Abstract: Late stage Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is manifested by brain degeneration following infection by Trypanasoma brucei rhodensiense and Trypanasoma brucei gambiense parasites. This stage can only be treated with melarsoprol (Mel B) which inadvertently induces Post Treatment Reactive Encephalopathy (PTRE) and a mortality of 5% among HAT infected patients. This is an unacceptable mortality for a modern human drug. Investigations were conducted to establish the protective role o...
Abstract: The study was done at the Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of β-mannanase on nutrient utilization and performance of laying hens. Experimental diets were based on soybean meal (SBM), corn and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The first study was designed to evaluate the effect of β-mannanase (CTCZYME, CTC Bio Inc., Seoul, South Korea) on performance of laying hens and egg quality traits. A ...
Abstract: The cost of feed is one of the major constraints to dairy cattle production in sub-Saharan Africa. East Africa dairy development project is promoting several feed technologies for dairy cattle in order to reduce costs and increase milk production and profits. Research was conducted to identify factors that affect farmers’ uptake of feed technologies, cost of feed and factors driving dairy milk yield through improved technologies and practices. There has however been no studies re...
Abstract: Besides soil replenishment through manure application , the zero grazing production system also contributes towards smallholders' standards of living and poverty reduction. Its benefits are many and substantial; in western Kenya, the livestock farmers have adopted it. However, factors influencing its adoption are not known. It is also not certain whether the livestock farmers who practice zero grazing are knowledgeable of the cattle reproductive parameters or not which is key to ze...
Abstract: Researchers are often confronted with multinomial data in insect choice studies. Common choice models available to researchers for analysis of multinomial data include multinomial logit (MNL) and multinomial probit model (MNP). MNL relies on the Independence from Irrelevant Alternatives (IIA) assumption which is violated when choices are correlated resulting in overestimating the probability of selecting correlated alternatives. The more flexible MNP model relaxes IIA assumption an...
Abstract: Wildlife-livestock interfaces are hotspots for tick-borne livestock diseases, which cause high mortalities and morbidity. Wild bovines in these interfaces play a major role in maintaining tick vectors and tick-borne pathogens. This study explored the diversity of ticks infesting blue wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus), cattle and sheep as well as the diversity of protozoan pathogens harboured by these ticks in the Maasai Mara which is one of the wildlife – livestock interfaces i...
Abstract: Pollination is an important ecosystem service in the maintenance of biodiversity and most importantly in food production as it brings about fruit formation and seed production. Pollination is, however, on the decline due to several factors including habitat loss, exotic pest invasions, pollution, overharvesting, and land use changes. The Ocimum kilimandscharicum plant is known for its medicinal values and has gained more attention locally and internationally for its commercial use ...
Abstract: The Lake Victoria region of western Kenya is malaria endemic with a suitable environment throughout the year for the transmission of Plasmodium parasites by its primary mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.), as well as other secondary vectors. Malaria control largely depends on vector control using long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) that protect humans from infectious bites while sleeping. However, the success of this strategy is greatly threatened by resistance ...
Abstract: African animal trypanosomosis, transmitted by the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) remains a major constraint to food security in areas of Africa that hold the continent's greatest potential for expanded agriculture production. The flies also transmit the parasite responsible for human sleeping sickness. Other haematophagous arthropods like stable flies also transmit trypanosomes mechanically. Mechanical transmission only accounts for a small percentage (-16 % ) of the trypanosomes trans...
Abstract: Crickets are drawing interest as sustainable source of protein for food and feed worldwide. However, there is little information on microbial quality of edible crickets thus the need for a profound insight into their safety. The objective of the study was to determine the microbial load of two edible cricket species Scapsipedus icipe and Gryllus bimaculatus and to evaluate the efficiency of different processing methods (boiling, sundrying, freeze-drying, snap freezing and deep fryi...
Abstract: Tsetse fly is an insect of great economic importance to man because it transmits sleeping sickness to both man and his livestock. The insect feeds on a bloodmeal thereby transmitting the disease from infected to healthy individuals. The tsetse fly, Glossina spp. belongs to the order Diptera and family Glossinidae and 22 species have been identified. The fly is mainly found in humid areas especially along the river valleys and bushes in Sub-Saharan Africa . Insects are known to poss...
Abstract: A quantitative study of the swelling capacity of polymer-oligomer particles, and the rate of transport of slightly water soluble compound 1, e.g. chlorobenzene, from bulk phase to the particles has been carried out. A much higher swelling capacity was attained when compound 1 was subdivided (before it was added to the swelling experiments) than when it was added as a bulk at the same experimental conditions. It is shown that the increased swelling capacity when compound 1 is subdiv...
Abstract: Various neem (Azadirachta indica. A. Juss) formulations were evaluated under laboratory and greenhouse conditions for their effects on two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae), on tomatoes, Lycopersicum esculentum. Four neem formulations (Neemros: neem seed powder with 0.5% azadirachtin, Neemroc: a water miscible emulsifiable concentrate oil, with 0.03% azadirachtin, Saroneem: an alcohol extract; extracted in isopropyl alcohol, containing 1% a...
Abstract: Tsetse flies are vectors of African trypanosomes, the protozoan agent of devastating disease, trypanosomiasis that afflicts both humans and animals. Currently, there is no promising vaccine in the horizon and treatment efforts are further constrained by the rapid increase in parasite drug resistance observed in patients. In addition, little effort is being made to develop new and effective drugs. Alternative methods to control trypanosomiasis and its transmission are therefore requ...
Abstract: The tsetse fly is an insect of great economic importance to man as a vector of both human and animal trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomes are ingested by the tsetse fly vector with a bloodmeal taken from .an infected host. In the midgut, these parasites are exposed to a hostile environment which comprises of lectins/ trypanoagglutinins, proteolytic enzymes, trypanolysins and other unknown factors. Lectins or agglutinins are a group of proteins of non-immune in origin, that bind carbohydra...