Identification of Potential Vectors and Detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Mosquitoes Collected Before and During the 2022 Outbreak in Rwanda.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging mosquito-borne arbovirus of One Health importance that caused two large outbreaks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2022. Information on vector species with a role in RVFV eco-epidemiology in Rwanda is scarce. Here we sought to identify potential mosquito vectors of RVFV in Rwanda, their distribution and abundance, as well as their infection status.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices on rift valley fever among pastoral and agropastoral communities of Ngorongoro in the rift valley ecosystem, Tanzania, conducted in 2021/2022.

Epidemics of Rift Valley fever (RVF), a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease caused by RVF virus, have been linked to exceptionally heavy rainfall and widespread flooding. The disease is endemic in most African countries and pose a major global health risk. Given that the disease was reported in various districts of Tanzania, we hypothesized a lack of knowledge about RVF epidemiology among agropastoral and pastoral communities.

Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward rodent-borne diseases in Ngorongoro district, Tanzania.

In addition to their economic significance, rodents are hosts and transmit diseases. Most of rodent-borne diseases are endemic in rural Africa and sporadically lead to epidemics. Ngorongoro district is inhabited by humans, livestock, and wild animals.

Plague in Tanzania: first report of sylvatic plague in Morogoro region, persistence in Mbulu focus, and ongoing quiescence in Lushoto and Iringa foci.

Objectives: Plague has been a threat to human health in Tanzania since 1886. This zoonotic disease has established several endemic foci in the country, posing a risk of outbreaks. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of in small mammals in five districts.

Brucellosis testing patterns at health facilities in Arusha region, northern Tanzania.

Background: Brucellosis is listed as one of six priority zoonoses in Tanzania's One Health strategic plan which highlights gaps in data needed for the surveillance and estimation of human brucellosis burdens. This study collected data on current testing practices and test results for human brucellosis in Arusha region, northern Tanzania.

Methods: Retrospective data were extracted from records at 24 health facilities in Arusha region for the period January 2012 to May 2018.

Performance characteristics and costs of serological tests for brucellosis in a pastoralist community of northern Tanzania.

The control of brucellosis across sub-Saharan Africa is hampered by the lack of standardized testing and the use of tests with poor performance. This study evaluated the performance and costs of serological assays for human brucellosis in a pastoralist community in northern Tanzania. Serum collected from 218 febrile hospital patients was used to evaluate the performance of seven index tests, selected based on international recommendation or current use.

Molecular characterization of Brucella species detected in humans and domestic ruminants of pastoral areas in Kagera ecosystem, Tanzania.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of importance to both public health and the livestock industry. The disease is likely to be endemic in Tanzania and little is reported on molecular characterization of Brucella species in pastoral settings. This study aimed at characterizing Brucella species (targeting genus Brucella) infecting humans, cattle and goat in Kagera region (Ngara and Karagwe districts) using real-time PCR, PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes and Sanger sequencing.

Evidence of chikungunya virus infection among febrile patients seeking healthcare in selected districts of Tanzania.

: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is an emerging mosquito-borne disease that has been associated with frequent epidemics in the world. However, there is a dearth of information on its magnitude and associated risk factors in Tanzania. : A study was conducted to determine seroprevalence of CHIKV among febrile patients seeking medical care at health facilities in Karagwe, Sengerema, Kilombero and Kyela districts.

Serological evidence of inter-epizootic/inter-epidemic circulation of Rift Valley fever virus in domestic cattle in Kyela and Morogoro, Tanzania.

Background: Tanzania is among the Rift Valley fever (RVF) epizootic/endemic countries in sub Saharan Africa, where RVF disease outbreaks occur within a range of 3 to 17-year intervals. Detection of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) antibodies in animals in regions with no previous history of outbreaks raises the question of whether the disease is overlooked due to lack-of effective surveillance systems, or if there are strains of RVFV with low pathogenicity. Furthermore, which vertebrate hosts are involved in the inter-epidemic and inter-epizootic maintenance of RVFV? In our study region, the Kyela and Morogoro districts in Tanzania, no previous RVF outbreaks have been reported.

Detection of tilapia lake virus (TiLV) infection by PCR in farmed and wild Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from Lake Victoria.

Tilapia lake virus disease (TiLVD) has emerged to be an important viral disease of farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) having the potential to impede expansion of aquaculture production. There is a need for rapid diagnostic tools to identify infected fish to limit the spread in individual farms. We report the first detection of TiLV infection by PCR in farmed and wild Nile tilapia from Lake Victoria.

Rapid and simple detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus: Evaluation of a cartridge-based molecular detection system for use in basic laboratories.

Highly contagious transboundary animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are major threats to the productivity of farm animals. To limit the impact of outbreaks and to take efficient steps towards a timely control and eradication of the disease, rapid and reliable diagnostic systems are of utmost importance. Confirmatory diagnostic assays are typically performed by experienced operators in specialized laboratories, and access to this capability is often limited in the developing countries with the highest disease burden.

Direct detection and characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus in East Africa using a field-ready real-time PCR platform.

Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate disease confirmation. Currently, clinical samples are usually tested in reference laboratories using standardized assays recommended by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). However, the requirements for prompt and serotype-specific diagnosis during FMD outbreaks, and the need to establish robust laboratory testing capacity in FMD-endemic countries have motivated the development of simple diagnostic platforms to support local decision-making.

Development and evaluation of tailored specific real-time RT-PCR assays for detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes circulating in East Africa.

Rapid, reliable and accurate diagnostic methods provide essential support to programmes that monitor and control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). While pan-specific molecular tests for FMD virus (FMDV) detection are well established and widely used in endemic and FMD-free countries, current serotyping methods mainly rely either on antigen detection ELISAs or nucleotide sequencing approaches. This report describes the development of a panel of serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR assays (rRT-PCR) tailored to detect FMDV lineages currently circulating in East Africa.

Seroprevalence of Sparganosis in Rural Communities of Northern Tanzania.

In this study, the seroprevalence of sparganosis and its relationship with sociodemographic factors in northern Tanzania have been assessed. A total of 216 serum samples from two rural districts, Monduli and Babati, were tested for sparganosis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of anti-sparganum IgG antibodies was 62.

Evaluation of Two Lyophilized Molecular Assays to Rapidly Detect Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Directly from Clinical Samples in Field Settings.

Accurate, timely diagnosis is essential for the control, monitoring and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Clinical samples from suspect cases are normally tested at reference laboratories. However, transport of samples to these centralized facilities can be a lengthy process that can impose delays on critical decision making.

Detection of Capripoxvirus DNA Using a Field-Ready Nucleic Acid Extraction and Real-Time PCR Platform.

Capripoxviruses, comprising sheep pox virus, goat pox virus and lumpy skin disease virus cause serious diseases of domesticated ruminants, notifiable to The World Organization for Animal Health. This report describes the evaluation of a mobile diagnostic system (Enigma Field Laboratory) that performs automated sequential steps for nucleic acid extraction and real-time PCR to detect capripoxvirus DNA within laboratory and endemic field settings. To prepare stable reagents that could be deployed into field settings, lyophilized reagents were used that employed an established diagnostic PCR assay.

A study of Rift Valley fever virus in Morogoro and Arusha regions of Tanzania - serology and farmers' perceptions.

Introduction: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonosis primarily affecting ruminants, resulting in epidemic abortions, fever, nasal and ocular discharges, haemorrhagic diarrhoea, and a high mortality rate among young animals. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an arthropod-borne RNA virus occurring in epizootic periods associated with heavy rainfall. The last outbreak of RVF in Tanzania was in 2006-2007, resulting in severe economic losses and impaired food security due to greater number of deaths of livestock.

Serological Survey of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) in Zambia.

A study was conducted to determine the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) circulating in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) from selected areas in Zambia. Sera and probang samples were collected between 2011 and 2012 and analysed for presence of antibodies against FMDV while probang samples were used to isolate the FMDV by observing cytopathic effect (CPE). Samples with CPE were further analysed using antigen ELISA.

High seroprevalence of echinococossis, schistosomiasis and toxoplasmosis among the populations in Babati and Monduli districts, Tanzania.

Background: The neglected tropical diseases, echinococcosis, schistosomiasis and toxoplasmosis are all globally widespread zoonotic diseases with potentially harmful consequences. There is very limited data available on the prevalence of these infections, except for schistosmiasis, in underdeveloped countries. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis, Schistosoma mansoni, and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in populations from the Monduli and Babati districts in Tanzania.

Challenges and prospects for the control of foot-and-mouth disease: an African perspective.

The epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Africa is unique in the sense that six of the seven serotypes of FMD viruses (Southern African Territories [SAT] 1, SAT2, SAT3, A, O, and C), with the exception of Asia-1, have occurred in the last decade. Due to underreporting of FMD, the current strains circulating throughout sub-Saharan Africa are in many cases unknown. For SAT1, SAT2, and serotype A viruses, the genetic diversity is reflected in antigenic variation, and indications are that vaccine strains may be needed for each topotype.

Challenges and economic implications in the control of foot and mouth disease in sub-saharan Africa: lessons from the zambian experience.

Foot and mouth disease is one of the world's most important livestock diseases for trade. FMD infections are complex in nature and there are many epidemiological factors needing clarification. Key questions relate to the control challenges and economic impact of the disease for resource-poor FMD endemic countries like Zambia.

Partial genetic characterization of peste des petits ruminants virus from goats in northern and eastern Tanzania.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute viral disease of small ruminants. The disease was first reported in Tanzania in 2008 when it was confined to the Northern Zone districts bordering Kenya. The present study was carried out to confirm the presence of PPR virus (PPRV) in Tanzania and to establish their phylogenetic relationships.

Preliminary investigation on presence of peste des petits ruminants in Dakawa, Mvomero district, Morogoro region, Tanzania.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute viral disease of small ruminants characterised by the sudden onset of depression, fever, oculonasal discharges, sores in the mouth, foul-smelling diarrhoea and death. For many years, in Africa, the disease was mainly confined to West and Central Africa but it has now spread southwards to previously PPR-free countries including Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The disease was first reported in Tanzania in 2008 when it was confined to the Northern Zone districts bordering Kenya.