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Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023Dogs are increasingly being employed for conservation purposes worldwide. In Africa, they work in challenging environments with unique health risks which have not been...
INTRODUCTION
Dogs are increasingly being employed for conservation purposes worldwide. In Africa, they work in challenging environments with unique health risks which have not been investigated until now.
METHODS
To understand the health challenges faced by the dogs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from 14 organisations that used working dogs in their conservation programmes. The data was qualitatively analysed by thematic analysis.
RESULTS
Five themes were generated. Three affective themes influenced how participants responded to the challenges associated with having a successful conservation dog programme. A strong handler-dog attachment, proficient handler training, and the acknowledgement of the challenging environment were pivotal to maintaining dog health. Two themes related to the difficulties in managing these programmes and how veterinary support interacts with the management choices being made.
DISCUSSION
To have healthy conservation dogs, current and future programmes should focus on fostering the handler-dog relationship and provide continuous handler training. The management of conservation dogs' health should adopt an evidence-based approach. Future research should focus on areas where the evidence base is lacking, particularly in the areas of prevention and treatment of African canine trypanosomiasis. Programmes should develop a good working relationship with a veterinarian that has access to evidence-based veterinary medical information.
PubMed: 37533460
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1179278 -
PloS One 2023Livestock diseases are a big challenge for the livelihood of pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa because they reduce livestock productivity and increase mortality. Based...
INTRODUCTION
Livestock diseases are a big challenge for the livelihood of pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa because they reduce livestock productivity and increase mortality. Based on the literature available there is limited understanding on how pastoralists prioritize these diseases in the context of their culture, ecosystems and livelihoods. A study was conducted to provide insights on lay prioritization of animal diseases by pastoralists in Kenya.
METHODOLOGY
A qualitative study was undertaken between March and July 2021. Thirty in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with community members to explore community attitudes on livestock diseases prioritization. Male and female livestock keepers were purposively selected and interviewed and they were all long-term residents of the area. Fourteen key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with professionals from different key sectors to provide detailed stakeholder perspectives on livestock diseases. The interviews were analyzed thematically using the QSR Nvivo software to identify the emerging themes related to the study objectives.
RESULTS
The pastoralists prioritized livestock diseases based on effect on their economic wellbeing, cultural values and utilization of ecosystem services. There were gender variabilities in how diseases were prioritized among the pastoralists. Men cited high priority diseases as foot and mouth disease and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia due to their regular occurrence and effect on livelihood. Notably, women regarded coenuruses as very important because it affected sheep and goats with a high mortality rate and lumpy skin disease because it rendered the meat from the carcasses inedible. Malignant catarrhal fever and trypanosomiasis were noted as some of the common diseases in the livestock-wildlife interface but not cited as priority diseases. Challenges related to disease control in pastoralist contexts exist including limited access to livestock treatment services, inadequate information on disease impact and complex environmental factors.
CONCLUSION
This study sheds light on the body of knowledge in Kenya regarding livestock diseases and their prioritization by livestock keepers. This could aid in the development of a common disease control framework and prioritization at the local level which would take into consideration the dynamic socio-cultural, ecological, livelihood and economic contexts of the communities.
Topics: Female; Male; Humans; Animals; Cattle; Sheep; Ecosystem; Kenya; Livestock; Animal Diseases; Animals, Wild; Goats
PubMed: 37436965
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287456 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) are a class of compounds that have been recognized as an important core in the design of drugs with important pharmacological properties, such...
(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) are a class of compounds that have been recognized as an important core in the design of drugs with important pharmacological properties, such as promising anticancer and antiparasitic activities. Here, we explored the biological activity of the BIM core functionalized with different (hetero)aromatic moieties. We synthesized substituted BIM derivatives with triphenylamine, -dimethyl-1-naphthylamine and 8-hydroxylquinolyl groups, studied their photophysical properties and evaluated their in vitro antiproliferative and antiparasitic activities. The triphenylamine BIM derivative displayed an IC of 3.21, 3.30 and 3.93 μM against , and HT-29 cancer cell line, respectively. The selectivity index demonstrated that compound was up to eight-fold more active against the parasites and HT-29 than against the healthy cell line MRC-5. Fluorescence microscopy studies with MRC-5 cells and parasites incubated with derivative indicate that the compound seems to accumulate in the cell's mitochondria and in the parasite's nucleus. In conclusion, the BIM scaffold functionalized with the triphenylamine moiety proved to be the most promising antiparasitic and anticancer agent of this series.
Topics: Humans; Antiparasitic Agents; Methane; Trypanosoma brucei brucei; Antineoplastic Agents; Neoplasms; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 38067459
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237728 -
identification of α-bisabolol and letestuianin C as potential inhibitors of trypanothione reductase.Journal of Biomolecular Structure &... Aug 2023Despite the recent advances in drug research, finding a safe, effective, and easy to use chemotherapy for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains a challenging task....
Despite the recent advances in drug research, finding a safe, effective, and easy to use chemotherapy for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains a challenging task. Trypanosomatids have developed resistance mechanisms towards melarsoprol (the current drug of choice), and the fact that it is poisonous is problematic. Therefore, a search for alternative therapeutics against the parasite is urgently needed. Natural products offer potential for drug discovery, but little or nothing is known about the target of inhibition or possible mode of inhibition. Therefore, this study aimed to use molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate 30 antitrypanosomal natural products as potential inhibitors of trypanothione reductase, a key protein necessary for the survival of the . The study also assessed the pharmacokinetic properties of the most promising compounds. Of the compounds evaluated, α-bisabolol, letestuianin C, waltherione, and mexicanin E were found to bind at the active site of TR and interact with Met115, Tyr112, and Trp23, which are essential for enzyme functioning. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed the sustained binding of α-bisabolol and letestuianin C throughout the simulation period, potentially obstructing the binding of the substrate (T[S]) and impeding catalysis. The binding of these compounds to TR led to the presence of solvent molecules in the enzyme's active site, and this could potentially lead to protein aggregation. Furthermore, α-bisabolol and letestuianin C exhibited promising safety profiles. Consequently, α-bisabolol and letestuianin C have been shown to be viable candidates for targeting trypanothione reductase in the fight against human African trypanosomiasis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
PubMed: 37584491
DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2247084 -
Insects Oct 2023Tsetse flies ( spp.; Diptera: Glossinidae) are viviparous flies that feed on blood and are found exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa. They are the only cyclic vectors of...
Tsetse flies ( spp.; Diptera: Glossinidae) are viviparous flies that feed on blood and are found exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa. They are the only cyclic vectors of African trypanosomes, responsible for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT). In this study, we employed high throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to unravel the diversity of symbiotic bacteria in five wild and three laboratory populations of tsetse species (, , , and ). The aim was to assess the dynamics of bacterial diversity both within each laboratory and wild population in relation to the developmental stage, insect age, gender, and location. Our results indicated that the bacterial communities associated with the four studied species were significantly influenced by their region of origin, with wild samples being more diverse compared to the laboratory samples. We also observed that the larval microbiota was significantly different than the adults. Furthermore, the sex and the species did not significantly influence the formation of the bacterial profile of the laboratory colonies once these populations were kept under the same rearing conditions. In addition, , , and were the most abundant bacterial genera in all the samples, while was significantly abundant in compared to the other studied species. The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) co-occurrence network for each location (VVBD insectary, Doma, Makao, and Msubugwe) indicated a high variability between and the other species in terms of the number of mutual exclusion and copresence interactions. In particular, some bacterial genera, like and , with high relative abundance, were also characterized by a high degree of interactions.
PubMed: 37999039
DOI: 10.3390/insects14110840 -
Animal Genetics Dec 2023Environmental adaptation traits of indigenous African cattle are increasingly being investigated to respond to the need for sustainable livestock production in the... (Review)
Review
Environmental adaptation traits of indigenous African cattle are increasingly being investigated to respond to the need for sustainable livestock production in the context of unpredictable climatic changes. Several studies have highlighted genomic regions under positive selection probably associated with adaptation to environmental challenges (e.g. heat stress, trypanosomiasis, tick and tick-borne diseases). However, little attention has focused on pinpointing the candidate causative variant(s) controlling the traits. This review compiled information from 22 studies on signatures of positive selection in indigenous African cattle breeds to identify regions under positive selection. We highlight some key candidate genome regions and genes of relevance to the challenges of living in extreme environments (high temperature, high altitude, high infectious disease prevalence). They include candidate genes involved in biological pathways relating to innate and adaptive immunity (e.g. BoLAs, SPAG11, IL1RL2 and GFI1B), heat stress (e.g. HSPs, SOD1 and PRLH) and hypoxia responses (e.g. BDNF and INPP4A). Notably, the highest numbers of candidate regions are found on BTA3, BTA5 and BTA7. They overlap with genes playing roles in several biological functions and pathways. These include but are not limited to growth and feed intake, cell stability, protein stability and sweat gland development. This review may further guide targeted genome studies aiming to assess the importance of candidate causative mutations, within regulatory and protein-coding genome regions, to further understand the biological mechanisms underlying African cattle's unique adaption.
Topics: Cattle; Animals; Genome; Genomics; Heat-Shock Response; Selection, Genetic; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
PubMed: 37697736
DOI: 10.1111/age.13353 -
Bulletin of the World Health... Aug 2023Human African trypanosomiasis is a life-threatening parasitic infection endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Around 95% of cases are due to , found in western and central...
Human African trypanosomiasis is a life-threatening parasitic infection endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Around 95% of cases are due to , found in western and central Africa. Clinical signs and symptoms are nonspecific, current diagnostic tests are not sufficiently accurate, and parasitological confirmation of infection requires microscopic examination of body fluids and specialized techniques for concentrating parasites. Moreover, current treatment is not recommended on the basis of suspicion alone because it is not sufficiently safe. The availability of a simple and accurate diagnostic test to identify individuals harbouring parasites would widen treatment and help decrease disease prevalence. A subcommittee of the World Health Organization's Neglected Tropical Diseases Diagnostics Technical Advisory Group has developed a target product profile for a diagnostic tool to identify infection. This tool should have a high sensitivity for detecting but be simple enough to use in rural Africa. Ideally, the tool could be applied by any minimally trained individual in an unsophisticated peripheral health facility, or a mobile team in a village with little infrastructure. The test should be able to function under hot and humid conditions. Basic training should take under 2 hours and the test should involve fewer than five steps. There should be no need for instrumentation or precision liquid handling. The test should yield a qualitative result in under 20 minutes that can be easily observed, and one test should be sufficient for determining treatment. A unit cost below 1 United States dollar (US$) would enable mass screening.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Trypanosoma brucei gambiense; Trypanosomiasis, African; Africa; Body Fluids; Diagnostic Tests, Routine
PubMed: 37529027
DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.290172 -
BioEssays : News and Reviews in... Jul 2024Trypanosoma brucei is the causal agent of African Trypanosomiasis in humans and other animals. It maintains a long-term infection through an antigenic variation based... (Review)
Review
Trypanosoma brucei is the causal agent of African Trypanosomiasis in humans and other animals. It maintains a long-term infection through an antigenic variation based population survival strategy. To proliferate in a mammal, T. brucei acquires iron and haem through the receptor mediated uptake of host transferrin and haptoglobin-hemoglobin respectively. The receptors are exposed to host antibodies but this does not lead to clearance of the infection. Here we discuss how the trypanosome avoids this fate in the context of recent findings on the structure and cell biology of the receptors.
Topics: Trypanosoma brucei brucei; Humans; Animals; Trypanosomiasis, African; Haptoglobins; Receptors, Cell Surface; Transferrin; Hemoglobins; Protozoan Proteins; Host-Parasite Interactions; Iron; Antibodies, Protozoan
PubMed: 38713161
DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400053 -
PLOS Global Public Health 2023Livestock are important reservoirs for many zoonotic diseases, however the effects of livestock on human and environmental health extend well beyond direct disease...
Livestock, pathogens, vectors, and their environment: A causal inference-based approach to estimating the pathway-specific effect of livestock on human African trypanosomiasis risk.
Livestock are important reservoirs for many zoonotic diseases, however the effects of livestock on human and environmental health extend well beyond direct disease transmission. In this retrospective ecological cohort study we use pre-existing data and the parametric g-formula, which imputes potential outcomes to quantify mediation, to estimate three hypothesized mechanisms by which livestock can influence human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) risk: the reservoir effect, where infected cattle and pigs are a source of infection to humans; the zooprophylactic effect, where preference for livestock hosts exhibited by the tsetse fly vector of HAT means that their presence protects humans from infection; and the environmental change effect, where livestock keeping activities modify the environment in such a way that habitat suitability for tsetse flies, and in turn human infection risk, is reduced. We conducted this study in four high burden countries: at the point level in Uganda, Malawi, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and at the county level in South Sudan. Our results indicate cattle and pigs play a reservoir role for the rhodesiense form (rHAT) in Uganda (rate ratio (RR) 1.68, 95% CI 0.84, 2.82 for cattle; RR 2.16, 95% CI 1.18, 3.05 for pigs), however zooprophylaxis outweighs this effect for rHAT in Malawi (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.68, 1.00 for cattle, RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.21, 0.69 for pigs). For the gambiense form (gHAT) we found evidence that pigs may be a competent reservoir (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.92, 1.72 in Uganda; RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.11, 1.42 in DRC). Statistical significance was reached for rHAT in Malawi (pigs and cattle) and Uganda (pigs only) and for gHAT in DRC (pigs and cattle). We did not find compelling evidence of an environmental change effect (all effect sizes close to 1).
PubMed: 37967087
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002543 -
Journal of Tropical Medicine 2023Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and schistosomiasis are neglected parasitic diseases found in the African continent. This study was conducted to determine how...
INTRODUCTION
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and schistosomiasis are neglected parasitic diseases found in the African continent. This study was conducted to determine how primary infection with affects HAT disease progression with a secondary infection with () in a mouse model.
METHODS
Female BALB-c mice (6-8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups of 12 mice each. The different groups were infected with (100 cercariae) and (5.0 × 104) separately or together. Twenty-one days after infection with , mice were sacrificed and samples were collected for analysis.
RESULTS
The primary infection with significantly enhanced successive infection by the ; consequently, promoting HAT disease severity and curtailing host survival time. -induced impairment of the neurological integrity and breach of the blood-brain barrier were markedly pronounced on coinfection with Coinfection with and resulted in microcytic hypochromic anemia characterized by the suppression of RBCs, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red cell indices. Moreover, coinfection of the mice with the two parasites resulted in leukocytosis which was accompanied by the elevation of basophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils. More importantly, coinfection resulted in a significant elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, creatinine, urea, and uric acid, which are the markers of liver and kidney damage. Meanwhile, -driven dyslipidemia was significantly enhanced by the coinfection of mice with Moreover, coinfection with and led to a strong immune response characterized by a significant increase in serum TNF- and IFN-. infection enhanced -induced depletion of cellular-reduced glutathione (GSH) in the brain and liver tissues, indicative of lethal oxidative damage. Similarly, coinfection resulted in a significant rise in nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels.
CONCLUSION
Primary infection with exacerbates disease severity of secondary infection with in a mouse model that is associated with harmful inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and organ injury.
PubMed: 37954132
DOI: 10.1155/2023/1063169