Browsing by Author "Chesang, Elizabeth"

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    Influence of Seasonal and Zonal Variation on Tick Burden, Distribution, Diversity and Seroprevalence of Coxiellosis in Tana River County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Chesang, Elizabeth
    Ticks are ectoparasites of livestock and wildlife and pose a threat to animal productivity and public health due to the multiple pathogens they transmit. Among the tick-borne pathogens of interest is Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that causes coxiellosis in animals or Q fever in humans. Ticks and Small ruminants are reservoirs of this bacteria. Direct contact, infected tick bites, consumption of contaminated animal products or inhalation of contaminated aerosols may transmit the pathogen to humans. This study investigated ticks dynamics and seroprevalence coxiellosis in the small ruminants of Tana River County in Kenya. The area is generally dry and prone to drought with two rainy seasons. 38 farmers participated, providing insights into animal husbandry, tick control methods and knowledge of zoonotic disease transmission via administered questionnaires. 364 (48.1% and 51.9% from irrigated and nonirrigated zones respectively) animals that met inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study, ear tagged and subjected to repeat sampling involving tick and blood sample collection. Serum was tested for C. burnetii antibodiesTicks were identified using Cupp. (1991) taxonomic key. The majority of the enrolled animals were goats 74.5%, 79.9% were females, 70.6% were adults and a larger proportion (73.1%) had body score indexes of 3 and 4. 55,2% of the respondents practised semi-zero grazing, 52.6% controlled ticks using acaricide. 94.7% were aware of zoonotic diseases and 26.3% only could articulate the transmission modes. 79% of the respondents assist the animals when calving, 52.6% live with young animals in one house and 79% feed dogs with aborted fetuses. 5,450 ticks were collected in both seasons, with higher counts recorded during the wet season (57.8%) and in irrigated zones (52.2%). A significant difference was observed in the mean tick count between the wet and dry seasons (p0.05) however the odds ratio (OR=0.61) suggests that sheep may have a lower likelihood of infection, however, the finding is not significant p≤0.05. Seroprevalence of Coxiella detected in a subset of animals indicates the potential risk of zoonotic transmission in this region. Results stress the importance of continuous generation of data on tick ddynamic’s, targeted vaccination programs and enhancing disease surveillance by strengthening health facilities, raising public awareness and enhancing farmer training. Further research on the role of nomadism and emerging tick-borne diseases is essential for informing effective tick control measures that could improve public and animal health.