Browsing by Author "Chengula, Augustino Alfred"

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Determination of the presence of babesia DNA in blood samples of cattle, camel and sheep in Iran by PCR
(Belgrade, 2014-10-13) Khamesipour, Faham; Doosti, Abbas; Koohi, Arman; Chehelgerdi, Mohammad; Mokhtari-Farsani, Abbas; Chengula, Augustino Alfred
Babesia species are protozoan parasites that parasitize the erythrocytes of domestic animals and humans, caus- ing anemia in the host affected. These parasites cause a zoonotic disease known as babesiosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has proven to be very sensitive for detecting Babesia in blood samples of affected animals, particular in ruminants. The purpose of the current study was to determine the presence of Babesia DNA in the blood samples obtained from cattle, camel and sheep in Iran. In addition, the study aimed at establishing a rapid, reliable, specific and sensitive molecular tool, the PCR, for the detection of Babesia DNA in ruminants and dromedaries. Blood samples were collected from 372 rumi- nants and dromedaries (155 cattle, 95 sheep and 122 camel) kept at the Livestock Experimental Station. The animals came from randomly selected herds located in the important livestock-production regions of Iran of Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiary during December 2012 to March 2013. PCR was used to detect Babesia DNA in the blood samples whereby an amplified band size of 428 bp was considered positive for Babesia spp. The results indicated that 7.10% (n= 155), 6.56% (n= 122) and 0.00% (n= 95) of the blood samples from cattle, camel and sheep were positive for Babesia DNA, respectively. The findings from this study revealed that there were Babesia DNA in blood taken from cattle and camel. To our knowl- edge, this is the first report to show the presence of Babesia DNA in blood samples of Iranian ruminants and dromedaries in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces by PCR method. Though, diagnosis of low-level infections by the pa- rasite is important for the epidemiological studies. Our findings support the power of PCR test for Babesia DNA detection in blood samples and could be easily used for routine diagnosis.
Exploring pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria from wild rodents, dogs, and humans of the Ngorongoro district in Tanzania using metagenomics next-generation sequencing
(MDPI, 2023) Issae, Amina Ramadhani; Katakweba, Abdul Selemani; Kicheleri, Rose Peter; Chengula, Augustino Alfred; Van Zwetselaar, Marco; Kasanga, Christopher Jacob
Globally, zoonoses have serious consequences due to their socioeconomic impacts. Ngoron- goro District is home to a diverse range of wildlife and domestic animals, including rodents and dogs, which often coexist in close proximity with humans. The aim of the study was to identify the zoonotic bacteria present in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans using metagenomics next-generation sequencing technology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022. This study used both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies to identify bacteria in 530 blood samples collected from humans (n = 200), wild rodents (n = 230), and dogs (n = 100). Several zoonotic airborne/contagious bacteria, including Mycobacterium spp., Mycoplasma spp., Bordetella spp., and Legionella spp., were detected in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans. Arthropod-borne zoonotic bacteria such as Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., and Rickettsia spp. were detected in all three hosts, while Orientia spp. was found in wild rodents and domestic dogs. Yersinia pestis, Streptobacillus spp. and Anaplasma spp. were found only in wild rodents. Other zoonotic bacteria found shared among wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans are Leptospira spp., Brucella spp., and Salmonella spp. Generally, wild rodents had the highest prevalence of zoonotic bacterial species when compared to domestic dogs and humans. The detection of zoonotic bacteria in rodents, dogs, and humans supports the hypothesis that infections can spread between animals and humans sharing the same environment.
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
(PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2023) Issae, Amina Ramadhani; Katakweba, Abdul Ahmed Selemani; Kicheleri, Rose Peter; Chengula, Augustino Alfred; Kasanga, Christopher Jacob
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 dis- ease was reported in various districts of Tanzania, we hypothesized a lack of knowledge about RVF epidemiology among agropastoral and pastoral communities. The research took place in a period of 7 months, from July, 2021 to January, 2022. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among the agropastoral and pastoral communities of Ngorongoro district towards RVF. The survey employed a mixed method system, which included 3 focus groups (each comprised 12 individuals), 20 key informant interviews and administration of questionnaire (N = 352) in agropastoral and pastoral com- munity members of Ngorongoro district. The relationship between demographic characteris- tics and communities’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding RVF was observed using a multiple logistic regression model. A total of 352 participants were interviewed, with the majority (67.61%) being male and 32.39% being female, majority (39.5%) attending pri- mary school, and majority (58.2%) being pastoralists. The findings showed that only 36.1%, 38.64% and 16.19% of participants had good knowledge, positive attitude and good prac- tices regarding RVF respectively. Significant demographic factors related with knowledge included: gender (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.03–3.56, P = 0.041), education levels (primary: OR = 3.97, CI = 2–8.16, P = 0.000; secondary: OR = 15.27, CI = 5.5–46.23, P = 0.000 and college: OR = 34. 23, CI = 5.4–67.22, P = 0.000), and locality (Pinyinyi: OR = 0.14, CI = 0.05–0.38, P = 0.000 and Sale: OR = 0.14, CI = 0.04–0.44, P = 0.001). Male participants showed signifi- cant positive attitude towards RVF compared to female (OR = 2.37, CI = 1.35–4.17, P = 0.003). Individuals with formal education showed a significant positive attitude toward RVF compared to informal (OR>1, P<0.05). Agropastoral members showed a significant nega- tive attitude toward RVF compared to pastoralists (OR = 0.51, CI = 0.26–0.99, P = 0.048).The calculated RVF prevention practices values were insignificantly (P = 0.853) correlated with knowledge values. The significant correlation between knowledge and attitude, as well as attitude and practice were found (P<0.05). In general, the study revealed poor knowl- edge, negative attitude and poor practices of communities towards RVF. The lack of regular education programs to make the communities aware of the disease was implicated for these findings. This recommends that provision of health education should be a long-term practice among agropastoral and pastoral communities in order to prevent further RVF out- breaks in Tanzania.
Tilapia lake virus does not hemagglutinate avianand piscine erythrocytes and nh 4 cl does not inhibit viral replication in vitro
(MDPI, 2019) Chengula, Augustino Alfred; Mutoloki, Stephen; Evensen, Øystein; Munang’andu, Hetron Mweemba
Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA (-ssRNA) icosahedral virus classified to be the only member in the family Amnoonviridae. Although TiLV segment-1 shares homology with the influenza C virus PB1 and has four conserved motifs similar to influenza A, B, and C polymerases, it is unknown whether there are other properties shared between TiLV and orthomyxovirus. In the present study, we wanted to determine whether TiLV agglutinated avian and piscine erythrocytes, and whether its replication was inhibited by lysosomotropic agents, such as ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl), as seen for orthomyxoviruses. Our findings showed that influenza virus strain A/Puerto Rico/8 (PR8) was able to hemagglutinate turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L), and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) red blood cells (RBCs), while infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) only agglutinated Atlantic salmon, but not turkey or tilapia, RBCs. In contrast to PR8 and ISAV, TiLV did not agglutinate turkey, Atlantic salmon, or tilapia RBCs. qRT-PCR analysis showed that 30 mM NH 4 Cl, a basic lysosomotropic agent, neither inhibited nor enhanced TiLV replication in E-11 cells. There was no difference in viral quantities in the infected cells with or without NH 4 Cl treatment during virus adsorption or at 1, 2, and 3 h post-infection. Given that hemagglutinin proteins that bind RBCs also serve as ligands that bind host cells during virus entry leading to endocytosis in orthomyxoviruses, the data presented here suggest that TiLV may use mechanisms that are different from orthomyxoviruses for entry and replication in host cells. Therefore, future studies should seek to elucidate the mechanisms used by TiLV for entry into host cells and to determine its mode of replication in infected cells.