Frank Mwiine
Makerere University, Biomolecular Resources & Biolab Sciences, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify factors for infections of pigs with key respiratory pathogens: porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PPRSv), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M.... more
A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify factors for infections of pigs with key respiratory pathogens: porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PPRSv), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo), Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) and gastro-intestinal (GIT) parasites in Uganda. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on management practices associated with infections. Ninety (90) farms and 259 pigs were sampled. Sera were screened against 4 pathogens using commercial ELISA tests. The Baerman’s method was used to identify parasite species in faecal samples. Logistic regression was done to identify risk factors for infections. Cluster analysis was done using a hierarchical K-means partitioning algorithm. Results showed individual animal seroprevalence of PCV2 was 6.9% (95% CI 3.7–11.1), PRRSv 13.8% (95% CI 8.8–19.6), M. hyo 6.4% (95% CI 3.5–10.5) and App 30.4% (95% CI 24.8–36.5). The prevalences of Ascaris spp was 12.7% (9...
Research Interests:
Background: Salmonella infections continue to be of global concern to poultry health, productivity, and public health. About 44% of the poultry in Nigeria are indigenous, and kept in close interaction with farmers who are mostly rural... more
Background: Salmonella infections continue to be of global concern to poultry health, productivity, and public health. About 44% of the poultry in Nigeria are indigenous, and kept in close interaction with farmers who are mostly rural dwellers and have limited access to veterinary and extension services. Aim: The perceptions and practices of farmers of indigenous poultry towards Salmonella infections were assessed in order to obtain and document baseline data that can be used to create awareness among farmers about these infections and their attendant public health implications. Methods: A cross-sectional approach using a multi-stage sampling method was used in this survey. A total of 419 farmers keeping indigenous poultry were interviewed using a pre-tested electronic questionnaire in three randomly selected States within North-Central Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive and regression analysis. Results: Out of the 419 respondents, 138 (32.9%), 141 (33.7%), and 140 (33.4%...
Research Interests:
Additional file 5: SM4. Putative phylogeographic temporal diffusion of Rabies virus in Africa over past 137 years. Animation of the probable dynamic of diversification of rabies major African clades during the 1875 to 2012 period of time.
Additional file 2: SM1. Biogeography of rabies in Africa. Biogeographical zones (modified from Linder 2012 with kind permission of the authors) and countries of Rabies virus dispersion in sub-Saharan Africa with B) Locations of probable... more
Additional file 2: SM1. Biogeography of rabies in Africa. Biogeographical zones (modified from Linder 2012 with kind permission of the authors) and countries of Rabies virus dispersion in sub-Saharan Africa with B) Locations of probable ancestral nodes.
Additional file 4: SM3. Temporal phylogeography leading to the actual distribution of Rabies virus in Africa. Time resolved phylogeographic diffusion of rabies in Africa according to a continuous model. Time-lapse (1875 to 2012) putative... more
Additional file 4: SM3. Temporal phylogeography leading to the actual distribution of Rabies virus in Africa. Time resolved phylogeographic diffusion of rabies in Africa according to a continuous model. Time-lapse (1875 to 2012) putative phylogeography leading to the actual distribution of rabies in Africa (Fig. 4).
Additional file 3: SM2. Rabies virus maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree in Africa. Main African rabies lineages with viruses detected following this work in Uganda.
Additional file 1: SM0. Knowledge, Attitude and Practive survey questionnaire of Rabies in Uganda.
Additional file 2. PCR amplification of the LSDV GPCR gene. PCR results showing a 1150 bp fragment of the LSDV GPCR gene. Lane M is a 50 bp molecular ladder (Hyper Ladder, Bioline UK), Lane P is positive control (LSDV vaccine), Lane N is... more
Additional file 2. PCR amplification of the LSDV GPCR gene. PCR results showing a 1150 bp fragment of the LSDV GPCR gene. Lane M is a 50 bp molecular ladder (Hyper Ladder, Bioline UK), Lane P is positive control (LSDV vaccine), Lane N is negative control, lanes 1–5 are positive samples. PCR products were run in 1.5% agarose gel
Additional file 1. Table showing details of all samples taken from cattle showing clinical signs consistent with Lumpy skin disease
Figure S1. Representative images (1% agarose gels) showing PCR detection of the vanA & vanB genes. vanA/vanB positive VRE isolates (E. casseliflavus/gallinarum) possessed the expected PCR product sizes i.e. 677 bp and 463 bp for vanA and... more
Figure S1. Representative images (1% agarose gels) showing PCR detection of the vanA & vanB genes. vanA/vanB positive VRE isolates (E. casseliflavus/gallinarum) possessed the expected PCR product sizes i.e. 677 bp and 463 bp for vanA and vanB, respectively. Lanes in panel A depict: Lad, 100 bp ladder; Pos & Neg, vanA positive & negative controls, respectively; 1–7, samples of which 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 & 8 were vanA gene-positive while 3 & 4 were negative. Lanes in panel B depict: Lad, 100 bp ladder; Pos & Neg, vanB positive & negative controls, respectively; 1–7, samples of which 1, 2, & 3 were vanB gene-positive while 4 & 5 were negative (6 & 7 are repeats of 2 & 3). (TIFF 5313 kb)
Table S1. Samples processed for isolation of bacteria. (DOCX 14 kb)
Herd/village level seroprevalence of LSD in Uganda. (DOCX 19 kb)
Graph showing within herd true seroprevalence for all sampled herds and month when sampling was done. (DOCX 39 kb)
Map of Uganda showing districts sampled during the FMD sero-survey (blue) and sampling sites for LSD (yellow circle) (Source of map: This study). (DOCX 275 kb)
Occurrence of LSD outbreaks in districts adjacent to national parks in Uganda 2002â 2016. This table shows the yearly number of Lumpy skin disease outbreaks reported in districts bordering each of the seven major national parks in Uganda.... more
Occurrence of LSD outbreaks in districts adjacent to national parks in Uganda 2002â 2016. This table shows the yearly number of Lumpy skin disease outbreaks reported in districts bordering each of the seven major national parks in Uganda. A total of forty five outbreaks were reported, notably twenty out of these forty five outbreaks are from districts bordering Queen Elizabeth national park. (DOCX 13 kb)
Mean annual Lumpy skin disease outbreaks across different regions (agro-ecological zones) from 2002 to 2016. The mean annual Lumpy skin disease outbreaks reported in the Central, East, North, Northeast, Southwest, West and Westnile... more
Mean annual Lumpy skin disease outbreaks across different regions (agro-ecological zones) from 2002 to 2016. The mean annual Lumpy skin disease outbreaks reported in the Central, East, North, Northeast, Southwest, West and Westnile regions of Uganda from 2002 to 2016. (DOCX 33 kb)
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Background: Rhipicephalus microplus; an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on... more
Background: Rhipicephalus microplus; an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to R.microplus.Methods: The study was carried out in Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle were identified microscopically. Five R. microplus specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation.Results: T...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Three hundred (300) blood samples from apparently healthy cattle were collected in areas around Lake Mburo National Park in Western Uganda. These were used in the comparison of the sensitivity and specificity of reverse line blot (RLB)... more
Three hundred (300) blood samples from apparently healthy cattle were collected in areas around Lake Mburo National Park in Western Uganda. These were used in the comparison of the sensitivity and specificity of reverse line blot (RLB) and β-tubulin targeted nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the detection of tick-borne piroplasms in cattle. The sensitivity of RLB technique for the detection of Theileria and Babesia species was 71.25% (95% CI: 60.05 to 80.82%) and the specificity was 57.50% (95% CI: 40.89 to 72.960%) while the sensitivity of the beta-tubulin targeted nested PCR was 62.5% (95% CI: 50.96 to 73.08%) and the specificity was 72.5% (95% CI: 56.11 to 85.40%). The positive predictive value using RLB was 77.03% (95% CI: 65.79 to 86.01%) and the negative predictive value was 50% (95% CI: 34.90 to 65.10%) while the positive predictive value using β-tubulin targeted nested PCR was 81.97 % (95% CI: 70.02 to 90.64%) and the negative predictive value was 49.15% (95% CI: 35....
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Microbiology, Veterinary Medicine, Biology, Virology, Uganda, and 14 moreMedicine, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, Sheep, Animals, Goats, GenBank, SHEEP DISEASES, Veterinary Sciences, Outbreak, Peste des petits ruminants, Biochemistry and cell biology, Molecular Sequence Data, and Medical and Health Sciences
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License
Research Interests:
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a viral disease of Ungulates; both Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla. The mortality rates are low in adult animals but it affects milk yield and international trade. In endemic countries, diagnosis can be... more
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a viral disease of Ungulates; both Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla. The mortality rates are low in adult animals but it affects milk yield and international trade. In endemic countries, diagnosis can be based on clinical signs. But these are shared by other vesicular diseases, so a laboratory is needed to confirm the disease. In Uganda the commonly used assays for the laboratory diagnosis of FMD are NSP ELISA and RT-PCR. Serology using ELISA techniques may fail to distinguish between vaccinated and new infection so compromising its sensitivity. The gel passed PCR is involves a lot of advance sample treatment increasing errors due to carry over which also compromises its sensitivity. This work reports comparative the detection of foot-and-mouth virus by NSP ELISA and RTPCR with real time PCR which was taken as the gold standard. The assays were compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity and disease prevalence and likelihood ratios. A total of 176 ca...
Research Interests:
Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses constitute a large proportion of emerging infectious diseases that are both a public health problem and a threat to animal populations. Many such viruses were identified in East Africa, a region where they... more
Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses constitute a large proportion of emerging infectious diseases that are both a public health problem and a threat to animal populations. Many such viruses were identified in East Africa, a region where they remain important and from where new arboviruses may emerge. We set out to describe and review the relevant mosquito-borne viruses that have been identified specifically in Uganda. We focused on the discovery, burden, mode of transmission, animal hosts and clinical manifestation of those previously involved in disease outbreaks. A search for mosquito-borne arboviruses detected in Uganda was conducted using search terms ‘Arboviruses in Uganda’ and ‘Mosquitoes and Viruses in Uganda’ in PubMed and Google Scholar in 2020. Twenty-four mosquito-borne viruses from different animal hosts, humans and mosquitoes were documented. The majority of these were from family Peribunyaviridae, followed by Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, Phenuiviridae and only one each from...
Research Interests:
Background Rabies is a deadly preventable viral disease that affects all warm-blooded animals and widespread in many regions including Africa. The disease remains of major public health importance in Uganda. The purpose of this study was... more
Background Rabies is a deadly preventable viral disease that affects all warm-blooded animals and widespread in many regions including Africa. The disease remains of major public health importance in Uganda. The purpose of this study was to establish Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) of Rabies in Moyo and Ntoroko districts and to characterize Rabies virus (RABV) strains from seven districts of Uganda with consistent prevalence of rabies. Methods KAP survey data were collected based on animal biting history by interviewing the head of the veterinary departments, the medical centers and selected households from the study sites. Data were obtained from 84 households in Ntoroko and Moyo districts. Thirty-five (35) brain samples were collected from bovine, dogs, goats, foxes, jackals ad sheep between 2011 and 2013. Samples were tested using fluorescent antibody test (FAT), One step RT-PCR (following RNA extraction) and partial RABV N gene was sequenced by Sanger method before phylogene...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a devastating transboundary viral disease of cattle which causes significant loss in production. Although this disease has been reported in Uganda and throughout East Africa, there is almost no information... more
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a devastating transboundary viral disease of cattle which causes significant loss in production. Although this disease has been reported in Uganda and throughout East Africa, there is almost no information about its epidemiology, spatial or spatio-temporal distribution. We carried out a retrospective study on the epidemiology of LSD in Uganda between the years 2002 and 2016, using data on reported outbreaks collected monthly by the central government veterinary administration. Descriptive statistics were computed on frequency of outbreaks, number of cases, vaccinations and deaths. We evaluated differences in the number of reported outbreaks across different regions (agro-ecological zones), districts, months and years. Spatial, temporal and space-time scan statistics were used to identify possible epidemiological clusters of LSD outbreaks. A total of 1161 outbreaks and 319,355 cases of LSD were reported from 55 out of 56 districts of Uganda. There was a si...
Research Interests:
Uganda has reported eight outbreaks caused by filoviruses between 2000 to 2016, more than any other country in the world. We used species distribution modeling to predict where filovirus outbreaks are likely to occur in Uganda to help in... more
Uganda has reported eight outbreaks caused by filoviruses between 2000 to 2016, more than any other country in the world. We used species distribution modeling to predict where filovirus outbreaks are likely to occur in Uganda to help in epidemic preparedness and surveillance. The MaxEnt software, a machine learning modeling approach that uses presence-only data was used to establish filovirus - environmental relationships. Presence-only data for filovirus outbreaks were collected from the field and online sources. Environmental covariates from Africlim that have been downscaled to a nominal resolution of 1km x 1km were used. The final model gave the relative probability of the presence of filoviruses in the study area obtained from an average of 100 bootstrap runs. Model evaluation was carried out using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) plots. Maps were created using ArcGIS 10.3 mapping software. We showed that bats as potential reservoirs of filoviruses are distributed all o...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1a/TTSuV1b) infection is present in pig herds worldwide. This study investigated the prevalence of TTSuV1a/TTSuV1b infections in domestic pigs from some slaughterhouses in Nigeria as well as coinfection with... more
Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1a/TTSuV1b) infection is present in pig herds worldwide. This study investigated the prevalence of TTSuV1a/TTSuV1b infections in domestic pigs from some slaughterhouses in Nigeria as well as coinfection with African swine fever virus (ASFV) and described the phylogeny in relation to global strains. One hundred and eighty-one (181) blood samples from four slaughterhouses were used for the study and viral nucleic acid detection was carried out by PCR. Comparative sequence analysis was carried out to infer phylogeny. The overall prevalence of TTSuV1a/b was 17.7%. Prevalence of individual genotypes was 10.5% and 7.2% for TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b, respectively. Coinfection of ASFV/TTSuV1a/b was 7.7% while that of TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b was 1.7%. ASFV alone was detected in 11.91% of the total samples. The Nigerian TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b shared a sequence identity of 91–100% and 95–100%, respectively, among each other. The ASFV sequences were 100% identical to members of...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease, which can cause up to 100% mortality among domestic pigs. In Uganda there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of the disease, hence a study was carried out to elucidate... more
African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease, which can cause up to 100% mortality among domestic pigs. In Uganda there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of the disease, hence a study was carried out to elucidate the patterns of ASF outbreaks. Spatial and temporal analyses were performed with data collected monthly by the district veterinary officers (DVOs) and sent to the central administration at MAAIF from 2001 to 2012. Additionally, risk factors and the associated characteristics related to the disease were assessed based on semistructured questionnaires sent to the DVOs. A total of 388 ASF outbreaks were reported in 59 districts. Of these outbreaks, 201 (51.8%) were reported in districts adjacent to the national parks while 80 (20.6%) were adjacent to international borders. The number of reported ASF outbreaks changed over time and by geographical regions; however, no outbreak was reported in the North-Eastern region. ASF was ranked as second most importa...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography, Uganda, Medicine, Animal Husbandry, Animal Movement, and 15 moreDisease Outbreaks, Livestock, Animals, Animal migration, Risk factors, Foot and Mouth Disease, National Park, Captive Wild Animals, Risk Factors, Tropical animal health, Veterinary Sciences, Seasons, Confidence Interval, Data Retrieval, and Dry Season
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A study was conducted in the Luwero and Nakasongola districts in central Uganda to determine and compare the prevalence and distribution of antibodies against Brucella abortus in cattle under contrasting husbandry practices, using two... more
A study was conducted in the Luwero and Nakasongola districts in central Uganda to determine and compare the prevalence and distribution of antibodies against Brucella abortus in cattle under contrasting husbandry practices, using two serological tests. Three hundred and fifteen serum samples were systematically sampled from 29 farms and subsequently tested using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and Indirect Antibody Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (I-ELISA). The overall prevalence of antibodies against Brucella abortus in the Nakasongola and Luwero districts was 2.4% and 4.7% on RBPT, compared with 1.2% and 3.34 % on I-ELISA. There was no significant difference between the results obtained by RBPT and indirect antibody ELISA (p > 0.05). It was noted that antibodies against Brucella abortus were widely spread over different farms regardless of the cattle grazing system (p > 0.05). Based on the findings, it is feasible to use RBPT as a cheaper screening alternative for bruce...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Diagnosis and control of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) requires rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests. Two antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, Ceditest® FMDV-NS for the detection of antibodies against the... more
Diagnosis and control of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) requires rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests. Two antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, Ceditest® FMDV-NS for the detection of antibodies against the nonstructural proteins of all FMDV serotypes and Ceditest® FMDV type O for the detection of antibodies against serotype O, were evaluated under African endemic conditions where the presence of multiple serotypes and the use of nonpurified vaccines complicate serological diagnosis. Serum samples from 218 African buffalo, 758 cattle, 304 goats, and 88 sheep were tested using both kits, and selected samples were tested not only in serotype-specific ELISAs for antibodies against primarily FMDV serotype O, but also against other serotypes. The FMDV-NS assay detected far more positive samples (93%) than the FMDV type O assay (30%) in buffalo (P < 0.05), with predominant antibodies against the South African Territories (SAT) serotypes, while the seroprevalence...