Browsing by Author "Mutebi, Francis"

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    A retrospective analysis of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolates from poultry in Uganda
    (International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine, 2021-05) Kakooza, Steven; Muwonge, Adrian; Nabatta, Esther; Eneku, Wilfred; Dickson, Dickson; Wampande, Eddie; Munyiirwa, Damian; Kayaga, Edrine; Tumwebaze, Maria Agnes; Afayoa, Mathias; Ssajjakambwe, Paul; Tayebwa, Dickson Stuart; Sayaka, Tsuchida; Okubo, Torahiko; Kazunari, Ushida; Sakurai, Ken’ichi; Mutebi, Francis
    There are increasing reports of antimicrobial treatment failures for bacterial diseases of poultry in Uganda. The paucity of data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of pathogenic bacteria in Uganda is a major setback to AMR control. This study investigated the occurrence of fowl typhoid, colibacillosis, and AMR in associated pathogens from 2012 to 2018. Laboratory records from the Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL), a National Veterinary Diagnostic Facility located at Makerere University, were reviewed. Archived isolates of the causative bacteria for the two diseases were also evaluated for AMR. The frequencies of the two disease conditions, their clinical and necropsy presentations and the demographic data of the diagnostic samples were summarized from the records. Archived bacterial isolates were revived before antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This was done on Mueller Hinton agar using the disk diffusion method, against 16 antimicrobials of medical and veterinary importance according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. A total of 697 poultry cases were presented for bacteriological investigations in the review period. Colibacillosis and salmonellosis had prevalence rates of 39.7% (277/697) and 16.2% (113/697), respectively. A total of 63 and 92 isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., respectively, were archived but 43 (68.3%) E. coli and 47 (51.1%) Salmonella spp. isolates were recovered and evaluated for AMR. Multidrug resistance was more frequent in E. coli (38; 88.4%) than salmonellae (25; 53.2%), (p < 0.001). The high prevalence of colibacillosis, salmonellosis and the AMR of associated pathogens warrants immediate institution of appropriate disease control measures.
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    Animal and human tungiasis-related knowledge and treatment practices among animal keeping households in Bugiri District, South-Eastern Uganda
    (Acta tropica, 2018-10) Mutebi, Francis; Jürgen, Krückenb; Georg, von Samson-Himmelstjernab; Waiswa, Charles; Norbert, Mencke; Eneku, Wilfred; Tamale, Andrew; Hermann, Feldmeier
    Background: Zoonotic tungiasis caused by Tunga penetrans remains a serious public and animal health problem among endemic villages in Uganda and many sub Saharan African countries. Studies on human and animal tungiasis-related knowledge and treatment practices in endemic communities have never been undertaken, a limitation to development of sustainable control measures. Methods: A cross sectional study using semi-structured questionnaires (Supplementary file S1) was conducted among 236 animal rearing households in 10 endemic villages in Bugiri District, South-Eastern Uganda. Focus group discussions and observation checklists were used to validate and clarify the findings. Results: Most respondents knew the aetiology (89.4%), clinical signs (98%) and the ecology of T. penetrans as well as the major risk factors of human tungiasis (65.2%). In contrast, very few respondents were aware of animal tungiasis. Only 4.8% of those with infected animals on the compound knew that some of their animals were infected and 13.6% of the respondents had ever seen tungiasis-affected animals. Pigs (13.1%, n = 31) and dogs (0.85%, n = 2) were the only T. penetrans animal hosts known to animal owners. Affected humans were treated by extraction of embedded sand fleas using non-sterile sharp instruments in all households that reported occurrence of human tungiasis at least once (n = 227). Also, affected animals were mainly treated by mechanical removal of embedded sand fleas in households that have ever experienced animal tungiasis (four out of 12; 33.3%). In a few instances, plant and animal pesticides (n = 3) and other chemicals such as grease, paraffin and wood preservative (n = 3) were also used to treat animal tungiasis. Conclusion: The study revealed a high level of knowledge on human tungiasis but inadequate knowledge on the zoonotic nature of tungiasis. Commonly applied methods for treatment of human and animal tungiasis are a health hazard by themselves. Concerted i.e. One Health-based efforts aiming at promoting appropriate treatment of tungiasis, adequate living conditions and increased awareness on tungiasis in the communities are indicated in order to eliminate tungiasis-associated disease.
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    High intensity of Tunga penetrans infection causing severe disease among pigs in Busoga, South Eastern Uganda
    (BMC Veterinary Research, 2017) Mutebi, Francis; Jürgen, Krücken; Hermann, Feldmeier; Waiswa, Charles; Norbert, Mencke; Eneku, Wilfred; Georg, von Samson-Himmelstjerna
    Background: Towards the improvement of stakeholders’ awareness of animal tungiasis, we report 10 unusual severe clinical cases of pig tungiasis which were associated with very high infection intensities of T. penetrans in an endemic area. Results: Morbidity of ten pigs with high sand flea intensities detected during high transmission seasons in an endemic area in Busoga sub region, Uganda is described in detail. The cases of pigs presented with a very high number of embedded sand fleas (median = 276, range = 141–838). Acute manifestations due to severe tungiasis included ulcerations (n = 10), abscess formation (n = 6) and lameness (n = 9). Chronic morpho pathological presentations were overgrowth of claws (n = 5), lateral deviation of dew claws (n = 6), detachment (n = 5) or loss of dew claws (n = 1). Treatment of severe cases with a topical insecticidal aerosol containing chlorfenvinphos, dichlorvos and gentian violet resolved acute morbidity and facilitated healing by re-epithelialisation. Conclusions: The presentations of tungiasis highlighted in this report show that high intensities of embedded T. penetrans can cause a severe clinical disease in pigs. Effective tungiasis preventive measures and early diagnosis for treatment could be crucial to minimize its effects on animal health. T. penetrans can cause a severe clinical disease in pigs. Effective tungiasis preventive measures and early diagnosis for treatment could be crucial to minimize its effects on animal health.
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    Integrating multi-wet laboratory diagnostics to study staphylococci in animals in Uganda
    (BMC Microbiology, 2024) Kakooza, Steven; Eneku, Wilfred; Nabatta, Esther; Wampande, Eddie M.; Ssajjakambwe, Paul; Wanyana, Mariam; Munyiirwa, Damien F. N.; Ndoboli, Dickson; Namuyinda, Dorcus; Athieno, Grace; Kayaga, Edrine; Okwasiimire, Rodney; Sayaka, Tsuchida; Kazunari, Ushida; Ken’ichi, Sakurai; Mutebi, Francis
    Background Several diagnostic environments in Uganda lack real-time, robust and high-throughput technologies for comprehensive typing of microbes, which is a setback to infectious disease surveillance. This study combined various wet laboratory diagnostics to understand the epidemiology of pathogenic staphylococci isolated from animals in Uganda and the implications for global health security priorities. Methods A retrospective study was conducted employing records and pathogenic staphylococci (from animals) archived at the Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL), Makerere University, Uganda, between January 2012 and December 2019. The bacteria were speciated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and tested for virulence factors [beta lactamases, lecithinase, deoxyribonuclease (DNase), haemolysins] and resistance to ten antimicrobials of clinical and veterinary relevance. Tetracycline and methicillin resistance genes were also tested. Results The prevalent diseases were mastitis in cattle and skin infections in dogs. Of the 111 staphylococci tested by MALDI-TOF MS, 79 (71.2%) were Staphylococcus aureus, 27 (24.3%) were Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and 5 (4.5%) were Staphylococcus schleiferi. All these strains expressed haemolysins. The prevalence of strains with lecithinase, penicillinase, cephalosporinase and DNase was 35.9% (14/39), 89.7% (35/39), 0.0% (0/39) and 87.2% (34/39), respectively. Staphylococci were primarily resistant to early penicillins (over 80%), tetracycline (57.7%), and chloramphenicol (46.2%). Minimal resistance was noted with cloxacillin (0.0%), ciprofloxacin (9.6%), and cefoxitin (3.8%). The prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) was 78.8% for general staphylococci, 82.2% for S. aureus, 73.1% for S. pseudintermedius, and 60.0% for S. schleiferi. Multidrug resistant staphylococci were significantly more prevalent in the cattle isolates than in the dog isolates (P < 0.05). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) tested by resistance to cefoxitin and mecA carriage was 3.8%. These four strains were all isolated from dog skin infections. The tetK gene was the most predominant (35.4%), followed by tetM (25.0%). Conclusion In resource-constrained settings, the approach of integrated diagnostics promises sustainable disease surveillance and the addressing of current capacity gaps. The emergence of MRS (zoonotic bacteria) in companion animals creates a likelihood of reduced treatment options for related human infections, a threat to global health.
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    Knowledge Attitude and Practices towards Cystic Echinococcosis among Pastoral Communities in Greater Kapoeta South Sudan
    (Journal of Veterinary Medicine Research, 2017-05) Wumbiya, S. D.; Mutebi, Francis; Eneku, Wilfred; Nasinyama, G. W.; Skjerve, Eystein; Muwonge, Adrian; Musso, Munyeme; Mugasa, Clare; Nabadda, Daisy; Mirembe, Bernadette; Ambrose, Jubara; Bugeza, James; Wizaso, Mwansinga; Kankya, C.
    Background: Cystic Echinococcosis/Hydatidosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease of major public health importance globally. The disease is endemic in pastoral communities of developing countries because of poor hygienic conditions, illegal home and backyard slaughtering of animals coupled with the presence of stray dogs and poor veterinary services among others. In South Sudan, the magnitude and factors associated with persistence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) are not well documented. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge attitudes and practices of the pastoral community towards persistence and maintenance of cystic echinococcosis among domestic animals and humans in Kapoeta county Eastern Equatoria state, South Sudan. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted and a semi-structured questionnaires, observation, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informants interviews were used to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs) of the pastoral community. Results: Out of the 353 respondents, only 6(1.7%) knew about CE, 41.9% and 78.5% had seen the disease in man and animals respectively, and a larger proportion (87%) of respondents were not aware that other animals also suffer from CE. Only 41.9.% perceived themselves at risk of acquiring CE from dogs. Practices identified as potential risk factors for CE included dogs left to move freely (96.7%), presence of stray dogs (79.9%), no deworming of dogs (95.1%), home slaughtering (58.9%), lack of meat inspection (95.5%), Dogs having free access to livestock slaughter facilities (83.3%), sometimes washing hands before eating food (62.9%), use of untreated water (84.4%), dogs left to feed on their own (93.5%) and do not dispose off dogs feces (95.1%). FGDs revealed that people do not perceived themselves at risk of infection from dogs, and that people think CE is caused by witchcraft. Conclusions: The study clearly showed that there is a knowledge gap about the disease, and the predisposing factors that are responsible for the persistence and maintenance of CE within Kapoeta pastoral community were present. These are wide range of modifiable factors, which should constitute targets for control. There is therefore a need for community education about CE through the One Health Approach.
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    Neurocognitive and mental health outcomes in children with tungiasis: a cross-sectional study in rural Kenya and Uganda
    (BioMed Central, 2023-11) Otieno, Berrick; Elson, Lynne; Matharu, Abneel K.; Riithi, Naomi; Chongwo, Esther; Katana, Khamis; Nasambu, Carophine; Mutebi, Francis; Feldmeier, Herman; Krücken, Jürgen; Fillinger, Ulrike; Abubakar, Amina
    Abstract Background Tungiasis, a neglected tropical parasitosis, disproportionately afects children. Few empirical studies have reported neurocognitive and mental health outcomes of children with ectoparasitic skin diseases like tungiasis. Pathophysiology of tungiasis suggests it could detrimentally afect cognition and behaviour. This study pioneered the investigation of neurocognitive and mental health outcomes in children with tungiasis. Methods This was a multi-site cross-sectional study including 454 quasi-randomly sampled school-children aged 8–14 from 48 randomly selected schools in two counties in Kenya and a district in Uganda. The participants were stratifed into infected and uninfected based on the presence of tungiasis. The infected were further classifed into mild and severe infection groups based on the intensity of the infection. Adapted, validated, and standardized measures of cognition and mental health such as Raven Matrices and Child Behaviour Checklist were used to collect data. Statistical tests including a multilevel, generalized mixed-efects linear models with family link set to identity were used to compare the scores of uninfected and infected children and to identify other potential risk factors for neurocognitive and behavioural outcomes. Results When adjusted for covariates, mild infection was associated with lower scores in literacy [adjusted β(aβ)=− 8.9; 95% confdence interval (CI) − 17.2, − 0.6], language (aβ=− 1.7; 95% CI − 3.2, − 0.3), cognitive fexibility (aβ=− 6.1; 95% CI − 10.4, − 1.7) and working memory (aβ=− 0.3; 95% CI − 0.6, − 0.1). Severe infection was associated with lower scores in literacy (aβ=− 11.0; 95% CI − 19.3, − 2.8), response inhibition, (aβ=− 2.2; 95% CI − 4.2, − 0.2), fne motor control (aβ= − 0.7; 95% CI − 1.1, − 0.4) and numeracy (aβ=− 3; 95% CI − 5.5, − 0.4). Conclusions This study provides frst evidence that tungiasis is associated with poor neurocognitive functioning in children. Since tungiasis is a chronic disease with frequent reinfections, such negative efects may potentially impair their development and life achievements. Keywords Tungiasis, Tunga penetrans, Neglected tropical disease, Neurocognition, Mental health, School-aged children, Africa
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    Porcine Circovirus type 2 – Systemic disease on pig farms and associated knowledge of key players in the pig industry in Central Uganda
    (International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine, 2018) Eneku, Wilfred; Mutebi, Francis; Mwiine, Frank Norbert; Okwee-Acai, James; Ojok, Lonzy
    Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections and associated diseases have been rarely studied in Africa. There is no report of PCV2 infection-associated morbidity and the level of awareness of stakeholders has never been investigated in Uganda. This cross sectional survey investigated the occurrence of Porcine Circovirus type 2 – systemic disease (PCV2-SD) among pigs and the associated level of awareness of stakeholders in Central Uganda. Data were collected using questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews and laboratory investigations. All respondents (n = 131) and farmers attending FGDs (n = 31) had never heard of PCV2-SD and only 16.7% (n = 2) of the interviewed animal health workers (n = 12) knew about the disease. Among the farms, 20 piglets presenting with a chronic wasting and a persistent diarrhea were detected and sampled for laboratory investigations. Severe lymphoid depletion with histiocytic and macrophage infiltration in lymphoid organs (n = 8), shortening of intestinal villi (n = 9), abscesses in various organs (n = 15) and granulomatous pneumonia (n = 2) were the major histopathological lesions described. Immunohistochemistry and PCR assays on organs with implicating lesions confirmed PCV2 infection in 25% (n = 5) of the 20 pigs. The study confirmed the occurrence of PCV2 infections among piglets with persistent diarrhea on pig farms in central Uganda and revealed a low level of associated knowledge among farmers and veterinary practitioners. The study arouses the need for systematic studies on prevalence of PCV2 infections and sensitization of stakeholders on occurrence of PCV2 infections in Uganda.
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    Retrospective study on cattle and poultry diseases in Uganda
    (International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine, 2017) Byaruhanga, Joseph; Tayebwa, Dickson S.; Eneku, Wilfred; Afayoa, Mathias; Mutebi, Francis; Ndyanabo, Susan; Kakooza, Steven; Okwee-Acai, James; Tweyongyere, Robert; Wampande, Eddie M.; Vudriko, Patrick
    Cattle and poultry enterprises are among the major contributors to food security and socioeconomic empowerment of households in Uganda. However, various diseases constrain their productivity. A two-year retrospective study between April 2012 and March 2014 was conducted using records for cattle and poultry diseases diagnosed at the Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL) to determine prevalent diseases in Uganda. The laboratory received 836 samples from poultry (36.3%) and cattle (63.7%). Of the 836 samples, 47.5% had a definitive diagnosis of disease causation. Most of the cattle and poultry diseases diagnosed were protozoan diseases (39.3%) followed by bacterial (21.4%), viral (17.1%), helminthiasis (11.1%), nutritional diseases (4%) and others (7.1%). For poultry, viral diseases (29.5%) and protozoan diseases (27.1%) especially newcastle disease (44.3%) and coccidiosis (100%) respectively, were the most diagnosed. While for cattle, hemo-protozoan parasites (52.1%) were the most prevalent, of which 92.9% were east coast fever infection. Bacterial infection (20.5%) in cattle were the second most diagnosed diseases and mastitis was the most diagnosed (46.2%). In summary, coccidioisis, collibacillosis, newcastle disease, gumboro disease, and avian helminthiasis were the most prevalent poultry diseases while in cattle, east coast fever, helminthiasis, mastitis, brucellosis and rabies were the most frequently diagnosed diseases. This study has identified the major diseases that hinder poultry and cattle production in Uganda. The data generated by CDL could be used for surveillance, monitoring and designing strategic interventions for control of poultry and cattle diseases in Uganda.