Aflatoxin Contamination and Rancidity in Locally Processed Commercial Fish Feeds and Ingredients along the Value Chain in Wakiso and Kampala Districts, Uganda

Aflatoxin contamination and rancidity in locally processed commercial fish feeds and ingredients along value chains is a Public and Animal health hazard. The study established the level of aflatoxin contamination, peroxide value (PV), Anisidine value (AnV), and their associated factors at storage areas among farmers, processors, traders, factories, and landing sites in the Wakiso and Kampala districts. The value chain actors were purposively selected in a cross-sectional study based on access to the feed store and the use of locally processed commercial fish feeds on farms. Data collected were statistically analyzed in SPSS version 20. All the samples (45) were positive for aflatoxin contamination and PV with 51% (23/45) of samples being contaminated with “above acceptable” aflatoxin levels and 66.6% (30/45) of samples with “above acceptable” PV. The overall percentage of “above acceptable” AnV was 11/29 (37.9%). Samples from factories were within acceptable contamination levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed no significant difference between aflatoxin contamination, peroxide, and Anisidine value with storage factors for locally processed commercial fish feeds and ingredients. The study recommended the purchase of fish feeds from factories and a larger study on storage factors responsible for aflatoxin contamination and rancidity in fish feeds in Uganda.

Selected Aspects of Camel Immune System and Immune Responses

The camel economy is of considerable importance for arid countries. In the last decade, studies about camel immune system and immune responses have recorded increasing interest. However, drawing a comprehensive picture of the camel immune system remains far from reached. A major part of this review is to cover the studies of the primary and secondary immune organs and the markers of the camel immune cells and certain lymphoid tissues. At the same time, immune responses to different diseases and the nature of effective immunity were included, with an emphasis on the most important zoonotic diseases in camels such as MERS CoV;brucellosis. New findings on the diversity mechanisms of camel immunoglobulin genes were addressed. However, detail of the mechanism of MHC-restricted cellular immunity and the mechanism of B lymphocyte activation in camels await further attention. Interestingly, the gross and the histological structure of the lymphoid tissues of the camel’s thymus, tonsils, and peyer’s patches have indicated significant differences from other animals in terms of structure and function. The most peculiar CD expression, such as LPAM-I, MAdCAM-1 and CX3CR1, in certain camel cells and tissues refers to possible extraordinary mechanisms of immune hemostasis in camel in comparison to other ruminants. The widely applied immunodiagnostic techniques to control camel diseases and to assist in improving the camel resistance were considered. Extensive studies of the camel immune system were greatly hampered by lack of specific reagents to camel markers and low funds in the field of camel immunology.

Effect of a Wildlife-Livestock Interface on the Prevalence of Intra-Erythrocytic Hemoparasites in Cattle

We conducted a cross-sectional study to establish the effect of proximity of livestock to a wildlife-livestock interface on the relative abundance of intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites in cattle. Blood samples were obtained from 131 randomlyselected cattle raised around Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cattle-farm location was determined by using Global Positioning System device from an arbitrarily reference point. Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined microscopically for intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites. Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between farm location and prevalence, whereas risk ratios were used to determine the strength of mixed hemoparasitic infections among cattle, using a significant level of α = 0.05. The location of a cattle farm significantly predicted the prevalence of Anaplasma (rs = 0.33, p 0.05) and Theileria (rs = 0.57, p 0.01) but, farm’s proximity to QENP did not explain the variation in the prevalence of Babesia (rs = 0.14, p 0.2). Although mixed infections occurred in 15% of sampled cattle, concurrent infection of cattle with A. marginale and B. bigemina [RR = 36;95% CI (7.191);p which was recorded. This study demonstrated that unlike the prevalence of B. bigemina, the prevalence of T. parva and A. marginale in livestock significantly increased with close proximity to a wildlife-livestock interface.