Publications by authors named "Waswa S Babyesiza"
Article Synopsis
- Uganda's small mammal populations benefit from diverse habitats that host various blood parasites, particularly trypanosomes from the Herpetosoma subgenus commonly found in rodents.
- Researchers analyzed 711 small mammals, using both microscopic blood smears and nested PCR tests, finding a 7% prevalence through microscopy and a higher 13% through PCR, revealing 27 different genotypes across 11 trypanosome species.
- The study identified 15 new genotypes and two potential new species, adding to the understanding of trypanosome diversity in small mammals and expanding the host range for the invasive T. lewisi.
Ectoparasites like fleas, mites, and ticks that are key carriers of harmful pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, cestodes, and nematodes live on rodents and shrews. It should be noted that rodents' ecological adaptability makes them suitable as parasite hosts. The main objective of the study was to determine the ectoparasite assemblages in rodents and shrews along a degradation gradient, while comparing infestation levels in different habitats with varying levels of degradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent studies of mammalian microbiomes have identified strong phylogenetic effects on bacterial community composition. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) are among the most speciose mammals on the planet and the only mammal capable of true flight. We examined 1,236 16S rRNA amplicon libraries of the gut, oral, and skin microbiota from 497 Afrotropical bats (representing 9 families, 20 genera, and 31 species) to assess the extent to which host ecology and phylogeny predict microbial community similarity in bats.
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