RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is one of the biggest constraints to livestock production and a threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to optimise the allocation of resources for AAT control, decision makers need to target geographic areas where control programmes are most likely to be successful and sustainable and select control methods that will maximise the benefits obtained from resources invested. METHODS: The overall approach to classifying cattle-owning communities in terms of AAT vulnerability was based on the selection of key variables collected through field surveys in five sub-Saharan Africa countries followed by a formal Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to identify factors explaining the variations between areas. To categorise the communities in terms of AAT vulnerability profiles, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was performed. RESULTS: Three clusters of community vulnerability profiles were identified based on farmers' beliefs with respect to trypanosomiasis control within the five countries studied. Cluster 1 communities, mainly identified in Cameroon, reported constant AAT burden, had large trypanosensitive (average herd size = 57) communal grazing cattle herds. Livestock (cattle and small ruminants) were reportedly the primary source of income in the majority of these cattle-owning households (87.0%). Cluster 2 communities identified mainly in Burkina Faso and Zambia, with some Ethiopian communities had moderate herd sizes (average = 16) and some trypanotolerant breeds (31.7%) practicing communal grazing. In these communities there were some concerns regarding the development of trypanocide resistance. Crops were the primary income source while communities in this cluster incurred some financial losses due to diminished draft power. The third cluster contained mainly Ugandan and Ethiopian communities which were mixed farmers with smaller herd sizes (average = 8). The costs spent diagnosing and treating AAT were moderate here. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how cattle-owners are affected by AAT and their efforts to manage the disease is critical to the design of suitable locally-adapted control programmes. It is expected that the results could inform priority setting and the development of tailored recommendations for AAT control strategies.
Asunto(s)
Crianza de Animales Domésticos , Enfermedades de los Bovinos/epidemiología , Tripanosomiasis Africana/veterinaria , África del Sur del Sahara/epidemiología , Animales , Bovinos , Enfermedades de los Bovinos/economía , Abastecimiento de Alimentos , Propiedad , Población Rural , Tripanosomiasis Africana/economía , Tripanosomiasis Africana/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
A 15-year-old male African lion (Panthera leo) was presented with blindness due to bilateral panuveitis with retinal detachment. Feline coronavirus (FCoV) antigen was identified immunohistochemically in ocular macrophages, consistent with a diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) infection. This is the first report of FIP in an African lion and the first report of ocular FIP in a non-domestic felid.
Asunto(s)
Peritonitis Infecciosa Felina/patología , Panuveítis/veterinaria , Animales , Gatos , Peritonitis Infecciosa Felina/complicaciones , Leones , Masculino , Panuveítis/etiología , Panuveítis/patologíaRESUMEN
A female wild African lion (Panthera leo) was presented with an 8-month history of a wound with multiple discharging sinus tracts on the left paw. Microscopical examination revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cutaneous SCC in an African lion. Cutaneous SCC presenting as discharging sinus tracts lined by neoplastic squamous cells has not been reported previously in animals.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/veterinaria , Leones , Neoplasias Cutáneas/veterinaria , Animales , Animales Salvajes , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patología , Femenino , Neoplasias Cutáneas/patologíaRESUMEN
This paper presents the results of an economic simulation model evaluating the costs and benefits of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) control in a wildlife-livestock interface area of Southern Zambia over a 10 year period, using test and slaughter in livestock and promotion of milk pasteurization amongst livestock keeping communities to reduce the zoonotic transmission of bTB through milk. Expected benefits included increased productivity and health in village resident and transhumant cattle, and averted human bTB treatment costs after the fourth year of the project. In monetary terms, at different bTB prevalence estimates in cattle, the simulation outcome showed that the costs of control never exceeded the few benefits considered over the simulated period. However, the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs if wider implications of bTB in humans (infirmity-related productivity losses), livestock and wildlife (reduced productivity and herd value in cattle and diminished tourism potential from bTB-related wildlife mortalities) are taken into account.