Evaluation of diagnostic performance of H-based blocking ELISA for specific detection of peste des petits ruminants in domestic sheep, goats, cattle and camels.

INTRODUCTION: Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes a highly devastating disease of sheep and goats, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), which is targeted for global control and eradication by 2030. The serological diagnostic tool kits for accurate diagnosis of PPR have inherent strengths and weaknesses that require parallel validation and optimization across animal species. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate diagnostic performance of haemagglutinin based PPR blocking ELISA (HPPR- b-ELISA), that was developed by Africa Union Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Center for specific detection of anti- PPRV antibodies. METHODS: In preliminarily investigation, diagnostic performance of the HPPR-b-ELISA®, commercial PPR competition ELISA (c-ELISA) and virus neutralization test (VNT) were compared for the detection of anti-PPRV antibodies in goats, sheep, cattle and camels. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of HPPR- b-ELISA® were 79.55 and 99.74%, respectively, compared to c-ELISA. The HPPR- b-ELISA® was in perfect agreement (κ = 0.86) with the c-ELISA in all sera collected from goats, sheep and cattle. There was almost perfect agreement between the species of goats (κ = 0.82) and sheep (κ = 0.98), while the agreement was substantial in cattle (κ = 0.78) and no agreement was observed in camels (κ = 0.00). Similarly, the sensitivity and specificity of the HPPR b-ELISA were 80 and 96.36%, respectively compared to VNT with almost perfect agreement in goats (κ = 0.83) and sheep (κ = 0.89), moderate in cattle (κ = 0.50) and none in camels (κ = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that HPPR- b-ELISA is a suitable and valid method that can alternatively be used for screening and monitoring of PPR in sheep, goats and cattle except for camels.

Risk factors for the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among patients undergoing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in East Shoa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is resistant to the two main first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs: rifampicin and isoniazid. It is a major threat to public health worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the potential risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among patients undergoing MDR-TB treatment at two community hospitals in Ethiopia. METHODS: A case-control study design was conducted from February 1, 2016, to April 29, 2016. TB-positive patients with MDR-TB and non-MDR-TB were considered as cases and controls, respectively. A total of 219 study participants were included in the study. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the patients, and a checklist was used to collect data from the clinical records. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the potential risk factors for the occurrence of MDR-TB. RESULTS: The odds of developing MDR-TB were higher in patients previously treated with anti-TB drugs (odds ratio [OR] = 6.1, 95%CI: 2.92-12.62, P < 0.001), those with a history of contact with known TB patients (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.04-4.43, P < 0.001), those living in a rural setting (OR = 5.6, 95%CI: 2.14-14.46, P = 0.001), those with a history of alcohol consumption (OR = 4.3, 95%CI: 2.29-10.49, P < 0.001) and those without a job (OR = 2.4, 95%CI: 1.06-5.42, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that contact with known TB patients, previous TB treatment, residence area, lack of a job, and alcohol consumption were potential risk factors for the occurrence of MDR-TB. Enhancing public health education, intensifying directly observed therapy programmes for all TB patients and designing control strategies are recommended.

Risk assessment of staphylococcal poisoning due to consumption of informally-marketed milk and home-made yoghurt in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia.

The objectives of the study were twofold: to prove that participatory risk assessment can be applied to informally-marketed foods, and to assess the risk of staphylococcal poisoning through consumption of raw milk and home-made yoghurt in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. Rapid urban appraisals were combined with conventional interviews to identify and quantify formal and informal milk value chains and to collect information on consumers' food preparation and consumption behavior. Milk was sampled in 170 dairy farms and 5 milk collection centers and microbiological tests were conducted. Published data on milk fermentation in Ethiopia was combined with a growth model of Staphylococcus aureus to develop a stochastic risk model. The annual incidence rate of staphylococcal poisoning was estimated to be 20.0 (90% CI: 13.9-26.9) per 1000 people. When the effect of fermentation was removed from the model, the annual incidence rate increased to 315.8 (90% CI: 224.3-422.9) per 1000 people, showing the importance of traditional food preparation methods in risk mitigation; traditional milk fermentation reduced the risk by 93.7%. Improving the safety of milk and dairy products could be achieved through supporting appropriate traditional food preparation and consumption where an industrial risk mitigation system is not feasible. Participatory risk assessment was shown to be applicable to informal food value chain.