Leptospira seroprevalence and associated risk factors among slaughterhouse workers in Western Bahr El Ghazal State, South Sudan.

Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected re-emerging and occupational zoonotic disease worldwide. In Africa, contact with livestock is postulated as a potential source of environmental contamination and a source of human Leptospira exposure, though pathways remain unknown. Recently, we confirmed Leptospira exposure and shedding among slaughtered cattle in Western Bahr El Ghazal.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Phylogenetic Relatedness of Serovars in Indigenous Poultry and Their Drinking Water Sources in North Central Nigeria.

There is scant information on in indigenous poultry in Nigeria. We investigated the occurrence and characterized serovars in indigenous poultry and their drinking water sources to enhance the monitoring of the infection in poultry and to promote public health. We collected 1208 samples, poultry droppings (n = 1108), and water (n = 100) across 15 markets in North Central Nigeria.

Molecular and serological prevalence of Leptospira spp. among slaughtered cattle and associated risk factors in the Bahr El Ghazal region of South Sudan.

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a neglected emerging and zoonotic disease reported worldwide. This study sought to determine the molecular and serological prevalence of Leptospira spp. and the associated risk factors in slaughtered cattle from the Bahr El Ghazal region of South Sudan.

Retrospective in silico mutation profiling of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins circulating in Uganda by July 2021: Towards refinement of COVID-19 disease vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the agent of COVID-19, caused unprecedented loss of lives and economic decline worldwide. Although the introduction of public health measures, vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics disrupted the spread of the SARS-CoV-2, the emergence of variants poses substantial threat. This study traced SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Uganda by July 2021 to inform the necessity for refinement of the intervention medical products.

Animal health beyond the single disease approach - A role for veterinary herd health management in low-income countries?

In order to identify and evaluate health related constraints faced by Ugandan pig farmers, a veterinary herd health management approach (VHHM) was applied in 20 randomly selected pig farms in the Lira district, Uganda. Regular herd visits were conducted between July 2018 and June 2019, using e.g.

Prevalence of adhesin and toxin genes in E. coli strains isolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic pigs from smallholder herds in northern and eastern Uganda.

Background: Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) significantly contribute to diarrhea in piglets and weaners. The smallholder pig producers in Uganda identified diarrhea as one of the major problems especially in piglets.

Prevalence of and factors associated with Brucella sero-positivity in cattle in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Uganda.

Brucellosis is a key zoonosis of major public health, animal welfare and economic significance, and is endemic in livestock in Uganda. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out to estimate the sero-prevalence of brucellosis and identify factors associated with sero-positivity in cattle in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Northern and Eastern Uganda, respectively. A total of 1007 sera and data on biologically plausible risk factors from 166 herds and their spatial locations, were collected from cattle reared in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Uganda.

Salmonella species in piglets and weaners from Uganda: prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and herd-level risk factors.

Non-typhoidal salmonellosis is of concern in humans in sub-Saharan Africa, and this is partly due to the high number of immunocompromised persons. Pork and pork products could be among the sources of these non-typhi Salmonella spp. The aim of this study was to identify Salmonella spp.

Ethnopharmacological practices by livestock farmers in Uganda: survey experiences from Mpigi and Gulu districts.

Background: There is continued reliance on conventional veterinary drugs including anthelmintics, to some of which resistance has developed. Loss of indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) from societies affects the opportunities for utilization of ethnopharmacological practices unless properly documented. This study was conducted to identify common traditional practices using medicinal plants against helminthosis and other livestock diseases in Mpigi and Gulu districts of Uganda.

Epidemiological Overview of African Swine Fever in Uganda (2001-2012).

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease, which can cause up to 100% mortality among domestic pigs. In Uganda there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of the disease, hence a study was carried out to elucidate the patterns of ASF outbreaks. Spatial and temporal analyses were performed with data collected monthly by the district veterinary officers (DVOs) and sent to the central administration at MAAIF from 2001 to 2012.