Philip P Mshelbwala

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and characteristics of Clostridium difficile shedding in owned dogs in Nigeria and Malawi. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 31/120 (26%) dogs in Nigeria and 11/92 (12%) dogs in Malawi (p = 0.012). Overall, 22/42 (52%) isolates were toxigenic; 17/31 (55%) from Nigeria and 5/11 (45%...

Using questionnaires and serologic testing, we evaluated bat and lyssavirus exposure among persons in an area of Nigeria that celebrates a bat festival. Bats from festival caves underwent serologic testing for phylogroup II lyssaviruses (Lagos bat virus, Shimoni bat virus, Mokola virus). The enrolled households consisted of 2,112 persons, among who...

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of human deaths, prompting the rapid development and regulatory approval of several vaccines. Although Nigeria implemented a COVID-19 vaccination program on 15 March 2021, low vaccine acceptance remains a major chal-lenge. To provide insight on factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH), w...

Rabies perpetuates in Nigeria despite initiatives like the Regional Disease Surveillance System Enhancement Project, with evidence indicating suboptimal canine vaccination rates as a contributing factor. To inform effective planning of mass dog vaccination campaigns, it is crucial to understand the factors associated with variation in canine vaccin...

Noroviruses constitute a significant aetiology of sporadic and epidemic gastroenteritis in human hosts worldwide, especially among young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients. The low infectious dose of the virus, protracted shedding in faeces, and the ability to persist in the environment promote viral transmission in different soc...

Covid-19 is caused by the Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2) which is an enveloped RNA virus causing diseases in both humans and animals. This research involved a systematic review with the aid of computerised literature search from PubMed, Scopus, Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase and Google Scholar and other...

Rabies is an ancient disease. Two centuries since Pasteur, fundamental progress occurred in virology, vaccinology, and diagnostics—and an understanding of pathobiology and epizootiology of rabies in testament to One Health—before common terminological coinage. Prevention, control, selective elimination, and even the unthinkable—occasional treatment...

Canine-mediated rabies kills tens of thousands of people annually in lesser-developed communities of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, primarily through bites from infected dogs. Multiple rabies outbreaks have been associated with human deaths in Nigeria. However, the lack of quality data on human rabies hinders advocacy and resource allocation for e...

Amitraz and Sniper (dichlorvos) are known ectoparasiticides of dogs in Nigeria. Although reports of their toxicosis exist, information on the pathological presentations of their combined toxicosis is scanty hence the present case report. Two dogs both had Amitraz bath with simultaneous fumigation of their immediate environment with Sniper (diclorvo...

Nodular fasciitis is a commonly diagnosed condition in humans with rare occurrences in veterinary practice, especially in dogs and cats, where it is usually associated with the ocular region. Two dogs separately had a mass on the shoulder girdle and the caudal part of the elbow of their respective right forelimbs upon presentation for clinical atte...

Purpose of Review Rabies is an ancient yet still neglected tropical disease (NTD). This review focuses upon highlights of recent research and peer-reviewed communications on the underestimated tropical burden of disease and its management due to the complicated dynamics of virulent viral species, diverse mammalian reservoirs, and tens of millions o...

Many researchers worldwide have focused on the health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic without paying much emphasis to the environmental impacts associated with the pandemic. Evidence suggests that prior to the pandemic there was an alarming increase in environmental pollution due to rising industrialization, in particular...

Fasciolosis is a globally re-emerging and under-reported food-borne animal disease of public health concern. Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica cause infection in domestic ruminants (except dromedary camels before this report) in Nigeria. This paper describes the first liver fluke infection in a Nigerian dromedary camel, identified as F. giga...

Canine rabies poses a significant risk to humans and animals in Nigeria. However, the lack of reliable tools to evaluate the performance of existing canine rabies control programs to inform public health policy decisions poses a severe obstacle. We obtained canine rabies surveillance data from the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) and s...

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a complex emerging arboviral hemorrhagic disease that causes significant illness in animals and humans. Camel trade across the land borders between Nigeria and the Niger Republic occurs frequently and poses a significant risk for RVF transmission to pastoralists and traders. We carried a cross-sectional study between Nove...

Background Human rabies remains a significant public health problem in Africa with outbreaks reported in most countries. In Nigeria–the most populous country in Africa–rabies causes a significant public health burden partly due to perennial obstacles to implementing a national prevention and control program. Methods We conducted a scoping review u...

Barely 1 year after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in China, the virus has infected approximately 120 million people, caused around 3 million deaths, and adversely affected the global economy. Despite stringent measures to flatten the epidemiologic curve of the pandemic, there have been spikes and wa...

Recently reports have emerged of rabies outbreaks in townships close to the city of Lokoja, the capital city of Kogi State in Nigeria. Areas in Lokoja are known to have high rates of dog bites and dogs are frequently butchered for human consumption, both of which may constitute risk factors for rabies transmission. However, data on the relative imp...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding rabies in the El Jadida region, Morocco. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire among randomly selected residents across 24 study sites. In total, 407 respondents took part in the survey. The majority (367, 92%) were male and had...

The aim of this work was to substitute chicken egg yolk with quail egg yolk in two semen extenders and to evaluate the quality of the extended canine semen following chilled storage. Semen was pooled from male dogs (n= 4) of about 18-months old and body weight of about 28 kg. Four extenders were tested: (1) tris buffered chicken egg yolk extender (...

Key Clinical Message These two cases highlight some of the many challenges encountered when handling dog bite and rabies exposure. They also provide examples of the many barriers, and while highlighting only two individuals, they are likely representative of large numbers of the over 59 000 people that die every year from this preventable disease.

A 9-month old male Boerboel was presented at the University of Abuja Small Animal Clinic with a primary complaint of inappetence and micturition with brownish-yellow urine. Physical examination revealed pale mucous membranes, enlarged pre-scapular lymph nodes, bilateral ocular discharges, pyrexia (41.2 °C), depression and the presence of ticks of t...

Twice a year in southwestern Nigeria, during a traditional bat festival, community participants enter designated caves to capture bats, which are then consumed for food or traded. We investigated the presence of Bartonella species in Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and bat flies (Eucampsipoda africana) from these caves and assessed whet...

Background Rabies is endemic in Nigeria with clinical cases reported mainly in dogs and occasionally in livestock from all the geo-ecological zones of the country. Detection of rabies virus antigen in puppies at the age of five to ten weeks and in apparently healthy dogs shedding the virus in their saliva have been reported in some parts of Nigeria...

Understanding the socioecology of domestic dog populations is essential for effective disease control, especially canine rabies. In Morocco, since 1986, the control efforts and plans put in place by the government have failed to eradicate this disease; this is because the management of the canine population was not taken into account during the est...

The objectives of this study were to determine the characteristics of a dog population, including their accessibility to vaccination and health care, in urban and semiurban areas of Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria. Direct street counts and a house-to-house survey of city streets were performed. A total of 451 households were surveyed comprising 43.7% ur...

Retrospective records of suspected cases of rabies were retrieved from Veterinary Hospitals in Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and Oyo states in southwest Nigeria; to establish the number of clinically suspected cases reported between January 2009 to December 2013. Preserved brain specimens from dogs suspected of rabies submitted to the Veterinary Hospitals in O...

Celtis integrifolia Lam. plants also known as hackberries or nettle trees are widely spread in warm temperate region of African, Latin America and Asia. The aqueous leaf extract of Celtis integrifolia was obtained by soxhlet extraction using distilled water as a solvent. The aqueous leaf extract was then evaluated for its acute toxicity, phytochemi...

Retrospective records of suspected cases of rabies were retrieved from Veterinary Hospitals in Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and Oyo states in south-west Nigeria; to establish the number of clinically suspected cases reported between January 2009 to December 2013. Preserved brain specimens from dogs suspected of rabies submitted to the Veterinary Hospitals in...

A cross sectional study using multistage sampling method by means of structured interviewer administered questionnaire was designed to estimate the rate of occurrence of needlestick injuries among veterinarians involved in clinical practice and to evaluate needle handling practices and risk factors. The study was carried out during the months of Au...

Self-administered structured interviewer questionnaire which is used to perform cross sectional study using multistage purposive sampling method.

The study was carried out to evaluate two rapid diagnostic rabies diagnostic tests in South Eastern Nigeria. One hundred samples each of saliva and brains were collected before and after slaughter from apparently healthy dogs brought for slaughter. The saliva was subjected to rapid immune chromatographic test while the brain tissues were subjected...

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that affects all warm blooded mammals, transmitted primarily by bites from rabid dogs. Rabies has the highest case fatality rate of most infectious disease in humans. This research takes a look at a review of human deaths due to rabies across various health care institutions in Nigeria and the situation of rabies...

A B S T R A C T One year survey of rabies was carried out among wildlife in villages surrounding yankari and Lame-bura game reserves in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Brain samples from 76 Jackals and 18 mongooses were collected from markets, road killed, homestead and farm lands killed. A total prevalence of 9.6% was observed in which rabies antigens were...

Domestic dogs are by far the most important specie in the maintenance and transmission of rabies in Nigeria. For rabies to spill over from a domestic to wild population, three conditions must be satisfied: susceptibility of the wild species, presence of the disease agent in the domestic population, and contact between the two populations of interes...

The study was carried out in eight dogs slaughtering outlets within four Local Government Areas of the State for the determination of rabies antigen in the saliva and brain of apparently healthy dogs slaughtered for human consumption. A total of one hundred (100) samples each of saliva and brain were collected before and after slaughter, respective...

A ten year retrospective study of dog bite cases reported to Zonal Veterinary Clinic, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria was undertaken, to understand the pattern of occurrence of dog bite in relation to rabies cases in the region. A total of one hundred and ten (110) cases of dog bites were reported during a period of ten years, between January 2004 and...

Official report of rabies in Nigeria Started in 1912. The National Veterinary Research Institute( NVRI) Vom within the last 77 years , confirmed 4809 cases of animal rabies in Nigeria. Rabies control through immunization programs has crashed woefully and consequently , the rabies situation has become chaotic and confounding . Locally, only 2,137615...

Official report of rabies in Nigeria Started in 1912. The National Veterinary Research Institute( NVRI) Vom within the last 77 years , confirmed 4809 cases of animal rabies in Nigeria. Rabies control through immunization programs has crashed woefully and consequently , the rabies situation has become chaotic and confounding . Locally, only 2,137615...