Abstract: Background Effective health information systems (HIS) are critical towards achieving timely response to preventive chemotherapy neglected tropical diseases (PC-NTDs) and their eventual elimination. Strengthened HIS enable prompt case detection and effective response to halt disease transmission and prevent probable outbreaks. This study aimed to assess the importance and feasibility of implementing recommendations for improving surveillance core functions, support functions and sur...
Abstract: The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda, is a voracious pest of cereals native to the Americas and which invaded Africa in 2016. Chemical control is the main management option, which however remains ineffective and unsustainable. Fungal endophytes are increasingly used as alternative for the management of insect pests of economic importance. This study assessed the potential of eight endophytic fungal isolates to colonize maize plant and their ability to promote seedlings gro...
Abstract: Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are major constraints to camel health and production, yet epidemiological data on their diversity and impact on dromedary camels remain limited. We surveyed the diversity of ticks and TBPs associated with camels and co-grazing sheep at 12 sites in Marsabit County, northern Kenya. We screened blood and ticks (858 pools) from 296 camels and 77 sheep for bacterial and protozoan TBPs by high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing of PCR product...
Abstract: Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is an important starch staple crop, cultivated primarily in south and southwestern Ethiopia. Enset is the main crop of a sustainable indigenous African system that ensures food security in a country that is food deficient. Related to the banana family, enset is similarly affected by plant-parasitic nematodes. Plant-parasitic nematodes impose a huge constraint on agriculture. The distribution, population density and incidence of plant-parasitic nematodes o...
Abstract: Second instar nymphs of African migratory locust, Locusta migratoria migratorioides, and desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, were tested for their susceptibility to the microsporidium pathogen Johenrea locustae (Lange et al. 1996, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 68, 28) in the laboratory. Spores of J. locustae were produced from live L.m. migratorioides, a conspecific to L. migratoria capito. Locusta m. migratorioides and S. gregaria were exposed to wheat seedlings sprayed wit...
Abstract: Despite substantial efforts to control locusts they remain periodically a major burden in Africa, causing severe yield loss and hence loss of food and income. Distribution maps indicating the value of the basic reproduction number R0 was used to identify areas where an insect pest can be controlled by a natural enemy. A dynamic process-based mathematical model integrating essential features of a natural enemy and its interaction with the pest is used to generate R0 risk maps for in...
Abstract: Malaria remains a serious threat in sub-Saharan Africa Available control tools are now largely ineffective. Because of the role of vectors in malaria transmission, integrated vector management strategies that are environmentally safe, economically feasible and acceptable to resource-limited communities are one way to achieve effective malaria control. However, adequate knowledge of the biology, behaviour and ecology of the malaria vectors are imperative. Sugar-feeding from plants i...
Abstract: Due to the rapid development of tick resistance to synthetic chemical acaricides and the potential risk posed by these chemicals to non-target species, efforts are intensifying towards the development of entomopathogenic fungi as an environmentally benign alternative tick control strategy. The main objective of this study is the development of formulations and delivery systems for control of ticks with entomopathogenic fungi. Screening of entomopathogenic fungal isolates is the fir...
Abstract: Several Cicadulina species are important pests of maize by virtue of their role as vectors of maize streak virus (MSV). Tnis study deals with various aspects of the vector/virus/host plant relationship. Developmental times for all life stages of both C. anestae and C. mbila were inversely related to temperature, and the data were used to develop a degree-day (DD) model that can be used to estimate population growth in the field. The rate of development peaked at 30 °c for both spe...
Abstract: The research on which this thesis is based was carried out as part of a multidisciplinary project, “SolarMal”, which aimed to evaluate proof of principle for the elimination of malaria from Rusinga Island by augmenting the existing national malaria control programme tools with mass trapping of mosquitoes. As electricity was required to run the mosquito traps and most residents had no electricity, solar systems were also installed,providing lighting and telephone charging as wel...
Introduction: Malaria in man is caused by four species of protozoan parasites1 belonging to the genus Plasmodium. Plasmodium parasites exhibit a complex life cycle involving development through two host2 species: an insect vector3 (definitive host4) and a vertebrate species (intermediate host5). Humans serve as intermediate hosts for several Plasmodium species (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae) whilst female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles serve as the definitive hosts (Fi...
ABSTRACT Field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka to compare the activity of Cassia alata leaf extract with two synthetic chemical fungicides applied as seed treatment on the field performance of Nsukka yellow pepper. Four accessions of Nsukka yellow pepper seeds were treated with Apron plus 50 Ds (34% furathiocarb + 10% metalaxyl + 6% carboxine) and Thiram (tetramety1 thioperoxydicarbonic diamide) each ...
ABSTRACT The pathophysiology of Sarcoptes scabiei infestation in the West African Dwarf goat was evaluated in a natural transmission study. Twenty- five adult male West African Dwarf (WAD) goats consisting of 15 naturally infested goats assigned into three equal groups based on severity of clinical disease as: A (mild infestation), B (moderate infestation), C (severe infestation), and10 healthy WAD goats with no previous history of mange infestation assigned into two equal groups as D (for co...
ABSTRACT Tomato is an important vegetable crop in Kenya. It is widely grown for home consumption and for sale. The demand for fresh tomato is high both for domestic use and markets. However, tomato post-harvest losses are a threat to the harvested tomatoes. There is no well documented current knowledge on the nature and status of post harvest losses on tomato in Kenya particularly with regard to pests and diseases. In areas where post-harvest losses have been documented the figures vary cons...
ABSTRACT Plant-parasitic nematodes, in particular Meloidogyne spp., cause significant yield reduction in commercial pineapple (Ananas comosus) worldwide. In Kenya limited studies have been conducted on nematodes in pineapple although the main commercial producer in Kenya has sole mandate to use Telone II (1, 3-Dichloropropene) indicating the seriousness of the problem. The current study was conducted to provide an update on the occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in commercial pineapple f...