Browsing by Author "Namkinga, Lucy A."

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    Characterization of Salmonella Species from Water Bodies in Dar-Es-Salaam City, Tanzania
    (2013) Mwang’onde, Beda J.; Tibuhwa, Donatha D.; Namkinga, Lucy A.; Kweka, Eliningaya J.
    Water-borne diseases are the most common cause of illness and death among the poor population from developing countries. The majority of the people are inadequately aware that aquatic environment is a major source of salmonellosis. Dar es Salaam city is among the cities with most of its population live in squatter. Typhoid fever ranks second with 14.3% of all notifiable disease cases in the city. The city experience water scarcity which forces water wells and rivers to become the main sources of water for domestic use and livestock. This study therefore, characterized Salmonella strains from different water bodies of city as possible sources for enteric diseases endemicity. Methods: The Salmonella Chromogenic Agar (SC Agar) and Kligler Iron Agar (KIA) media were used for isolation and enumeration of the strains. The inoculated cultures were incubated at 370 C for 24 hours. Salmonella colonies were confirmed by magenta colorations and hydrogen sulfide production on SC Agar and KIA Agar, respectively. The Analytical Profile Index 20 Enterobacteriaceae kit (API 20E kit) was used to identify Salmonella species. Results: Based on the API 20E kit, the identified Salmonella species from different water bodies were Salmonella ser. paratyphi A (96.9%), Salmonella cholelaesuis spp choleraesuis (99.5%) and Salmonella typhi (99.9%). Conclusion: This study shows that shallow wells and rivers which are mainly used by the city dwellers were highly contaminated with Salmonella and were more contaminated than deep wells and marine water bodies. This warrants further investigation on the disease mapping in the urban and peri-urban areas.
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    Identification of Pathogenic Intestinal Parasitic Protozoa Associated with Diarrhea among Under-fives Children in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
    (2015) Ngoso, B. E.; Nkwengulila, Gamba; Namkinga, Lucy A.
    Diarrhea is responsible for high morbidity and mortality among children under the age of five in developing countries. Poor diet and unsafe water supply in households contributes to the prevalence of diarrhea. This study was carried out to determine intestinal parasitic protozoa causing diarrhea. Participants were children under-five years attending Municipal hospitals in Dar Es Salaam with either acute or chronic diarrhea. A total of 720 stool samples were analyzed. Parasitic protozoa were investigated by standard microscopy and PCR methods. The highest prevalence of diarrhea (29.6%) was found in the age groups of 12-23 months, followed by 24-60 months (15.6%), 6-11 months (8%) and least 0-5 months (2.4%). Microscopic method identified 41% parasitic protozoa, PCR 55.6%. However, m-PCR was more discriminative and sensitive, such that the 144 samples identified microscopically as E. histolytica, were differentiated as; E. histolytica 48 (33.3%), E. dispar 80 (55.6%) and E. moshkovskii 16 (11.1%). The most common protozoa were Giardia lamblia 35.6 % (256), followed by Entamoeba histolytica 12.2% (88), Cryptosporidium parvum 7.8 % (56), and Helminthes 12.7% (92). PCR methods should be advocated for differential diagnosis of parasitic causes of diarrhea in Tanzania for children.
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    Molecular Characterization of Diarrheagenic Bacteria Isolated from Stool of Under-five Children in Dar Es Salaam. Tanzania
    (Macrothink Istitute, 2016) Ngoso, Benjamin E.; Namkinga, Lucy A.; Nkwengulila, Gamba
    Diarrhea is a daily public health song in developing countries like Tanzania. The causative agents are theoretically known almost to everybody. However, the eradication of this killer disease for the under-fives is an enigma. This study aimed to provide update advantages of molecular diagnostic versus conventional methods as regards to acute diarrhea, and to determine bacterial causes of diarrhea among children aging five years and below in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, using multiplex PCR technique. Samples were collected from the under-fives from district hospitals in Dar Es Salaam city between June 2010 and February 2014. This included children admitted due to acute and/ or chronic diarrhea. A total of 3600 stool samples were analyzed, of which 1800 samples were from diarrhea cases and 1800 samples from normal control cases. About 1080 (60%) of the patients recruited were aged less than 3 years and 983 (54.6%) were males. Diarrheagenic bacteria were isolated and identified using conventional stool cultures then were characterized by mPCR. Pathogenic bacteria were detected in 67.7% of the cases and in 20% of the controls. The pathogenic bacteria most strongly associated with diarrhea disease were diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (21.6% of cases, 6% of controls), Shigella spp. (16.1% of cases, 5% of controls) and Salmonellae, (10.6% of cases, 3% of controls. The pathogenic bacteria were mostly from children aging from 24 months and above. Diarrheagenic bacteria play an important role in relation to childhood diarrhea aging from two years and above. Proper diagnostic methods, prevention and control through fostering good hygiene and sanitation to water and food should be emphasized especially to oral-faecal age.