Omondi, O.Victor; Bosire, O.Geoffrey; Onyari, M. John; Kibet, Caleb; Mwasya, Samuel; Onyonyi, N. Vanessa; Merid, Negash Getahun(MSystems, 2024)
Ruminant livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and camels, possess a distinctive digestive system with complex microbiota communities critical for feed conversion and secondary metabolite production, including greenhouse ...
Santer, Roger D.; Akanyeti, Otar; Endler, John A.; Galván, Ismael; Okal, Michael N.(Proceedings of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2023)
Diurnal biting flies are strongly attracted to blue objects. This behaviour is widely exploited for fly control, but its functional significance is debated. It is hypothesized that blue objects resemble animal hosts; blue ...
Arnold, S. Mmbando; Winifrida, P. Mponzi; Halfan, S. Ngowo; Khamis, Kifungo; Robert, Kasubiri; Rukiyah, M. Njalambaha; Tegemeo, Gavana; Alvaro, E. Eiras; Elis, P. A. Batista; Marceline, F. Finda; Onyango, P. Sangoro; Fredros, O. Okumu(Malaria Journal, 2023)
Background
Early-evening and outdoor-biting mosquitoes may compromise the effectiveness of frontline malaria interventions, notably insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of low-cost ...
Edward, E. Makhulu; Thomas, Onchuru; Joseph, Gichuhi; Fidel, G. Otieno; Joseph, N. Muthoni; Lizette, Koekemoer; Jeremy, K. Herren(MBio, 2023)
The Anopheles symbiont, Microsporidia MB, is maternally inherited and has a strong malaria transmission-blocking phenotype in Anopheles arabiensis. Microsporidia MB is also vertically transmitted, sexually transmitted, and ...
Egonyu, J.P.; Olubowa, R.R.; Tanga, C.M.; Cheseto, X.; Subramanian, S.(Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2023)
The nutritional value of larvae of the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes sp., a popular delicacy and source of animal feed in western Kenya is unknown. This study aimed to determine the nutritional composition of Oryctes sp. ...
Joseph, Wang’ang’a Oundo; Shewit, Kalayou; Quirine, ten Bosch; Jandouwe, Villinger; Constantianus, J.M. Koenraadt; Daniel, Masiga(Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2023)
Ticks and the microbes they transmit have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa as a major threat to veterinary and public health. Although progress has been made in detecting and identifying tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) across ...
Maria, Gorreti Onyango; Victor, Ofula; Jandouwe, Villinger; LaBeaud, A. Desiree; Segenet, Kelemu; Rosemary, Sang; Joel, Lutomiah(History of Arbovirology: Memories from the Field, 2023)
The aim of this book chapter is to review the history of research into arboviruses that are endemic to Kenya. The viruses discussed involve both mosquito- and tick-borne viruses, as well as mentioning other viruses such ...
Ayako, Hyuga; Paul, Ouma; Abneel, K. Matharu; Jürgen, Krücken; Satoshi, Kaneko; Kensuke, Goto; Ulrike, Fillinger(Journal of Medical Entomology, 2023)
Female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans Linnaeus, 1758, Siphonaptera: Tungidae) cause a severe parasitic skin disease known as tungiasis. T. penetrans is a small flea, measuring less than 1 mm in length. The females of this ...
Accurate and reliable information on the distribution of tsetse habitats is crucial for the effective management of African Trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. However, conducting large-scale surveillance of tsetse flies ...
Parasitoids are promising biocontrol agents of the devastating fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. However, parasitoid performance is a function of several factors, including host-associated symbiotic bacteria. Providencia ...
Background Tungiasis is a highly neglected tropical skin disease caused by the sand fea, Tunga penetrans, the female of which burrows into the skin, causing pain and itching. The disease occurs throughout South America and ...
Baldwyn, Torto; David, P. Tchouassi(Annual Review of Entomology, 2023)
Dengue, caused by the dengue virus, is the most widespread arboviral infectious disease of public health significance globally. This review explores the communicative function of olfactory cues that mediate host-seeking, ...
Gashururu, Richard S; Maingi, Ndichu; Githigia, M. Samuel; Getange, Dennis O.; Ntivuguruzwa, Jean B; Habimana, Richard; Giuliano, Cecchi; Gashumba, James; Bargul, Joel L.; Masiga, Daniel K.(One Health, 2023)
Akagera National Park and its surroundings are home to tsetse flies and a number of their mammalian hosts in Rwanda. A One-health approach is being used in the control and surveillance of both animal and human try-panosomosis ...
Protected savannas are essential reserves for biological diversity, including endangered arthropod species, however, extreme grazing by mammals has cascading impacts on the communities and disrupts the functioning of these ...
Owiti, Anna Atieno; Bargul, Joel Ltilitan; Obiero, George; Nyaboga, Evans(MDPI -Plant biology, 2023)
Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is an important food security crop with economic, nutritional, and medicinal value. It is a source of carbohydrates for millions of people in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, South ...
The demand for well-trained bioinformaticians to support genomics research continues to rise. Unfortunately, undergraduate training in Kenya does not prepare students for specialization in bioinformatics. Graduates are ...
Lilian, Nakakaawa; Ifeoluwa, D. Gbala; Cheseto, Xavier; Bargul, Joel L.; Wesonga, John M.(Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2023)
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Currently, there is a remarkable increase in the consumption of microgreens, (young edible vegetables or herbs), as potential nutraceuticals for the management of diseases. Brassica carinata ...
Oundo, Joseph Wang’ang’a; Masiga, Daniel; Okal, Michael Nyang’anga; Bron, Gebbiena M.; Akutse, Komivi S; Subramanian, Sevgan; Bosch, Quirine ten; J. M, Constantianus; Kalayou, Shewit(PLOS ONE, 2022)
Ticks and tick-borne diseases cause substantial economic losses to the livestock industry in sub-Saharan Africa. Mazao Tickoff is a novel bioacaricide developed for tick control and is based on the entomopathogenic fungus ...
Shimba Hills is a wildlife area in Kenya and a major focus of tsetse-borne trypanosomes in East Africa. In Shimba Hills, tsetse-borne trypanosomes constrain animal health and smallholder livelihoods. However, epidemiological ...