Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock

Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat, with sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately affected. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are essential in combating AMR; however, data on their implementation in resource-limited settings like Zambia remain scarce. This study assessed the post-implementation status of World Health Organization (WHO) AMS core elements in selected public hospitals in Zambia. Methods: A cross-sectional pre- and post-intervention survey was conducted in 11 public hospitals across Zambia’s 10 provinces. Baseline (pre-implementation) and 12-month follow-up (post-implementation) assessments were carried out using the WHO-adapted Periodic National and Healthcare Facility Assessment Tool. The six AMS core elements evaluated included leadership, accountability, AMS actions, education, monitoring, and feedback. Results: The average AMS program score increased from 59% at pre-implementation to 81% at post-implementation. Significant improvements were observed in education and training (+36%) and accountability (+31%). While leadership and monitoring also showed positive trends, gaps persisted in AMS actions (63%) and feedback/reporting mechanisms (68%). Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) functionality improved by 23%, with 90% of facilities now holding regular DTC meetings. Implementation of AMS actions, such as ward rounds, rose from 0% to 73%. Challenges remained in clinical audit feedback, resource mobilization, and prescribing optimization. Variability across facilities highlighted differences in leadership, resources, and technical capacity. Conclusions: AMS implementation in Zambia improved substantially across key domains. However, sustained leadership, adequate financing, and continuous capacity-building are needed to address persistent gaps and ensure long-term success in mitigating AMR.

Point-of-care, immunochromatographic tests have not reliably detected rabies virus and have not utilized a consistent diagnostic protocol. International diagnostic standards established by the World Organization for Animal Health require strategic and large-scale validation studies prior to widescale use. The United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Rabies Reference Laboratory undertook a large-scale validation of the BioNote Anigen Rapid Rabies Antigen Test in collaboration with eight US public health laboratories and three international laboratories. Modifications were made to manufacturer instructions to maximize antigen concentration in the test diluent. A total of 1,399 samples underwent paired testing with one of three US gold standard tests, consisting of 31 types of animals and 9 rabies virus variants. Test sensitivity and specificity was 97.1% (CI: 95.2% - 98.3%) and 99.9% (CI: 99.4% - 100.0%). Fourteen samples resulted in false-negative results, primarily impacting dogs that were euthanized early or shown to have a low viral load. Limit of detection studies found that false-negative results often occurred when the sample had a PCR Ct value >23. The BioNote Anigen Test performed well across diverse RVVs found in North America. Sensitivity of the test was slightly lower than, but not statistically inferior to, the minimum 98% value established for the current gold-standard tests. This is the largest systematic evaluation of a rabies point-of-care test that includes diverse RVV and animal type and results suggest that the BioNote Anigen Test with the procedural changes would have broad benefits for rapid diagnosis in animals.

Background: The heating rate during the thawing of frozen semen significantly impacts the functional activation of mitochondria, which affects sperm motility assessment. Methods: This study examined the effect of thawing temperature on the motility of spermatozoa in cryopreserved semen. A total of 240 semen straws (0.25 ml each) from 24 bulls (8 Jersey, 8 Holstein Friesian (HF), and 8 Murrah breed), aged 2 to 6 years, were used. Semen was collected, analyzed, processed, frozen, and stored in liquid nitrogen using a standard protocol with a tris-citrate-egg yolk extender. Samples were thawed for 30 seconds in a water bath at temperatures T1: 32°C, T2: 34°C, T3: 36°C, T4: 38°C, and T5: 40°C. Sperm motility, progressive motility, fast motility, slow motility, and immotile percentage of the frozen semen were evaluated. A computer-assisted semen analyzer (CASA) was used for analysis. The data was entered into MS-Excel and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), with the significance between treatments assessed using Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) post hoc test. Results: Jersey semen showed the best motility percentage at T3 (p<0.05) (T1: 53.025±6.73, T2: 60.01±3.81, T3: 74.33±1.40, T4: 65.59±3.17, T5: 59.92±3.58). HF semen also showed the best motility percentage at T3 (p<0.05) (T1: 60.67±6.31, T2: 55.93±6.31, T3: 76.6±2.28, T4: 72.93±2.10, T5: 57.69±2.28). Murrah semen showed the best motility percentage at T4 (p<0.05) (T1: 56.63±3.93, T2: 58.58±4.34, T3: 77.09±1.59, T4: 82.72±4.03, T5: 72.87±4.00). Progressive motility (%) was highest at T3 for Jersey (52.41±2.97), T3 for HF (56.29±4.65), and T4 for Murrah (63.94±6.37) (p<0.05). Fast motility (%) was highest at T3 for Jersey (12.71±2.04), T3 for HF (18.43±1.63), and T4 for Murrah (12.589±2.74) (p<0.05). Slow motility (%) was lowest at T3 for Jersey (27.8±3.43), T3 for HF (34.23±2.72), and T4 for Murrah (31.32±4.72) (p<0.05). Immotility (%) was lowest at T3 for Jersey (25.73±1.37), T3 for HF (23.4±2.28), and T4 for Murrah (17.27±4.03) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Thawing at T3 (36°C) enhances motility, progressive motility, and fast motility while reducing slow motility and immotile percentage in Jersey semen. Similarly, thawing at T4 (38°C) improves motility, progressive motility, and fast motility while reducing slow motility and immotile percentage in Murrah semen.

Hydatidosis, caused by the larval stage of Taenia and Echinococcus species, is a significant zoonotic disease affecting livestock and humans, leading to public health concerns and economic losses in endemic regions. A cross-sectional study conducted from July to August, 2024 at the Katsina Metropolitan abattoir using purposeful sampling approach to determine the prevalence and hydatid cysts in small ruminants. A total of 250 sheep and goats comprising 74 sheep and 176 goats, presented for slaughter at the abattoir daily were considered as subjects for the study. Among these, 87.9% of sheep and 66.5% of goats were female. The overall prevalence of hydatid cysts was 12.8%, with 9.5% of sheep and 14.2% of goats infected. Prevalence by sex showed 2.0% in males and 10.8% in females, with no significant difference (p > 0.05). Age-specific prevalence ranged from 1.6% in animals 6–12 months to 6.4% in those 25–36 months, with no significant differences amongst age groups (p > 0.05). Similarly, there was no significant difference in breed-specific prevalence, with Balami and Yankasa sheep showing 9.5% and 9.4%, and Red Sokoto, Kano Brown, and Sahel goats showing 17.5%, 9.1%, and 15.4%, respectively. Cyst distribution was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in intestines (80.0%) and livers (42.9%) in both species. Fertility of cysts was 100% in goat lungs and 75.0% and 66.6% in sheep and goat livers, respectively. Viability was 25.0% in sheep and 50.0% in goats, with no significant difference (p > 0.05). The study concludes that sheep and goats in Katsina are infected with Taenia parasites, resulting in fertile and viable cysts of public health and economic concern. Recommendations include further studies to identify tapeworm species and public education on disease prevention to mitigate health and economic losses in the region.

An adult female tick was collected from the lower eyelid of a small dog along, possibly domestic, the trail, generally referred to as Tiger’s Nest or Taktsang Palphug Monastery, Paro District, Kingdom of Bhutan. Morphological observation of the specimen confirmed it to be Ixodes ovatus Neumann, 1899 (Ixodida: Ixodidae), the first recorded of this species and the genus Ixodes from Bhutan. The specimen was identified as I. ovatus based on the following morphological features: coxa I with a short, blunt internal spur; posterior part of coxa I covered with milky white, membranous, eavelike elevation (syncoxa present); coxa II and III without spur; posterior half of coxa II and III covered with milky white, membranous, eave-like elevation (syncoxa present). On the basis of a partial sequence (407 bp: LC498630) of mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene obtained from the specimen, the results of the ML phylogenetic analysis indicated that this species forms a relatively well-supported clade (bootstrap value: 85%) with an I. ovatus specimen (OM317739) collected from Yunnan, China, which belongs to one of the groups in the previously reported I. ovatus species complex. Previous studies have identified several genetically distinct groups within the I. ovatus species complex, which may correspond to different species, collected from Sichuan and Yunnan areas in China. A broad-leaved evergreen forest belt characterized by a continuous flora extends from the Himalayas in the west through the Yunnan and Sichuan areas to Japan in the east. Although this study is based on a short sequence from a single individual collected in Bhutan, the genetic relationship was indicated with the population in Yunnan highlights the need of further investigation into the genetic diversity of this taxon across regions spanning South Asia to East Asia.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is endemic in Zambia, while peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) has not been detected. This study screened 962 farmed goats and 237 small ruminants at informal markets for PPRV antibodies using c-ELISA. A subset (n = 29) was re-analysed with virus neutralisation assays (VNA) for antibodies to PPRV and CDV due to cross-reactivity concerns. c-ELISA indicated 6.44% PPRV seroprevalence on farms and 3.80% at markets. While VNA detected no PPRV antibodies, 45% (13/29) tested positive for CDV, possibly suggesting cross-reactivity. Given the study’s limitations, further research is needed to determine whether PPRV is present in Zambia and assess potential cross-reactivity.

The prospect of using fallowing as an ecosystem management measure to restore ecosystem functions in disturbed aquatic environments under cage culture was evaluated in this study. The cage aquaculture site in the Southeast arm of Lake Malawi was studied following the abandonment of cage aquaculture activities in 2022 after 18 years of operation. A Hydrolab CTD MS5 series probe was cast at each station to a maximum depth to collect electronic data and provide in situ depth profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, pH and salinity. Chlorophyl-extraction was done using a mixture of acetone and methanol and analyzed on a turner series 10 fluorometer. The study found that physical-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, ammonia, turbidity and dissolved oxygen were not significantly different (p > 0.05) across the cage and non-cage sites and between seasons. However, ammonia levels recorded in this study were lower than the values reported during the cage culture operations period, an indication that some recovery processes are happening at the site. Chlorophyl a level was found to be insignificantly higher in cage and non-cage sites (p > 0.0.5) and significantly different between season (p < 0.05). High levels of Chl-a observed in this study are independent of cage aquaculture but might be linked to external inputs associated with tributaries as they collectively drain into the lake. Chl-a was found to be significantly and directly correlated to temperature, followed by total suspended solids and pH. Overall, the site is undergoing recovery with respect to the abandonment, but the effect is masked by external inputs of nutrients into the Lake. Although the study confirmed the oligotrophic status of the lake, the increasing levels of Chl-a are alarming and calls for inclusion of watershed management in agriculture and environmental management programming to sustainably safeguard the health of the Lake.

Attaining a &amp;#8220;land degradation neutral world&amp;#8221; by 2030, as envisaged by the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda for sustainable development, sustainable development goal (SDG) number 15, requires accurate information for the implementation of targeted interventions. The Trends.Earth historical data set to support monitoring and reporting, and to track the impact of sustainable land management is only available up to the year 2021. However, combining the predictive ability of Cellular-Automata-Markov (CA-Markov) model(s) in Idris Selva and the Trends.Earth model could provide an insight into potential future land cover degradation. Therefore, this study assesses the status of the land cover degradation in the Upper Zambezi River Basin (UZB) in southern Africa using the CA-Markov model and the Trends.Earth model. The UZB includes the headwaters of the Zambezi River and is susceptible to land cover degradation with potential negative effects on water resources. High resolution multispectral Landsat data are used in the Land Change Modeler (LCM) and the CA-Markov chain model in Idris Selva 17.0 to assess historical changes and predict future changes in land use and land cover (LULC) for the period 1993-2033. The LULC change maps produced with the LCM and CA-Markov models in Idris Selva are used to assess the land cover degradation status for the period 1993-2033 in the UZB using the Trends.Earth model in QGIS 3.34. Results show that land cover degradation maps produced, at local level, from high spatial resolution multispectral data provides more detail of land cover degradation compared to the Trends.Earth global data set. In terms of land cover degradation, the UZB is largely stable. However, of concern are areas, including wetlands and the headwaters of the Zambezi River, which shows land cover degradation as a result of loss of forest cover to expansions in human settlements and cropland. On the contrary, some areas show improvements in forest cover due to conversion of grassland and cropland into forest cover. For the period 2023 &amp;#8211; 2033 the forest cover in the UZB is predicted to have a net reduction of 236258 hectares at a net annual rate of -0.14%. The spatial extent of land cover degradation is projected to build-up on the historical spatial extent. Predicting land cover degradation, as demonstrated in this study, makes available information for instituting targeted interventions which may help in the monitoring and management of water resources, as well as contribute towards a land degradation neutral world.&amp;#160;