Browsing by Author "Selemani, Mwajabu"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Does rodent management impact the distribution of rattus rattus and mastomys natalensis in village settings?
(International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd., 2025-09-02) Mkomwa, Herieth; Makundi, Rhodes; Rija ,Alfan A.; Espinaze, Marcela P. A.; Belmain, Steven R.; Telfer, Sandra; Ponchon, Aurore; Selemani, Mwajabu
Rodents are significant agricultural and public health pests in rural village settings. Traditional rodent control methods, such as poison baiting and locally made traps, are usually implemented by individual households when rodent abundance is high and often provide only short-term relief. Moreover, impacts on different pest species may vary, and changes to inter-specific interactions may have potential ecological consequences. This study examines the impact of community-wide daily trapping inside houses on the abundance and distribution of Rattus rattus and Mastomys natalensis in Kilombero District, Tanzania. In this area, R. rattus are typically found inside houses, while M. natalensis are found outside. Snap traps were deployed daily inside all houses in treatment villages, while control villages received no intervention. Rhodamine B (RhB) baits in exterior areas monitored the movements of rodents from these areas to houses. Intensive in-house trapping successfully reduced the abundance of R. rattus but not M. natalensis. M. natalensis increased its use of houses in treatment villages, with a significant rise in the proportion of individuals captured indoors and a significant increase in the proportion of these individuals that had consumed RhB compared to non- treatment villages. Our results suggest that M. natalensis benefits from the reduced presence of R. rattus by expanding its habitat use to include houses. These findings underscore the effectiveness of intensive trapping in controlling R. rattus but reveal potential ecological readjustments following community ecology principles, with habitat shifts by M. natalensis. This highlights the need for integrated, multi-species management approaches for sustainable rodent pest control.
Effect of Hormonal baits (Levonorgestrel and Quinestrol) on Fertility of Commensal Rat (Rattus rattus linnaeus, 1758)
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2021) Selemani, Mwajabu
This laboratory-based study examined the effects of quinestrol and levonorgestrel (singly and in combination) incorporated in bait on body mass and reproduction of the roof rat (Rattus rattus ). A total of 140 R. rattus, (70 males and 70 females) were provided with 10 g of bait containing quinestrol (QU) or levonorgestrel (LE) or a combination of levonorgestrel and quinestrol (EP-1) at concentrations of (10 ppm and 50 ppm) for seven consecutive days consecutively. After 7 days, animals were dissected and the ovary, uterus, testis, seminal vesicles, and epididymis were weighed and examined. Bait consumption and body weight decreased significantly (p = 0.0001) in treated compared to control animals, with a minor difference between sexes. Quinestrol and EP-1 at 10 ppm and 50 ppm increased the mass of the uterus and ovary of females (p = 0.0001), which was associated with edema in the uterus. The mass of epididymis, testis, seminal vesicles, were reduced and sperm counts and motility were significantly reduced (p = 0.0001) particularly in the animals with QU and EP-1 at the higher concentrations. To determine the effects of contraceptive hormones on reproduction, 50 ppm of QU and EP-1 were used. A total of 160 animals of equal numbers and sexes were paired, keeping the ratio of one female to one male. Pregnancy and litter production was significantly reduced (p = 0.0249) in the treated pairs when compared to controls. It is concluded that quinestrol and EP-1 have a significant impact on both males and females R. rattus reproduction compared to levonorgestrel alone. These hormones will be very valuable when used as a fundamental method in controlling R. rattu reproduction.
Serological survey of leptospira spp. in livestock and rodents from different settlements in the kilombero wetland, Tanzania
(Pathogens, 2024-11-25) Selemani, Mwajabu; Makundi, Rhodes H; Massawe, Apia W; Katakweba, Abdul S
Background: The circulation of Leptospira has been linked to various occupational activities globally. This study investigated the seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in rodents and livestock (cattle and goats) in three settlements/villages involved in agriculture, livestock keeping, and mixed agriculture and livestock in the Kilombero district, Tanzania. Methods: Data were collected dur- ing the wet and dry seasons. A total of 179 rodents were live-captured from selected habitats. Livestock samples were collected from 80 cattle in a livestock settlement and 120 goats from both livestock and mixed agricultural–livestock settlements. The microscopic agglutination test was utilized to identify Leptospira serovars. Results: The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. was 17.3% in rodents (21.7% in Mastomys natalensis and 3.9% in Rattus rattus) and 8.3% in livestock (13.5% in cattle and 12.6% in goats). The prevalence among rodents and livestock differed between settlements (p = 0.01). A higher prevalence was observed among rodents in the agricultural settlement relative to the other settlements. A higher prevalence of antibodies in livestock was observed in the live- stock settlement compared with the mixed agricultural–livestock settlement. The Leptospira serovars Sokoine (serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae) and Hebdomadis (serogroup Hebdomadis) were detected in both rodents and livestock. The serovars Hardjo (serogroup Sejroe) and Gripothyphosa (serogroup Gripothyphosa) were found exclusively in cattle, whereas the serovars Pomona (serogroup Pomona) and Lora (serogroup Australis) were identified in rodents. Leptospira antibodies were found to be elevated during the rainy season compared with the dry season (p = 0.05) in all settlements, with the exception of rodents in the mixed agricultural–livestock settlement. Conclusions: This study demon- strates the presence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in rodents and livestock related to occupational activities in human settlements. It further demonstrates that wild animals (rodents) and livestock are reservoirs of Leptospira and are important in the epidemiology of leptospirosis. Management and control strategies should target both rodents and livestock.