practices could facilitate the spread of the disease in the country especially as the disease
is transmitted through contact with infected animals. In conclusion, this study has
revealed that PPR continues to spread within Tanzania as evidenced by antibodies to
PPRV detected in areas that previously did not have the disease. Presence of two PPRV
lineages shows the ability of lineages to co-circulate in an endemic area as well as in the
presence of co-infections with other diseases in the local herd.
Overall, there is poor knowledge by small ruminant farmers in the study areas that may be
contributing to the spread of PPR. It is therefore recommended that annual vaccinations
be carried out after well designed participatory surveillances are conducted to improve the
herd immunity to levels that can contain the spread of PPR as a control measure. These
vaccinations should take into consideration the geographical distribution of PPR in
Tanzania so as to create buffer zones to stop further spread to areas with low or no
disease, within and in neighboring countries. Genetic diversity of the virus strains
circulating in the country should be further investigated by whole genome sequencing and
how they compare to other strains. To prioritize on small ruminant farmer’s knowledge
on the disease and emphasize how their participatory disease surveillance can help with
the ultimate goal of eradicating PPR in Tanzania, regionally and globally.Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance,
SACIDS, (grant WT087546MA from the Wellcome Trust) and Swedish Research
Council (grants 348-2013-6402 and 348-2014-4293
Timber farming: domestic investors of Tree planting, land transactions and implications on gender relations in southern highlands, Tanzania
No full textThesisIn Africa, land has been more of a liability than an asset. Land use has been an ultimate
cause of unrest through borders and boundaries conflicts between nations and
communities, a reason for lamentations and grievances of family members within
households. The contemporary rush for African land has witnessed both national and
wealthy international investors acquiring all types of lands: unused, used, underutilized,
occupied, fertile, barren, and irrigable and claimed whichever land, which was deemed fit
for investment. Similarly, timber farming in the Southern highlands of Tanzania has
attracted attention of both industrial foreign investors and domestic non-industrial
investors. Although access to land by the former is controlled by existing laws,
transactions of village land by the later are more complex than what the literature on land-
grabbing shows. This study focuses on tree planting investments as emerged post global
environmental crisis of 2007-2008, especially the involvement of domestic investors in
the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Following the urbanization growth, the regional
demand for construction materials i.e. poles and timbers from Eucalyptus and Pines tree
species piled up, exceeding the capacity of supply from Sao Hill plantations, by then the
only largest supplier. To cover the deficit, the construction industry resorted to few
existing private woodlots. These sold their trees at high prices, which connoted tree
planting as a lucrative business. This in turn attracted different people, companies and
institutions to purchase land for tree planting. Land is a finite resource. The operating
system of land transactions has demarcated a significant change in land holdings among
rural communities, with much land going to the hands of few domestic investors leaving
smallholders land scarce. Since land has been turned to a commodity with uncontrolled
transactions and that domestic investors are unregistered hence unknown and that the
implications of rampant transactions of family lands are unknown, the study aimed at
characterizing domestic investors of tree planting and their mechanisms of accessing
village lands. The study went further analyzing motives for land selling and processes of
land transactions between smallholders and domestic investors. Most of the Southern
Highlands societies practice the patriarchal system of human relations where women
voices and agency are muted. Since land has become a commodity in the family, the study
investigated the social relations between parents in families involved in land sales, hence
assessed the impacts of land transactions for tree planting on land accessibility by women
in selected villages. The study was conducted in selected villages of Kilolo, Mufindi,
Njombe, Makete, Songea and Wanging’ombe Districts. In total, fourteen villages namely
Isaula, Usokami, Kibengu, Mapanda (Mufindi), Ndengisivili (Kilolo), Lupembe,
Itunduma, Kifanya, Iyoka, Ngala (Njombe), Mhaji (Wanging’ombe), Ifinga (Madaba) and
Ludihani and Maliwa (Makete) were involved in research work. The selection of villages
was purposive with the main criteria being tree planting surge hence transaction of village
land between smallholders and domestic investors. The research work is qualitative that
aimed at in-depth understanding of the timber rush processes in the Southern Highlands of
Tanzania. Further, the study aimed at exploring perceptions of different groups of people
in the study communities on such a tree-planting surge. The study employed a qualitative
case study design. Data were collected from 85 respondents. These included in-depth
interviews with 11 key informants i.e. 6 Chairpersons of Village Councils and 5 District
Forest Officers, semi structured interview with 34 domestic investors, 26 land sellers, 4
middlemen and 10 women. In addition, 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women
were conducted. The study identified five major types of domestic investors: urban-based
investors without local ties, urban-based investors originating in the area in which the
investments are taking place, resident villagers, local leaders and government and
religious institutions. Each category uses one of three different access mechanisms,
namely capital, social identity, and authority. Apart from capital as their main
mechanisms, urban-based investors use middlemen as a mechanism of access. Middlemen
bridge the gap of information on villages where land is plenty and specific sellers on one
hand, linking them with investors on the other. In general, access to land for domestic
investors in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands is facilitated by the state to a lesser extent and
with limited use of force. Further, the vast lands in villages, the Mahame lands, are ill
defined in statutory land laws. This incapacitates the village land administrator’s control
over Mahame, making their management complicated. Land transactions are motivated by
several pull and push factors including the growing local capitalism, income poverty, and
commodification of lands when smallholders succumb the monetary baits from local elites
and other domestic investors. Since they are labour intensive, tree planting activities have
generated multiple employment opportunities to locals albeit low paid daily jobs. Tree
planting surge has led to crumbling of family lands with appropriation of women’s land
ownership and control. Land transactions have perpetuated gender inequality within
families, marital stress and symbolic violence, with women being subjugate to men’s
whims. The misogynistic practices have downgraded women hence they cannot own land
or co-own with their husbands or receive a share of money from land sales in their
families. The involved families are rendered landless with dwindling crop production, a
dawning indicator of food insecurity and sustained rural poverty. Generally, rampant land
transactions are unjustifiable and the current transactions of village lands need to be either
controlled or stopped altogether to avoid impending destitute conditions.Danish Fellowship Center (DFC
The potential of the National ageing policy in enabling social protection of the elderly in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania
No full textJournal ArticleAlthough substantial progress has been made in adopting National Ageing Policy (NAP) of
2003 in Tanzania, lack of enforceable laws to ensure successfully implementation of the
policy on elderly social protection remain a major challenge. This paper examined the NAP of
2003 on the elderly social protection in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The issues covered the
policy environment of the NAP on provision of basic needs to the elderly, institutional
arrangements in relation to the elderly’s social protection and factors affecting the
implementation of NAP. A cross-sectional design was used and data were collected through
FGDs and key informant interviews. Data were analysed by using content analysis. The study
found that while Tanzania has taken some elderly’s social protection initiatives including the
adoption of the NAP, the measures have not been adequately implemented in achieving
effective and sustainable welfare of the elderly due to absence of legislation that backup the
implementation of the NAP. The study concludes that; in the absence of elderly’s legal
framework and effective institutional arrangements, successful interventions to support the
elderly will not be achieved. Therefore, it is recommended that the Government through the
Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children need to review
the NAP and come up with effective legal and regulatory framework measures that will guide
and control the elderly social protection services delivery. Such measures include the
enactment of the elderly law(s), establishment of effective institutional arrangements with
coherent systems, enforcement and coordination engagements in order to guide social
protection design and implementation processes that promote effective elderly’s social
protection in Tanzania
Impact of supervised enterprise projects component of Sokoine University of Agriculture BSc. Applied Agricultural Extension Programme on Farmers in Tanzania
No full textJournal Article vo.20, issue no. 2In response to inadequate knowledge, skills and attitudes by agricultural extension staff, the
Midcareer BSc. Applied Agricultural extension was developed and implemented in 1998 by the
Sokoine University of agriculture (SUA), in collaboration with Sasakawa Africa Fund for
Extension Education (SAFE). The Supervised Enterprise Project (SEP) is an innovative
component of the programme that employs experiential and action research principles. Since the
implementation of the midcareer programme and its SEPs component in Tanzania, the
programme impact on farmers has not been established and therefore the paper intends to fill
the gap. Data were collected from 100 graduates and 105 farmers from selected regions in
Tanzania. Focus group discussion and observations were used to supplement the collected
information. The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed by using the Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis, respectively. The findings show that
SEP introduced practices mainly related to livestock and crop production, post-harvest handling
and agricultural marketing. Generally, SEP was identified as the strongest component within the
BSc. AEE programme that has impact on farmers. This has been justified by the fact that farmers
had positive perception and high expectations from practices implemented by SEP, which
resulted to diffusion of implemented practices and their adoption by farmers. Farmers were
assisted to improve their yield, food security, income and livelihood. Challenges that affected
implementation of SEP include inadequate funds and time, low involvement of stakeholders and
inadequate follow up by students after their graduation. This calls the need for allocation of
adequate resources to the program, involving of important stakeholders as well as smooth hand
over of the implemented SEP to the field extension staff for its sustainabilit
Detection of porcine cysticercosis in meat juice samples from infected pigs
No full textJournal articleBackground Seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis has been generally studied using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
(ELISA) detecting either antigens or antibodies in sera. However, serum is not always readily available. The objective of this
study was to assess the diagnostic potential of meat juice in detecting porcine cysticercosis using a cysticercosis antibody
ELISA.
Methods Sera and meat juice samples from 13 different organs/tissues were collected from nine pigs naturally infected with
cysticercosis and from six uninfected pigs reared under hygienic conditions. The sensitivity of the cysticercosis antibody
ELISA in detecting porcine cysticercosis in meat juice samples was compared to that in serum samples from the same pigs.
Results Using sera, cysticercosis was detected in all nine pigs harbouring cysticerci, but not in those reared under hygienic
conditions. The sensitivity of the ELISA was highest in meat juice extracted from the diaphragm (100%), heart (89%) and
neck muscle (78%) of the nine infected pigs, whereas it varied between 0 and 44% in the other samples.
Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study for T. solium cysticercosis serology to use meat juice. Our
results show that meat juice from pig carcass organs or muscles is a promising diagnostic specimen for the detection of
porcine cysticercosis. More studies including a large sample size of pigs with varying degrees of cysticercosis infection are
needed to further prove this concept
Dynamics of fractionated rhizosphere soil P and plant P uptake under maize/P-mobilizing legumes intercropping in strongly weathered soil of Tanzania
No full textJournal articleIntercropping with cereal and phosphorus (P)-mobilizing leguminous crops is a traditional agricultural
practice in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is essential to evaluate the effect of intercropping (i.e., rhizosphere
sharing) on fractionated rhizosphere soil P dynamics under the various soil P conditions and legumes, to
improve the soil-plant P dynamics in this region. This study aimed to identify the effect of rhizosphere
sharing of maize (MZ)/P-mobilizing legumes intercropping on fractionated rhizosphere soil P dynamics
and plant P uptake under different P fertilization rates in strongly weathered cropland soil of Tanzania.
We conducted 60-day MZ and P-mobilizing legumes intercropping pot experiments under different
P-fertilized conditions (0, 50, and 100 kg P ha−1) with two legumes (pigeon pea (PP) and groundnut (GN))
by using three different root-separation treatments (no separation (NS) for rhizosphere sharing, nylon
mesh separation (MS), and complete separation (CS)), to compare the effect of rhizosphere sharing in one
pot. We evaluated the Hedley-fractionated P of rhizosphere soil and plant P uptake in each pot. We found
that both P-efficient legumes did not clearly decrease the less labile P (NaOH-P) of rhizosphere soil in no
P treatment, while these clearly decreased the less labile P in 100 kg P ha−1 treatment. It indicates that
P-efficient legumes can solubilize the fertilized P but not native less labile P of the soil. The NS treatment
increased the labile P of rhizosphere compared with CS by solubilizing the fertilized P, except for MZ/GN
intercropping at 50 kg P ha−1. Relative to CS, MZ/PP intercropping increased the total plant P uptake per
pot (20%–40%) under P-fertilized conditions, whereas MZ/GN intercropping decreased it (17%) at 50 kg
P ha−1 or showed no change at 100 kg P ha−1. MZ/PP intercropping improved P fertilizer recovery
efficiency, whereas MZ/GN intercropping did not. Enhanced P use efficiency through intercropping with
P-mobilizing legumes is dependent on P-solubilizing characteristics of each P-mobilizing legum
Molecular epidemiology of Brucella species in mixed livestock-human ecosystems in Kenya
No full textJournal articleBrucellosis, caused by several species of the genus Brucella, is a zoonotic disease that affects humans
and animal species worldwide. Information on the Brucella species circulating in different hosts in
Kenya is largely unknown, thus limiting the adoption of targeted control strategies. This study was
conducted in multi-host livestock populations in Kenya to detect the circulating Brucella species
and assess evidence of host–pathogen associations. Serum samples were collected from 228 cattle,
162 goats, 158 sheep, 49 camels, and 257 humans from Narok and Marsabit counties in Kenya.
Information on age, location and history of abortion or retained placenta were obtained for sampled
livestock. Data on age, gender and location of residence were also collected for human participants.
All samples were tested using genus level real-time PCR assays with primers specific for IS711 and
bcsp31 targets for the detection of Brucella. All genus positive samples (positive for both targets) were
further tested with a speciation assay for AlkB and BMEI1162 targets, specific for B. abortus and B.
melitensis, respectively. Samples with adequate quantities aggregating to 577 were also tested with
the Rose Bengal Test (RBT). A total of 199 (33.3%) livestock and 99 (38.5%) human samples tested
positive for genus Brucella. Animal Brucella PCR positive status was positively predicted by RBT
positive results (OR = 8.3, 95% CI 4.0–17.1). Humans aged 21–40 years had higher odds (OR = 2.8, 95%
CI 1.2–6.6) of being Brucella PCR positive compared to the other age categories. The data on detection
of different Brucella species indicates that B. abortus was detected more often in cattle (OR = 2.3,
95% CI 1.1–4.6) and camels (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.3–6.3), while B. melitensis was detected more in sheep
(OR = 3.6, 95% CI 2.0–6.7) and goats (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0–3.1). Both B. abortus and B. melitensis
DNA were detected in humans and in multiple livestock host species, suggesting cross-transmission
of these species among the different hosts. The detection of these two zoonotic Brucella species in
humans further underpins the importance of One Health prevention strategies that target multiple
host species, especially in the multi-host livestock populations.DELTAS Africa Initiative [Afrique One-ASPIRE/DEL-15-008] and the Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellowship. Afrique One-ASPIRE is funded by a consortium of donors including the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating (NEPAD) Agency, the Wellcome Trust [107753/A/15/Z] and the UK government. And the ABCF program is funded by the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the BecA-CSIRO partnership; the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA); the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF); the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). J.A and B.Bett were also funded by the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (GRANT 12686246_R, to B.Bett)
Seroprevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants and related risk behaviours among humans in different husbandry systems in Mali
No full textJournal articleMali has a high pastoral potential with diverse coexisting production systems ranging from traditional (nomadic, transhumant, sedentary) to commercial (fattening and dairy production) production systems. Each of those systems is characterised by close interactions between animals and humans, increasing the potential risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases. The nature of contact network suggests that the risks may vary according to species, production systems and behaviors. However, the study of the link between small ruminants and zoonotic diseases has received limited attention in Mali. The objective of this study was to assess brucellosis seroprevalence and determine how the husbandry systems and human behaviour expose animal and human to infection risk. A cross-sectional study using cluster sampling was conducted in three regions in Mali. Blood was collected from 860 small ruminants. The sera obtained were analysed using both Rose Bengal and cELISA tests. In addition, 119 farmers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire in order to identify the characteristics of farms as well as the risk behaviors of respondents. Husbandry systems were dominated by agro-pastoral systems followed by pastoral systems. The commercial farms (peri-urban and urban) represent a small proportion. Small ruminant individual seroprevalence was 4.1% [2.8–5.6% (95% CI)]. Herd seroprevalence was estimated at 25.2% [17.7–33.9% (95% CI)]. Peri-urban farming system was more affected with seroprevalence of 38.1% [18.1–61.5 (95% CI)], followed by pastoral farming system (24.3% [11.7–41.2 (95% CI)]). Identified risk behaviors of brucellosis transmission to animals were: exchange of reproductive males (30.2%); improper disposal of placentas in the farms (31.1%); and keeping aborted females in the herd (69.7%). For humans, risk factors were: close and prolonged contact with animals (51.2%); consumption of unpasteurized dairy products (26.9%); and assisting female animals during delivery without any protection (40.3%). This study observed a high seroprevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants and also identified risky practices that allow cross transmission between the two populations. This calls for control strategy using a multi-sectoral and multidimensional approach.DELTAS Africa Initiative [Afrique One-ASPIRE
/DEL-15-008, http://afriqueoneaspire.org/)].
Afrique One-ASPIRE is funded by a consortium of
donor including the African Academy of Sciences
(AAS) Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in
Science in Africa (AESA), the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating
(NEPAD) Agency, the Wellcome Trust [107753/A/
15/Z] and the UK government
Foreword for Volume 1 Issue 1
No full textThis is an editorial message for Vol. 1 Issue 1 of the Tanzania Journal of Community DevelopmentEditorial message for Vol. 1 Issue