Browsing by Author "Mahlaba, Themb’alilahlwa A."

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Dietary differences of the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834), across different habitats and seasons in Tanzania and Swaziland
(CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2011-11) Mulungu, Loth S.; Mahlaba, Themb’alilahlwa A.; Massawe, Apia W.; Kennis, Jan; Crauwels, Dieter; Eiseb, Seth; Monadjem, Ara; Makundi, Rhodes H.; Katakweba, Abdul A. S.; Leirs, Herwig; Belmain, Steven R.
eastern Africa where it can cause significant crop losses. Mastomys natalensis is known to consume a variety of food in response to the availability of food items. However, it is currently unknown whether maize crop growth stages affect the spatio-temporal diet of this species. Aims. We examined the foods consumed by M. natalensis in different habitats and seasons in central Tanzania and Swaziland. Methods. Diet was investigated in Tanzania in four different habitats (woodland, vegetable gardens, maize fields and fallow land) during different maize crop growth stages between March 2008 and February 2009. In Swaziland, this was conducted in three habitats (fallow land, cultivated fields and pristine land) during three crop growth stages (pre-planting, vegetative stage and post-harvest) between March 2008 and April 2009. Micro-histological examination of undigested fragments from the stomachs of trapped animals was made whereby the preserved stomach content was placed in a Petri dish and sorted using a 25 or 50 magnification binocular stereoscope. Stomach contents were identified as: grain and/or seeds (both grasses and maize), plant material (roots, stems and leaves), invertebrates, pods of seeds, fruits (vegetable fruit such as tomato), animal hairs and unidentified matter. If necessary, a lugol solution was used to determine the presence of starch for maize and grass seeds or grains. Key results. In both countries, grain predominated in the diet of M. natalensis. Statistical analyses showed that there were no differences due to seasons or habitats. Therefore, the percentage volume and relative importance were the same across habitats and seasons in both countries. Conclusions. Our findings highlight clearly that M. natalensis is a generalist species feeding on available resources depending on the season and the habitat. Its preference for grain may account for its abundance in maize plantations and confirms it as one of the major pests in crop plantations, especially grain. Implications. This information offers a useful tool for determining the pest status in different habitats and/or seasons. The findings of this study have implications for agriculture and conservation.
Differences in diet between two rodent species, Mastomys natalensis and Gerbilliscus vicinus, in fallow land habitats in central Tanzania
(2011-10) Mulungu, Loth S.; Massawe, Apia W.; Kennis, Jan; Crauwels, Dieter; Eiseb, Seth; Mahlaba, Themb’alilahlwa A.; Monadjem, Ara; Makundi, Rhodes H.; Katakweba, Abdul A. S.; Leirs, Herwig; Belmain, Steven R.
Differences in the ecological niche requirements among rodent species competing in the same habitat may result from differences in the use of one to three resources: space, time and food or some combination of these. Alternatively, differences in resource use utilization among animal species may simply reflect availability of food, and when food is limited, different animal species compete. In this study, the diet of two rodent pest species, Mastomys natalensis and Gerbilliscus vicinus, coexisting in fallow land in central Tanzania were studied to assess the degree of diet differentiation among them. Dietary niche breadth of G. vicinus was greater than that of M. natalensis in all stages of the maize cropping seasons. The rodent species studied overlapped considerably in the food items consumed ranging from niche overlap (Ojk) of 0.77–0.89. Grains/seeds featured high in the diet of M. natalensis while plant material occurrence was high in G. vicinus. These two food categories may have contributed to differences in diet partitioning, which may, in turn, facilitate their coexistence in fallow land.
Prevalence of haemoparasites, leptospires and coccobacilli with potential for human infection in the blood of rodents and shrews from selected localities in Tanzania, Namibia and Swaziland
(African Zoology, 2012-02) Katakweba, Abdul A.S.; Mulungu, Loth S.; Eiseb, Seth J.; Mahlaba, Themb’alilahlwa A.; Makundi, Rhodes H.; Massawe, Apia W.; Borremans, Benny; Belmain, Steven R.
The prevalence of haemoparasites, leptospirosis and Yersinia pestis was investigated in rodents and shrews from Tanzania, Namibia and Swaziland. Blood smears originating from rodents and shrews from the three countries indicated the presence of Trypanosoma lewisi (72.7%; n =950), Bacillus spp. (25.6%; n =950), Borrelia sp. (0.01%; n =950) and bipolar coccobacilli (0.01%; n =950). The blood smears from Namibia (n =26) had no haemoparasites while only 1.33% (n =75) of those from Swaziland showed presence of T. lewisi. Leptospira interrogans was found in rodent blood sera from Tanzania in the following serogroup proportions (n =350): Icterohaemorrhagiae (10.29%), Pomona (2.86%), Hardjo (1.14%), Bullum (0.86%), Grippotyphosa (1.43%) and Canicola (1.14%). Serodiagnosis of antibodies against the F1 antigen of Y. pestis using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was negative for all the serum samples from central Tanzania, while two samples of serum from two species of rodents, Rhabdomys pumilio and Gerbilliscus leucogaster, collected in the Kavango Region of Namibia were positive. These results suggest an enzootic plague activity in this region in Namibia. It is concluded that zoonotic agents, that are infectious to humans, are prevalent in rodents and shrews in the three countries, and that local communities should apply rodent control measures to reduce the risk of human infections.