Epidemiological assessment of rinderpest surveillance and control in Uganda between 1990 and 1998

Based on passive and active data, we report on an epidemiological assessment of surveillance and control of rinderpest (RP) in Uganda between 1990 and 1998. Active data were collected by administration of questionnaires to animal health personnel and their auxiliaries and to stockowners in six selected districts of eastern and northeastern Uganda. Passive data were extracted from vaccination and seromonitoring reports, and from field and laboratory reports. RP events were classified as “confirmed outbreaks”, “suspected outbreaks” and “rumours”. The classification of 56% of the RP events as “suspected outbreaks” indicates the difficulty in investigating disease outbreaks in Uganda. Although vaccination coverage and seroprevalence were <85% (the recommended target), they nevertheless corresponded well-reflecting effective vaccination. However, because of the low seroprevalence, a sizable population of cattle in Uganda remained at risk of RP. The agreement between the local and national disease reporting systems was low-to-moderate (κ=0.39); this indicates inefficiency in disease reporting.

Risk factors for RP outbreaks were cattle raids and communal grazing. Based on overlaid thematic maps of seroprevalence, vaccination coverage and RP events, close spatial and temporal associations were observed between cattle raids, transhumance and outbreaks and rumours. The high-risk areas were in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. The results of this study support a phase approach of following the OIE pathway.     

A preliminary study of the role of ducks in the transmission of Newcastle disease virus to in-contact rural free-range chickens

The role of ducks in the transmission of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) to free-range village chicken was investigated experimentally. Newcastle disease (ND) seronegative ducklings reared in a pen were infected oronasally with velogenic NDV of intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) 1.8 isolated from outbreaks in village chickens in Uganda. A first group of 3-week-old ND seronegative chicks was mixed with the ducks and they were kept together for 7 days. Both ducks and chicks were observed for ND clinical signs and any mortality, and they were bled and their sera were tested for ND antibodies by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. The chicks were removed, euthanized and examined for any ND lesions, while the ducks were transferred to a fresh pen and a second group of chicks was introduced and observed and treated as above. The ducks and the chicks tested positive for ND antibodies 7 days post infection and contact, respectively, but showed no clinical signs, post-mortem lesions or mortality. The mean ND antibody titre of the second group of chicks was lower than for the first group. This study has shown that although ducks can be infected with velogenic NDV, they do not show clinical signs but are able to transmit NDV to in-contact chicks. Further investigations are needed of the lack of clinical signs in the in-contact chicks and how long the ducks remain infective.     

A genomic regulatory network for development

Development of the body plan is controlled by large networks of regulatory genes. A gene regulatory network that controls the specification of endoderm and mesoderm in the sea urchin embryo is summarized here. The network was derived from large-scale perturbation analyses, in combination with computational methodologies, genomic data, cis-regulatory analysis, and molecular embryology. The network contains over 40 genes at present, and each node can be directly verified at the DNA sequence level by cis-regulatory analysis. Its architecture reveals specific and general aspects of development, such as how given cells generate their ordained fates in the embryo and why the process moves inexorably forward in developmental time.     

A study of risk factors associated with Newcastle disease epidemics in village free-range chickens in Uganda

A prospective study of risk factors associated with outbreaks of Newcastle disease (ND) in indigenous free-range chickens was carried out in three agro-ecological zones in eastern Uganda. Sixty households keeping chickens were randomly selected and studied from March 2004 to February 2005, covering rainy and dry seasons. Data on ND outbreaks, risk factors and flock dynamics were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, while ND outbreaks were confirmed by haemagglutination inhibition test. Multivariate survival analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for Newcastle disease outbreaks. Although the survival time against ND was longer (>100 days) in the dry compared to the rainy season, incidence in the two seasons was not significantly different (p > 0.05). None of the factors investigated was significantly associated with ND. However, purchasing of restocking chickens from the market and neighbourhood (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89–3.60), the presence of migratory wild birds (HR = 1.70; 95% CI 0.65–4.48) and being in agro-ecological zone 1 (HR = 1.48; 95% CI 0.66–3.36) showed a positive but non-significant association with risk for ND. To understand the roles of other domestic poultry species in the epidemiology of ND in rural free-range chickens, virus isolation and molecular characterization of isolates in addition to more prospective cohort studies with a larger sample size and similarly long period of follow-up are needed.     

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXPERIMENTAL ANAPLASMOSIS IN BOS INDICUS AND BOS TAURUS CATTLE

Comparative studies were carried out on the susceptibility of 8 Bos taurus and 10 predominantly Bos indicus cross cows aged 48 months to Anaplasma marginale infection. Measurements were carried out on bodyweight, parasitaemia, haematological factors, humoral antibody response and serum transaminase levels. Except for minor differences in reaction Bos indicus and Bos taurus animals were equally susceptible to infection with the strain of A. marginale employed. Such differences observed were not significant.     

Landscape factors and how they influence whitefly pests in cassava fields across East Africa

Context

African production landscapes are diverse, with multiple cassava cultivars grown in small patches amongst a diversity of other crops. Studies on how diverse smallholder landscapes impact herbivore pest outbreak risk have not been carried out in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives

Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic pest species complex that cause damage to cassava through feeding and vectoring plant-virus diseases and are known to reach very high densities in certain contexts. However, the factors driving this phenomenon are unclear.

Methods

Bemisia density data in cassava across a large number of sites representing a geographic gradient across Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi were collected. We tested whether in-field or landscape factors associated with land-use patterns underpinned Bemisia density variability and parasitism.

Results

We found the B. tabaci SSA1 species dominated our study sites, although other species were also common in some cassava fields. Factors associated with the surrounding landscape were unimportant for explaining variability in adult density, but the in-field variables of cassava age and cultivar were very important. The density of nymphs and the parasitism of nymphs was heavily influenced by a diversity of landscape factors surrounding the field, including the size of focal cassava field, and area of cassava in the landscape. However, unlike the trend from many other studies on drivers of natural enemy populations, this pattern was not solely related to the amount of non-crop vegetation, or the diversity of crops grown in the landscape.

Conclusions

Our findings provide management options to reduce whitefly abundance, including describing the characteristics of landscapes with high parasitism. The choice of cassava cultivar by the farmer is critical to reduce whitefly outbreak risk at the landscape-scale.

     

Resistance of tropical maize genotypes to the larger grain borer

Post-harvest losses caused by the larger grain borer (LGB, Prostephanus truncatus) aggravate food insecurity among small-scale farmers. Host plant resistance is a method of LGB control which should be prioritized in order to reduce these losses. The objective of this study was to assess maize resistance to the larger grain borer and recognize some potential causes of resistance. One hundred and sixty-three (163) genotypes were tested; these included 85 hybrids, 2 checks, 6 open pollinate varieties, and 70 landraces, among them gene bank accessions. Grain biochemical content, (protein, oil and starch) and insect resistance parameters, (percentage grain damage, weight loss, flour weight, and number of emerged insects) were measured. There were significant differences (P < 0.001) among the genotypes for all the traits measured except number of insects. The most resistant hybrids were CKPH08024, CKPH08009, CKPH08012, CKPH08014, CKP08033, CKPH08026, CKPH08014, and CKPH08003. The most resistant landrace accessions were BRAZ 2451, GUAT 1162, BRAZ 2100, and GUAN 36. The percentage weight loss was found to be the most important resistance trait for discriminating among genotypes for it had the largest canonical coefficient. Protein content had higher contribution to variation in resistance to the larger grain borer and this probably contributed to the grain hardness which is a putative trait of resistance to storage pests. The LGB-resistant germplasm could be used for the development of an integrated pest-management program against the LGB.