Browsing by Author "Issae, Amina Ramadhani"

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Assessment of rodent-borne and zoonotic disease pathogens in humans, gogs and rodents and community awareness in Ngorongoro District, Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2024-05) Issae, Amina Ramadhani
Bacteria and viruses carried by rodents, and domestic dogs can have significant public health implications. Rodents are known reservoirs of several zoonotic diseases, such as Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever virus, plague, tuberculosis and leptospirosis. Also, domestic dogs carry zoonoses like rabies, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, ehrlichiosis and borreliosis. Zoonotic diseases pose a substantial risk to communities‘ health, mostly in wildlife, domestic animals and human interface areas. Ngorongoro district is the home of various wildlife and domestic animals cohabiting with humans. The district is experiencing the expansion of human activities which brings rodents into close proximity with human settlements. Previous studies conducted in livestock and human patients attending the health facilities have documented the existence of antibodies of zoonoses like Rift Valley fever, Brucellosis, Anthrax, and molecular detection of Bovine tuberculosis. While previous studies have examined the transmission of pathogens in livestock and hospital-based research in humans within the district, the specific role played by rodents and domestic dogs in transmitting pathogens remains largely unknown. This research gap necessitated conducting a comprehensive metagenomics study to assess the diversity and abundance of bacteria and viruses circulating among rodents, domestic dogs and humans as well as the communities understanding of rodent-borne diseases, including RVF, in the Ngorongoro district of Tanzania. The Rift Valley fever was frequently previously reported to occur within livestock and human populations of the Ngorongoro district. The disease caused significant morbidity and mortality in both livestock including humans. To address the objectives, the study used Illumina and Oxford Nanopore technologies to identify bacteria and viruses in 530 blood samples collected from 200 humans, 230 rodents, and 100 domestic dogs. Numerous bacteria and viruses were detected and identified by using MiSeq and MinION sequencers with a Kraken2 data analysis program. Moreover, the study used 3 focus groups, 20 key informant interviews, and the questionnaire (N=352) to collect information on communities‘ awareness on rodent-borne diseases and Rift Valley fever. The logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between demographic factors and communities‘ knowledge, attitudes and practices toward rodent- borne diseases and RVF occurrences. In all three hosts, various pathogenic and zoonotic bacterial species were detected. Zoonotic airborne and contagious bacteria such as Mycobacterium spp, Mycoplasma spp, Bordetella spp and Legionella spp were spotted in rodents, domestic dogs and humans. Arthropod-borne zoonotic bacteria like Bartonella spp, Borrelia spp, and Rickettsia spp were detected in all three hosts, while Orientia spp were found in rodents and dogs. Yersinia pestis, Streptobacillus spp and Anaplasma spp were identified in rodents only. Waterborne and foodborne zoonotic bacteria were also spotted in all three hosts, including Leptospira spp, Brucella spp, Bacillus spp, and Salmonella. Generally, rodents carried a high proportion of zoonotic bacteria compared to dogs and humans. The detection of zoonotic bacteria in all three hosts showed the possibilities of cross-species transmission of infections between animals and humans sharing the same environment. Several viral families and species were detected and identified in this study. A total of 20 RNA and 20 DNA viral families and unclassified RNA viruses were detected. The majority of viral families were detected in rodents when compared to domestic dogs and humans. Peribunyaviridae, Hantaviridae, Phenuiviridae, Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Retroviridae, Picornaviridae, Arenaviridae, Togaviridae, and Tobaniviridae are zoonotic RNA viruses identified in rodents. The zoonotic DNA viruses detected in rodents were Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Herpesviridae, Anelloviridae, and Circoviridae. Peribunyaviridae and Hantaviridae viruses were identified in both rodents and humans, whereas Retroviridae was detected in rodents and domestic dogs. Unclassified +ssRNA viruses were spotted in domestic dogs and humans. Lastly, Herpesviridae was found in all three hosts. In comparison with domestic dogs and humans, rodents harboured potential zoonotic viruses of public health safety. Result showed that 8.52% of respondents had good knowledge, 35.5% had a positive attitude, and 94.3% had good practices toward rodent-borne diseases. The study revealed that only 28.13% of participants were aware of rodent-borne zoonoses. The majority of them (77.27%) believe that rodents are pests that destroy crops and do not transmit pathogens. Moreover, the findings showed that the majority of respondents (82.9%) live in huts which can provide shelter for rodents. Additionally, except for education, the level of knowledge had no significant relationship with most of the participants‘ demographic variables. Respondents with secondary education (p=0.017) had good knowledge of rodent-borne diseases and management when compared to those without education. Despite showing good practices, the communities still don‘t have enough knowledge of rodent-borne infections. The findings further showed that only 36.1%, 38.64%, and 16.19% of participants had good knowledge, positive attitudes and effective preventive practices about RVF occurrences, respectively. The significant demographic variables related to good knowledge and positive attitudes were gender (P<0.05), occupation (P<0.05) and education (P<0.05). Male respondents had good knowledge of RVF epidemiology. Individuals with formal education had good knowledge and exhibited positive attitudes towards RVF occurrences. Agropastoral members had a significantly negative attitude toward RVF occurrences compared to pastorals (P=0.048). The study revealed that the majority of respondents had poor knowledge, negative attitudes and ineffective preventive practices towards RVF epidemiology. Probably, these results were attributed to the lack of regular education campaigns to increase community awareness of the disease. This study novelty is based on the fact that it is the first to provide the baseline information on the diversity of pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria and viruses in rodents, domestic dogs and humans sharing the same environment. Likewise, it established the levels of the communities‘ knowledge, attitudes and practices toward rodent- borne diseases including Rift Valley fever in Ngorongoro district for the first time. The study population had inadequate knowledge and negative attitudes toward rodent-borne diseases and RVF. Therefore, one health multidisciplinary approach is recommended in order to safeguard public and animal health from acquiring zoonoses. Provision of health education should be a long-term practice to prevent diseases outbreaks in Ngorongoro district and in Tanzania at large.
Exploring pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria from wild rodents, dogs, and humans of the Ngorongoro district in Tanzania using metagenomics next-generation sequencing
(MDPI, 2023) Issae, Amina Ramadhani; Katakweba, Abdul Selemani; Kicheleri, Rose Peter; Chengula, Augustino Alfred; Van Zwetselaar, Marco; Kasanga, Christopher Jacob
Globally, zoonoses have serious consequences due to their socioeconomic impacts. Ngoron- goro District is home to a diverse range of wildlife and domestic animals, including rodents and dogs, which often coexist in close proximity with humans. The aim of the study was to identify the zoonotic bacteria present in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans using metagenomics next-generation sequencing technology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022. This study used both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies to identify bacteria in 530 blood samples collected from humans (n = 200), wild rodents (n = 230), and dogs (n = 100). Several zoonotic airborne/contagious bacteria, including Mycobacterium spp., Mycoplasma spp., Bordetella spp., and Legionella spp., were detected in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans. Arthropod-borne zoonotic bacteria such as Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., and Rickettsia spp. were detected in all three hosts, while Orientia spp. was found in wild rodents and domestic dogs. Yersinia pestis, Streptobacillus spp. and Anaplasma spp. were found only in wild rodents. Other zoonotic bacteria found shared among wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans are Leptospira spp., Brucella spp., and Salmonella spp. Generally, wild rodents had the highest prevalence of zoonotic bacterial species when compared to domestic dogs and humans. The detection of zoonotic bacteria in rodents, dogs, and humans supports the hypothesis that infections can spread between animals and humans sharing the same environment.
Knowledge, attitudes and practices on rift valley fever among pastoral and agropastoral communities of Ngorongoro in the rift valley ecosystem, Tanzania, conducted in 2021/2022
(PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2023) Issae, Amina Ramadhani; Katakweba, Abdul Ahmed Selemani; Kicheleri, Rose Peter; Chengula, Augustino Alfred; Kasanga, Christopher Jacob
Epidemics of Rift Valley fever (RVF), a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease caused by RVF virus, have been linked to exceptionally heavy rainfall and widespread flooding. The disease is endemic in most African countries and pose a major global health risk. Given that the dis- ease was reported in various districts of Tanzania, we hypothesized a lack of knowledge about RVF epidemiology among agropastoral and pastoral communities. The research took place in a period of 7 months, from July, 2021 to January, 2022. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among the agropastoral and pastoral communities of Ngorongoro district towards RVF. The survey employed a mixed method system, which included 3 focus groups (each comprised 12 individuals), 20 key informant interviews and administration of questionnaire (N = 352) in agropastoral and pastoral com- munity members of Ngorongoro district. The relationship between demographic characteris- tics and communities’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding RVF was observed using a multiple logistic regression model. A total of 352 participants were interviewed, with the majority (67.61%) being male and 32.39% being female, majority (39.5%) attending pri- mary school, and majority (58.2%) being pastoralists. The findings showed that only 36.1%, 38.64% and 16.19% of participants had good knowledge, positive attitude and good prac- tices regarding RVF respectively. Significant demographic factors related with knowledge included: gender (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.03–3.56, P = 0.041), education levels (primary: OR = 3.97, CI = 2–8.16, P = 0.000; secondary: OR = 15.27, CI = 5.5–46.23, P = 0.000 and college: OR = 34. 23, CI = 5.4–67.22, P = 0.000), and locality (Pinyinyi: OR = 0.14, CI = 0.05–0.38, P = 0.000 and Sale: OR = 0.14, CI = 0.04–0.44, P = 0.001). Male participants showed signifi- cant positive attitude towards RVF compared to female (OR = 2.37, CI = 1.35–4.17, P = 0.003). Individuals with formal education showed a significant positive attitude toward RVF compared to informal (OR>1, P<0.05). Agropastoral members showed a significant nega- tive attitude toward RVF compared to pastoralists (OR = 0.51, CI = 0.26–0.99, P = 0.048).The calculated RVF prevention practices values were insignificantly (P = 0.853) correlated with knowledge values. The significant correlation between knowledge and attitude, as well as attitude and practice were found (P<0.05). In general, the study revealed poor knowl- edge, negative attitude and poor practices of communities towards RVF. The lack of regular education programs to make the communities aware of the disease was implicated for these findings. This recommends that provision of health education should be a long-term practice among agropastoral and pastoral communities in order to prevent further RVF out- breaks in Tanzania.