A5034576229- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Fecal contamination and water quality
- Global Maternal and Child Health
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Helminth infection and control
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Food Safety and Hygiene
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Malaria Research and Control
Kenya Medical Research Institute
2018-2025
Kenyatta University
2021
Helminth and protozoan infections affect more than 1 billion children globally. Improving water quality, sanitation, handwashing, nutrition could be sustainable control strategies for parasite mass drug administration, while providing other quality of life benefits.We enrolled geographic clusters pregnant women in rural western Kenya into a cluster-randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01704105) that tested 6 interventions: treatment, improved handwashing with soap, combined...
One-fifth of the global population is infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH). Mass drug administration (MDA) deworming medication widely implemented to control morbidity associated STH infections. However, surveillance human infection prevalence by collecting individual stool samples time-consuming, costly, often stigmatized, and logistically challenging. Current methods detection are poorly sensitive, particularly in low-intensity low-prevalence populations.
Africa was home to 95% of malaria cases and deaths in 2021. The negative impacts can be aggravated by social–economic–environmental factors, more so agroeconomic practices such as irrigation, mining, dam construction. aim this study investigate the impact water harvesting, sugarcane farming, mining activities on Plasmodium falciparum positivity rates parasitemia densities five selected sites Msambweni Subcounty, Kwale Kenya. A cross‐sectional concurrent mixed methods used collect data....
Abstract Identifying bacterial transmission pathways is crucial to inform strategies aimed at curbing the spread of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially in rapidly urbanizing low– middle-income countries. In this study, we assessed strain-sharing dissemination antibiotic resistance across humans, domesticated poultry, canines, household soil, drinking water urban informal settlements Nairobi, Kenya. We collected 321 samples from 50 households performed Pooling Isolated...
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) aligns with a One Health framework in that resistant bacteria and antibiotic genes (ARGs) can be transmitted between humans, animals, the environment. However, there is critical need to more precisely understand how what extent AMR exchanged animals humans. Metagenomic sequencing has low detection for rare targets such as ARGs, while whole genome of isolates burdensome misses exchange uncultured bacterial species. We developed novel, targeted assay using...
To explore the sources of and associated risks with drinking water contamination in low-income, densely populated urban areas, we collected human feces, domesticated animal source stored samples Nairobi, Kenya 2019; analyzed them using microbial tracking (MST) enteric pathogen TaqMan Array Cards (TACs). We established host-pathogen relationships this setting, including detecting
Abstract One-fifth of the global population is infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH). Mass drug administration (MDA) deworming medication widely implemented to control morbidity associated STH infections. However, surveillance human infection prevalence by collecting individual stool samples time-consuming, costly, often stigmatized, and logistically challenging. Current methods detection are poorly sensitive, particularly in low-intensity low-prevalence populations. Here, we...
Abstract Animal feces can contain zoonotic enteropathogens capable of causing human diarrheal disease. Limited knowledge exists on domestic animal management in low-income urban settlements. We leveraged survey data and environmental samples collected from 120 Kenyan households to understand poultry husbandry practices assess if household ownership was associated with Escherichia coli contamination stored water soil. Fifty-five percent (n = 66) were poultry-owning compounds, 59.1% 39) these...
The current standard diagnostic tests for Schistosoma mansoni are the Kato-Katz and circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) techniques. However, these techniques have been documented to several limitations that a direct impact on schistosomiasis control programmes. Therefore, there is need more sensitive specific diagnosing schistosomiasis. This study compared performance of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Kato-Katz, point-of-care (POC-CCA) in diagnosis S. infection Mwea irrigation...
Abstract Background. Helminth and protozoan infections affect >1 billion children globally. Improved water, sanitation, handwashing, nutrition could be more sustainable control strategies for parasite than mass drug administration (MDA), while providing other quality of life benefits. Methods Findings. We enrolled geographic clusters pregnant women into a cluster-randomized controlled trial that tested six interventions: disinfecting drinking water(W), improved sanitation(S), handwashing...
Introduction The microscopy-based Kato-Katz and urine filtration techniques have traditionally faced challenges in the detection of schistosomiasis areas with low infection levels. A modified singleplex Schistosoma genus-specific quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was therefore evaluated as a sensitive confirmatory diagnostic test. Methodology qPCR utilized primers probe targeting internal transcribed spacer– 2 (ITS2) sequence S . mansoni , haematobium intercalatum...