Trypanosomiasis in Introduced Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) Gifts to Ex Situ Habitat in Aitong, Kenya.

During the opening of diplomatic relations in the 1990s, South Africa gifted 20 southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) to Kenya. The species is not indigenous to Kenya, and management of the introduction was not clearly addressed in the legislation. Responsibility was left to the private sector and local authorities.

Molecular Detection of in Small Mammals and Infesting Ticks in Laikipia County, Kenya.

Anaplasmosis is a set of disease conditions of various mammals caused by bacteria species of the genus . These are sub-microscopic, Gram-negative, obligate intracellular pathogens that infect both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Significant species that infect domestic and wildlife animals include , , and .

Congenital and Neoplastic Cranial Deformities in Wild Giraffe (Giraffa spp.).

Congenital deformities and neoplasia are poorly documented in wildlife, owing to the difficulty of detection in wild populations. Congenital deformities may lead to premature mortality, thus reducing the chances of thorough documentation. Importantly, neoplasia diagnoses depend on either sampling suspicious lesions from living individuals or access to fresh, undisturbed carcasses, which can prove challenging.

Drivers and potential distribution of anthrax occurrence and incidence at national and sub-county levels across Kenya from 2006 to 2020 using INLA.

Anthrax is caused by, Bacillus anthracis, a soil-borne bacterium that infects grazing animals. Kenya reported a sharp increase in livestock anthrax cases from 2005, with only 12% of the sub-counties (decentralised administrative units used by Kenyan county governments to facilitate service provision) accounting for almost a third of the livestock cases. Recent studies of the spatial extent of B.

African Suid Genomes Provide Insights into the Local Adaptation to Diverse African Environments.

African wild suids consist of several endemic species that represent ancient members of the family Suidae and have colonized diverse habitats on the African continent. However, limited genomic resources for African wild suids hinder our understanding of their evolution and genetic diversity. In this study, we assembled high-quality genomes of a common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), a red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), as well as an East Asian Diannan small-ear pig (Sus scrofa).

Application of decision tools to ethical analysis in biodiversity conservation.

Achieving ethically responsible decisions is crucial for the success of biodiversity conservation projects. We adapted the ethical matrix, decision tree, and Bateson's cube to assist in the ethical analysis of complex conservation scenarios by structuring these tools so that they can implement the different value dimensions (environmental, social, and animal welfare) involved in conservation ethics. We then applied them to a case study relative to the decision-making process regarding whether or not to continue collecting biomaterial on the oldest of the two remaining northern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a functionally extinct subspecies of the white rhinoceros.

Evidence of co-exposure with Brucella spp, Coxiella burnetii, and Rift Valley fever virus among various species of wildlife in Kenya.

Background: Co-infection, especially with pathogens of dissimilar genetic makeup, may result in a more devastating impact on the host. Investigations on co-infection with neglected zoonotic pathogens in wildlife are necessary to inform appropriate prevention and control strategies to reduce disease burden in wildlife and the potential transmission of these pathogens between wildlife, livestock and humans. This study assessed co-exposure of various Kenyan wildflife species with Brucella spp, Coxiella burnetii and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV).

Comparative Analysis of and Genetic Diversity in Locally-Adapted Kenyan Pigs and Their Wild Relatives, Warthogs.

Swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) plays a central role in controlling the immune response by discriminating self and foreign antigens and initiating an immune response. Studies on SLA polymorphism have demonstrated associations between SLA allelic variants, immune response, and disease resistance. The SLA polymorphism is due to host-pathogen co-evolution resulting in improved adaptation to diverse environments making SLA a crucial genomic region for comparative diversity studies.

High real-time reporting of domestic and wild animal diseases following rollout of mobile phone reporting system in Kenya.

Background: To improve early detection of emerging infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), many of them zoonotic, numerous electronic animal disease-reporting systems have been piloted but not implemented because of cost, lack of user friendliness, and data insecurity. In Kenya, we developed and rolled out an open-source mobile phone-based domestic and wild animal disease reporting system and collected data over two years to investigate its robustness and ability to track disease trends.

Methods: The Kenya Animal Biosurveillance System (KABS) application was built on the Java® platform, freely downloadable for android compatible mobile phones, and supported by web-based account management, form editing and data monitoring.

Potentially zoonotic gastrointestinal nematodes co-infecting free ranging non-human primates in Kenyan urban centres.

Background: Natural infections with soil-transmitted nematodes occur in non-human primates (NHPs) and have the potential to cross primate-species boundaries and cause diseases of significant public health concern. Despite the presence of NHPs in most urban centres in Kenya, comprehensive studies on their gastrointestinal parasites are scant.

Objective: Conduct a cross-sectional survey to identify zoonotic nematodes in free-ranging NHPs found within four selected urban and peri-urban centres in Kenya.

Broad diversity of simian immunodeficiency virus infecting Chlorocebus species (African green monkey) and evidence of cross-species infection in Papio anubis (olive baboon) in Kenya.

Background: Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) naturally infects African non-human primates (NHPs) and poses a threat of transmission to humans through hunting and consumption of monkeys as bushmeat. This study investigated the as of yet unknown molecular diversity of SIV in free-ranging Chlorocebus species (African green monkeys-AGMs) and Papio anubis (olive baboons) within Mombasa, Kisumu and Naivasha urban centres in Kenya.

Methods: We collected blood samples from 124 AGMs and 65 olive baboons in situ, and detected SIV by high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing of PCR products.

Recurrent Anthrax Outbreaks in Humans, Livestock, and Wildlife in the Same Locality, Kenya, 2014-2017.

Epidemiologic data indicate a global distribution of anthrax outbreaks associated with certain ecosystems that promote survival and viability of spores. Here, we characterized three anthrax outbreaks involving humans, livestock, and wildlife that occurred in the same locality in Kenya between 2014 and 2017. Clinical and epidemiologic data on the outbreaks were collected using active case finding and review of human, livestock, and wildlife health records.

Stable isotope ecology of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in Kenya.

Stable isotope and elemental ratios in hair are influenced by the environment, including both climate and geology. Stable carbon isotopes can be used to give estimates of the C/CAM fraction of diets of herbivorous mammals; stable nitrogen isotopes are related to the local water deficit; strontium isotopes are determined by the local geology. We studied hair from rhinos in Kenya to determine spatial patterns in δC, δN, and Sr/Sr ratios.

Functional analysis and transcriptional output of the Göttingen minipig genome.

Background: In the past decade the Göttingen minipig has gained increasing recognition as animal model in pharmaceutical and safety research because it recapitulates many aspects of human physiology and metabolism. Genome-based comparison of drug targets together with quantitative tissue expression analysis allows rational prediction of pharmacology and cross-reactivity of human drugs in animal models thereby improving drug attrition which is an important challenge in the process of drug development.

Results: Here we present a new chromosome level based version of the Göttingen minipig genome together with a comparative transcriptional analysis of tissues with pharmaceutical relevance as basis for translational research.

Identification and sequence characterization of novel Theileria genotypes from the waterbuck (Kobus defassa) in a Theileria parva-endemic area in Kenya.

Waterbuck (Kobus defassa), an ungulate species endemic to the Eastern African savannah, is suspected of being a wildlife reservoir for tick-transmitted parasites infective to livestock. Waterbuck is infested by large numbers of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, the tick vector for Theileria parva, and previous data suggests that the species may be a source of T. parva transmission to cattle.

Putative filariosis outbreak in white and black rhinoceros at Meru National Park in Kenya.

Background: Habitat and food supply loss and disruption, together with man's pursuit of the animal's unique horn pose significant threats to the charismatic rhinoceros. Filarial worms have been thought to cause cutaneous lesions in black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in Kenya and South Africa, but never in white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) in the wild, despite the fact that the two species live often in close proximity. Stephanofilaria dinniki has been implicated in the past as the causal agents for such lesions.