Variation of the Consumption of Mushrooms by Pygmies and Bantus in the North of Gabon

A comparative study of the number of taxa and fungal biomass consumed by the Pygmies and the Bantus of Gabon has been realized in two Gabon north regions (Ogooue-Ivindo and the Woleu-Ntem). This study has allowed not only to establish the list of consumed fungal sorts by those populations, but also to estimate the daily consumed fungal biomasses by each ethnical group. The study has revealed a significant difference between a numbers of taxa and the quantity of mushrooms consumed by various ethnical groups: the Pygmies of the area who live especially by hunting and fishing consumed 96% of the recorded taxa with some high mushrooms quantities (around 3 kg/day/family);the Bantus who live nearby Pygmies also consumed some high mushrooms quantities (around 2 kg/day/family) but a low taxa number (56% of taxa counted by the Fang;69% by the Kota;39% by the Kwele);on the other hand, the Bantus living nearest the Pygmies consumed a high taxa number as much as Pygmies (around 90% of taxa counted) but eat a lower mushrooms quantities than theirs distant congeners Pygmies (around 800 g/day/family).

Molecular and Serological Epidemiology of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in North Region of Cameroon

The serological prevalence of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) among the cattle population in the North region of Cameroon was determined using ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays) serological tests for structural as well as non-structural proteins. In these cattle, FMDV RNA was identified, amplified, sequenced and the sequences were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. A sedentary cattle population randomly selected from six veterinary centres in the North region was sampled twice, six months apart. High prevalence of FMDV antibody was recorded in the first (402/466 (85.84%)) and second (358/411 (86.90%)) sampling periods. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in prevalence of FMDV antibody between the two sampling periods. Goudali and Peulh breeds of cattle and animals of three to five years old were the most infected with FMDV and mostly in the months of May and August. A seroprevalence of 100% (n = 14) of FMDV against serotypes A and O was observed in sera from convalescent animals in the study area. FMDV antigen detection ELISA showed a prevalence of 18/37 (48.65%) for serotypes SAT1 (8.1%), SAT2 (35.1%), A (10.8%) and O (2.7%) among the clinically infected animals. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in prevalence of FMDV RNA between the sampling periods. A prevalence of FMDV RNA (17.5% (n = 120) and 16.7% (n = 240)) was observed among the sedentary animals that were sampled four to five months apart. FMDV RNA prevalence of 28/37 (75.6%) among clinically infected animals was also observed, thus confirming all the 12 outbreaks investigated. Sequence analysis of VP1 coding gene of the SAT2 serotype showed that it was homologous to the Libyan isolates (that caused epidemics in northern Africa in 2012) and also clustered with the serotypes isolated from both Nigeria and Sudan in 2007.