scholarly journals Peste des Petits Ruminants at the Wildlife–Livestock Interface in the Northern Albertine Rift and Nile Basin, East Africa

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Fernandez Aguilar ◽  
Mana Mahapatra ◽  
Mattia Begovoeva ◽  
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka ◽  
Margaret Driciru ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Peste Des Petits Ruminants ◽  
Albertine Rift ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Small Livestock ◽  
Western Uganda ◽  
North Kivu ◽  
Viral Sequences

In the recent past, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) emerged in East Africa causing outbreaks in small livestock across different countries, with evidences of spillover to wildlife. In order to understand better PPR at the wildlife–livestock interface, we investigated patterns of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) exposure, disease outbreaks, and viral sequences in the northern Albertine Rift. PPRV antibodies indicated a widespread exposure in apparently healthy wildlife from South Sudan (2013) and Uganda (2015, 2017). African buffaloes and Uganda kobs <1-year-old from Queen Elizabeth National Park (2015) had antibodies against PPRV N-antigen and local serosurvey captured a subsequent spread of PPRV in livestock. Outbreaks with PPR-like syndrome in sheep and goats were recorded around the Greater Virunga Landscape in Kasese (2016), Kisoro and Kabale (2017) from western Uganda, and in North Kivu (2017) from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This landscape would not be considered typical for PPR persistence as it is a mixed forest–savannah ecosystem with mostly sedentary livestock. PPRV sequences from DRC (2017) were identical to strains from Burundi (2018) and confirmed a transboundary spread of PPRV. Our results indicate an epidemiological linkage between epizootic cycles in livestock and exposure in wildlife, denoting the importance of PPR surveillance on wild artiodactyls for both conservation and eradication programs.

Kitagohaite, Pt7Cu, a new mineral from the Lubero region, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

2014 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 739-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Cabral ◽  
R. Skála ◽  
A. Vymazalová ◽  
A. Kallistová ◽  
B. Lehmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Vickers Hardness ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
New Mineral ◽  
Calculated Density ◽  
Reflected Light ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Mohs Hardness ◽  
North Kivu

AbstractKitagohaite, ideally Pt7Cu, is a new mineral from the Lubero region of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mineral occurs as alluvial grains that were recovered together with other Pt-rich intermetallic compounds and Au. Kitagohaite is opaque, greyish white and malleable and has a metallic lustre and a grey streak. In reflected light, kitagohaite is white and isotropic. The crystal structure of kitagohaite is cubic, space group Fmm, of the Ca7Ge type, with a = 7.7891(3) Å, V = 472.57(5) Å3 and Z = 4. The strongest diffraction lines [d in Å(I)(hkl)] are: 2.246 (100)(222), 1.948(8)(004), 1.377 (77)(044), 1.174(27)(622), 1.123 (31)(444) and 0.893 (13)(662). The Vickers hardness is 217 kg mm−2 (VHN100), which is equivalent to a Mohs hardness of 3½ and the calculated density is 19.958(2) g cm−3. Electron-microprobe analyses gave a mean value (n = 13) of 95.49 wt.% Pt and 4.78 wt.%Cu, which corresponds to Pt6.93Cu1.07 on the basis of eight atoms. The new mineral is named for the Kitagoha river, in the Lubero region.

Distribution of crustal extension and regional basin architecture of the Albertine rift system, East Africa

2000 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1131-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.D. Karner ◽  
B.R. Byamungu ◽  
C.J. Ebinger ◽  
A.B. Kampunzu ◽  
R.K. Mukasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Rift System ◽  
Crustal Extension ◽  
Albertine Rift

scholarly journals Batai and Ngari Viruses: M Segment Reassortment and Association with Severe Febrile Disease Outbreaks in East Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 5627-5630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Briese ◽  
Brian Bird ◽  
Vishal Kapoor ◽  
Stuart T. Nichol ◽  
W. Ian Lipkin
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Amino Acid Identity ◽  
Reassortant Virus ◽  
Febrile Disease ◽  
Segment Sequence ◽  
Human Illness ◽  
Batai Virus ◽  
Bunyamwera Virus

ABSTRACT Ngari virus is an orthobunyavirus recently recognized as a reassortant between Bunyamwera virus and an as yet unidentified M segment donor. Analysis of M segment sequences of Batai and Ilesha viruses revealed 95% deduced amino acid identity between Batai virus and Ngari virus. These findings suggest Batai virus as the donor of Ngari virus M segment sequence. Analysis of Batai virus-related African isolates identified UgMP-6830, isolated from mosquitoes in Uganda, as an isolate of Batai virus. KV-141, isolated during a febrile disease outbreak in Sudan, was identified as another isolate of Ngari virus, emphasizing a role of this reassortant virus in severe human illness throughout East Africa.

scholarly journals Expressions of climate perturbations in western Ugandan crater lake sediment records during the last 1000 yr

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 5183-5226 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Mills ◽  
D. B. Ryves ◽  
N. J. Anderson ◽  
C. L. Bryant ◽  
J. J. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Ecosystem Response ◽  
Large Lakes ◽  
Crater Lakes ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Western Uganda

Abstract. Equatorial East Africa has a complex, regional patchwork of climate regimes, with multiple interacting drivers. Recent studies have focussed on large lakes and reveal signals that are smoothed in both space and time, and, whilst useful at a continental scale, are of less relevance when understanding short-term, abrupt or immediate impacts of climate and environmental changes. Smaller-scale studies have highlighted spatial complexity and regional heterogeneity of tropical palaeoenvironments in terms of responses to climatic forcing (e.g. the Little Ice Age [LIA]) and questions remain over the spatial extent and synchroneity of climatic changes seen in East African records. Sediment cores from paired crater lakes in western Uganda were examined to assess ecosystem response to long-term climate and environmental change as well as testing responses to multiple drivers using redundancy analysis. These archives provide annual to sub-decadal records of environmental change. The records from the two lakes demonstrate an individualistic response to external (e.g. climatic) drivers, however, some of the broader patterns observed across East Africa suggest that the lakes are indeed sensitive to climatic perturbations such as a dry Mediaeval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 1000–1200 AD) and a relatively drier climate during the main phase of the LIA (1500–1800 AD); though lake levels in western Uganda do fluctuate. The relationship of Ugandan lakes to regional climate drivers breaks down c. 1800 AD, when major changes in the ecosystems appear to be a response to sediment and nutrient influxes as a result of increasing cultural impacts within the lake catchments. The data highlight the complexity of individual lake response to climate forcing, indicating shifting drivers through time. This research also highlights the importance of using multi-lake studies within a landscape to allow for rigorous testing of climate reconstructions, forcing and ecosystem response.

Status, diversity and trends of the bird communities in Volcanoes National Park and surrounds, Rwanda

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIA A. DERHÉ ◽  
DEO TUYISINGIZE ◽  
WINNIE ECKARDT ◽  
FAIDA EMMANUEL ◽  
TARA STOINSKI
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Albertine Rift ◽  
1960S And 1970S

SummaryThe Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the Virunga massif in the Albertine Rift region, boasts some of Rwanda’s best remaining natural vegetation and is home to many endangered and endemic species. The park has suffered from high levels of degradation and destruction, reducing in size by 50% during the 1960s and 1970s, and remains under threat from illegal activities, human population pressure and climate change. This study is the first to investigate the status and trends of bird communities in the VNP, using a multi-year dataset. We use a five-year dataset, totalling over 3,200 point-counts, both within and around the VNP, to assess the conservation value of the VNP for birds in comparison with other national parks and non-protected areas. We assess bird communities and population trends within and around the parks and identify important habitat factors for birds within the VNP. We found that the VNP hosts a unique bird community compared to other localities, with several Albertine Rift endemics and threatened species occurring in the VNP. Hagenia/ Hypericum woodland, herbaceous vegetation, brush ridge and mixed forest host the highest levels of bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the park’s waterbodies provide key habitat for the endangered Albertine Rift endemic Grauer’s Swamp-warbler (Bradypterus graueri). Elevation had a negative effect on bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the basal area of dead trees, Hagenia and vines had a positive effect. Both inside and outside the VNP, there was a significant decline in abundance and species richness over the sampling years; however, we advocate for further monitoring to confirm these trends. Based on our findings, we recommend effective, targeted management of key habitats for birds within the park, including those identified in this study, in order to mitigate bird declines and conserve the unique bird communities in the VNP.

A late Holocene record of human impacts on tropical environments from non-pollen palynomorphs, Albertine Rift, western Uganda

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 172-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence M. Kiage ◽  
Meghan Howey ◽  
Joel Hartter ◽  
Michael Palace
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
African Region ◽  
Albertine Rift ◽  
Elemental Geochemistry ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Western Uganda

AbstractNon-pollen palynomorphs and elemental geochemistry data from Lake Kifuruka in western Uganda provide evidence of environmental change in the tropical African region since the beginning of the Holocene. The multi-proxy record presented here shows that dry conditions dominated the end of the Pleistocene evidenced by calcium enriched sediments and suppressed fungal taxa activity. Moist conditions dominated the early Holocene and persisted until just after 1960 cal yr BP. Elevated frequencies of individual fungal spore taxa associated with herbivory and soil erosion, including Sordaria-type, Sporormiella-type, Chaetomium-type, and Glomus-type, about 4300 cal yr BP suggests a significant environmental change that could be linked to human activities. A convergence of multiple proxy data, including microscopic charcoal, elemental geochemistry, and fungal spores, strongly support the occurrence of anthropogenic forest disturbance in the Albertine Rift about 4300 cal yr BP.

The Language of Flowers: Knowledge, Power and Ecology in Precolonial Bunyoro

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Doyle
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Environmental Knowledge ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
The Past ◽  
Way Of Thinking ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Western Uganda

The absence of writing from indigenous sub-Saharan cultures has often been identified as one of the key elements that distinguished African societies from those of Europe and Asia. Literacy permits an extension of the range of human intercourse, increased bureaucratic and commercial complexity, and an enlargement and stabilization of political scale. Some scholars suggest that it also encourages a more abstract and detached way of thinking about present-day problems. Writing is, moreover, commonly assumed to transform people's understanding of the past. The evidence, therefore, that the kingdom of Bunyoro in western Uganda possessed an indigenous form of writing is potentially of great significance. In this paper I examine the limited evidence that such a method of communication did exist, before analyzing its function and importance. I will argue that the use of a coded language of flowers in Bunyoro requires a reassessment of how power was exercised in precolonial interlacustrine kingdoms, of the nature of environmental knowledge in hierarchical African societies, and of Bunyoro's place in the historiography of east Africa.It is especially interesting that the form of writing that developed in Bunyoro was based on a floral code, as the absence of both writing and flowers in African culture have been used by Jack Goody as evidence of African culture's separateness from that of “Eurasia.” Goody has written that African peoples generally did not make significant use of flowers in worship, gift-giving or decoration. He does “not know of any indigenous use of odours,” nor of plants playing a role in stories or myths. This is thought to be because of Africa's “simple” agriculture, “non-complex” societies and absence of a “culture of luxury.”

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