Schistosomiasis due to infection with Schistosoma mansoniis a public health problem in both tropical and sub tropical countries. Thus, effective control of the disease requires determining its prevalence rate, identifying risk factors of infection and high-risk groups. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish the prevalence of S. mansoni infection and associated risk factors among schoolchildren in suburbs of Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. For this purpose, a cross-sectional parasitological examination wasconducted on457 schoolchildren from November, 2010 to March, 2011. Stool samples were collected and examined by the Kato-Katz technique. Semi-structurered interview questionnaire were administered to the study subjectsto identify possible risk factors of infection with S. mansoni. Furthermore, malacological survey was conducted to check the presence of snail intermediate hosts of S. mansoni in the study area. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni in the schoolchildren was 23.9 %. Higher prevalence was detected in male children (30.71%) than in females (14.12 %) (χ 2 = 16.642, P = 0.000). On the other hand, the highest (31.2%) prevalence was recorded in children with ages ranging from 10 -14 years followed by thoseaged 5 -9 (11.4 %) and 15 -19 (9.8 %) years (χ 2 = 23.865, P = 0.000), respectively. This study revealed the association of S. mansoni infection with older age groups, 10 -14 years (OR = 0.114, P = 0.001), time of residence in the study area (OR = 0.462, P = 0.011), water source (OR = 0.371, P = 0.020), previous history of schistosomiasis treatment (OR = 0.246, P = 0.000), frequency of water contact (OR = 26.958, P = 0.004), crossing water bodies (OR = 3.049, P = 0.001), working in an irrigated agricultural field (OR = 7.363, P = 0.000) and distance of home from water bodies (OR = 5.163, P = 0.000). Moreover, this study determined the presence of snail intermediate hosts of S. mansoni in the study areas . Hence, the study areas are considered important epidemiological foci for the transmission of S. mansoni. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo wide scalesurveillance and institute proper control and prevention strategies against infection with Schistosoma mansoni

Aim:The study was conducted to identify major causes of organs condemnation in cattle slaughtered at Adigrat municipal abattoir and to estimate the direct economic losses. Material and Methods:A cross sectional active abattoir survey, which involves both ante mortem and post mortem examinations, was conducted on 745 cattle from October 2012 to April 2013, and two years (September 2010 -September 2012) retrospective data on meat inspection records was also collected.Results: During ante mortem examination, in 114 (15.3%) cattle various types of abnormalities were detected include; lacrimation (3.49%), pale mucus membrane (3.09%), nasal discharge (1.88%), hernia (1.48%), actinomycosis (1.34%), salivation (1.74%), lameness (0.54%), emaciation (0.41%), depression (0.41%), blindness (0.41%), local swelling (0.27%) and rough hair coat (0.27%). Postmortem examination revealed that 131 (17.58%) liver, 61 (8.19%) lungs, 9 (1.21%) kidneys and 2 (0.27%) hearts were condemned due to various causes. Fasciolosis (9.26%) was the main cause of liver condemnation followed by hydatid cyst (3.62%) and cysticercus bovis (2.55%), respectively. The major causes of lung condemnation were hydatid cyst, emphysema and pneumonia accounting for 5.1, 1.61 and 1.07%, respectively. Hydronephrosis and cysticercus bovis were the major causes of kidney and liver condemnation with rate of 0.94 and 0.27%, respectively. Totally about 19,910.0 Ethiopian birr (1,083.83 USD) was lost from organs condemnation during the active abattoir survey. From the retrospective data it was observed that liver and lung were the most condemned organs with condemnation rate of 17.72 and 7.53%, respectively. The major causes of organ condemnation were hydatid cyst (11.52%), cirrhosis (4.97%), fasciolosis (4.35%), cysticercus bovis (4.12%) and hydronephrosis (1.21%), respectively. Consequently, the overall direct economical loss during the two years was estimated to be 83,890.0 Ethiopian birr (4,566.68 USD). Conclusion:The results identified various causes of organ condemnation and their economic importance in the area. Therefore, it is necessary to establish appropriate strategy for prevention and control.

Background: Distribution and diversity of rodents vary across habitats due to different environmental factors. An ecological comparative study on diversity and abundance of rodents was conducted in Kafta-Sheraro National Park and its nearby villages from August 2017 to April 2018. Materials and methods: Modified and natural habitats were randomly selected and two representative live trapping grids were set at each habitat to collect rodents using Sherman live trap.Results: In 2352 trap nights of trapping, a total of 185 individuals of 7 species of rodents were trapped from the modified and natural habitats. The identified species were Mastomys natalensis (38.9%), Stenocephalemys albipes (29.7%), Rattus rattus (17.8%), Mastomys awashensis (9.2%), Acomys cahirinus (1.6%), Mastomys erythroleucus (1.6%), and Arvicanthis dembeensis (1.1%). The overall abundance of rodents was high in modified habitat 95 (51.4%) and low in natural habitat 90 (48.6%). The distribution and abundance of each species varied between habitats and seasons. In modified habitat, the most abundant species were Mastomys natalensis 49 (51.6%) and Rattus rattus 21 (22.1%), respectively. Stenocephalemys albipes 46 (51.1%) was the most abundant species in natural habitat, followed by Mastomys natalensis 23 (25.6%) and both Acomys cahirinus and Arvicanthis dembeensis were the least abundant species 1 (1.1%). Higher abundance was recorded during the wet season (64.3%) than the dry season (34.7%).

An ecological survey was conducted to assess the species composition and abundance of rodents in Kafta-Sheraro National Park, Ethiopia from June 2017 to April 2018 covering wet and dry seasons.  Rodents were trapped using Sherman live traps from five selected habitat types—natural forest, bushland, grassland, farmland, and human settlement.  A total of 209 individuals of rodents belonging to seven species were captured over 2940 trap nights, and three species of rodents were only observed.  The trapped rodent species include Mastomys natalensis, Stenocephalemys albipes, Rattus rattus, Mastomys awashensis, Acomys cahirinus, Arvicanthis niloticus dembeensis, and Mastomys erythroleucus.  Lemniscomys striatus, Hystrix cristata, and Xerus rutilus were only sighted during the study.  Mastomys natalensis was the most abundant species (41.1%), followed by Stenocephalemys albipes (26.3%) and Rattus rattus (18.2%), whereas Mastomys erythroleucus (1.4%) was the least abundant species.  The abundance of female (59.8%) was higher than male (40.2%).  Of the total trapped rodents, 52.2% were adults, 32% sub-adult and 15.8% young.  The abundance of rodents was varied among habitat types and between seasons.  The results of the study revealed that the park has diverse species of fauna including rodents.

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