Publications by authors named "Boku Bodha"
Article Synopsis
- A study of over 3 million camels in Kenya found that many have antibodies against MERS-CoV, although human infections in Africa are quite rare.
- Researchers followed 243 camels from 33 homesteads for two years, testing nasal swabs for the virus and documenting illnesses, primarily respiratory issues among the camels.
- Out of the camels tested, a small percentage showed positive results for MERS-CoV, and there was evidence of sporadic transmission to humans, particularly during outbreaks.
A disease with clinical and post-mortem presentation similar to those seen in heartwater, a tick-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants caused by the intracellular bacterium Ehrlichia ruminantium, was first reported in dromedary camels in Kenya in 2016; investigations carried out at the time to determine the cause were inconclusive. In the present study, we screened sera from Kenyan camels collected before (2015) and after (2020) the 2016 disease outbreak for antibodies to Ehrlichia spp. using an E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTicks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are major constraints to camel health and production, yet epidemiological data on their diversity and impact on dromedary camels remain limited. We surveyed the diversity of ticks and TBPs associated with camels and co-grazing sheep at 12 sites in Marsabit County, northern Kenya. We screened blood and ticks (858 pools) from 296 camels and 77 sheep for bacterial and protozoan TBPs by high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing of PCR products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- In 2016, a heartwater-like disease outbreak in Kenya affected camels, resulting in the death of at least 2000 adult animals, with significant clinical symptoms like excitability and rapid breathing leading to death within approximately four days.
- The outbreak observed a 40% morbidity rate in one herd, with early antibiotic treatment reducing mortality to 7.5%, while untreated cases had a 100% fatality rate.
- Pathological findings included severe organ swelling and fluid accumulation, and diagnostic tests revealed the presence of Ehrlichia species in both sick camels and ticks collected from affected and healthy animals.