3 research outputs found
Mesearch and the Performing Body
No full textThis book is an anthology of Mark Edward’s creative practice-led projects. It transmits and communicates his research through varied artistic means, primarily contemporary dance, immersive art installation, drag performance, and photography. Through the innovative practice of 'mesearch', in which the author is both theoriser and theorised, this study delivers a personal, creative narration, combining reflections and emotions in relation to self and performance. Instead of being an attempt to undervalue or challenge the accepted notions of style within academic research, it promotes a freedom of expression which allows greater fluidity between the researcher, the performer, and the writer
Systematic review and meta-regression analysis of the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks and livestock in Uganda from 1980 to 2024
No full textAbstract Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) cause diseases of significant impact on public health and livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, livestock production contributes more than 17% of financial share of the agricultural sector. However, this venture is hampered by livestock diseases, especially tick-borne diseases (TBDs). A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the prevalence and distribution of TBPs in order to inform TBD control in Uganda. We retrieved published TBP prevalence articles (n = 6,446) for Uganda (January 1980 - August 2024) from five scientific databases, namely: Scopus, PubMed, Springer Nature, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. Following PRISMA guidelines, 36 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran’s Q statistic. The I2 statistic and publication bias were evaluated using the Luis Furuya-Nakamori (LFK) index. Occurrence of TBPs was reported in 24 of the 146 districts of Uganda. Theileria parva (T. parva) was the most predominantly studied TBP representing 55.6% (20/36) of the studies with a national cattle prevalence of 29.2% (95% CI: 18.3–41.4), 62.6% (95% CI: 36.7–85.2) and 15.4 (95% CI: 0.78–42.5) based on DNA, serology and other parasite detection methods, respectively. Majority of the variation in T. parva prevalence in cattle could be explained by the diagnostic method used and sub-national region from which cattle originated. About 71% (17/24) of the districts represented across retrieved publications were located within Uganda’s cattle corridor. Data on TBP prevalence in small ruminants (goats and sheep) were very limited, representing only 13.8% (5/36) of the retrieved studies, despite the constraints posed by TBDs on small ruminant production in Uganda. More than half of all the studies retrieved reported T. parva, making it the most frequently reported TBP with an average prevalence of 29.2% in cattle. This is due to the fact that T. parva is the most important cattle TBP in Uganda. Further research on TBPs in data deficient districts, especially in the cattle corridor, is needed in order to support TBD control in Uganda
Prevalence and seasonal variation of tick-borne haemoparasites in cattle from north-eastern Uganda
No full textAbstract Theileriosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis are the most important constraints to livestock production in Karamoja region, North-eastern Uganda. However, there are no large-scale studies on the prevalence and seasonal variation of tick-borne haemoparasites that are needed to design and implement tick-borne disease control programs. We collected 7080 blood samples from cattle across four districts of north-eastern Uganda during the dry (November 2022 to February 2023) and wet (July to August 2023) seasons. These samples were screened for the most important tick-borne haemoparasites (TBH) by conventional PCR, followed by capillary sequencing of representative PCR amplicons. There was no statistically significant difference [p > 0.05] in the overall prevalence of infection with at least one of the screened TBHs during the wet [39.0%; CI 7.3–40.6] and dry seasons [39.2%: CI 37.6–40.9]. Prevalence of the individual TBHs during the dry season were:—Babesia bigemina 11.8% (CI 10.8–12.9), Babesia bovis 11.8% (CI 10.8–12.9), Anaplasma marginale 9.2% (CI 8.2–10.2), Ehrlichia ruminantium 5.1% (CI 4.4–5.8) and Theileria parva 1.3% (CI 1.0–1.8). Prevalence of individual TBHs during the dry season were:—T. parva 22.6% (CI 21.3–24), A. marginale 13.6% (CI 12.5–14.8), B. bigemina 12.7% (CI 11.6–13.8), E. ruminantium 1.4% (CI 1.1–1.9) and B. bovis 0.3% (CI 0.1–0.5). Geospatial location, increasing age, sex, overnight stay in cattle kraals, and cattle breeds were significant predictors of infection with different TBHs during either season. Co-infection with the individual TBHs ranged between 0.14–2.74% and 0–1.64% during the dry and wet seasons respectively. In both seasons, the co-infection rate with all five TBHs was 0.03% (CI 0.0–0.16). Phylogenetic analyses of the representative TBH sequences revealed high level of conservation within the targeted genes of the samples in this study and those within the East Africa region that were retrieved from the GenBank. This study demonstrate high level of infection/co-infection with different TBHs in both dry and wet seasons indicating that ticks and tick-borne diseases are a major impediment to livestock production in Karamoja region. This shows the need of having a ticks and tick-borne disease control program. Moreover, B. bovis was detected for the first time in this region
