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AfriqueOneNews

A f r i q u e O n e N e w s l e t t e rN° 002, April-December 2011

Afrique OneAfrique One

Thryonomys swinderianus (grasscutter): a model for One Health implementation

Afrique One, after the inception workshop

that gathered 11 Postdocs in April 2011 (Arusha, Tanzania) is now fully operational with the launch of all activities related to capacity buil-ding and research agenda.

In the last months, the training component was the major activity. In the next couple of months, the trai-ning team will be developing the process of negotia-ting the introduction of the training module into our collaborative universities’ Master and Doctoral courses as a welcome package or supplementary modules for the students and researchers. This process has already received attention from the Deans and Directors as well as the Vice-chancellors during the last major mee-ting conveyed respectively by Afrique One and the Wellcome Trust (November 2011 in Dar es Salaam).

During Afrique One management Board meeting held in October 2011 (Saly Portudal, Senegal) significative progress in activities has been acknowledged by the Deans and Directors who expressed the need to bet-ter inform on Afrique One model and its scientific and institutional capacity building offers. The reco-gnition and the relevance of the Postdoc positions in our research centres and universities are appreciated and this “New species” in the academic environment is becoming a tradition taken by some new initia-tives (NMIMR in Accra, EISMV, in Dakar) and we are proud of that. Furthermore the FP7-KBBE project “Training of the One Health Next Scientific genera-tion in the Sahel and Maghreb” will be a supportive curriculum development component for Afrique One.

Through the application of interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary principles, researchers within Afrique One have identified methodological linkages, ins-titution networking and the huge potential of data and samples sharing across and beyond the consor-tium. The first outcome of this exercise is the iden-tification of the grass-cutter (Thryonomis swinde-rianus) as a model for One health implementation research both on its use for understanding the eco-logy, wildlife conservation, food security; zoonoses risk analysis and captive animal behaviour. We des-cribe here two main cross-country cases studies with a focus on Mycobacterium ulcerans (Buruli ulcer) and Hantavirus transmission to human during hus-bandry practices and grass-cutter meat consumption.

In term of research administration, our future chal-lenges are to overcome some of the research admi-nistration such as improving and strengthening the financial system and the development of Afrique One strategic plan beyond the time of the current African Institution Initiative of the Wellcome Trust.

The Directorate of Afrique One wishes Happy New Year 2012 and fruitful scientific research.

Prof Bassirou BonfohDirector ConsortiumAfrique One

Publication DirectorProf. Bassirou Bonfoh

Editor-in-chiefM. Sylvain Koffi

Co-editorDr. Karim Ouattara

Graphic DesignerM. Boris Kouakou

Contributors Prof. Agathe FantodjiProf. Bassirou BonfohProf. Mireille Dosso Dr. Aurelie CailleauDr. Karim OuattaraDr. Solange KakouM. Sylvain KoffiM. Boris KouakouM. Casimir B. Yatanan

NewsAfrique One training activities .......................25th Management Board meeting of the Consortium Afrique One ................................2African Institutions Initiative Workshop, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania .........................................3

Zoom on projectA One Health approach to understanding the transmission of Buruli ulcer in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire ......................................................5Detection of Hantavirus in the stools of grasscutters «Thryonomys swinderianus» breeding by RT-PCR. .......................................5

PublicationsList of publications and conferences ..............6

Member Institutions ............................7

Past and Future Events ...........................8

A note on the consor-tium logo: We like-

ned our efforts to building this consortium to that of building a house. Unders-tanding of higher-level population and ecosystem processes rests hierarchi-

cally on sound understanding of simpler processes. Vertically aligned sets of pillars, each representing different zoonotic diseases, support these different levels of our understanding of ecosystem health - the same disease potentially contributing to understan-ding at different levels. Different colours represent the contributions of different institutions to this understanding, so some pillars are multi-colou-red, and of course some pillars await construction.

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Afrique One training sessions are gradually established. in June 2010, forty (40) researchers received persona-lized support for the analysis of their data and the use of R Software. Additionally, a training on qualitative research methodology was held from 22-27 May 2011 in Arusha, Tanzania. Two other courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were held both at the University of Dar Es Salaam (25 participants) and at Dakar Inter-State School of Science and Veterinary Medicine (20 participants) from 1-5 August 2011. The attendants, who accounted for almost all the Afrique One member institutions, were able to esta-blish links strengthening the interconnection of Afrique

One network, and were equaly able to acquire the basics of geographic data management. Several other courses took place, among which a training on molecular biology from 3-14 October 2011 at the University of Dar es Salaam and two trainings for Principal Investigators and Postdocs on scientific article writing and project management (16-19 October 2011) during the 5th management board mee-ting in Saly Portudal, Senegal. The first one provided participants with skills ranging from structuring ideas to the strategy of publication. The second one provided participants with a standardized methodo-logy for the organization and management of projects.

NewsAfrique One training activities

From October 17 to 22, 2011, was held in Saly Portudal, Senegal, the 5th Management Board meeting. The mee-ting was hosted by the Inter-State School of Science and Veterinary Medicine (EISMV), a school under the direction of Professor Louis Joseph Pangui. This meeting was to eva-luate the progress of the whole consortium and provide more informations about activities to Dean and Directors from institutions involved in Afrique one but also to some decision makers such as African Union. The meeting was attended by 50 peoples mostly post doctoral fellows, principal investigators, coordination and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of Afrique One and seve-ral representatives from the Wellcome Trust, the African Union through Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources

(IBAR) and a satellite institution (Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon) of the consortium.

The Deans, Directors and different representatives listed above appreciated the progress of the consortium and proposed some ideas to achieve the goal of Afrique One with their support. Consortium members and invited par-tners are committed to improving collaboration in order to enhance individual and institutional capacity in Africa research institutions. The Farcha zootechnical and veteri-nary Research Laboratory (LRVZ) based in Chad, was choo-sen to host the next meeting of the Management Board in 2012.

5th Management Board meeting of the Consortium Afrique One

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Photo: EISMV Dakar

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Fom 15 to 18 November 2011, was held the African Ins-titutions Initiative Workshop hosted by the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tan-zania and the Wellcome Trust (one of the world’s largest private medical research charities). Seven consortia were invited SNOWS, THRiVE, CARTA, SACIDS, SACORE, IIDP, and Afrique One. Afrique One was represented by Bassirou Bonfoh (Director), Sayoki Mfinanga (Deputy Director) and Karim Ouattara (Coordinator). In addi-tion, other participants from the Wellcome trust staff, the Consortium for National Health Research (Kenya) and the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), a leading institution for science and innovation policy in Africa, attended this meeting. The last two institutions

agreed to respectively share their experience and help facilitate linkage, exchange activities and collaboration between consortia.

The strengths of this meeting were the presentations of the progress made by each consortium, the exchange between wellcome Trust Staff and all consortia, the meeting with the Vice Chancellors from consortia ins-titutions and the meeting with the board. It pointed out the interest to involve institutions leaders in order to facilitate the integration of different consortia staff and management system within their respective insti-tutions. Lastly, a tour visit of key MUHAS and NIMR sites was conducted.

African Institutions Initiative Workshop, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Group shot including Directors of Consortia, African institutions initiative Advisory board members, Vice chancellors, Financial and management team members of the Wellcome Trust and learning and evaluation team members from RAND.

NIMR TB lab renovated by Afrique One. Photo: Bassirou Bonfoh

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Buruli ulcer is a re-emerging mycobacterial disease that is characterized by necrosis and extensive destruction of affected tissue and bone involvement (osteomylietis) in extreme cases. Limbs and cooler parts of the body are the areas that are typically affected. The disease is focal-ly distributed over about a third of the world with Sub- Saharan Africa and Australia being the most endemic regions. Prevalence rates range from 1-150/100,000 in-fected individuals annually. In some endemic countries particularly Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, Buruli ulcer is currently the second most important mycobacterial disease coming second to tuberculosis with leprosy being the third.

The causative organism, Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a slow growing environmental mycobacterium. It share about 99% sequence homology with M. marinum, a well characterized fish pathogen. The bacterium is lo-calized extracellularly in infected human tissues unlike other mycobacteria, however, in the environment, the DNA has been associated with a wide range of orga-nisms comprising, plants, insects, amphibians, fishes, mammals and humans. As such all endemic communi-ties have slow moving water bodies as a common risk factor.

Since the mode of transmission still remains unknown, the work at CSRS is based on the hypothesis the over-lapping environmental habitats of the pathogen, ani-mals and humans directly influences the transmission of M. ulcerans. Hence Afrique One intends to outline

zoonotic risk in transmission of M. ulcerans between the environment, small mammals and humans using socio-anthropological and socio-economic data and also provide an excellent platform to the building of capacity in molecular biological methods in identifica-tion of strains, which is now at the fore-front of scienti-fic research. Ultimately the information gathered from this work will aid in the adoption of a One Health policy approach to develop possible interventions and contri-bute to train 3 Msc, 2 Phd and 2 Associated Postdocs.

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Zoom onprojects

A One Health approach to understanding the transmission of Buruli ulcer in Ghana and Côte d’Ivorie

“Across country study”

Pre-operative Buruli ulcer lesion on the back of young ivorian boy at Zoukoug-beu traitement center, Côte d’Ivoire. Photo: Lydia Mossi

Typical water body found in endemic areas

An undermined Buruli ulcer formed in an experimentally infected grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus).Photo: Phyllis Addo

GPS coordinates or sampling sites in both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

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The grasscutter is only present in Africa, specifically in sub-Saharan area. It is the rare animal whose meat is struck with no taboos. Everything is used in this ani-mal.

Poaching, destruction of natural habitats of animals, ecosystems and species through hunting lead to their depletion. The breeding of big wild rodents such as grasscutter is an alternative. Thus, along with other West African countries facing chronical deficit in animal protein and also in view of maintaining bio-diversity through the protection of ecosystems and species, Côte d’Ivoire encourages the breeding of unconventional animal such as the grasscutter. The benefits expected from grasscutter breeding are now multiple:

From food perspective, grasscutter meat is highly ap-preciated by most customers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The grasscutter is much appreciated for its organolep-tic qualities. Its use, provides people with the animal protein while ensuring food security. Economically, wild grasscutter is an income-generating activity mainly through the sale of its meat. Globally, evalua-ted at 76, 8 billion FCFA in 1996 bushmeat accounted for 1.4% of GDP in Côte d’Ivoire.

From a scientific point of view, the great grasscutter (Thryonomis swinderianus) as well as some other spe-cies, are already used as new laboratory animal. On the socio-cultural point of view, the grasscutter bones are used in traditional medicine and some ritual sacri-fices.

The burnt hairs of the grasscutter provides with a pow-der used in lotions to heal certain wounds. They can also be used as sponge in dermatology. In addition to these roles mentioned above, it is good to know that the domesticated grasscutter is subject to veterinary care which makes its meat a healthy one. The grass-cutter is also used as a pet. From the environment and ecosystem perspective, grasscutter breeding contri-butes to sustainable development through the non-degradation of the environment.

Sustainable development takes into account both the development and the promotion of unconventional animal breeding which is a component of sustainable agriculture and conservation of biological diversity. At the farm, the droppings of grasscutter, denied food into compost are excellent organic fertilizers used by

the farmer to improve field’s fertility.However, the use of wild and domesticated grasscut-ter is risky given the constraints associated with va-rious pathologies observed, of which the best known are those under control while some other pathologies still causing the sudden death of the animal, remain an enigma.These pathologies include Hantavirus. The Hantavirus cause asymptomatic infection in rodents and are res-ponsible for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, pulmonary syndrome and kidney disease epidemic in humans.Transmission is made through contact with drop-pings of infected rodents through biting or aerosols. In Africa, the spread of Hantavirus is poorly known. However, several investigations have noted the pre-sence of pathologies associated with Hantavirus in west and central areas.

This project conducted by UFR Sciences de la Nature (University of Abobo-Adjamé), Institut Pasteur and Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, aim to determine the contamination of grasscutters by Hantavirus, using RT-PCR molecular detection.

Additionally, the project involved in Afrique One Consortium, funded by the Wellcome Trust founda-tion will bring in 3 Postdocs, 1 PhD and 6 Masters.

Detection of Hantavirus in the stools of grasscutters«Thryonomys swinderianus» breeding by RT-PCR.

Docile grasscutters as pet animals (Photo: Fantodji A.)

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CSRSWilson M. D, Daniel Adjei Boakye, Lydia Mosi, Kingsley Asiedu (2011). In the case of transmission of Mycobacte-rium ulcerans in Buruli ulcer disease Acanthamoeba species stand accused. Ghana Medical Journal Volume 45 number 1Dziedzom K. de Souza, Quaye C., Mosi L., Addo P., Boakye D. A. (2011). A quick and cost effective method for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection BMC Microbiology. In reviewBassirou B., Giovanna R., Kone I. Dao D., Girardin O., Cissé G., Zinsstag J., Jürg U., Tanner M. (2011). Reserarch in a War Zone. Nature Vol 474 569.

UAACoulibaly D.-N’Golo, Allali B., Kouassi K. S., Fichet-Cal-vet E., Becker-Ziaja B., Rieger T., Ölschläger S., DossoH., Denys C., Meulen J., Akoua-Koffi C., Günther S. (2011) Novel Arenavirus Sequences in Hylomyscus sp. and Mus (Nannomys) setulosus from Côte d’Ivoire: Implications for Evolution of Arenaviruses in Africa PLoS ONE Vol 6 | Issue 6 | e20893

TAWIRIHoener, O.P., Watcher, B., Goller, K.V., Hofer, H., Ru-nyoro, V., Thierer, D., Fyumagwa, R.D., Muller, T., & East, M.L. (2011). The impact of a pathogenic bacterium on a so-cial carnivore population. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01873.

Hampson K., Lembo, L., Bessell, P., Auty, H., Packer, C., Halliday, J., Beesley, C.A., Fyumagwa, R., Hoare, R., Er-nest, E., Mentzel, C., Metzger, K.L., Mlengeya, T., Stamey, K., Roberts, K., Wilkins, P., Cleaveland, S. 2011. Predicta-bility of anthrax infection in the Serengeti, Tanzania. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02030.

Knauf S., Batamuzi S., , Mlengeya E.K., Kilewo, T., Lejora M., , Nordhoff I.A.V., Ehlers M., Harper B., , K.N., Fyumagwa, R., Hoare, R., Failing, K., Wehrend, A., Kaup, F.J., Leendertz, F.H., & Ma¨tz-Rensing, K. (2011). Treponema Infection Associated With Genital Ulceration in Wild Baboons. Veterinary Pathology. DOI: 10:117/0300985811402839.Fyumagwa, R.D., Simmler, P., Meli, M.L., Hoare, R., Hof-mann-Lehmann, R., & Lutz, H. (2011). Molecular detec-tion of Anaplasma, Babesia and Theileria species in a diver-sity of tick species from Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. S.Afr. J. Wildl. Res. 41(1): “In press”.

EISMVKamga W. A.R., Gbati O.B., Kone P., Chatagnong., Bakou S.N., Diop.E.H. et Tainturier D. (2011). Seroprevalence of neosporosis in intensive and semi - intensive dairy cattle herds in Senegal. In « 1st International One Health Congress Human Health, Animal Heath, The Environnement and Global Survival at Melbourne Convention Centre – Victo-ria, Australia ». Melbourne, 14 – 16 February 2011. Abstrats 98, EcoHealth, 7(Supplement1)S144.

Kamga .W A.R., Gbati O.B., Kone P., Dombou E., Sene M., Bakou S.N., Diop P.E.H. et Tainturier D. (2011). Seropre-valence of dogs neosporosis in breeding areas of Dakar and Thies – Senegal. In « 1st International One Health Congress Human Health, Animal Heath, The Environnement and Global Survival at Melbourne Convention Centre – Victo-ria, Australia ». Melbourne, 14 – 16 February 2011. Abstrats 99, EcoHealth, 7(Supplement1)S145.

Gbati O.B., Kone P.., Kamga W. A.R., Bakou S.N., Pangui L.J. (2011). Prevalence of Sarcocystis cysts in the muscles after slaughter of cattle in West Africa. In « 1st International One Health Congress Human Health, Animal Heath, The Environnement and Global Survival at Melbourne Conven-tion Centre – Victoria, Australia ». Melbourne, EcoHealth, 7(Supplement1)S145.

NIMR MuhimbiliMahoney A. M, Bart J. W., Cox C., Beyene N., Mgode G., Jubitana M., Kuipers D., Kazwala R., Mfinanga G. S, Dur-gin A., Poling A., Using giant African pouched rats to de-tect tuberculosis in human sputum samples: 2010 findings. The Pan African Medical Journal. July 2011;9:28; ISSN 1937-8688

Bwana V., Tenu F., Magesa S. M. and Sayoki G. M.. Smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis among HIV patients recei-ving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tanzania Journal of Health Research; Volume 13, Number 1, January 2011; 17 – 24.

MUStoffel SA., Alibu VP., Herbert J., Ebikeme C., Portais JC., Bringaud F., Schweingruber, ME and Barrett MP (2011): Transketolase in trypanosome brucei. Mol Biochem Parasi-tol. 179(1):1-7

List of last publicationsand conferences

Publications

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Afrique One is financed by the

MemberInstitutions

LRZVBerg S., Garcia-Pelayo M C., Müller B., Hailu E., Asiimwe B., Kremer K., Dale J., M Boniotti B., Rodriguez S., Hilty M., Rigouts L., Firdessa R., Machado A., Mucavele C., Ngandolo B. N. R., Bruchfeld J., Boschiroli L., Müller A., Sahraoui N., Pacciarini M., Cadmus S., Joloba M., Soo-lingen Van D., Michel A. L, Djønne B., Aranaz A., Zinss-tag J., Van Helden P., Portaels F., Kazwala R., Källenius G., Hewinson R G., Aseffa A., Gordon S. V, Smith N. H. (2011) African 2, a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis epidemiologically important in East Africa. Journal Of Bac-teriology Vol: 193, Issue: 3, Pp 670-678

Smith N. H, Berg S. , Dale J. , Allen A. , Rodriguez S. , Ro-mero B., Matos F. , Ghebremichael S. , Karoui C., Donati C., Machado A. da C., Mucavele C. , Kazwala R. R , Hilty M. , Cadmus S., Ngandolo B. N. R. , Habtamu M. , Oloya J., Muller A., Milian-Suazo F. , Andrievskaia O. , Projahn M., Barandiarán S., Macías A. , Müller B. , Zanini M. S., Ikuta C. Y., Rodriguez C. A. R., Pinheiro S. R., Figueroa A., Soolingen S.-N. C., Mosavari N., Chuang P.-C. , Jou R., Zinsstag J. , Dick van , Costello E., Aseffa A., Perez F. P.-, Portaels F. , Rigouts L., Cataldi A. A., Collins D. M , Boschiroli M. L., Hewinson R G. , Ferreira J. S. N., Suruj-balli O. , Tadyon K., Botelho A., Zárraga A. M., Buller N., Skuce R., Michel A., Aranaz A., Källenius G., Niemann S., Boniotti M B., van Helden P. D , Harris B., Zumárraga M. J., Kremer K., Gordon S. V and Jeon Bo-Y. (2011). Infect Genet Evol European 1: A globally important clonal com-plex of Mycobacterium bovis. PMID 21571099

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Contacts

Past and Future Events

Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS)Address: 01 P.O Box 1303 Abidjan 01 Fax: (+225) 23 45 12 11 Tel: (+225) 23 47 27 90 / 92 Email: bassirou.bonfoh@csrs.ci

Director : Prof. Bassirou BonfohDeputy Director: Prof. Fantodji Agathe TobgéDeputy Director: Dr Sayoki Mfinanga

www.afriqueone.net

PAST

At the initiative of CIRAD in Montpellier-France, Professor Bassirou Bonfoh delivered a speech from 22-24 November 2011 on : «Dynamics and management of bird flu virus at the interface, birds and man».

A technical workshop of experts for fighting Buruli Ulcer in West Africa was held from 7-9 November 2011 in Accra, Ghana.

The CSRS together with some local patners organized a national workhop on bruli ulcere from 10-11 october 2011 in Adiopodoumé, Abidjan on: «Efficient Control of Buruli ulcer in Côte d’Ivoire: the need for an integrated Research and Control.»

From 15-17 September 2011 was held in the political capital of Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the first International Congress on pathogens in the human-animal interface (ICOPHAI) to solve one of major public health problems in the world today: zoonoses. This conference brought together scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders worldwide.

From 1-7 September 2011 were held celebrations marking the sixtieth anniversary of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS). Participated in this event, over 500 individuals including twenty from Switzerland. Were also present several members of the Ivorian Government headed by Dr. Ibra-hima Cisse, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, acting as sponsor. That event was under the sign of «60 years of research in partnership for sustainable development»

The first One Health Conference in Africa was held from 14-15 July 2011 at National Institute for Com-municable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa.

A training session on Fundamentals of data management was held from 20-24 June 2011 in Durham City, North Carolina, USA.

The Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) and the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) organised a joint meeting from 12-16 June 2011 at Naura Springs Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania.

FUTURE CSRS will host in collaboration with Imperial College of London, a workshop on “Exploring capacity for

metabolic profiling in Côte d’Ivoire” from 11-13 January 2012 (Sponsored by Wellcome Trust).

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, is organizing a Works-hop on “Infectious Diseases” from 23 January-3 February 2012 in Arusha/Tanzania.

CSRS will host a training course entitled “Molecular biology - VNTR PCR of environmental samples to test for Mycobacteria” from 24-28 January 2012, Abidjan/Côte d’Ivoire.

The World Vetenerary Association together with the Global Risk Forum will organize the World Summit on One Health from 19-23 February 2012 in Davos/Switzerland

CSRS will host a training session on project writting in March 2012, Abidjan/Côte d’Ivoire.

Ecohealth will organize the 4th Biennial Conference of the International Association for Ecology & Health from 15-18 October 2012 in Kunming/China.