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Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. are the most common coliforms that cause clinical mastitis and are responsible for the disease in about 40% of cases in dairy animals. The presence of E. coli and K. pneumoniae in raw milk poses a threat to human health as consumption of contaminated raw milk...

The poultry industry in Zambia is a critical sector for the national economy. Over the last two decades, the country has experienced rapid growth in poultry production with a large share being contributed by small-scale urban producers. Among the major concerns that are related to this...

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest public health and economic challenge the world has faced for the past three years. Since there was no vaccine during the early phase of the pandemic, Botswana imposed lockdown as one of the non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the COVID-19 burden....

Coronavirus disease of 2019 is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. It is a highly transmissible emerging pathogen in humans. Primarily, infection happens when the spike glycoprotein on the surface of the virus binds to the host cell receptors resulting in a variate of asymptomatic and...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Escherichia coli (E. coli) from food animals is a rising problem with overuse, underuse, or prolonged usage of one type of antimicrobial in poultry as a contributing factor. In Zambia, studies linking poultry-associated AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) are...

Spices refer to dried parts of plants used in food to enhance flavor, add color and make food more acceptable. As a result spices are widely used in the food industry where they may carry a large number of bacteria and mold that could contaminate the food. The objective of this study was to...

Ticks are known vectors of various disease-causing pathogens worldwide. The distribution of ticks, their genetic makeup and relations has not been fully explored. This study focused on the population genetics of Ixodid ticks and the molecular epidemiology of Rickettsia species infecting them....

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a highly contagious and severe infectious disease of cattle that is listed as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). CBPP is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony, which can lead to severe...

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease that affects humans and animals and can lead to severe illness in humans and financial losses for households that rear livestock. In human cases, the disease presents with fever, fatigue or malaise, flu-like symptoms, weight loss, headaches and back...

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an important viral zoonotic disease that not only affects ruminants but can cause serious morbidity and mortality in humans. In humans, symptoms range from mild flu-like to severe form such as retinal damage, meningo-encephalitis to haemorrhagic fever. From previous...