The aim of the project is to investigate the prevalence of a selected number of RNA viruses among calves with and without diarrhea in Ethiopia. This is to provide a better understanding of the cause of virus-induced diarrheal disease among calves in the country.
The aim of the project is to investigate the prevalence of a selected number of RNA viruses among calves with and without diarrhea in Ethiopia. This is to provide a better understanding of the cause of virus-induced diarrheal disease among calves in the country.
Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, with over 65 million cows. At the same time, disease and mortality are a major concern, especially among young animals. Among calves, diarrhea is the leading cause of illness and death, but research on the underlying pathogens is lacking, especially research on viruses. In a previous study from 2023, we identified a number of enteric RNA viruses among calves in Ethiopia via metagenomics. We now want to investigate the prevalence of these viruses in a larger calf population, and if possible link this to disease.
Urban farms in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will be visited and fecal material will be taken from calves up to two months of age. Health information will be recorded for each calf sampled. In addition, animal owners will be interviewed using questionnaires to identify any risk factors at farm level. RNA will be extracted from the samples and screened for different viruses using qPCR. Optionally, some samples will be sequenced to investigate genetic differences between the positive virus samples.
Provinsamling kommer ske under hösten 2025 i Addis Ababa, Etiopien. Mer avancerad laboratorisk analys kommer ske på VHC i Sverige. Just nu bedöms säkerhetsläget i Addis Ababa vara stabilt, men UD avråder från resor längre ut i landet. Vi håller oss kontinuerligt uppdaterade kring UD:s reseråd och har kontakt med kollegor på plats i Addis Ababa. Om säkerhetsläget i Addis Ababa mot förmodan skulle ändras så finns ett stort antal prover tillgängliga i Sverige från tidigare studier som kan analyseras. Handledning kommer att ske av oss samt av kollegor på AAU. Assistans vid provinsamling kommer att ske av lokala veterinärer, kollegor och studenter från AAU.
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