ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5754-0556
Current Organisations
Washington State University
,
The University of Edinburgh
,
University of Nairobi
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Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 06-03-2015
Abstract: Highly protective effect of co-infections on mortality due to East Coast fever and consequences for disease epidemiology and control.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 26-09-2014
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182014001498
Abstract: Parasite burden varies widely between in iduals within a population, and can covary with multiple aspects of in idual phenotype. Here we investigate the sources of variation in faecal strongyle eggs counts, and its association with body weight and a suite of haematological measures, in a cohort of indigenous zebu calves in Western Kenya, using relatedness matrices reconstructed from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. Strongyle egg count was heritable ( h 2 = 23·9%, s.e. = 11·8%) and we also found heritability of white blood cell counts (WBC) ( h 2 = 27·6%, s.e. = 10·6%). All the traits investigated showed negative phenotypic covariances with strongyle egg count throughout the first year: high worm counts were associated with low values of WBC, red blood cell count, total serum protein and absolute eosinophil count. Furthermore, calf body weight at 1 week old was a significant predictor of strongyle EPG at 16–51 weeks, with smaller calves having a higher strongyle egg count later in life. Our results indicate a genetic basis to strongyle EPG in this population, and also reveal consistently strong negative associations between strongyle infection and other important aspects of the multivariate phenotype.
Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Date: 07-06-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.RVSC.2016.08.010
Abstract: Most studies of infectious diseases in East African cattle have concentrated on gastro-intestinal parasites and vector-borne diseases. As a result, relatively little is known about viral diseases, except for those that are clinically symptomatic or which affect international trade such as foot and mouth disease, bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease. Here, we investigate the seroprevalence, distribution and relationship between the viruses involved in respiratory disease, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR), bovine parainfluenza virus Type 3 (PIV3) and bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in East African Shorthorn Zebu calves. These viruses contribute to the bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) which is responsible for major economic losses in cattle from intensive farming systems as a result of pneumonia. We found that calves experience similar risks of infection for IBR, PIV3, and BVDV with a seroprevalence of 20.9%, 20.1% and 19.8% respectively. We confirm that positive associations exist between IBR, PIV3 and BVDV being seropositive for any one of these three viruses means that an in idual is more likely to be seropositive for the other two viruses than expected by chance.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-11-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PGPH.0000690
Abstract: Growing empirical evidence indicates that financial anxiety causes reductions in short-term cognitive capacity. Results from urban communities in Delhi, India show sizable differences in the number of health events recalled between the poor and non-poor respondents over experimentally controlled recall periods. One explanation for this recall difference is ‘poor memory’. Such results provide additional reasons for healthy skepticism of the accuracy of self-reported health survey data. The present research identifies which forms of cognitive capacity are related to health event recall and assesses the roles of poverty and illiteracy as mediating variables. Results indicate that underreporting of health events among the poor in rural Kenya is not solely due to ‘poor memory’. Data used comes from a repeated cross-sectional study conducted in Samburu county, Kenya over 10-months between 2017–2018. This period coincided with the ending of a protracted and severe drought in East Africa. The results presented in the current study confirm the poor and non-poor distinction, but provide a more detailed cognitive explanation for such results. Reflective throught, as measured by fluid intelligence and heuristic use, is shown to be good predictors of fever recall among relatively poor rura communities in central Kenya.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 02-07-2020
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Thumbi Mwangi.