Browsing by Author "Massawe, Apia"

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Associated factors contributing abundance of fleas on rodents in plague endemic area of Karatu district, northern Tanzania.
(IEEE, 2023-07-10) Jakoniko, Joshua; Massawe, Apia; Mwega, Elisa; Kessy, Stella
Fleas are small wingless hematophagous insect that are frequently infesting on rodents and other small mammals while acting as reservoirs and vectors of many rodent borne zoonotic diseases including plague infectious disease which is threat to the public health in many part of the world including Tanzania. 291 rodents from nine species were captured with Sherman traps in farm land, peridomestic areas, bush land and forest buffer zone across wet and dry season in plague and non-plague foci villages. Captured rodents were anaesthetized and 190 fleas comprising four species were collected and morphologically identified with available dichotomous key. Dinopsyllus lypusus were (46.32%), Ctenophthalmus spp (26.84%), Xenopsylla brasiliensis (16.32%) and Xenopsylla cheopis (10.53%). 38.42% of fleas were collected from Mastomy natalensis, 22.63% from Lemniscomys striatus and 18.42% from Rattus rattus. Highest flea infestation prevalence was found on R.rattus and was strongly associated with X.cheopis and X.brasiliensis. Specific flea index of X.cheopis on R.rattus was (01) in plague foci and (<0.5) in non-plague foci villages. Result of GLM final model indicated that flea abundance was significant influenced by rodent species (p < .001), season (p= .031), habitat type (p= .02), rodent weight (p < .001), rodent sex (p < .001) and plague locations (p= .02). There was significance difference in variation of flea abundance between rodent sexes (W = 9158.5, p = .009) and a weak positive correlation between rodent’s weight and abundance of fleas (R= 0.17, p< 0.05). Despite that, specific flea index of X.cheopis on rats in both plague foci and non-plague foci villages were not indicating alarming condition that would require urgent control of fleas, still society should consistently adhere to rodent and fleas control methods in order to limit their interaction to the society especially in farm land and peridomestic areas where human activities are high.
Flea Burden on Rodents and Its Associated Determinants in Plague-Endemic Localities of Karatu District, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study
(Wiley, 2024-06-22) Jakoniko, Joshua; Massawe, Apia; Mwega, Elisa; Kessy, Stella
Background Fleas infest rodents and other small mammals, serving as vectors for zoonotic diseases such as plague. This study investigates the flea burden on rodents and its associated determinants within the plague-endemic localities of Karatu district, Tanzania. Methods A repeated cross-sectional design was employed to capture rodents with Sherman traps in farmland, peridomestic area, bush land, and forest buffer zones across the wet and dry seasons of 2022 in plague and nonplague foci villages. Captured rodents were anaesthetized and thoroughly brushed to collect fleas, which were then identified using a dichotomous key. Results A total of 291 rodents (9 species) were captured, from which 190 fleas (4 species) were collected. The collected fleas were Dinopsyllus lypusus (46.32%), Ctenophthalmus sp (26.84%), Xenopsylla brasiliensis (16.32%), and Xenopsylla cheopis (10.53%). Approximately 38.42% of fleas were found on Mastomys natalensis, 22.63% on Lemniscomys striatus, and 18.42% on Rattus rattus. High flea abundance was recorded in farmland and peridomestic areas. The specific flea index (SFI) of X. cheopis on R. rattus was 1.0 in plague foci and <0.5 in nonplague foci. A generalized linear model revealed significant influences of rodent species, season, habitats, rodent weight, sex, and plague locations on flea abundance. Significant variation was observed between rodent sexes (p = 0.009), and a weak positive correlation existed between rodent weight and flea abundance (R = 0.17, p < 0.05). Conclusion Villages in plague foci exhibited higher abundances of fleas in comparison to nonplague foci villages. The SFI results for X. cheopis on rats in both types of villages did not surpass critical thresholds. Factors such as dry season, farmlands, and rodent characteristics influenced flea abundance on rodents in the study area.
Flea infestation of rodent and their community structure in frequent and non-frequent plague outbreak areas in Mbulu district, northern Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2024-03-04) Kessy, Stella; Makundi, RhodesH.; Massawe, Apia; Rija, Alfan
Understanding rodent-ectoparasite interactions and the factors driving them is important in understanding the epidemiology of diseases involving an arthropod vector. Fleas are the primary vector for Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague and monitoring of flea population is essential for planning the potential mitigation measures to prevent the disease outbreak. In this study, we investigated flea abundance, community structure and the potential factors driving flea infestation in areas with frequent (persistent) and non-frequent plague (non- persistent) outbreaks. We collected fleas from captured rodents in two villages with both forest and farm hab- itats. We found 352 fleas belonging to 5 species with Dinopsyllus lypusus the most abundant overall (57.10%) and Ctenophthalmus spp. the lowest (1.70%). There were no significant differences of flea abundance between study localities, habitats and seasons (p > 0.05) but, flea infestation was significantly positively associated with the persistent locality and with the short rain season (p < 0.05). Further, flea abundance increased significantly with rodent body weight (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we found fleas broadly structured into two communities varying between the dry, long rain and short rain seasons. These findings have important implications for public health, as they may be used to assess and control the risks of plague transmission and other flea borne diseases in the foci.
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
(ELSEVIER, 2024-03-04) Kessy, Stella; Makundi, RhodesH.; Massawe, Apia; Rija, Alfan
Understanding rodent-ectoparasite interactions and the factors driving them is important in understanding the epidemiology of diseases involving an arthropod vector. Fleas are the primary vector for Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague and monitoring of flea population is essential for planning the potential mitigation measures to prevent the disease outbreak. In this study, we investigated flea abundance, community structure and the potential factors driving flea infestation in areas with frequent (persistent) and non-frequent plague (non- persistent) outbreaks. We collected fleas from captured rodents in two villages with both forest and farm hab- itats. We found 352 fleas belonging to 5 species with Dinopsyllus lypusus the most abundant overall (57.10%) and Ctenophthalmus spp. the lowest (1.70%). There were no significant differences of flea abundance between study localities, habitats and seasons (p > 0.05) but, flea infestation was significantly positively associated with the persistent locality and with the short rain season (p < 0.05). Further, flea abundance increased significantly with rodent body weight (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we found fleas broadly structured into two communities varying between the dry, long rain and short rain seasons. These findings have important implications for public health, as they may be used to assess and control the risks of plague transmission and other flea borne diseases in the foci.
Population dynamics of the Multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) and Makundi’s brush fur rat (Lophuromys makundii) and their implications in disease …
(Springer, 2024-03-06) Kessy, Stella; Sabuni, Christopher; Massawe, Apia; Makundi, Rhodes; Rija, Alfan
Understanding host population dynamics in connection to disease persistence is important for determining the epizootic risks present in plague foci. We used a capture-mark-recapture method to investigate the population dynamics of Mastomys natalensis and Lophuromys makundii in an active plague focus, in Mbulu District, Tanzania. We hypothesized higher abundance in plague-persistent locality and between habits and seasons. We found distinct patterns of abundance in M. natalensis between farm and forest habitats. The abundance was significantly higher in farms in plague persistent than non-plague persistent areas. The dry season showed a significant increase of abundance compared to the long rain season and the short rain season. A significant increase in breeding females was observed in farms in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities while farms showed a significant decrease compared to forests. Dry season was associated with an increase in breeding females compared to the long rain season and the short rain season. Furthermore, the abundance of L. makundii showed a significant increase in forest in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities. The abundance increased significantly during the dry season and long rain season compared to the short rain season. The proportion of breeding females was significantly higher in forests in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities. The breeding females significantly increased during the dry and the short rain season than the long rain season. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ecological factors shaping the population dynamics of these species and their potential roles in plague persistence.
Rodent abundance, diversity and community structure in a bubonic plague endemic area, northern Tanzania
(De Gruyter, 2023-08-07) Kessy, Stella; Makundi, Rhodes; Sabuni, Christopher; Massawe, Apia; Rija, Alfan
Rodent-borne diseases such as bubonic plague remain a significant threat to public health in tropical countries. In plague-endemic areas, little information exists on the factors triggering periodic bursts, thus rendering preparedness strategies for preventing the negative impacts of the deadly zoonosis difficult. In this study, we assessed how species richness, diversity, and community structure of rodents are associated with plague persistence in Mbulu District, Tanzania. Rodent data were collected using the removal trapping technique. We captured 610 rodents belonging to 12 species, with Mastomys natalensis recording highest abundance. There was significantly higher abundance and species richness in persistent than non-persistent plague locality. Also, house premises recorded significantly lower species richness than farm and forest habitats. Additionally, we found three broad rodent community structures that varied significantly between studied habitat types suggesting high rodent populations interaction at fine-scale resource abundance. The high abundance and diversity of plague-susceptible rodent reservoirs suggestively contribute to the plague persistence in the foci. These results may be useful to developing preparedness strategies in these areas to control plague outbreaks.