https://hdl.handle.net/10646/1382 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:45:57 GMT 2026-04-09T23:45:57Z https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4781 Wound healing properties of selected plants used in ethnoveterinary medicine. Marume, Amos; Matope, Gift; Katsande, Simbarashe; Khoza, Star; Mutingwende, Isaac; Mduluza, Takafira; Munodawafa-Taderera, Tafadzwa; Ndhlala, Ashwell R. Plants have arrays of phytoconstituents that have wide-ranging biological effects like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties key in wound management. In vivo wound healing properties of ointments made of crude methanolic extracts (10% extract w/w in white soft paraffin) of three plant species, Cissus quadrangularis L. (whole aerial plant parts), Adenium multiflorum Klotzsch (whole aerial plant parts) and Erythrina abyssinica Lam. Ex DC. (leaves and bark) used in ethnoveterinary medicine were evaluated on BALB/c female mice based on wound area changes, regular observations, healing skin’s percentage crude protein content and histological examinations. White soft paraffin and 3% oxytetracycline ointment were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Wound area changes over a 15 day period for mice treated with C. quadrangularis and A. multiflorum extract ointments were comparable to those of the positive control (oxytetracycline ointment). Wounds managed with the same extract ointments exhibited high crude protein contents, similar to what was observed on animals treated with the positive control. Histological evaluations revealed that C. quadrangularis had superior wound healing properties with the wound area completely returning to normal skin structure by day 15 of the experiment. E. abyssinica leaf and bark extract ointments exhibited lower wound healing properties though the leaf extract exhibited some modest healing properties. Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4781 2017-09-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4780 Prevalence of mastitis in dairy cows from smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Katsande, Simbarashe; Matope, Gift; Ndengu, Masimba; Pfukenyi, Davies M. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of sub-clinical and clinical mastitis and the associated factors in cows from selected smallholder dairy farms in Zimbabwe. Physical examinations were conducted on all lactating cows for evidence of signs of clinical mastitis. Composite milk samples were collected from all lactating cows for bacterial culture and somatic cell counting. Cows were categorised as clinical if they exhibited clinical features of mastitis, or sub-clinical if no apparent signs were present but they had a positive bacterial isolation and a somatic cell count of at least 300 x 103 cells/mL. Farm-level factors were obtained through a structured questionnaire. The association of mastitis and animal-and herd-level factors were analysed using logistic regression. A total of 584 animals from 73 farms were tested. Overall, 21.1% (123/584) had mastitis, 16.3% (95/584) had sub-clinical mastitis and 4.8% (28/584) had clinical mastitis. Herd-level prevalence was 49.3%. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (27.6%), Escherichia coli (25.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.3%), Klebsiella spp. (15.5%) and Streptococcus spp. (1.6%) were the most common isolates. In individual cows, pure dairy herds (OR = 6.3) and dairy crosses (OR = 3.1) were more likely to have mastitis compared to Mashona cows. Farms that used pre-milking teat dipping were associated with reduced mastitis prevalence. Further research is needed on the prevalence of mastitis and a comparison of data for both smallholder and commercial dairy farms in all regions of Zimbabwe should be undertaken. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4780 2013-03-28T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4608 A survey on auditing, quality assurance systems and legal frameworks in five selected slaughterhouses in Bulawayo, south-western Zimbabwe. Masanganise, Kurai E.; Matope, Gift; Pfukenyi, Davies M. The purpose of this study was to explore the audits, quality assurance (QA) programmes and legal frameworks used in selected abattoirs in Zimbabwe and slaughterhouse workers’ perceptions on their effectiveness. Data on slaughterhouse workers was gathered through a self-completed questionnaire and additional information was obtained from slaughterhouse and government records. External auditing was conducted mainly by the Department of Veterinary Public Health with little contribution from third parties. Internal auditing was restricted to export abattoirs. The checklist used on auditing lacked objective assessment criteria and respondents cited several faults in the current audit system. Most respondents (> 50.0%) knew the purposes and benefits of audit and QA inspections. All export abattoirs had QA programmes such as hazard analysis critical control point and ISO 9001 (a standard used to certify businesses’ quality management systems) but their implementation varied from minimal to nil. The main regulatory defect observed was lack of requirements for a QA programme. Audit and quality assurance communications to the selected abattoirs revealed a variety of non-compliances with most respondents revealing that corrective actions to audit (84.3%) and quality assurance (92.3%) shortfalls were not done. A high percentage of respondents indicated that training on quality (76.8%) and regulations (69.8%) was critical. Thus, it is imperative that these abattoirs develop a food safety management system comprising of QA programmes, a microbial assessment scheme, regulatory compliance, standard operating procedures, internal and external auditing and training of workers. Fri, 28 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4608 2013-06-28T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4607 A survey of Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis at a human-domestic animal-wildlife interface in Zimbabwe. Gadaga, Biko Masimba A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the risk of emergence or the presence and risk factors of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis in human populations at the human-domestic animal-wildlife interface areas within the South East Lowveld (SEL) of Zimbabwe. A three dimensional risk assessment approach; the release, exposure and consequences assessment was adopted. The release assessment explored the presence or evidence of exposure to Brucella species and Mycobacterium bovis in cattle, milk and meat including game. The exposure assessment investigated disease knowledge and perception by farmers, abattoir and game workers using a structured questionnaire. The consequence assessment analysed human health data collected from health centres in the SEL for tuberculosis, malaria and acute febrile illnesses (AFIs). Three study sites were selected based on the type of domestic animal–wildlife interface: Malipati, Chikombedzi and Chiredzi peri-urban as high, medium and low interface, respectively. This study demonstrated that there was evidence of exposure to brucellosis in cattle, where seroprevalence was highest at the high interface (Malipati) where contact between cattle and wildlife occurs compared to the medium and low interface areas. Bovine tuberculosis was not isolated in cattle. The knowledge, attitude and practices study revealed that 67.4 % (130/193) of the respondents were aware of zoonoses. Fewer cattle owners from a high interface area were aware of zoonoses compared to other areas due to combined effects of limited education and other factors disadvantaging these marginalised areas. This could increase their risk of exposure to zoonoses, considering that consumption of raw meat and milk is common. Analysis of human health data showed that the lack of diagnostic capacity makes estimates of the prevalence of zoonotic TB and the aetiologies of AFIs imprecise and largely unknown. From inference if all cases of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis were treated as M. bovis this would give a prevalence of 4.1%. Noteworthy up to 88% of AFIs cases were not confirmed by laboratory tests. In conclusion, the observed high seroprevalence of brucellosis at the high interface compared to other areas suggested that the interface is a possible nexus for amplification of animal brucellosis. Further, the lack of awareness of zoonoses among farmers, coupled with the presence of risky practices could predispose them to infection by brucellosis. Thus, the contribution of animal derived zoonotic infections to the AFIs observed in the areas could not be ruled out. Therefore, further research is required to determine the public health importance of bovine brucellosis and bTB, and to establish the exact causes of AFIs in these areas. The implementation of brucellosis control measures in these areas could reduce the incidence of brucellosis in cattle and the risk of zoonotic infections. Continued surveillance at abattoirs and slaughter poles by trained animal health personnel would allow early detection of bovine tuberculosis should it arise. Wed, 18 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10646/4607 2022-05-18T00:00:00Z