Browsing by Author "Chacha, Mwita"

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    The Serological Survey for Human Cysticercosis Prevalence in Mbulu District, Tanzania
    (Scientific Research, 2012) Mwang’onde, Beda J.; Nkwengulila, Gamba; Chacha, Mwita
    Human cysticercosis, a zoonotic disease due to Taeniasolium, is of the highly debilitating and stigmatizing neglected tropical diseases due to epilepsy, ophthalmia and dermatological disorders in endemic developing countries. Tanzania is among the sub-Saharan African countries with an average prevalence of porcine cysticercosis 17.2% [1], which increases the risk of human cysticercosis infection. Studies on people with epilepsy in northern zone of Tanzania show a 16.2% [2] to be suffering from neurocysticercosis. While this was the case, there were no single report on the prevalence of human cysticercosis neither to regular hospital visitors, admissions, and nor general public that result to insufficient deployment of intervention strategies. Study was performed to assess the prevalence of human cysticercosis in general public in Mbulu district. The cephalic venous blood was collected from assorted community members. Serum was extracted and then subjected to Cysticercus IgG Western Blot Assay for human cysticercosis sero-screening. It was found that about 16.3% of the community members had antibodies signifying infection by human cysticercosis. This is the first ever study to assess the prevalence of human cysticercosis in the country and it has revealed the problem to be very high. This study can be valuable for deployment of appropriate intervention measures on human cysticercosis in the study area and extend to the entire country.
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    Temporal patterns in phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish composition, abundance and biomass at Shirati Bay, Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
    (Wiley, 2017-03-22) Revania K., Waya; Samwel Mchele Limbu; Godfrey W., Ngupula; Chacha, Mwita; Yunus D., Mgaya
    Shirati Bay is among the important breeding and nursery sites for major fish species in Lake Victoria. Weekly samplings were conducted to assess the temporal patterns in phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish composition, abundance and biomass in relation to prevailing water quality parameters. The study also determined the influences of plankton dynamics and water quality on the fish catch composition and biomass. It was hypothesized that temporal patterns in the composition, abundance and biomass in the plankton in the bay are controlled by water quality parameters that, in turn, affect the composition and biomass of fish catches. The phytoplankton comprised mainly cyanophytes and bacillariophytes, while the zooplankton were dominated by copepods. The heavy rain season exhibited a significantly higher plankton abundance and biomass than the dry season. The plankton abundances in both seasons exhibited significant positive correlations with water temperature and transparency. The phytoplankton community was controlled by calanoid and cyclopoid species. At higher trophic levels, Lates niloticus juveniles, Oreochromis niloticus juveniles and haplochromines controlled Cladocera and Cyclopoid copepods, while Tilapia rendalli juveniles controlled the Rotifera. This study revealed that Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta are the dominant phytoplankton, whereas cyclopoids dominate the zooplankton species in the bay. These dominant plankton groups are partly controlled by rainfall, water temperature and transparency. Fish biomass, zooplankton and phytoplankton exhibit a typical predator–prey inverse relationship. Thus, evaluation of the plankton composition, abundance and biomass should be mandatory during fisheries stock assessments to effectively manage the fishery resources in the bay.