DOG ECOLOGY AND POTENTIAL ROLES OF DOGS AND SOME WILDLIFE IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RABIES IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA
DOG ECOLOGY AND POTENTIAL ROLES OF DOGS AND SOME WILDLIFE IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RABIES IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2011-05
Authors
ATUMAN, YAKUBU JOEL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
A study of dog ecology and the potential roles of dogs and wildlife species in the epidemiology of rabies were carried out in Bauchi State Nigeria using direct street counts and questionnaire survey administered on 10% of the city streets selected by stratified random sampling. The questionnaire was designed to obtain data in order to determine the dog to man population ratio, dog management and care, cases of dog bites, consequences of the bites and frequencies of rabies outbreak. In addition, identification and assessment of level of conflicts from wildlife/human/domestic animal interfaces was carried out in the three game reserves located in Bauchi State for rabies. Brain samples from dogs and wildlife species were purchased from dog and wildlife meat markets within the study area and examined using the direct fluorescent antibody test. Data generated were analysed using SPSS, chi-square tests for association and odds ratio. Values of P<0.05 were considered significant. The estimated dog population of street count and compound counts were 5,310 and 7,670, respectively. The overall human to dog ratio of 4.1:1 and 7.9:1 were established in urban and rural settlements, respectively. The mean number of individuals per dog owning compound was 9.6±0.498 (SEM) and the mean number of dogs owned per compound was 2.3±0.108 (SEM). Majority of the dogs owned were local breeds (62.8% - 86.9%) aged between 1-5 years old and managed under partial or no confinement. The dogs were mostly used for security (69.5%) and hunting purposes (40.9%). Dog owners reported low vaccination coverage in both urban (43.5%) and rural (9.5%) settlements, levels considered not sufficient to prevent rabies transmission. Of the 34.4% cases of dog bites reported by respondents, about 12.4% of the victims died after manifesting nervous signs. On conflicts as a result of wildlife/ human/domestic animal interface, it was observed that 29.7% of human victims of wildlife bites or attacks died. Domestic animals were killed by wild animals and farm crops were destroyed by wildlife species. Hyenas, jackals, mongooses, wild cats, squirrels, monkeys, and baboons were identified as the offending wildlife species. Rabies virus was detected in the brain tissues of dogs and wildlife species. Dogs had the highest prevalence of rabies, 22.8% followed by wild cats with 21.4%, hyrax16.7%, mongooses 11.1%, jackals 9.2%, and squirrels 8.3%. The chi square test results showed statistically significant relationship (P<0.05) in dogs and jackals in the occurrence of rabies. Domestic dog has been shown from this study to be the major reservoir host of rabies and of increasing risk to human rabies. The detection of rabies virus in the brain tissues of wild animals has obvious wider implications because of the presence of large number of wildlife populations located in the three major game reserves in the State.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSGRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN VETERINARY MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SURGERY AND MEDICINE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
DOG ECOLOGY,, POTENTIAL ROLES,, DOGS AND SOME WILDLIFE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, RABIES,, BAUCHI STATE,, NIGERIA.