Publications by authors named "Emanuel S Swai"

Article Synopsis
  • Campylobacteriosis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are major global concerns, especially in Africa, which has the highest campylobacteriosis rates and significant AMR prevalence in Campylobacter spp. from humans and animals.
  • A study analyzed 178 Campylobacter isolates (81 from human diarrheal patients in Kenya and 97 from poultry in Tanzania) between 2006-2017, using whole-genome sequencing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
  • The findings revealed high sequence type diversity and noted that multidrug resistance was significantly higher in poultry (40.9%) compared to humans (2.5%), highlighting the need for better antimicrobial management in livestock.
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We conducted a cross-sectional study of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in northern Tanzania. CCHFV seroprevalence in humans and ruminant livestock was high, as were spatial heterogeneity levels. CCHFV could represent an unrecognized human health risk in this region and should be included as a differential diagnosis for febrile illness.

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Livestock movements contribute to the spread of several infectious diseases. Data on livestock movements can therefore be harnessed to guide policy on targeted interventions for controlling infectious livestock diseases, including Rift Valley fever (RVF)-a vaccine-preventable arboviral fever. Detailed livestock movement data are known to be useful for targeting control efforts including vaccination.

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Article Synopsis
  • Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne disease affecting humans and animals in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, with ongoing transmission among livestock reported between epidemics.
  • A study in northern Tanzania from 2009 to 2015 estimated an average annual incidence of RVFV infections among cattle, goats, and sheep, revealing significant variation in infection rates across different villages.
  • Human seroprevalence for RVFV was found to be 8.2%, showing a strong link between the rate of livestock infections and human cases, with raw milk consumption also associated with higher seropositivity among people.
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Endemic zoonoses have important impacts for livestock-dependent households in East Africa. In these communities, people's health and livelihoods are severely affected by livestock disease losses. Understanding how livestock keepers undertake remedial actions for livestock illness has the potential for widespread benefits such as improving health interventions.

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Background: Brucellosis is a neglected zoonosis endemic in many countries, including regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluated diagnostic tools for the detection of exposure to Brucella spp. are important for disease surveillance and guiding prevention and control activities.

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Field simulation exercises (FSXs) require substantial time, resources, and organizational experience to plan and implement and are less commonly undertaken than drills or tabletop exercises. Despite this, FSXs provide an opportunity to test the full scope of operational capacities, including coordination across sectors. From June 11 to 14, 2019, the East African Community Secretariat conducted a cross-border FSX at the Namanga One Stop Border Post between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania.

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: Livestock-wildlife interfaces create unique hotspots of many infectious diseases including brucellosis. : A combination of epidemiological field studies utilizing Participatory Epidemiology tools and cross-sectional studies investigating Abortion Associated Syndrome (AAS) was conducted in livestock wildlife interface areas in Kasulu district, Tanzania from 23 to 28 July 2019. A total of 285 cattle from 27 herds were examined and sampled.

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Article Synopsis
  • Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting goats and sheep, significantly impacting livelihoods and livestock trade in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia; wild artiodactyls are also susceptible to the PPR virus (PPRV), posing risks to endangered species.
  • A study conducted in Kenya and Tanzania from 2015-2016 found 19.7% of sampled wild artiodactyls were seropositive for PPRV, with African buffalo and Grant's gazelle populations showing seroprevalence rates of 12.0% and 1.1%, respectively, in 2018-2019.
  • Findings indicate that PPRV infection
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Background: Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium are major causes of bloodstream infection and diarrheal disease in East Africa. Sources of human infection, including the role of the meat pathway, are poorly understood.

Methods: We collected cattle, goat, and poultry meat pathway samples from December 2015 through August 2017 in Tanzania and isolated Salmonella using standard methods.

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Brucellosis is an endemic zoonosis in sub-Saharan Africa. Pastoralists are at high risk of infection but data on brucellosis from these communities are scarce. The study objectives were to: estimate the prevalence of human brucellosis, identify the Brucella spp.

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Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes the acute, highly contagious disease peste des petits ruminants (PPR) that affects small domestic and wild ruminants. PPR is of importance in the small livestock-keeping industry in Tanzania, especially in rural areas as it is an important source of livelihood. Morbidity and case fatality rate can be as high as 80-100% in naïve herds; however, in endemic areas, morbidity and case fatality range between 10 and 100% where previous immunity, age, and species of infected animal determine severity of outcome.

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An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), a fatal viral disease in indigenous Tanzanian shorthorn zebu in Ngorongoro district of Tanzania during the period of June 2004 has been described. The disease was diagnosed by clinical, post mortem findings and the virus was identified using molecular characterization study. The history and clinical features included pyrexia, cornel opacity, nasal discharges, multifocal buccal ulceration of varying size and general unthrifty.

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A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine prevalence and risk factors of cryptosporidiosis in bovine from two contrasting production system in and around Tanga municipality between May 2003 and January 2004. The study populations comprised 117 calves aged ≤3 months, randomly selected from 44 smallholders dairy and traditional managed herds, respectively. Individual calf and herd-level information was collected using a structured questionnaire and feacal samples were screened for Cryptosporidium spp oocysts using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen method.

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A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and to identify risk factors for bovine brucellosis seropositivity in traditional and smallholder dairy cattle production systems in the Tanga region of North-eastern Tanzania. The study populations comprised 246 indigenous and 409 crossbred cattle, randomly selected from 105 smallholder dairy and 25 traditional managed herds, respectively. Individual animal and herd-level data were collected using a structured questionnaire.

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Zoonoses are infections naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans. An exploratory questionnaire-based survey of animal health workers(n=36) and livestock keepers(n=43) was carried out from April 2001 to March 2002 in Tanga and Arusha regions, northern Tanzania, to assess local knowledge, attitudes and public awareness for animal zoonoses. A combination of closed and open-ended questions, focus group discussions and ranking techniques were employed to gather information on perceptions concerning the type of zoonotic diseases prevalent in the study area, level of risk, mode of transmission and methods of preventing disease transmission from animals to humans.

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Leptospirosis is the zoonosis of worldwide distribution and common cause of economic loss and ill health among animals and human populations. A cross-sectional seroprevalence study, using a microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with a threshold titre of >or=1:160, to elucidate disease magnitude, distribution and associated risk factors in cattle in Tanga, Tanzania was conducted from May 2003 to January 2004. Serum (n = 655) samples collected from randomly selected herds (n = 130) were tested for antibodies against four different Leptospira interrogans serovars (Bataviae, Tarassovi, Hardjo and Pomona) used in the agglutination test.

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