DNA barcoding of southern African mammal species and construction of a reference library for forensic application.

Combating wildlife crimes in South Africa requires accurate identification of traded species and their products. Diagnostic morphological characteristics needed to identify species are often lost when specimens are processed and customs officials lack the expertise to identify species. As a potential solution, DNA barcoding can be used to identify morphologically indistinguishable specimens in forensic cases. However, barcoding is hindered by the reliance on comprehensive, validated DNA barcode reference databases, which are currently limited. To overcome this limitation, we constructed a barcode library of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and cytochrome b sequences for threatened and protected mammals exploited in southern Africa. Additionally, we included closely related or morphologically similar species and assessed the database's ability to identify species accurately. Published southern African sequences were incorporated to estimate intraspecific and interspecific variation. Neighbor-joining trees successfully discriminated 94%-95% of the taxa. However, some widespread species exhibited high intraspecific distances (>2%), suggesting geographic sub-structuring or cryptic speciation. Lack of reliable published data prevented the unambiguous discrimination of certain species. This study highlights the efficacy of DNA barcoding in species identification, particularly for forensic applications. It also highlights the need for a taxonomic re-evaluation of certain widespread species and challenging genera.

Factors influencing the integration of indigenous and conventional knowledge of water security for livestock.

Farmers have developed indigenous knowledge (IK) on predictive and adaptation strategies to sustain water security. The objective of the study was to determine factors that influence the integration of IK and conventional knowledge (CK) to ensure water security for livestock. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Farmers in Musina and uMhlabuyalingana use IK indicators to predict rain for water security. Farmers in uMhlabuyalingana predicted rain using wind movement more than their counterparts in Musina (P < 0.05). Taboos were used (P > 0.05) in both Musina and uMhlabuyalingana to ensure water security. Cultural prohibitions were used more in uMhlabuyalingana to cope with water shortages than in Musina (P < 0.05). Boreholes, home taps and municipal water were not properly maintained (P > 0.05). Socio-economic factors had greater influence on the integration of IK and CK. Males were 2.24 times likely to support integration of IK and CK compared to women. Adults were 7.1 times likely to support integration of IK and CK compared to those that were younger. Farmers were open to the integration of conventional and indigenous knowledge to ensure water security. Promoting the integration of IK and CK enables stakeholders to gain access to valuable information which can, in turn, promote sustainable community development.

Systematic review: a review of adolescent behavior change interventions [BCI] and their effectiveness in HIV and AIDS prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Despite sub-Saharan Africa [SSA] constituting just 12% of the world's population, the region has the highest burden of HIV with 70% of HIV infection in general and 80% of new infections among young people occuring in the region. Diverse intervention programmes have been implemented among young people but with minimal translation to behavior change. A systematic review of Behavior Change Interventions [BCI] targeting adolescents in SSA was therefore conducted with the objective of delineating this intervention vis-a-vis efficacy gap. METHODS: From April to July 2015 searches were made from different journals online. Databases searched included MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, PsychINFO, Cochrane, and Google Scholar; Cambridge and Oxford journal websites, UNAIDS and WHO for studies published between 2000 and 2015. After excluding other studies by review of titles and then abstracts, the studies were reduced to 17. Three of these were randomized trials and five quasi-experimental. Overall interventions included those prescribing life skills, peer education [n = 6] and community collaborative programmes. The main study protocol was approved by the University of Malawi College of Medicine Ethics Committee on 30th June 2016 [ref #: P.01/16/1847. The review was registered with PROSPERO [NIH] in 2015. RESULTS: The review yielded some 200 titles and abstracts, 20 full text articles were critically analysed and 17 articles reviewed reflecting a dearth in published studies in the area of psychosocial BCI interventions targeting adolescents in SSA. Results show that a number of reviewed interventions [n = 8] registered positive outcomes in both knowledge and sexual practices. CONCLUSIONS: The review demonstrates a paucity of psychosocial BCI studies targeting adolescents in SSA. There are however mixed findings about the effectiveness of psychosocial BCI targeting adolescents in SSA. Other studies portray intervention effectiveness and others limited efficacy. Peer education as an intervention stands out as being more effective than other psychosocial regimens, like life skills, in facilitating HIV risk reduction. There is therefore need for further research on interventions employing peer education to substantiate their potential efficacy in HIV risk reduction among adolescents. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015019244, available from http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42015019244 .

Association between parity and fistula location in women with obstetric fistula: a multivariate regression analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare primiparous and multiparous women who develop obstetric fistula (OF) and to assess predictors of fistula location. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Fistula Care Centre at Bwaila Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi. POPULATION: Women with OF who presented between September 2011 and July 2014 with a complete obstetric history were eligible for the study. METHODS: Women with OF were surveyed for their obstetric history. Women were classified as multiparous if prior vaginal or caesarean delivery was reported. The location of the fistula was determined at operation: OF involving the urethra, bladder neck, and midvagina were classified as low; OF involving the vaginal apex, cervix, uterus, and ureters were classified as high. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic information was compared between primiparous and multiparous women using chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U-tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were implemented to assess the relationship between variables of interest and fistula location. RESULTS: During the study period, 533 women presented for repair, of which 452 (84.8%) were included in the analysis. The majority (56.6%) were multiparous when the fistula formed. Multiparous women were more likely to have laboured <1 day (62.4 versus 44.5%, P < 0.001), delivered a live-born infant (26.8 versus 17.9%, P = 0.026), and have a high fistula location (37.5 versus 11.2%, P < 0.001). Multiparity [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.27-9.12)] and history of caesarean delivery (aOR = 4.11, 95% CI 2.45-6.89) were associated with development of a high fistula. CONCLUSIONS: Multiparity was common in our cohort, and these women were more likely to have a high fistula. Additional research is needed to understand the aetiology of high fistula including potential iatrogenic causes. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Multiparity and caesarean delivery were associated with a high tract fistula in our Malawian cohort.

Two deep evolutionary lineages in the circumtropical glasseye Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Teleostei, Priacanthidae) with admixture in the south-western Indian Ocean.

A phylogeographic study of the circumtropical glasseye Heteropriacanthus cruentatus was conducted. Molecular analyses indicate two mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (coI) lineages that are 10·4% divergent: one in the western Atlantic (Caribbean) and another that was detected across the Indo-Pacific. A fixed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was detected at a nuclear locus (S7 ribosomal protein) and is consistent with this finding. There is evidence of recent dispersal from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean with individuals of mixed lineages detected in South Africa and the Mozambique Channel. Using coalescent analyses of the mitochondrial dataset, time of divergence between lineages was estimated to be c. 15·3 million years. The deep divergence between these two lineages indicates distinct evolutionary units, however, due to the lack of morphological differences and evidence of hybridization between lineages, taxonomic revision is not suggested at this time.

Identification of a uniquely southern African clade of coastal pipefishes Syngnathus spp.

The taxonomic status of two southern African coastal pipefish species, Syngnathus temminckii and Syngnathus watermeyeri, was investigated using a combination of morphological and genetic data. Morphological data showed that S. temminckii is distinct from the broadly distributed European pipefish Syngnathus acus, and a molecular phylogeny reconstructed using mitochondrial DNA recovered S. temminckii and S. watermeyeri as sister taxa. The southern African species share an evolutionary origin with north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea species, including S. acus. These data support the existence of a distinct southern African clade of Syngnathus pipefishes that has diverged in situ to form the two species present in the region today.

First record and further description of the Cape hagfish Myxine capensis(Myxinidae) off Mozambique, western Indian Ocean.

The first record of the Cape hagfish Myxine capensis in Mozambican waters is reported based on a single 356 mm total length specimen taken by bottom trawl off Maputo, 25° 52·9' S; 34° 42·7' E - 25° 54·1' S; 34° 41·0' E, at depths from 557 to 564 m. This account also represents the northernmost record of a hagfish in the western Indian Ocean. Morphometric and meristic data are provided and compared with those of 27 specimens (including the holotype) caught off Namibia and South Africa.

Ethno-veterinary control of parasites, management and role of village chickens in rural households of Centane district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Mwale and Masika 2009 Ethno-veterinary control of parasites, management and role of village chickens in rural households of Centane district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Tropical Animal Health and Production. Village chickens contribute significantly towards rural livelihood in the African continent through the provision of animal protein, income and socio-cultural uses. However, village chickens are susceptible to parasite infestation. Due to limitations of using western drugs to control these parasites, farmers resort to the use of ethno-veterinary medicine (EVM). However, there is dearth of information on EVM use in chickens. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to document various EVM practices used in controlling gastro-intestinal parasites in village chickens. Stratified random sampling was used to select 62 chicken farmers that were interviewed using a structured questionnaire About 70 and 96.7% of farmers provided housing and water for their chickens respectively whereas the rest did not. The chief role of chickens was meat provision (91.7%). Most households (86%) reported parasite problems in chickens, particularly gastro-intestinal parasites. Eighty-three percent of the interviewed respondents use medicinal plants to control both internal and external parasites in chickens. Use of plants increased with parasite incidences (r=0.347; P<0.01). Mainly gastro-intestinal parasites were problematic and were largely controlled by medicinal plants. Further research on pharmacological properties, safety and efficacy of these plants is important for improved chicken productivity and hence rural livelihood.

Effects of adolescent exposure to behaviour change interventions on their HIV risk reduction in Northern Malawi: a situation analysis.

Understanding adolescents' translation of HIV and AIDS-related behaviour change interventions (BCI) knowledge and skills into expected behavioural outcomes helps us appreciate behaviour change dynamics among young people and informs evidence-based programming. We explored the effects of adolescents' exposure to BCI on their HIV risk reduction in selected schools in Nkhatabay and Mzimba districts and Mzuzu city in Northern Malawi. The study used questionnaires as instruments. Data were collected between January and April 2017. Adolescent boys and girls [n = 552], ages 11-19 were randomly sampled to participate. Data analysis was through multiple regression and content analysis. Respondents included 324 female [58.7%] and 228 male [41.3%]. Multiple regression analysis indicated that exposure to BCI did not affect risk reduction in the study area. The best stepwise model isolated sexual experience ([Beta = .727, p = .0001, p < .05]) as having the strongest correlation with the dependent variable - risk reduction. BCI exposure was stepwise excluded ([Beta = -.082, p = .053, p > .05]). There was therefore no evidence against the null hypothesis of no relationship between adolescent exposure to BCI and their HIV risk reduction. Overall there was limited BCI knowledge and skills translation to behavioural risk reduction. The study points to the need to evaluate and redesign adolescent BCI in line with current behavioural dynamics among young people in Malawi. The findings have been used to inform the design and programming of a model to be tested for feasibility through a quasi-experiment in the second phase of our project.

Reconciling agriculture, carbon and biodiversity in a savannah transformation frontier.

Rapidly rising populations and likely increases in incomes in sub-Saharan Africa make tens of millions of hectares of cropland expansion nearly inevitable, even with large increases in crop yields. Much of that expansion is likely to occur in higher rainfall savannas, with substantial costs to biodiversity and carbon storage. Zambia presents an acute example of this challenge, with an expected tripling of population by 2050, good potential to expand maize and soya bean production, and large areas of relatively undisturbed miombo woodland and associated habitat types of high biodiversity value. Here, we present a new model designed to explore the potential for targeting agricultural expansion in ways that achieve quantitatively optimal trade-offs between competing economic and environmental objectives: total converted land area (the reciprocal of potential yield); carbon loss, biodiversity loss and transportation costs. To allow different interests to find potential compromises, users can apply varying weights to examine the effects of their subjective preferences on the spatial allocation of new cropland and its costs. We find that small compromises from the objective to convert the highest yielding areas permit large savings in transportation costs, and the carbon and biodiversity impacts resulting from savannah conversion. For example, transferring just 30% of weight from a yield-maximizing objective equally between carbon and biodiversity protection objectives would increase total cropland area by just 2.7%, but result in avoided costs of 27-47% for carbon, biodiversity and transportation. Compromise solutions tend to focus agricultural expansion along existing transportation corridors and in already disturbed areas. Used appropriately, this type of model could help countries find agricultural expansion alternatives and related infrastructure and land use policies that help achieve production targets while helping to conserve Africa's rapidly transforming savannahs.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation'.

Association of cervical SIL and HIV-1 infection among Zimbabwean women in an HIV/STI prevention study.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on women attending family planning clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe to determine the prevalence of cervical neoplasia among HIV-1 positive women relative to an HIV-1 negative control group. Five hundred and fifty four women were recruited and the prevalence of HIV-1 was 36.8%. Cervical cytology was abnormal in 25.6% of HIV-infected women compared to only 6.7% HIV-1 seronegative women. Cervical neoplasia was significantly associated with HIV infection (chi(2)=42.4, P<0.001). Cellular changes typical of HPV infection (koilocytocis) were recorded in 6.4% of HIV infected women compared with 1.7% of HIV-1-uninfected women (chi(2)=8.43, P=0.004). HIV-1-positive women had twice the risk of having abnormal cervical cells than HIV-negative women (relative risk 2.47, odds ratio 10.14, P<0.001). Therefore the introduction of national cervical screening programme in HIV-1 endemic countries like Zimbabwe where the highest burden of pre-malignant lesions is among HIV-1-infected women needs careful planning because these women have other competing health needs including high rates of opportunistic infections.

Effect of supplementing a high-protein ram press sunflower cake concentrate on smallholder milk production in Zimbabwe.

Ram press sunflower cake protein concentrate was formulated locally and its effect on the performance of dairy cows was compared with that of a commercial dairy concentrate. The effects of concentrate on roughage dry matter intake, milk yield and milk composition, live weight and calving intervals were similar for all concentrates, which indicated that the home grown dairy concentrates were as effective as the dairy commercial concentrate. The lack of significant differences in the concentrations of rumen NH3-N, pH, VFAs and total AA in all the cows between concentrate types supported this. The results indicated that in the low-resource and low-input production systems, crossbreds were as productive as Jersey and Red Dane cows. The exotic cows were more susceptible to tick-borne diseases and mastitis, and showed higher incidences of calving problems and retained placenta compared with crossbred cows. The economics of feeding ram press sunflower concentrate were compared with those of a commercial dairy concentrate on the performance of crossbred, Red Dane and Jersey cows. The gross margin was higher when feeding sunflower cake than when feeding commercial dairy concentrate (p < 0.05).