Browsing by Author "Maganira, Justine Daudi"

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Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in mangroves and open intertidal areas on the Dar es Salaam coast, Tanzania
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis, 2015) Rumisha, C.; Shukuru, H.; Lyimo, J.; Maganira, Justine Daudi; Nehemia, A.
The assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates in mangroves and open intertidal areas of the Dar es Salaam coast, Tanzania, was investigated in 2013–2014, revealing 56 species. Higher density, species richness and diversity were recorded in open intertidal areas, compared to nearby mangrove forests. Non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated differences in assemblages between mangrove and open intertidal samples. These differences were confirmed by analysis of similarity. SIMPER identified an average dissimilarity of 97.24% between mangroves and open intertidal samples, most of which were due to the malacostracan Uca annulipes and the gastropod Cerithidea decollata. PRIMER RELATE indicated significant correlation between macroinvertebrate assemblages and the measured physico-chemical parameters salinity, pH, redox potential and sediment particle size, whereas BIOENV and the Monte Carlo permutation test indicated that redox potential, sediment particle size and pH contributed significantly to variation in species composition. Mangroves were dominated by the gastropod C. decollata, and by the malacostracans Neosarmatium africanum and U. annulipes, and open intertidal areas by the bivalves Dosinia hepatica and Eumarcia paupercula. Due to the rich biodiversity in open intertidal ecosystems, it is recommended that conservation efforts along the Tanzanian coast should focus here.
Detection of porcine cysticercosis in meat juice samples from infected pigs
(Springer, 2021) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Kidima, Winifrida; Mwita, Chacha John; Höglund, Johan
Background Seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis has been generally studied using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) detecting either antigens or antibodies in sera. However, serum is not always readily available. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic potential of meat juice in detecting porcine cysticercosis using a cysticercosis antibody ELISA. Methods Sera and meat juice samples from 13 different organs/tissues were collected from nine pigs naturally infected with cysticercosis and from six uninfected pigs reared under hygienic conditions. The sensitivity of the cysticercosis antibody ELISA in detecting porcine cysticercosis in meat juice samples was compared to that in serum samples from the same pigs. Results Using sera, cysticercosis was detected in all nine pigs harbouring cysticerci, but not in those reared under hygienic conditions. The sensitivity of the ELISA was highest in meat juice extracted from the diaphragm (100%), heart (89%) and neck muscle (78%) of the nine infected pigs, whereas it varied between 0 and 44% in the other samples. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study for T. solium cysticercosis serology to use meat juice. Our results show that meat juice from pig carcass organs or muscles is a promising diagnostic specimen for the detection of porcine cysticercosis. More studies including a large sample size of pigs with varying degrees of cysticercosis infection are needed to further prove this concept.
Diversity of riparian ground beetles (coleoptera, carabidae) at three altitudes in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania
(Research Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 2015) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Nyundo, B. A.
The diversity of riparian ground beetles at three altitudes (Low: 400-1100m a.s.l., Mid: 1100- 1800 m a.s.l., High: 1800-2500 m a.s.l.) in Uluguru Mountains was investigated. The samples of ground beetles were collected by active searching method from nine sites between May and June 2012. A total of 3261 specimens of ground beetles representing 13 subfamilies and 29 species were recorded. Ground beetle abundance, species richness and diversity were analyzed statistically using Diversity and Richness–2.65, PRIMER 6 and SYSTAT Version 10 software. The abundance of ground beetles was low at mid altitude (n = 499) and high at low and high altitudes (n = 1988; n = 774 respectively). There was significant variation in ground beetle abundance among the three altitudes (Kruskal-Wallis H=84.533, p<0.05). The most abundant species, Trechodes babaulti, was abundant at low and high altitudes (n=1534; 47.04% and n=501; 15.36% of the collected beetles respectively). Both species richness and Shannon-Wiener index of diversity (H') of ground beetles varied between low, mid and high altitudes with the highest species richness and diversity found at mid altitude. Pairwise comparison showed a significant difference in diversity of ground beetle species for all three pairs (high/mid, high/low & mid/low) of altitudes (p<0.05).
Seroprevalence of circulating taeniid antigens in pigs and associated risk factors in Kongwa district, Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2019) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Mwang'onde, Beda John; Kidima, Winifrida; Mwita, Chacha John; Höglund, Johan
The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to porcine cysticercosis (PC) and associated risk factors in the Kongwa District, eastern-central Tanzania. For the first time a cross-sectional investigation of the seroprevalence in pigs using a commercial genus specific cysticercosis enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (apDia Ag-ELISA) was undertaken in eastern-central Tanzania. Moreover, the identity of suspected T. solium cysts from pigs in the study area were confirmed by sequencing parasites’ mitochondrial cox1 gene. Structured questionnaires and direct observations were used to investigate risk factors associated with parasite transmission. A total of 102 pig-keeping households were surveyed during the dry season between July and August 2017 and 126 households in the rainy season between March and April 2018. Of the 447 examined pigs, 77 (17%, 95% C.I. 14%e20%) tested positive in the ELISA. Seroprevalence was higher in pigs examined during the rainy (21%, 95% C.I. 16%e26%) than dry (12%, 95% C.I. 7%e17%) season (p ¼ 0.019). Eight cyst-positive-pigs were confirmed to be infected with T. solium by sequencing. Risk factors associated with PC seropositivity included origin of piglets or pigs (OR ¼ 0.27, 95% C.I. 0.13 e0.42, p ¼ 0.001), socioeconomic factors and pig production system (OR ¼ 0.22, 95% C.I. 0.07e0.37, p ¼ 0.005) and sanitation and hygiene practices (OR ¼ 0.19, 95% C.I. 0.04e0.34, p ¼ 0.014). This study has recorded a high Taenia spp. seroprevalence in pigs in Kongwa suggesting the presence of people in the community carrying the adult parasite, Taenia solium. Our findings also suggest risk of infection by T. solium to people in urban centres and cities consuming pigs from rural areas in Kongwa. The high seroprevalence in Kongwa calls for further studies on taeniasis and cysticercosis in the human population in order to determine suitable control strategies.
Seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Ludewa district, Njombe, Tanzania
(Scientific Research Publishing Inc., 2018) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Hepelwa, Norbet Ignas; Mwang’onde, Beda John
Small-scale subsistence farmers keep over 80% of the pigs in Tanzania as a backyard activity in mixed agro-ecological farming systems under unhygienic conditions that risk persistency of zoonoses including Taenia solium cysticercosis. Pig production and demand for pork has tremendously increased in Tanzanian townships and major cities. Rural areas are the main sources of pigs and pork and that the business is jeopardized by the presence of porcine cysticercosis (PC). Ludewa district is one of the PC unsurveyed sources of pork in townships and cities in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to assess the status of PC in Ludewa district, Tanzania. Auricular venous blood samples were collected from pigs in households for seroprevalence analysis of PC. In this study, 10.07% (95% C.I. 06.86% - 14.47%) of the collected 268 serum samples tested positive in the cysticercosis antigen enzyme-linked immune- sorbent (Ag ELISA) assay. PC infection rate was 10.71% (n = 24) in adult pigs and 6.82% (n = 3) in piglets. PC infection between adult pigs and piglets was not statistically significant (OR = 0.6108; 95% C.I. 0.1125 - 2.1575), p = 0.5877). The highest and lowest number of PC positive cases were detected in Mapogoro (n = 16, 13.91%, 95% C.I. 8.41 - 21.91) and Ludewa Mjini (n = 6, 6.67%, 95% C.I. 2.74 - 14.50) villages respectively. The Chi-Square test indicated no significant statistical difference in the status of PC infection between the three villages (p = 0.1881) involved in this study. PC prevalence in the study area indicates the presence of T. solium tapeworm human carriers and environmental contamination by T. solium eggs. This is the first survey to reveal the prevalence of PC in Ludewa district and therefore calls for further studies on the magnitude, economic and public health impacts of taeniasis and cysticercosis in the human population. The result of this study is also important in the determination of effective control measures of cysticercosis.
Soil contamination by Taenia solium egg DNA in rural villages in Kongwa district, Tanzania
(aylor & Francis Group, 2020) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Kidima, Winifrida; Mwita, Chacha John; Halvarsson, Peter; Höglund, Johan
The presence ofTaenia solium DNA from eggs in soils around the households in four Tanzanian villages in Kongwa district were analysed in relation to seasonal fluctuations and infection risk implications. A total of 192 pooled soil samples from five sampling points per household were examined by droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) from 96 pigkeeping households both during the dry and rainy seasons. The pooled samples were first processed by a flotation-double sieving technique, followed by screening for worm DNA employing universal primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene of human taeniid species and some other helminths. All DNA positive samples were later confirmed by a specific ddPCR probe assay targeting the mitochondrial cox1 gene of T. solium. A total of 17.2% (n = 33) samples were positive with the universal ddPCR, whereas T. solium DNA was confirmed by the specific ddPCR only in 3.1% (n = 3) of the surveyed households. The detection of T. solium DNA in this study spells out a low risk of exposure to T. solium eggs from contaminated household soil. Based on our results, ddPCR seems to be a promising technology for screening T. solium eggs in soil.
Validation of droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction for the detection and absolute quantification of Taenia solium eggs in spiked soil samples
(Elsevier, 2019) Maganira, Justine Daudi; Mwang'onde, Beda John; Kidima, Winifrida; Mwita, Chacha John; Nkwengulila, Gamba; Höglund, Johan
To enable the detection of taeniid eggs in environmental samples, a sensitive technology is required. In this study, we validated the effectiveness of a digital droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) assay for detection, identification and absolute quantification of taeniid DNA from artificially contaminated soils with varying numbers of taeniid eggs using a set of universal primers, JB3 & JB4.5. The results showed that the number of cox1 copies detected increased gradually for both species with the number of taeniid eggs added to the different soil types. The highest cox1 DNA copies recovery for Taenia solium and T. lynciscapreoli was from the sand soil with lowest recovery being observed in clay soils. Therefore, ddPCR is a promising technology for screening of taeniid eggs from soil samples collected in the environment irrespective of the soil type and the number of eggs. The potential of the ddPCR protocol to detect taeniid egg DNA in spiked soil samples has great practical application for taeniid egg screening in soils from endemic areas. However, when universal primers are used in screening environmental samples, the identity of ddPCR positive samples must be confirmed by sequencing. In addition, more validation studies using species-specific primers and field soil samples is recommended.