A5014975865- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Parasitic infections in humans and animals
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- Hepatitis B Virus Studies
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Congenital Anomalies and Fetal Surgery
- Hepatitis C virus research
- Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Global Maternal and Child Health
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Leptospirosis research and findings
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Energy and Environment Impacts
University of Glasgow
2016-2025
Médecins Sans Frontières
2023
University of Global Health Equity
2021-2022
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
2019-2020
Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution
2013-2019
University of Edinburgh
2013-2019
International Livestock Research Institute
2013-2019
Département Santé Animale
2017
Royal Veterinary College
2014-2016
Abstract Background In many parts of the developing world, pigs are kept under low-input systems where they roam freely to scavenge food. These allow poor farmers opportunity enter into livestock keeping without large capital investments. This, combined with a growing demand for pork, especially in urban areas, has led an increase number small-holder free range as commercial enterprise. Despite benefits which pig production can bring household, system increases risk acquiring diseases,...
The neglected zoonotic diseases (NZD) are an understudied group that a major cause of illness throughout the developing world. In general, little is known about prevalence and burden NZDs in affected communities, particularly relation to other infectious with which they often co-endemic. We describe design descriptive epidemiological outputs from integrated study human animal non-zoonotic disease rural farming community western Kenya. This cross-sectional survey involved 2113 people, their...
Evidence suggests that the intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii (which causes Q fever) is widespread, with a near global distribution. While there has been increasing attention to fever epidemiology in high-income settings, recent systematic review highlighted significant gaps our understanding of prevalence, spatial distribution and risk factors for infection across Africa. This research aimed provide One Health assessment parts Western Nyanza Provinces, Kenya, cattle humans....
Livestock movements are an important mechanism of infectious disease transmission. Where these well recorded, network analysis tools have been used to successfully identify system properties, highlight vulnerabilities transmission, and inform targeted surveillance control. Here we the main uses properties in understanding livestock epidemiology discuss statistical approaches infer characteristics from biased or fragmented datasets. We use a 'hurdle model' approach that predicts (i)...
Livestock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa face a range of pressures, including climate change, land loss, restrictive policies, and population increase. Widespread adaptation response can lead to the emergence new, non-traditional typologies livestock production. We sought characterise production systems two administrative regions northern Tanzania, an area undergoing rapid social, economic, environmental change. Questionnaire spatial data were collected from 404 livestock-keeping households...
Abstract Livestock abortion is an important cause of productivity losses worldwide and many infectious causes are zoonotic pathogens that impact on human health. Little known about the relative importance livestock in Africa, including subsistence farming communities critically dependent for food, income, wellbeing. We conducted a prospective cohort study abortion, supported by cross-sectional serosurveillance, to determine aetiologies abortions Tanzania. This approach generated several...
Alphaviruses, such as chikungunya virus, and flaviviruses, dengue are (re)-emerging arboviruses that endemic in tropical environments. In Africa, arbovirus infections often undiagnosed unreported, with febrile illnesses assumed to be malaria. This cross-sectional study aimed characterize the seroprevalence of alphaviruses flaviviruses among children (ages 5–14, n = 250) adults 15 ≥ 75, western Kenya. Risk factors for seropositivity were explored using Lasso regression. Overall, 67%...
Taenia spp. infections, particularly cysticercosis, cause considerable health impacts in endemic countries. Despite previous evidence of spatial clustering cysticercosis and the role environmental factors (e.g. temperature humidity) survival eggs, little research has explored these aspects spp.In addition, there are significant gaps our understanding risk for infection humans pigs. This study aimed to assess influence socio-economic, behavioural variables on human porcine cysticercosis. A...
Human brucellosis is considered to be an important but typically under-diagnosed cause of febrile illness in many low and middle-income countries. In Kenya, throughout East Africa, laboratory diagnosis for the disease based primarily on antigen Brucella agglutination test (FBAT), yet few studies diagnostic accuracy this exist. Assessment performance FBAT essential its appropriate clinical use, as well evaluating surveillance data reported by public health systems. To assess performance, we...
Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease globally, with particularly high burdens in pastoral settings. While the transmission routes for Brucella spp. are well known, relative importance of animal contact, food-handling and consumption practices can vary. Understanding local epidemiology human brucellosis directing veterinary public health interventions, as informing clinical diagnostic decision making. We conducted a cross-sectional study Ijara District Hospital, north-eastern Kenya. A...
Abstract Background Human and animal cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF) are typically only reported during large outbreaks. The occurrence RVF that go undetected by national surveillance systems in the period between these outbreaks is considered likely. last Tanzania occurred a outbreak 2007–2008. Methods Samples collected 2017 2019 from livestock suffering abortion across northern were retrospectively tested for evidence virus infection using serology reverse transcription quantitative...
African swine fever (ASF) is endemic in several countries of Africa and may pose a risk to all pig producing areas on the continent. Official ASF reporting often rare there remains limited awareness continent-wide distribution disease. In absence accurate outbreak data few quantitative studies epidemiology disease Africa, we used spatial multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) derive predictions continental suitability for persistence domestic populations as part sylvatic or transmission...
African swine fever (ASF), caused by virus (ASFV), is a severe haemorrhagic disease of pigs, outbreaks which can have devastating impact upon commercial and small-holder pig production. Pig production in western Kenya characterised low-input, free-range systems practised poor farmers keeping between two ten pigs. These are particularly vulnerable to the catastrophic loss livestock assets experienced an ASF outbreak. This study wished expand our understanding ASFV epidemiology during period...
Abstract Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes a contagious disease of high morbidity and mortality in small ruminant populations globally. Using cross-sectional serosurvey data collected 2016, our study investigated PPRV seroprevalence risk factors among sheep, goats cattle 20 agropastoral (AP) pastoral (P) villages northern Tanzania. Overall observed was 21.1% (95% exact confidence interval (CI) 20.1–22.0) with 5.8% CI 5.0–6.7) 30.7% 29.3–32.0). Seropositivity varied significantly...
Neospora caninum is a protozoan intracellular parasite of animals with global distribution. Dogs act as definitive hosts, infection in cattle leading to reproductive losses. Neosporosis can be major source income loss for livestock keepers, but its impacts sub-Saharan Africa are mostly unknown. This study aimed estimate the seroprevalence and identify risk factors N. northern Tanzania, link herd-level exposure Serum samples from 3,015 were collected 380 households 20 villages between...
Livestock brucellosis is an endemic disease in many low-resource settings. Despite its widespread distribution, little known about the scale of economic impacts caused by disease. This study aimed to develop integrated epidemiological-economic modelling framework estimate production losses attributable livestock brucellosis, using Tanzania as a case study. Data on and prevalence exposure Brucella spp. were obtained from surveys conducted northern central between 2013 2019. A clustering...
Abstract The importance of household socio-economic position (SEP) in shaping individual infectious disease risk is increasingly recognised, particularly low income settings. However, few studies have measured the extent to which this association consistent for range pathogens that are typically endemic among rural poor tropics. This cross-sectional study assessed relationship between SEP and human infection within a single community western Kenya using set with diverse transmission routes....
In this cross-sectional seroepidemiological study we sought to examine the evidence for circulation of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) among herders in Madagascar and Kenya. From July 2010 June 2012, enrolled 459 98 controls (without ruminant exposures) studied their sera (immunoglobulin G [IgG] IgM through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] plaque reduction neutralization test [PRNT] assays) previous RVFV infection. Overall, 59 (12.9%) 7 (7.1%) were positive by IgG ELISA assay. Of...
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that has caused epidemics involving people and animals across Africa the Arabian Peninsula. A number of studies have found evidence for circulation RVFV among livestock between these but population-level incidence infection during this inter-epidemic period (IEP) rarely reported. General force (FOI) models were applied to age-adjusted cross-sectional serological data reconstruct annual FOI cattle, goats, sheep in northern Tanzania...
The burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Pakistan is amongst the highest world. People living slums are likely to be at high risk infection. Here, we describe results a cross-sectional survey conducted March 2022 that aimed quantify prevalence HCV Machar Colony, one largest and oldest slum settlements Karachi. Risk factors for seropositivity were identified using multi-level logistic regression. We recruited 1,303 individuals random selection 441 households from Colony....
The tapeworm Taenia solium is the parasite responsible for neurocysticercosis, a neglected tropical disease of public health importance, thought to cause approximately 1/3 epilepsy cases across endemic regions. consumption undercooked infected pork perpetuates parasite's life-cycle through establishment adult infections in community. Reducing risk associated with developing world therefore priority. aim this study was estimate any one meal western Kenya containing potentially infective T....
Eimeriosis is caused by a protozoan infection affecting most domestic animal species. Outbreaks in cattle are associated with various environmental factors temperate climates but limited work has been done tropical settings. The objective of this was to determine the prevalence and bovine Eimeria spp. mixed farming area western Kenya. A total 983 were sampled from 226 cattle-keeping households. Faecal samples collected directly rectum via digital extraction analysed for presence using...