Tanzania Veterinary Journal

Prevalence and control of brucellosis in Zimbabwe, risk factors, and challenges for control: A Review

2024-01-16T05:55:55+00:00

Brucellosis is an infectious zoonotic disease caused by Brucella species. The disease affects both animals and humans and if left unmonitored can be a major public health issue in Zimbabwe. The review was conducted using internet databases PubMed, Google Scholar, HINARI, and unpublished stored data at the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Zimbabwe. A total of 19 scientific publications were reviewed, with 18 being full-length journal papers and one PhD dissertation. Despite the lack of an adequate national-wide surveillance strategy, brucellosis is considered endemic in Zimbabwe, with an estimated prevalence of 11.44% in cattle and 4.04% in wildlife. In cattle, commercial herds accounted for the most prevalence and most tested samples, while small-holder or communal herds had low prevalence and fewer tested samples. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis, B. canis, and B. suis are some of the Brucella species circulating in Zimbabwe. Consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy products, intimate contact with diseased animals, and insufficient veterinary services are all risk factors for brucellosis transmission in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, brucellosis control faces challenges, namely insufficient resources, inadequate surveillance strategies, and a lack of public knowledge and education about the disease. Furthermore, insufficient diagnostic facilities and a scarcity of vaccinations for both animals impede disease control. Increased funds and resources are needed in Zimbabwe to expand surveillance, strengthen veterinary services, and promote public awareness and education about brucellosis. This review aimed at providing an overview of the prevalence and control of brucellosis in Zimbabwe, including its risk factors and the challenges associated with controlling brucellosis as well as identifying knowledge gaps and potential future research perspectives

Insight into the adoption and success of artificial insemination services in smallholder dairy farming systems: A cross-sectional study

2024-01-16T05:26:11+00:00

Smallholder dairy farming in developing countries plays a crucial role in poverty alleviation and food security. Therefore, tremendous efforts have been made to increase dairy productivity through rapid genetic improvement of dairy herds through different approaches including the use of artificial insemination (AI) technology. However, there is information gap on its adoption and effectiveness of artificial insemination in resource limited settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the factors affecting adoption of AI Technology by small dairy production systems. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 656 smallholders, and 91 AI technicians (AITs) in seventeen administrative districts of eleven regions located in four major geographical zones of Tanzania. Results shows that 89% of the respondents acknowledged AI as an effective breeding method for increased milk yield, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (82%), bulls were used as an alternative when AI failed (51%). However, irregularity in getting AI services, unreliable liquid nitrogen supply, and unavailability of reliable transport were major obstacles to AI services provision. Furthermore, mobile phone was a major means of communication (93%) between farmers and AIT, and 65% of the AITs use private transport while the rest uses public transport. Since majority of the small scale dairy producers acknowledge the importance of AI, strategic interventions on the identified obstacles and promoting enabling environment for AI service provision is likely to improve and facilitate a much wider adoption and delivery of AI services.

The viability of Newcastle Disease Vaccine strain I-2 distributed and sold in Tanzania

2024-01-16T06:16:21+00:00

Newcastle disease (ND) is responsible for significant losses in chicken production worldwide. Vaccination against ND using live vaccines demands the use of viable and properly handled vaccines. The viability of the vaccine is, therefore, a critical component in the control of the disease. This study aimed at assessing the viability of ND vaccines available at the veterinary drug shops in selected areas of Tanzania. A total of 167 samples of live ND vaccine strain I-2 (TEMEVAC^®) vials of six different batches were randomly collected from 42 vaccine vendors in the Southern Highlands and Eastern zones in Tanzania. The samples were tested for viability through propagation into 9-days embryonated chicken eggs followed by the Haemagglutination test. The Least Square Mean (LSM) titre of infectivity of TEMEVAC^® virus was slightly higher (8.52±0.06) in the Southern Highlands zone compared to the Eastern zone (8.51±0.06) although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.12). There were statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in LSM infectivity titre among batches of collected TEMEVAC^® vaccine, particularly when a pairwise comparison was done between Batch_1 and Batch_3 to Batch_5. Also, there were statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in LSM infectivity titre among batches when Batch_3 was compared to Batch_6, Batch_4 compared to Batch_6, and Batch_5 compared to Batch_6. The present study revealed that the TEMEVAC^® vaccine available in veterinary drug vendors in Tanzania was viable and contained an adequate infectivity titre when used as recommended.

Penile and prostate morphology of the African giant pouched rat

2024-01-16T06:33:04+00:00

The African giant pouched rat, Cricetomys gambianus is a solitary rodent, distributed in savannah of Southern and Eastern Africa with socio-economical importance in landmines and tuberculosis detection. Despite of their importance, there are limited anatomical studies focusing on the reproductive organs of C. gambianus. This study was set to evaluate gross and histological features of the penis and prostate glands of C. gambianus. Ten sexually matured C. gambianus (1.0 + 0.1kg) were trapped from the wild and sacrificed using overdose of absolute halothane inhalation. After gross anatomical studies, penile and prostate samples were collected for histological studies. Gross evaluation revealed that, the penis of C. gambianus was caudo-ventrally oriented. Average length of measured anatomical parts were: anogenital distance (6.31 + 0.89 cm); total penis length (6.66 + 0.3 cm), root (2.0 + 0.1cm),shaft (3.77 + 0.3 cm), and glans penis (0.89 + 0.2 cm). The average length of the os penis was 1.8 + 0.1 cm and its tip was visible through the urethral opening at the glans penis, while its base was attached to the shaft just after the collum penis groove. Microscopically, different parts of the penis showed variable histological composition and organization. Furthemore, the prostate gland consisted of dorsal, lateral and ventral lobes with small, moderate, and few short intraglandular epithelial foldings with acini lined by simple cuboidal to columnar epithelium.