ABSTRACT Honeybees, Apis mellifera, are key contributors to the global economy, nutrition, food security and ecological biodiversity. Despite their robust benefits, declines in honeybee populations have been reported owing to a number of factors. Such include pests and diseases, climate change, poor management practices, change in land usage and low ge-netic diversity. High intra-colonial genetic diversity is associated with resilience and re-sistance to pest and diseases as well as increased...
ABSTRACT Root knot nematodes (RKNs) of (Meloidogyne spp.) are among the most devastating soil-borne plant parasitic pests infecting many food crops. They have been shown to result in over 50% loss of crop yield in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Various control measures including agronomic practices and nematicides have been employed in the past to manage the parasite with only modest gains. These are also costly to small-scale farmers especially in developing countries. There is need ...
ABSTRACT Despite having a lot of resources, Lake Victoria Basin has had an increase in population and land degradation and a reduction in agricultural production due to poor soil fertility. This has necessitated the use of inorganic fertilizers to boost food production. Inorganic fertilizers production contributes to emission of greenhouse gases. Use of inorganic fertilizer in Lake Victoria basin may have led to eutrophication of Lake Victoria leading to social, economic and ecological proble...
ABSTRACT Developing countries experience diarrheal disease at a higher rate than industrialized nations. A key contributor to increased morbidity and mortality from diarrheal disease is the lack of efficient diagnosis methods. In Kenya diagnosis of enteric pathogens is mainly performed using manual methods which involves colony morphology, gram stain and biochemical tests. Although these methods are generally reliable they are labour intensive, have a long turn-around time and they occasiona...
ABSTRACT Over the last decade cholera outbreaks have become common in some parts of Kenya. A number of recent studies have described the epidemiology of cholera in Kenya but there has been little information regarding the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of Vibrio cholerae in these outbreaks. The aim of this study was therefore to characterize Vibrio cholerae isolates from Kenya. A total of 168 Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor isolates collected between 2007 and 2010 from various ch...
ABSTRACT Understanding the interrelationships between injury, infection and diversity of Theileria in a zebra population may illuminate the mechanisms by which injuries influence the course of latent infections, and may be an important factor to be considered during therapy of injured animals. Currently, the molecular diversity of Theileria species that are circulating in Kenyan free living common zebras is unknown and the effect of anthropogenic induced injuries on Theileria diversity and in...
ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a clinically important pathogen in Kenya and globally owing to its widespread occurrence, virulence potential and multidrug resistance. Adequate surveillance is required to track the emergence and spread of hypervirulent and multidrug resistant strains such as methicillin and vancomycin resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA). Conventional methods for S. aureus characterization include Staphylococcal protein A (spa) gene typing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)...
ABSTRACT Pyrexia and inflammation cause discomfort, suffering and lower productivity of the victims. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are highly prescribed in medication of pyrexia and inflammation have been reported to possess adverse effects. Herbal medicines may possess bioactive compounds that are safer and efficient in the management of various diseases and disorders. Kigelia africana and Acacia hockii are traditionally used to manage pyrexia and inflammation among the Embu a...
ABSTRACT Heat stress is one of the major limiting factors for crop productivity, resulting in significant yield losses annually. Reproductive development is extremely sensitive to increased temperatures. With the increase in the frequency and intensity of short waves of high temperatures, a detrimental effect on plant development is expected to rise especially on the reproductive development. Within cereals, maize is a fundamental crop from a global food security perspective. Therefore, und...
ABSTRACT Salinity affects about 40% of the global area mainly the arid and semi-arid regions. In Kenya the ASALs cover approximately 80% of the total area where agricultural production constraints include water scarcity, salinity and sodicity. Sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.) is the third most economically important root crop after potato and cassava in the world cultivated for human consumption, animal feed and industrial uses. The production of sweetpotato by smallholder farmers in th...
ABSTRACT Interest in herbal drugs is undergoing a renaissance at the present time. This is because herbal agents are regarded to be more effective and comparatively safe as opposed to conventional medications which are relatively inaccessible and arguably associated with various adverse effects. Harrisonia abyssinica and L. buchananii have been used by Ameru and Embu communities to alleviate various ailments. However, despite their wide folklore use, extensive literature research reveals limi...
ABSTRACT Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and P. falciparum malaria have an overlapping distribution and are incriminated as the primary causal agents for endemic Burkitt‘s lymphoma. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism utilized by these two pathogens to cause endemic Burkitt‘s lymphoma has remained elusive. This study therefore sought to provide insights as to whether presence of Epstein Barr Virus in children who develop severe malaria reveals unique serological/nucleic acid signatures that would ...
ABSTRACT Characterization and identification of mushrooms at the species level is an important first step in systematic exploitation in specific applications. Mushrooms industry is growing rapidly in Kenya, importation of cultures and propagation spawns is growing too. The imported strains are susceptible to pest and diseases, and are low yielding. This study aimed at characterising selected wild edible mushrooms using morphological and molecular characteristics and developing of propagation ...
ABSTRACT Enterobacterial constitute a large family of Gram-negative bacteria which reside in the intestines of the animals and can be pathogenic. Penicillins and fluoroquinolones have been used as antibiotics to combat enterobacterial infections. Challenges in treatment of enterobacterial infections with conventional drugs have led the physicians to opt for phyto products and other alternative medicine for treatment of enterobacterial infections. Heavy bacterial load leads to oxidative ...
ABSTRACT Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis is a disease unique to Africa, affecting both humans and animals. This disease occurs in about 10 million km2 in 37 sub-Saharan countries corresponding approximately to one-third of Africa's total land area, and threatens an estimated 50 million people and 48 million cattle. The estimated annual losses in cattle production alone are in the range of 1.0-1.2 billion dollars. The diagnosis of trypanosomiasis is notoriously difficult as there are no sp...