The sero‐epidemiology ofCoxiella burnetii(Q fever) across livestock species and herding contexts in Laikipia County, Kenya

Serosurvey of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Laikipia County, Kenya

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are an important protein source for people in semi-arid and arid regions of Africa. In Kenya, camel populations have grown dramatically in the past few decades resulting in the potential for increased disease transmission between humans and camels. An estimated four million Kenyans drink unpasteurized camel milk, which poses a disease risk. We evaluated th...

Suspected Rabies in Humans and Animals, Laikipia County, Kenya

flab gene was targeted by using multiplex qPCR according to a previous described protocol (1). For quality control of qPCRs, we included positive and negative controls. Sequences of qPCR products were analyzed and compared with sequences available in GenBank. Overall preva-lences were 1.50% for B. miyamotoi, 3.42% for A. phago-cytophilum, and 5.34% for Candidatus N. mikurensis. Prevalences of e...

Fire ecology in Laikipia, Kenya

Correction: Serological Evidence of MERS-CoV Antibodies in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedaries) in Laikipia County, Kenya

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a recently identified virus causing severe viral respiratory illness in people. Little is known about the reservoir in the Horn of Africa. In Kenya, where no human MERS cases have been reported, our survey of 335 dromedary camels, representing nine herds in Laikipia County, showed a high seroprevalence (46.9%) to MERS-CoV antibodies. Be...

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses and Q Fever in Laikipia and Maasai Mara, Kenya

Many factors contribute to misdiagnosis and underreporting of infectious zoonotic diseases in most sub-Saharan Africa including limited diagnostic capacity and poor knowledge. We assessed the knowledge, practices and attitudes towards spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) and Q fever amongst local residents in Laikipia and Maasai Mara in Kenya. A semi-structured questionnaire was administere...