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African Animal Trypanosomosis is threatening the agricultural production and cattle breeding more severely than any other livestock disease in the continent, even more since the advent of drug resistance. A longitudinal study was conducted from November 2012 to May 2013 in the Ghibe valley to evaluate diminazene aceturate (DA) resistance and assess livestock owner's perception of trypanocidal drug use. Four Peasant Associations (PAs) were purposively selected and the cattle randomly sampled in each PAs. At the beginning of the study ( t 0 ), 106 bovines positive for trypanosomes by the haematocrit centrifugation technique (HCT) and 119 negative control animals were recruited for six months follow-up using HCT, 18S-PCR-RFLP, Dpn II-PCR-RFLP and microsatellite analysis. Prevalence of trypanosomosis was 18.1% based on the HCT technique and the mean PCV value was 23.6 ± 5.1% for the 587 sampled cattle. Out of the 106 HCT positive, 64 (60.4%) were positive for the presence of trypanosomes using the 18S -PCR-RFLP. Species detection showed 38 (59.4%) Trypanosoma congolense savannah, 18 (28.1%) Trypanosoma vivax , 5 (7.8%) Trypanosoma theileri and 3 (4.7%) T. congolense Kilifi. Among the T. congolense savannah samples, 31 (81.6%) showed a DA resistant RFLP profile, 2 (5.3%) a mixed profile and 5 did not amplify using the Dpn II-PCR-RFLP. A positive HCT had a significant effect on PCV ( p < 0.001) with the mean PCV value equal to 24.4 ± 0.2% in the absence of trypanosomes and to 20.9 ± 0.3% in the presence of trypanosomes. PCV increased significantly ( p < 0.001) with 4.4 ± 0.5% one month after treatment. All T. congolense savannah type were analyzed using microsatellite markers TCM1, TCM3 and TCM4. The main events were new infections (40.0%) and relapses (37.5%) with cures lagging at 22.5%. In 10 purposively selected PAs a semi-structured questionnaire was used. The average herd size was the highest in Abelti PA (6.7 ± 1.8 TLU) and the mean herd size was statistically different ( p = 0.01) in the 10 PAs. Trypanosomosis was designated as the main disease affecting cattle by 97% of the respondents. DA was used by 95.5% of the farmers though more than half of them (51.9%) were not familiar with isometamidium (ISM). There was a trend to overdose young small animals and to underdose large ones. Oxen were treated very frequently (nearly 20 times/year) and calves almost never. To improve the situation in the Ghibe valley, extension messages should be delivered to promote a rational drug use, improved livestock management and the application of strategic vector control methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at the identification of location and household characteristics influencing the choice of keeping livestock or practising crop production in a post-conflict region in Central Africa. Two thousand eight hundred randomly selected families from Brazzaville (Congo) were surveyed. From these, 6% are both keeping livestock and producing crops, 3% are keeping livestock only, 24% are producing crops only and 67% are not producing crops nor keeping livestock. From these four groups, respectively, 135, 84, 246 and 245 households were interviewed to collect further data on household and location characteristics. Non-parametric and parametric techniques were compared as tools to analyse the groups. In the non-parametric classification tree method CART following variables were identified as being important for the engagement in keeping livestock or urban agriculture: keeping livestock before 1997, practising agriculture before 1997, property size, locality, income, availability of water, professional activity and level of instruction. Including surrogate variables resulted in extra variables: age, availability of electricity and sex. In the multinomial regression only the most important variables from the classification tree were withheld and other insights were obtained. The results of this research highlighted the shortcomings of multinomial regression. Fitting a full model containing all possible interactions becomes an impossible task with 20 explanatory variables. Using the classification tree information in a multinomial model appears the most appropriate solution, and this method is a useful tool for further work in the analysis of livestock and crop production systems. The importance of the historical component in the decision to practise crop production and keep livestock was demonstrated. Being involved in crop production develops roots, which cannot be destroyed by impediments such as periods of conflict. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]