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Kessy ST, Rija AA. Knowledge and practices related to plague persistence in plague-endemic foci, Mbulu District, Tanzania. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012202. [PMID: 38814990 PMCID: PMC11166330 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Plague continues to be a major public health concern in African countries. Several social practices and environmental conditions have been associated with the reoccurrence of bubonic plague, especially in places where the disease is prevalent. Therefore, it remains important to understand people knowledge, behavior and practices related to disease risks in order to identify factors that may hinder prevention and control strategies in the foci. METHODS AND RESULTS A study survey of 100 households was conducted in Mbulu district to assess plague knowledge, factors that influence flea bite and measures used for rodent and flea control. Majority of participants (86%) were familiar with the plague disease and about (50%) mentioned swelling lymph nodes as a common symptom. Most of the participants (62%) claimed to observe human plague cases during the long rain season. The majority of participants (97%) reported to experience flea bite in their domestic settings, with most stating that they experienced more flea bites during the dry season. Houses with livestock had a greater likelihood of flea bite (OR = 2.7; 95% CI: 0.36-18.80, p = 0.267) compared to houses with no livestock. Furthermore, residents reported using both local and chemical methods to control rodents and flea inside houses. Most respondents preferred using local methods in flea control. Respondents stated that the efficacy of flea control methods being applied ranged from few days to several months. There was limited knowledge of the residual effects of the agricultural chemicals being used to control fleas among the surveyed community. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the importance of raising awareness and adopting effective control methods for controlling fleas and lower the risk of plague transmission and other flea borne diseases in the local communities. Sensitization of the local community on the use of appropriate chemicals for flea control is urgent to avoid any potential long-term impacts of the residual effects on the health of the local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella T. Kessy
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD), Morogoro, Tanzania
- School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering (LiSBE), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Alfan A. Rija
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Haikukutu L, Lyaku JR, Lyimo CM, Eiseb SJ, Makundi RH, Olayemi A, Wilhelm K, Müller-Klein N, Schmid DW, Fleischer R, Sommer S. Immunogenetics, sylvatic plague and its vectors: insights from the pathogen reservoir Mastomys natalensis in Tanzania. Immunogenetics 2023; 75:517-530. [PMID: 37853246 PMCID: PMC10651713 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-023-01323-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is a historically important vector-borne pathogen causing plague in humans and other mammals. Contemporary zoonotic infections with Y. pestis still occur in sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania and Madagascar, but receive relatively little attention. Thus, the role of wildlife reservoirs in maintaining sylvatic plague and spillover risks to humans is largely unknown. The multimammate rodent Mastomys natalensis is the most abundant and widespread rodent in peri-domestic areas in Tanzania, where it plays a major role as a Y. pestis reservoir in endemic foci. Yet, how M. natalensis' immunogenetics contributes to the maintenance of plague has not been investigated to date. Here, we surveyed wild M. natalensis for Y. pestis vectors, i.e., fleas, and tested for the presence of antibodies against Y. pestis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in areas known to be endemic or without previous records of Y. pestis in Tanzania. We characterized the allelic and functional (i.e., supertype) diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC class II) of M. natalensis and investigated links to Y. pestis vectors and infections. We detected antibodies against Y. pestis in rodents inhabiting both endemic areas and areas considered non-endemic. Of the 111 nucleotide MHC alleles, only DRB*016 was associated with an increased infestation with the flea Xenopsylla. Surprisingly, we found no link between MHC alleles or supertypes and antibodies of Y. pestis. Our findings hint, however, at local adaptations towards Y. pestis vectors, an observation that more exhaustive sampling could unwind in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Haikukutu
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
| | - Japhet R Lyaku
- Department of Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Charles M Lyimo
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Seth J Eiseb
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Rhodes H Makundi
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Ayodeji Olayemi
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nadine Müller-Klein
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dominik W Schmid
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ramona Fleischer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Eads D, Buehler L, Esbenshade A, Fly J, Miller E, Redmond H, Ritter E, Tynes C, Wittmann S, Roghair P, Childers E. One Health in action: flea control and interpretative education at Badlands National Park. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2022; 47:227-229. [PMID: 36314678 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-47.2.227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, CO, U.S.A.,
| | - Lindsey Buehler
- Prairie Wildlife Research, WI, U.S.A
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | | | - Jason Fly
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Evan Miller
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Holly Redmond
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Emily Ritter
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Caitlyn Tynes
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Sasha Wittmann
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Paul Roghair
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
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Exploring and Mitigating Plague for One Health Purposes. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40475-022-00265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Bai Y, Rizzo MR, Parise C, Maes S, Eisen RJ. A Novel Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of Yersinia pestis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:863142. [PMID: 35464914 PMCID: PMC9022072 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.863142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid detection of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is essential during field investigations to enable prompt control measures for prevention of the spread of the disease. Affordable, efficient, reliable, and simple detection assays are extremely useful, particularly in plague-endemic regions with limited resources. We developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay that detects Y. pestis within 30 min by simply incubating at 65°C on a dry bath heater. The assay targeted the caf1A gene that is situated on the pMT1 plasmid using six specific primers. Y. pestis presence is visually detected based on the color change in the reactions. For comparison of the assay performance, a real-time LAMP with fluorescent dye detection was conducted on a real-time PCR instrument using the same six primers. Sensitivity assessment showed that the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.2 and 0.03 pg when performed on the dry bath heater and on the real-time PCR instrument, respectively. The assay was 100% specific, having no cross-reactivity with closely related Yersinia spp. and other bacterial species. We tested the LAMP assay on field-collected fleas and showed that it successfully detected Y. pestis with identical results to that of a previously published pentaplex real-time PCR assay. These findings suggest that the relatively inexpensive and simpler LAMP assay could be used to support field investigations, yielding comparable results to more expensive and complex PCR assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Bai
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Maria Rosales Rizzo
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Christina Parise
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Sarah Maes
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Rebecca J Eisen
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
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