José Fafetine

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Porcine Cysticercosis in Angónia District, Mozambique

Taenia solium is an important zoonosis in many developing countries. Cysticercosis poses a serious public health risk and incurs sizeable economic losses to pig production. Because data on the epidemiology of porcine cysticercosis in Mozambique are scarce, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors for porcine cysticercosis. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 11 villages in Angónia district, Tete province in northwestern Mozambique. Between September and November, 2007, a total of 661 pigs were tested serologically and examined by tongue inspection. Serum samples were tested for the presence of circulating parasite antigen using a monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA). In addition, a questionnaire survey to collect information on pig production, occurrence and transmission of porcine cysticercosis, risk factors and awareness of porcine cysticercosis was conducted in the selected households from which pigs were sampled. Two hundred thirty-one samples (34.9%) were found positive by the Ag-ELISA, while by tongue inspection on the same animals cysticerci were detected in 84 pigs (12.7%). Increasing age (OR = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.13–2.37) and free-range pig husbandry system (OR = 3.81; 95% CI = 2.08–7.06) were important risk factors for porcine cysticercosis in the district. The present findings indicate that porcine cysticercosis is endemic in the region, and that increasing pig age and pig husbandry practices contribute significantly to porcine cysticercosis transmission. Further epidemiological studies on the prevalence and transmission of porcine cysticercosis in rural communities in Mozambique are needed to enable collection of more baseline data and implementation of effective control strategies within the country.

Serological Evidence of Rift Valley Fever Virus Circulation in Sheep and Goats in Zambézia Province, Mozambique

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is endemic in most parts of Africa and has also been reported to occur in the Arabian Peninsula. It is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in livestock, but also in humans. During the last two decades several outbreaks of RVF have been reported in countries in Southern Africa. In contrast to other countries, no clinical disease has been reported in Mozambique during this period. In a serological study conducted in 2007 in five districts of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, of a total of 654 small ruminants sampled (277 sheep and 377 goats), 35.8% of sheep sera and 21.2% of goat sera were positive for RVF virus (RVFV) antibodies in a virus neutralization test (VN) and in an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In 2010, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 313 sheep and 449 goats in two districts of the same province. This study revealed an overall seropositivity rate of 9.2% in sheep and 11.6% in goat and an increased likelihood of being seropositive in older animals (OR = 7.3; p<0.001) using an IgG ELISA. 29 out of 240 animals assessed for RVF specific IgM by ELISA were positive, suggesting recent exposure to RVFV. However, a longitudinal study carried out between September 2010 and April 2011 in a cohort of 125 of these animals (74 sheep and 51 goats) failed to demonstrate seroconversion. The results of the study indicate that RVFV circulates sub-clinically in domestic small ruminants in Zambézia Province.

Use of Oxfendazole to Control Porcine Cysticercosis in a High-Endemic Area of Mozambique

A randomized controlled field trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a single oral dose of 30 mg/kg of oxfendazole (OFZ) treatment for control of porcine cysticercosis was conducted in 4 rural villages of Angónia district, north-western Mozambique. Two hundred and sixteen piglets aged 4 months were selected and assigned randomly to OFZ treatment or control groups. Fifty-four piglets were treated at 4 months of age (T1), while another 54 piglets were treated at 9 months of age (T2) and these were matched with 108 control pigs from the same litters and raised under the same conditions. Baseline data were collected on the prevalence of porcine cysticercosis using antigen ELISA (Ag-ELISA), as well as knowledge and practices related to Taenia solium transmission based on questionnaire interviews and observations. All animals were followed and re-tested for porcine cysticercosis by Ag-ELISA at 9 and 12 months of age when the study was terminated. Overall prevalence at baseline was 5.1% with no significant difference between groups. At the end of the study, 66.7% of the controls were found positive, whereas 21.4% of the T1 and 9.1% of the T2 pigs were positive, respectively. Incidence rates of porcine cysticercosis were lower in treated pigs as compared to controls. Necropsy of 30 randomly selected animals revealed that viable cysts were present in none (0/8) of T2 pigs, 12.5% (1/8) of T1 pigs and 42.8% (6/14) of control pigs. There was a significant reduction in the risk of T. solium cysticercosis if pigs were treated with OFZ either at 4 months (OR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.05–0.36) or at 9 months of age (OR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02–0.16). Strategic treatment of pigs in endemic areas should be further explored as a means to control T. solium cysticercosis/taeniosis.

Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis in cattle and African buffalo in the Limpopo National Park, Mozambique.

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and brucellosis are prevalent in buffaloes of the Kruger National Park (KNP, South Africa). Both diseases were considered to have no or a very low prevalence in wildlife and livestock in and around the Limpopo National Park (LNP, Mozambique). The same applies for tuberculosis in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP, Zimbabwe), but just recently, BTB was detected in buffaloes in the GNP and fears arose that the disease might also spread to the LNP as a result of the partial removal of the fences between the three parks to form the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. To assess the status of both diseases in and around LNP, 62 buffaloes were tested for bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and bovine brucellosis. The percentage of positive BTB reactors in buffalo was 8.06% using BovidTB Stat-Pak® and 0% with BOVIGAM® IFN-γ test and IDEXX ELISA. The brucellosis seroprevalence in buffalo was found to be 17.72% and 27.42% using Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and ELISA, respectively. In addition, 2445 cattle in and around the LNP were examined for BTB using the single intradermal cervical comparative tuberculin test (SICCT), and an apparent prevalence of 0.98% was found with no significant difference inside (0.5%) and outside (1.3%) the park. This is the first published report on the presence of positive reactors to BTB and bovine brucellosis in buffalo and cattle in and outside the LNP. Monitoring the wildlife-livestock-human interface of zoonotic high-impact diseases such as BTB and brucellosis is of outmost importance for the successful implementation and management of any transfrontier park that aims to improve the livelihoods of the local communities.

Serological Screening Suggests Presence of Schmallenberg Virus in Cattle, Sheep and Goat in the Zambezia Province, Mozambique

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a novel Orthobunyavirus within the family Bunyaviridae belonging to the Simbu serogroup. Schmallenberg virus infects ruminants and has since its discovery in the autumn 2011 been detected/spread to large parts of Europe. Most bunyaviruses are arboviruses, and SBV has been detected in biting midges in different European countries, suggesting that they may play a role in the transmission of the virus. It is not known how SBV was introduced to Europe and if SBV is present in countries outside of Europe. Thus, in this study, we conducted a serological screening for SBV antibodies in cattle (no. 79), sheep (no. 145) and goat (no. 141) in the Zambezia Province in Mozambique during September 2013. The results show a high percentage of antibody-positive animals. All farms tested had seropositive animals; cattle displayed the highest prevalence with 100% positive animals. Sheep and goat also displayed high number of positive animals with a 43–97% and 72–100% within-herd seroprevalence, respectively. This initial serological screening suggests that SBV is present on the African continent. However, cross-reactivity with other members of the Simbu serogroup cannot be ruled out, and further studies are needed to identify and characterize the virus responsible for the antibody-positive results.

Antibodies against Rift Valley fever virus in cattle, Mozambique.

To the Editor: During the past 2 decades, several countries in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, to which Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is endemic, have reported outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in humans and livestock. The first evidence of RVFV in Mozambique was documented as early as the 1960s (1). Endemicity was subsequently confirmed in the 1980s by a prevalence study that identified virus-specific antibodies in 2% of pregnant women (2) and in the 1990s by serosurveillance in Zambezia Province, which showed that cattle had been infected with RVFV (3).

Stability of a formalin-inactivated Rift Valley fever vaccine: evaluation of a vaccination campaign for cattle in Mozambique.

In Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, outbreaks of Rift Valley fever (RVF) are characterized by abortions in gestating animals and high mortality rates among domestic ruminants. An immunization program using a formalin-inactivated vaccine was initiated in Mozambique in 2002 to control RVF in cattle. In this intervention, the vaccine must be transported for more than a week within the country before it can be administered to the animals, and it is practically impossible to maintain low storage temperatures during that time. Here, we evaluated the influence of transportation conditions on the efficacy of the vaccine. Sixty-three previously unvaccinated and RVF virus seronegative cattle were divided into four groups, which were given vaccine that had been stored for 1 week at 4°C (n=9, group A), at 25°C (n=8, group B), or alternating between 4 and 25°C (n=8, group C), or under the temperature conditions ordinarily occurring during transportation within Mozambique (n=38, group D). The antibody responses induced were monitored for 6-9 months and in some animals up to 21 months. Two immunizations (3 weeks apart) with the formalin-inactivated vaccine induced a long-lasting neutralizing antibody response that was still detectable up to 21 months later. The antibody titers in the animals did not differ significantly between the temperature-assigned vaccine groups A, B, and C, whereas they were significantly higher in group D. These results show that the formalin-inactivated RVF virus vaccine is stable, and, importantly, it is not adversely affected by the variation in temperature that ordinarily occurs during transport within Mozambique.

Discovery of Novel Viruses in Mosquitoes from the Zambezi Valley of Mozambique

Mosquitoes carry a wide variety of viruses that can cause vector-borne infectious diseases and affect both human and veterinary public health. Although Mozambique can be considered a hot spot for emerging infectious diseases due to factors such as a rich vector population and a close vector/human/wildlife interface, the viral flora in mosquitoes have not previously been investigated. In this study, viral metagenomics was employed to analyze the viral communities in Culex and Mansonia mosquitoes in the Zambezia province of Mozambique. Among the 1.7 and 2.6 million sequences produced from the Culex and Mansonia samples, respectively, 3269 and 983 reads were classified as viral sequences. Viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Iflaviridae families were detected, and different unclassified single- and double-stranded RNA viruses were also identified. A near complete genome of a flavivirus, tentatively named Cuacua virus, was obtained from the Mansonia mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analysis of this flavivirus, using the NS5 amino acid sequence, showed that it grouped with ‘insect-specific’ viruses and was most closely related to Nakiwogo virus previously identified in Uganda. Both mosquito genera had viral sequences related to Rhabdoviruses, and these were most closely related to Culex tritaeniorhynchus rhabdovirus (CTRV). The results from this study suggest that several viruses specific for insects belonging to, for example, the Flaviviridae and Rhabdoviridae families, as well as a number of unclassified RNA viruses, are present in mosquitoes in Mozambique.

Molecular detection of Babesia spp. and other haemoparasitic infections of cattle in Maputo Province, Mozambique.

Molecular detection of Babesia species in apparently healthy cattle within an endemic region was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of carriers and the geographical distribution of Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis in Maputo Province, Mozambique. Samples from 477 animals at 5 localities were analysed using 2 techniques, the semi-nested hot-start PCR and the reverse line blot (RLB) assay. With the semi-nested hot-start PCR, detection of B. bigemina ranged between 30% and 89%, and of B. bovis between 27% and 83%. The RLB assay was comparatively less sensitive in this study and detection of B. bovis ranged from 0% to 17%, and B. bigemina was not detected at all by this technique. Analysis of new sequences of the 18S rRNA gene revealed that the current B. bigemina RLB probe is not specific for the identification of isolates in Mozambique. The RLB assay, however, resulted in the detection of 8 other haemoparasite species belonging to the genera Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. 18S rRNA gene sequences from the Theileria spp. were identified, and a phylogenic tree constructed with these sequences yielded a heterogeneous T. mutans-like group. In conclusion, infection with B. bigemina and B. bovis is endemic in Maputo Province, but rates of transmission vary. Furthermore, mixed infections with the haemoparasites responsible for several tick-borne diseases in cattle are common in Mozambique.

Seroprevalence of Rift Valley fever virus in sheep and goats in Zambézia, Mozambique

Background The Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a vector-borne virus that causes disease in ruminants, but it can also infect humans. In humans, the infection can be asymptomatic but can also lead to illness, ranging from a mild disease with fever, headache and muscle pain to a severe disease with encephalitis and haemorrhagic fever. In rare cases, death can occur. In infected animals, influenza-like symptoms can occur, and abortion and mortality in young animals are indicative of RVFV infection. Since the initial outbreak in Kenya in the 1930s, the virus has become endemic to most of sub-Saharan Africa. In 2000, the virus appeared in Yemen and Saudi Arabia; this was the first outbreak of RVF outside of Africa. Rift Valley fever epidemics are often connected to heavy rainfall, leading to an increased vector population and spread of the virus to animals and/or humans. However, the virus needs to be maintained during the inter-epidemic periods. In this study, we investigated the circulation of RVFV in small ruminants (goats and sheep) in Zambézia, Mozambique, an area with a close vector/wildlife/livestock/human interface. Materials and methods Between September and October 2013, 181 sheep and 187 goat blood samples were collected from eight localities in the central region of Zambézia, Mozambique. The samples were analysed for the presence of antibodies against RVFV using a commercial competitive ELISA. Results and discussion The overall seroprevalence was higher in sheep (44.2%) than goats (25.1%); however, there was a high variation in seroprevalence between different localities. The data indicate an increased seroprevalence for sheep compared to 2010, when a similar study was conducted in this region and in overlapping villages. No noticeable health problems in the herds were reported. Conclusions This study shows an inter-epidemic circulation of RVFV in small ruminants in Zambézia, Mozambique. Neither outbreaks of RVF nor typical clinical signs of RVFV have been reported in the investigated herds, indicating subclinical infection.