Disease research in the wildlife-livestock interface in Kenya

Abstract

Selected results of wildlife disease research in Kenya are given against the background of the socio-economic conflict in the wildlife/livestock interface. An attempt is made to rank the three areas of conflict between wildlife and livestock: feeding competition, disease control and predation. Disease survey results reveal the lack of wildlife reservoirs, with the exception of some important problem areas. Research on trypanosomiasis identifies a variety of adaptations evolved in wild Bovidae. The most striking result is the isolation of serum proteins from buffalo with trypanocidal activity against all common species of trypanosomes. The importance of wild Bovidae as reservoir hosts for theileriosis of livestock is discussed. The African buffalo presents the only known reservoir host of economic importance. The use of parasite stocks derived from buffalo has been effective to immunize cattle under field conditions in spite of the presence of an unknown number of antigenic types. The occurrence of common antigens indicated by successful immunization in the field was also confirmed by the recognition of common antigenic epitopes by cloned cytotoxic T cells. These results are encouraging for the plans afoot for large scale immunizations in Kenya. The co-existence of livestock and wildlife is threatened by declining profits and increasing costs for wildlife production and the absence of a general policy to encourage the full economic use of wildlife in areas where it competes with livestock.