Survey of physicochemical characteristics and microbial contamination in selected food locally vended in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

Biomed central Research notel 2015Background: Raw milk, raw fruit juice and raw fish are enriched with essential nutrients for human diet but are prone to microbial contamination along the value chain. This cross sectional study was conducted to assess physicochemical characteristics and microbial quality of raw milk, fruit juice and fish from food vendors in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. The physicochemical assessment of food samples was done by smell, colour, presence of debris, turbidity, consistence, pH and clot on alcohol test. Hygiene of food containers, personnel and the vending environment was also assessed. Qualitative and quantitative microbial assessment of food was done using standard laboratory protocols as described by Tanzania Bureau of Standards and International Systems of Standards. Results: Raw milk sold in Morogoro was of poor quality since was adulterated with water, contained sediments and clotted on alcohol test. Up to 63 % of the milk samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli and 60 % had higher total viable count (TVC) than the recommended values. Raw fruit juice was stored in dirty containers and sold under unhygienic environment. Seventy-three percent of juice samples had TVC beyond the recommendations while E. coli contamination rate was 63.3 %. The raw fish samples had started spoiling as depicted through sensory evaluation. E. coli contamination rate was 55 % and that of Campylobacter jejuni was 0.5 %. The mean TVC of raw fish was 8.1 (Log cfu/g) and 96.2 % of the fish samples had TVC beyond the recommended limits of 5.0 Log cfu/g. Conclusions: The physicochemical characteristics of food vended in Morogoro Municipality were of poor quality. The food had high bacterial contaminations. This situation poses health risks to the public and losses to food vendors due to spoilage. Stakeholders in food value chain should be educated on safe production and good hygienic practices. Routine quality and safety assessment of locally vended food, inspection of selling premises and regular health checkup of the personnel involved in food vending industry should be instituted

Inhibiitorid ja fotoluminestsents-sondid proteiinkinaaside PKA ja PIM in vitro uuringuteks

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneProteiinkinaasid (PK-d) katalüüsivad valkude fosforüülimist. PK-de ebanormaalne aktiivsus rakkudes on korrelatsioonis keeruliste haigustega. Seetõttu teeb farmaatsiatööstus märkimisväärseid jõupingutusi, et reguleerida PK-de aktiivsust inhibiitoritega ja jälgida nende aktiivsust luminestsents-sondidega. Käesolevas töös kasutatud ARC-inhibiitorid on keemiliselt struktuurilt adenosiini matkivate heteroaromaatsete fragmentide ja peptiidide analoogide konjugaadid, neid ühendeid on pikemalt uuritud Tartu Ülikooli keemia instituudis. Käesolevas uuringus näidati, et PK PKA katalüütilise alaühiku α-isovormi (PKAcα) monoklonaalse antikeha (kloon D38C6) seondumine sihtvalguga on konkurentne ARC-Lum(Fluo) sondiga ja see antikeha inhibeerib substraadi fosforüülimist. Proovi järjestikust töötlemist nende konkureerivate PKAcα ligandidega kasutati tundliku AbARC immuunanalüüsi-meetodi väljatöötamiseks, mis võimaldas määrata väikseid koguseid (alates 93 pg) PKAcα rakulüsaatides. Hiljuti avastati Cushingi sündroomiga patsiendil S54L mutatsiooniga PRKACB geen. See mutatsioon viib PK glütsiinirikka aasa struktuuri muutumiseni. Käesolevas uuringus konstrueeriti muteerunud PK suhtes kuuekordse selektiivsusega inhibiitor. Lisaks töötati välja luminestsents-meetod PKAcβ-valgu kaubanduslike ja väljatöötatud inhibiitorite afiinsuse määramiseks. Koostöös Oxfordi ülikooliga viidi läbi ARC-inhibiitorite ja proteiinkinaasi PIM-1 komplekside röntgenstruktuuranalüüs. Saadud struktuurimudelitest lähtuvalt konstrueeriti lihtsustatud keemilise ehitusega ained. Uued inhibiitorid derivatiseeriti biotiiniga või fluorestsentsvärviga Cy5 ja neid aineid kasutati PIM-kinaasidetuvastamiseks biokeemilistes lahustes ja bioloogilistes proovides. Analüüsimeetod, milles kasutati ARC-sonde koos PIM-2-selektiivse antikehaga , võimaldas määrata sihtvalgu väikseid koguseid (alates 44 pg PIM-2). Konfokaalmikroskoopia abil tuvastati, et uued fluorestsents-sondid tungivad kiiresti U2OS-rakkudesse, kus nende paiknemine kattub PIM-1 ja fluorestsentsvalgu konjugaadi paiknemisega.Protein kinases (PKs) catalyze the phosphorylation of proteins. Abnormal activity of PKs in cells is correlated to complex diseases. Therefore, the pharma industry is making significant efforts to regulate the activity of PKs with inhibitors and to monitor the activity of PKs with luminescent probes. ARC inhibitors are conjugates of adenosine analogues and peptide mimetic moieties; they have been studied at length at the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Tartu. In the present study, it was shown that the binding of monoclonal antibody (clone D38C6) to α-isoform of the catalytic subunit of PKA (PKAcα) was competitive with binding of ARC-Lum(Fluo) probes. Sequential treatment of a sample with these competing PKAcα ligands was used to develop a sensitive AbARC immunoassay that allowed the determination of small amounts (from 93 pg) of PKAcα in cell lysates. Recently, PRKACB gene with the S54L mutation was discovered in a patient with the Cushing's syndrome. This mutation leads to a change in the structure of the glycine-rich loop of the PK. In the present study, an inhibitor with six-fold selectivity for the mutated PK was developed. In addition, a luminescence method was worked out for determination of affinity of both commercial and developed inhibitors of the PKAcβ protein. X-ray structure analysis of complexes of ARC inhibitors and PK PIM-1 was performed in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Based on the obtained structural models, compounds with simplified chemical structures were constructed. New inhibitors were derivatized with biotin or fluorescent dye Cy5 and applied for the detection of PIM PKs in biochemical solutions and complex biological samples. The sandwich assay utilizing a PIM-2-selective detection antibody featured a low limit of quantification (44 pg of PIM-2). A confocal microscopy study showed that the fluorescent probes were efficiently taken up by U2OS cells and the probes revealed high extent of co-localization with PIM-1-fused fluorescent proteins.https://www.ester.ee/record=b545989

Fantastic beasts and why to conserve them: animals, magic and biodiversity conservation

There is a broad set of human beliefs, attitudes and behaviours around the issue of magical animals, referring to both mythical animals not recognized by science and extant animals that are recognized by science but have magical properties. This is a broad issue ranging from spiritual beliefs around mythical animals living in Malagasy forests, to cultural heritage associated with the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. Beliefs and behaviours around magical animals can have positive and negative impacts on biodiversity conservation goals. Yet, so far, the discipline of conservation biology has not adequately considered magical animals, neglecting to account for the broader knowledge from outside the natural sciences on this issue, and taking a narrow, utilitarian approach to how magical animals should be managed, without necessarily considering the broader impacts on conservation goals or ethics. Here we explore how magical animals can influence conservation goals, how conservation biology and practice has thought about magical animals, and some of the limitations of current approaches, particularly the failure to consider magical animals as part of wider systems of belief and culture. We argue that magical animals and their implications for conservation merit wider consideration

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dog Owners Regarding Dog-Related Diseases in Mvomero and Morogoro Districts, Tanzania

Background: Dogs were the earliest animals domesticated by humans for various purposes, but receive little attention from the community and may be sources of diseases in humans and other animals. In Tanzania, most dogs are Mongrels and are primarily found in rural areas where they receive limited veterinary care. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dog keepers regarding dog management, and their awareness of zoonoses, to develop effective disease prevention and control programs.Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and January 2018 in the Mvomero and Morogoro districts of Tanzania. The study used a simple random sampling method, whereas a structured questionnaire was administered to 200 dog keepers. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for data analysis. The independent variables were demographic characteristics of dog keepers (age, gender, education, and location), while dependent variables included knowledge of dog management, attitudes toward dogs, and practices.Results: The study found that 59% of respondents had fair to good knowledge of dog management, though practices were generally poor, with most dog keepers owning dogs for security purposes. While 87% were aware of zoonotic diseases, particularly rabies, vaccination rates were higher in Morogoro than in Mvomero (p<0.05). Negative experiences with dogs were reported by 78% of respondents, and attitudes towards dogs were more negative in Mvomero than in Morogoro (p=0.007).Conclusion: The study concludes that dogs in Morogoro are poorly managed, live-in unhygienic conditions, rarely receive veterinary services, and experiences suffering of different kinds, which is contrary to animal welfare principles. Therefore, integrative approaches to raising public awareness about dog management practices in the study areas and other regions of Tanzania are recommended to safeguard the health of both dogs and humans

Studies on Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour of dogs in Mvomero and Morogoro municipality, Tanzania

Canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) is a contagious tumour that is naturally transmitted between dogs by the allogeneic transfer of living tumour cells during coitus. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mvomero and Morogoro Municipality between September and November 2017 in order to determine the prevalence of CTVT and level of people’s awareness on the disease. The knowledge and interventions in reference to CTVT were evaluated using a structured questionnaire, whereas the status of the disease in animals was investigated through clinical examination. A total of 200 respondents were interviewed and 300 dogs were examined. Results on questionnaire showed that, most of the respondents had their dogs managed freely as stray dogs. Majority of the dog owners had one to five dogs and with no controlled breeding. It was further established that majority of the respondents knew CTVT as a disease of bleeding in dogs and had seen dogs affected by the disease suggesting that the disease iscommon in the study areas. Nevertheless, the real cause and treatment was not clear to most of the dog keepers. Based on clinical examination of dogs, the prevalence of CTVT in dogs was 12%, with Mvomero district having more cases of CTVT, 23 (15.4%) than Morogoro Municipality which had 13 (8.6%). In Mvomero district, Dakawa ward had the highest number of CTVT cases 12 (8.1%). Furthermore, it was found that male dogs were more affected by CTVT (15.3%) as compared to female dogs (8.7%). This study shows that magnitude of CTVT is high in the study area and insufficient knowledge and misconception on clinical presentation, spread, and treatments of the disease prevail. Therefore deliberate measures aimed at minimizing the problem need to be taken. Key words: TVT, dogs, management, tumour

Comparative effectiveness of animal manures on soil chemical properties, yield and root growth of amaranthus (amaranthus cruentus l.)

Pot and field experiments were conducted to compare the effects of dairy cow, goat and poultry manures on soil available levels of N and P and amaranths yield and root growth. The three amendments were applied on Oxisols at 100, 150 and 170 kg N/ha in a split plot design and replicated three times. Pot experiment lasted for one month whereas field  experiment was conducted over three monthly crop cycles. Results of both experiments indicated that applications of the three manures significantly (P goat manure > dairy cow manure. This was largely attributed to differences in total N, total P, C/N and C/P ratios of the amendments. Field experiment results revealed that responseswere highest after the third crop harvest suggesting that mineralization of organic N and P increased with time. Based on fertilizer recommendations of N and P for Southern highlands of Tanzania and the highest rate used in this study (170 kg N/ha), applications of 5.8 tons/ha, 9.8 tons/ha and 13.4 tons/ha of poultry, goat and dairy cow manure will suffice the equirement of 40 kg N/ha and 20 kg P/ha recommended for most field crops

The impact of climate change on agriculture and economic growth in Cameroon

The agricultural sector is both one of the key sectors of the Cameroonian economy and the one most influenced by the climate. As indicated in the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the rise in temperature, changes in rainfall patterns, changes in cloud cover, etc., will continue to change. But how does climate change affect agricultural activities and influence economic growth in Cameroon? The aim of this article is to analyze the impact of climate change on agricultural production and on economic growth in Cameroon over the period 1990–2020. To achieve this objective, a stochastic production function model developed by Just and Pope was used. We also used CO2 emissions as a proxy for climate change. The results obtained clearly show that the increase in CO2 emissions has a negative impact on agricultural production and on economic growth

Environmental and Health Impacts Associated with Usage of Agrochemicals in Mindu Dam Catchment Area, Morogoro, Tanzania

A field based study was conducted during 2004 – 2006 to assess the environmental, human and animal health risks associated with usage of agrochemicals in Mindu dam catchment area (MDCA), in Morogoro,  Tanzania. Heads of 268 households were interviewed using a questionnaire with structured and semi-structured questions. Fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides were the most commonly used agrochemicals in tomato  production, which was the main crop cultivated. Endosulfan was the only organochlorine pesticide used in vegetable production. The majority of the farmers purchased agrochemicals that were repacked in unlabelled  non-original containers, which were later reused for domestic purposes. About 73% of the farmers applied agrochemicals without protective gears. High risk groups to agrochemical exposure in the area were men, retailers and children. Farmers’ perceived impacts of agrochemical usage included getting sick, deaths of people and animals and environmental pollution. Information obtained from this study was used to identify appropriate foci and target groups for interventions to reduce the health risks associated with the usage of agrochemicals in the area. This assessment identified three foci and target groups for interventions: training of farmers on good agricultural practices, strengthening agricultural extension services, and reinforcing regulatory services.Key words: aquatic environment, fertilizers, humans, pollution, pesticide