title: Potential Roles of Pigs, Small Ruminants, Rodents, and Their Flea Vectors in Plague Epidemiology in Sinda District, Eastern Zambia.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern part of Zambia that previously reported a plague outbreak. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of pigs, goats, and sheep as sero-surveillance hosts for monitoring plague, and to investigate the flea vectors and potential reservoir hosts to establish the current status of plague endemicity in the district. Serum samples were collected from 96 rodents, 10 shrews, 245 domestic pigs, 232 goats, and 31 sheep, whereas 106 organs were eviscerated from rodents and shrews. As for fleas, 1,064 Echidnophaga larina Jordan & Rothschild, 7 Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild), and 382 Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood) were collected from these animals in 34 villages. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests were performed on serum, and organs and fleas to determine IgG antibodies against Fraction 1 antigen and pla gene of Yersinia pestis, respectively. ELISA results showed that 2.83% (95% CI = 0.59-8.05) rodents, 9.0% (95% CI = 5.71-13.28) domestic pigs, 4.7% (95% CI = 2.39-8.33) goats, and 3.2% (95% CI = 0.08-16.70) sheep were positive for IgG antibodies against Fra1 antigen of Y. pestis. On PCR, 8.4% (95% CI = 3.96-15.51) of the rodents were detected with Y. pestis pla gene, whereas all fleas were found negative. The common fleas identified were E. larina from pigs, whereas X. cheopis were the only fleas collected from rodents. The presence of sero-positive animals as well as the occurrence of X. cheopis on local rodents suggests that Y. pestis remains a risk in the district.
authors.affiliation: Central Veterinary Research Institute, P.O. Box 33980, Balmoral, Lusaka, Zambia ( stanleynyirenda@yahoo.co.uk; henrylombekangwa@yahoo.com ).|Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Box 3019, Morogoro, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Stanley S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nyirenda
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia (mudenda68@yahoo.com; ntongo2004@yahoo.co.uk; ladslavm@yahoo.com).
authors.forename: Bernard M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hang'ombe
authors.affiliation: Pest Management Centre Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3010, Morogoro, Tanzania (bskilonzo@yahoo.com).
authors.forename: Bukheti S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kilonzo
authors.affiliation: Central Veterinary Research Institute, P.O. Box 33980, Balmoral, Lusaka, Zambia (stanleynyirenda@yahoo.co.uk; henrylombekangwa@yahoo.com).
authors.forename: Henry L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kangwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia (mudenda68@yahoo.com; ntongo2004@yahoo.co.uk; ladslavm@yahoo.com).
authors.forename: Evans
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mulenga
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia (mudenda68@yahoo.com; ntongo2004@yahoo.co.uk; ladslavm@yahoo.com).
authors.forename: Ladslav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moonga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring / Q000662:veterinary*; D058267:Flea Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology; D010930:Plague / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012377:Rodentia; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins
keywords: Yersinia pestis; flea; pig; plague; small ruminant