Immunological and biochemical biomarker alterations among SARS-COV-2 patients with varying disease phenotypes in Uganda.

Every novel infection requires an assessment of the host response coupled with identification of unique biomarkers for predicting disease pathogenesis, treatment targets and diagnostic utility. Studies have exposed dysregulated inflammatory response induced by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as significant predictor or cause of disease severity/prognosis and death. This study evaluated inflammatory biomarkers induced by SARS-CoV-2 in plasma of patients with varying disease phenotypes and healthy controls with prognostic or therapeutic potential.

Molecular epidemiology of anaplasmosis in small ruminants along a human-livestock-wildlife interface in Uganda.

Background: Information as regards the epidemiology of the in small ruminants in several low- and middle-income countries is scarce.

Methods: In this study a total of 712 DNA samples collected from small ruminants were analyzed for and using the and genes respectively. Infection risk was assessed by location, sex and age of the animals and qGIS® was used to construct spatial maps.

Optimisation of template preparation and laboratory evaluation of the Loopamp™ Trypanosoma brucei kit for detection of parasite DNA in blood.

The Loopamp™ Trypanosoma brucei Detection Kit is the latest addition of molecular techniques for amplification of parasite DNA in biological materials. We have evaluated the kit on a number of preparations of crude templates from the blood of experimentally infected rodents, to provide the best option that can be extrapolated to resource-poor healthcare settings where human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is endemic. We used rodent blood spiked with T.

Haemoparasitic Infections in Cattle from a Rhodesiense Sleeping Sickness Endemic District of Eastern Uganda.

We carried out a baseline survey of cattle in Kaberamaido district, in the context of controlling the domestic animal reservoir of human African trypanosomiasis (rHAT) towards elimination Cattle blood was subjected to capillary tube centrifugation followed by measurement of the packed cell volume (PCV) and examination of the buffy coat area for motile trypanosomes. Trypanosomes were detected in 561 (21.4%) out of 2621 cattle screened by microscopy.

Serological tests for gambiense human African trypanosomiasis detect antibodies in cattle.

Background: Serological tests for gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) detect antibodies to antigens on the cell surface of bloodstream trypanosomes. As trypanosomes that cause animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) also express related antigens, we have evaluated two rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) on cattle in trypanosomiasis endemic and non-endemic regions, to determine whether gHAT serological tests could also be used to screen for AAT.

Methods: Two RDTs, 1G RDT, made with native antigens, and p2G RDT, made with recombinant antigens, were tested on 121 cattle in a trypanosomiasis-free region, and on 312 cattle from a rhodesiense HAT and AAT endemic region.

Identification of strains using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism amongst livestock in Moroto district, Uganda.

A descriptive study was conducted to identify the different strains of Echinococcus granulosus occurring in livestock in Moroto district, Uganda. Echinococcus cysts from 104 domestic animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and camels, were taken and examined by microscopy, polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism and Sanger DNA sequencing. Echinococcus granulosus genotypes or strains were identified through use of Bioinformatics tools: BioEdit, BLAST and MEGA6.