@article{fisher_ceesay_jallow_hawkes_showering_kane_doumbia_stringer_scantlebury_2024, title={Validation of a real-time polymerase chain reaction for the detection and quantification of the nucleic acid of <i>Histoplasma</i> from equine clinical samples}, volume={2}, ISSN={["2165-0497"]}, DOI={10.1128/spectrum.03100-23}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT}, journal={MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM}, author={Fisher, Lewis W. S. and Ceesay, Abdou and Jallow, Demba and Hawkes, Sophie F. and Showering, Alicia and Kane, Yaghouba and Doumbia, Amadou and Stringer, Andrew P. and Scantlebury, Claire E.}, year={2024}, month={Feb} }
 @article{chala_eguale_abunna_asrat_stringer_2021, title={Identification and Characterization of Campylobacter Species in Livestock, Humans, and Water in Livestock Owning Households of Peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A One Health Approach}, volume={9}, ISSN={2296-2565}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.750551}, DOI={10.3389/fpubh.2021.750551}, abstractNote={Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial infectious diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis globally, and is recognized as a significant zoonotic pathogen. Antimicrobial resistance amongst Campylobacter isolates is a significant global concern. A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify and characterize Campylobacter species in humans, animals and water sources in livestock owning households of peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and to characterize antimicrobial resistance. A total of 519 fecal samples from humans (n = 99), livestock (n = 179), poultry (n = 69), and water (n = 172) were collected. Samples were cultured for viable Campylobacter spp. and multiplex PCR utilized for the identification and confirmation. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Campylobacter spp. was detected in 67/519 (13.0%) of the total tested samples, and the household level prevalence of Campylobacter was 42.4%. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was: humans (10.1%), cattle (18.5%), poultry (13.0%), sheep (13.3%), goats (7.1%), and water (10.5%). Campylobacter jejuni and C. fetus were the most frequently isolated species, followed by C. coli. The majority of isolates obtained from human samples had co-occurrence with isolates from cattle, poultry or water samples from the same household. The use of stored water, the practice of indoor and outdoor manure collecting, and animal species Campylobacter positivity were significantly associated with greater odds of human Campylobacter spp. positivity. All Campylobacter isolates from humans, poultry, sheep, goats and water, and 96.0% of isolates from cattle were resistant to at least one or more of the tested antimicrobials, with 95.5% of isolates resistant to three or more classes of antimicrobials. A One Health approach is recommended to further investigate Campylobacter species infections, and other zoonotic infectious diseases, in the livestock owning populations in Ethiopia, where there is close interaction between humans, animals and the environment.}, journal={Frontiers in Public Health}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Chala, Gemechu and Eguale, Tadesse and Abunna, Fufa and Asrat, Daniel and Stringer, Andrew}, year={2021}, month={Dec}, pages={1584} }
 @article{lemma_alemayehu_stringer_eguale_2021, title={Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Staphylococcus aureus in Milk and Traditionally Processed Dairy Products in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia}, volume={2021}, ISSN={2314-6141 2314-6133}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5576873}, DOI={10.1155/2021/5576873}, abstractNote={Staphylococcus aureus is a contagious pathogen that can cause various diseases in both humans and animals. Antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus is becoming an extremely important global health problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to May 2020 to assess the occurrence of S. aureus and its antimicrobial susceptibility profiles in milk and traditionally processed dairy products in selected subcities of Addis Ababa. A total of 255 dairy product samples (175 raw milk and 80 traditionally processed dairy products) were collected from farms and retail markets. Samples were cultured for S. aureus according to standard microbiology techniques, and the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used to assess antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates to a panel of 12 antimicrobials. Susceptibility to methicillin was determined based on the sensitivity of isolates to cefoxitin, and resistant isolates were investigated for the presence of mecA and mecC genes using PCR. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 43 (24.6%) of milk, 7 (17.5%) of yogurt, and 2 (5%) of cottage cheese. A significantly higher rate of contamination with S. aureus was recorded among milk samples compared to yogurt and cottage cheese (
                     
                        p
                        =
                        0.019
                     
                  ). Out of 52 S. aureus isolates investigated for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials, 49 (94.2%) of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and 42 (80.8%) to amoxicillin+clavulanic acid. Twenty (38.5%) of the isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) based on susceptibility to cefoxitin. However, only one of these isolates (5%) was positive for mecA gene, and none of them were positive for the mecC gene. There was no significant difference (
                     
                        p
                        >
                        0.05
                     
                  ) in the rate of occurrence of MRSA among isolates from different sources. In conclusion, this study demonstrated a significant level of contamination of milk and dairy products with S. aureus and most isolates were multidrug resistant. The occurrence of MRSA in raw milk and dairy products signifies a serious public health threat as the practice of consuming raw dairy products in the study area is widespread. The lack of agreement between phenotypic and genotypic detection of MRSA suggests the need for further study to identify the genetic basis for the observed resistance phenotype.}, journal={BioMed Research International}, publisher={Hindawi Limited}, author={Lemma, Fikirte and Alemayehu, Haile and Stringer, Andrew and Eguale, Tadesse}, editor={Han, BoEditor}, year={2021}, month={Jul}, pages={1–7} }
 @article{ozawa_chen_rao_eguale_stringer_2021, title={Value of pneumococcal vaccination in controlling the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR): Case study using DREAMR in Ethiopia}, volume={39}, ISSN={["1873-2518"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.024}, DOI={10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.024}, abstractNote={Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an imminent threat to global health security. Pneumococcal vaccination reduces disease incidence, prevents antibiotic use, and decreases antibiotic-resistant infections. However, the benefit of vaccination in reducing AMR has been poorly quantified to date.We developed an agent-based model, DREAMR (Dynamic Representation of the Economics of AMR) to evaluate the economic value of childhood immunization with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in mitigating the development of AMR. Our model incorporates vaccination coverage, disease incidence, care seeking, and antibiotic use. Accumulation of AMR is simulated based on antibiotic exposure through pharmacokinetics and resulting pharmacodynamics. The model was applied to Ethiopia.Introduction of PCV vaccination has helped slow the development of AMR by 14.77% for amoxicillin and 0.59% for ceftriaxone in Ethiopia since 2011. In addition to the benefit of reduction in disease incidence, PCV vaccination has averted approximately 718,100 antibiotic treatment failures and 9,520 AMR-related deaths (27.8% reduction) in Ethiopia between 2011 and 2017, resulting in savings of $32.7 million. Maintaining current PCV immunization coverage will contribute an additional $7.67 million in annual AMR cost savings over five years compared to no vaccination scenario, which could increase to $11.43 million by increasing PCV coverage to 85% by 2022.This study is the first to demonstrate the broader economic value of pneumococcal vaccination in controlling the development of AMR in Africa. Vaccination not only saves lives by preventing illnesses, but also benefits society by reducing antibiotic utilization and treatment failures due to AMR.}, number={45}, journal={Vaccine}, author={Ozawa, Sachiko and Chen, Hui-Han and Rao, Gauri G. and Eguale, Tadesse and Stringer, Andrew}, year={2021}, pages={6700–6711} }
 @article{obaidat_kiryluk_rivera_stringer_2020, title={Molecular serogrouping and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes from local dairy cattle farms and imported beef in Jordan}, volume={127}, ISSN={0023-6438}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109419}, DOI={10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109419}, abstractNote={Listeria monocytogenes is a significant foodborne pathogen with numerous serogroups which vary in their virulence and distribution across countries. This study aimed to determine the serogroups and virulence genes of L. monocytogenes isolated from bulk tank milk, dairy cow feces and imported beef in Jordan. To achieve this aim, multiplex PCR assays were utilized to serogroup and determine the virulence genes of 70 L. monocytogenes isolates from dairy ruminants (n = 28) and imported beef (n = 42). Results identified that the L. monocytogenes isolates from these sources were in five serogroups. The majority of isolates (55.7%) belonged to serogroup 1/2a (3a), followed by serogroup 1/2b (22.9%), serogroup 4b (d, e) (14.3%), serogroup IV (serotypes 1/2c and 3c) (5.7%), and serogroup 4a/c (1.4%). Forty-six (65.7%) of the isolates carried both the InlA and InlC genes, specifically 53.6% of dairy and 73.8% of beef isolates. Four isolates also carried the inlC gene, specifically, two dairy isolates and two beef isolates. These findings recommend the implementation of improved sanitation procedures at slaughterhouses and dairy operations in Jordan to reduce the public health risk of L. monocytogenes.}, journal={LWT}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Obaidat, Mohammad M. and Kiryluk, Hanna and Rivera, Angeliz and Stringer, Andrew P.}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={109419} }
 @article{laing_christley_stringer_ashine_cian_aklilu_newton_radford_pinchbeck_2020, title={Pathology, infectious agents and horse‐ and management‐level risk factors associated with signs of respiratory disease in Ethiopian working horses}, volume={53}, ISSN={0425-1644 2042-3306}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evj.13339}, DOI={10.1111/evj.13339}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={4}, journal={Equine Veterinary Journal}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Laing, G. and Christley, R. and Stringer, A. and Ashine, T. and Cian, F. and Aklilu, N. and Newton, R. and Radford, A. and Pinchbeck, G.}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={670–681} }
 @article{stringer_christley_bell_gebreab_tefera_reed_trawford_pinchbeck_2019, title={Associations between sources of information and animal health knowledge of rural farmers in central Ethiopia}, volume={7}, ISSN={2311-6110 2311-8547}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.33687/ijae.007.02.2857}, DOI={10.33687/ijae.007.02.2857}, abstractNote={This study explored the information sources through which working donkey owners and users in Ethiopia acquire knowledge about donkey health and husbandry practices. Individual interviews, a Participatory Situation Analysis (PSA) and a cross-sectional study with rural farmers were utilised to develop an understanding of the existing sources of information concerning donkey health and husbandry, and determine the association with the knowledge of farmers. Numerous sources were utilized by owners for information regarding health and husbandry advice for donkeys. Most owners reported that the sources were unreliable with regards to the information they provided on donkey health and husbandry. Knowledge score of participants increased as the number of information sources contacted increased. Knowledge score also increased with increasing education level, literacy ability and radio access. A significant association between knowledge score and age was identified, with knowledge score decreasing in older individuals. Multilevel linear regression models revealed a number of variables, including formal education level and cattle ownership to be significantly associated with knowledge score. We conclude that a range of factors can affect the knowledge level of an individual concerning donkey health and husbandry, and that individuals with more diverse knowledge sources have higher knowledge scores. The relationship between specific farmer variables and animal health knowledge is complex, and it may be necessary to use different sources and channels to transfer and disseminate information to individuals living in rural Ethiopia.}, number={2}, journal={International Journal of Agricultural Extension}, publisher={ESci Journals Publishing}, author={Stringer, Andrew and Christley, Rob and Bell, Catriona and Gebreab, Feseha and Tefera, Gebre and Reed, Karen and Trawford, Andrew and Pinchbeck, Gina}, year={2019}, month={Aug}, pages={125–135} }
 @article{chen_stringer_eguale_rao_ozawa_2019, title={Impact of Antibiotic Resistance on Treatment of Pneumococcal Disease in Ethiopia: An Agent-Based Modeling Simulation}, volume={101}, ISSN={0002-9637 1476-1645}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0930}, DOI={10.4269/ajtmh.18-0930}, abstractNote={Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to global health. Although AMR endangers continued effectiveness of antibiotics, the impact of AMR has been poorly estimated in low-income countries. This study sought to quantify the effect of AMR on treatments for pediatric pneumococcal disease in Ethiopia. We developed the DREAMR (Dynamic Representation of the Economics of AMR) model that simulated children younger than 5 years who acquire pneumococcal disease (pneumonia, meningitis, and acute otitis media) and seek treatment from various health facilities in Ethiopia over a year. We examined the AMR levels of three antibiotics (penicillin, amoxicillin, and ceftriaxone), treatment failures, and attributable deaths. We used a cost-of-illness method to assess the resulting economic impact of AMR from a societal perspective by estimating the direct and indirect treatment costs and productivity losses. Findings showed that AMR against antibiotics that were used to treat pneumococcal disease led to 195,763 treatment failures, which contributed to 2,925 child deaths annually in Ethiopia. Antimicrobial resistance resulted in a first-line treatment failure rate of 29.4%. In 1 year, the proportion of nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria increased by 2.1% and 0.5% for amoxicillin and penicillin and reduced by 0.3% for less commonly used ceftriaxone. Annual costs of AMR to treat pneumococcal disease were around US$15.8 million, including US$3.3 million for ineffective first-line treatments, US$3.7 million for second-line treatments, and US$8.9 million for long-term productivity losses. Antibiotic stewardship to reduce misuse and overuse of antibiotics is essential to maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics and lessen the health and economic burden of AMR.}, number={5}, journal={The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene}, publisher={American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene}, author={Chen, Hui-Han and Stringer, Andrew and Eguale, Tadesse and Rao, Gauri G. and Ozawa, Sachiko}, year={2019}, month={Nov}, pages={1042–1053} }
 @article{obaidat_stringer_2019, title={Prevalence, molecular characterization, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on dairy cattle farms in Jordan}, volume={7}, ISSN={0022-0302}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16461}, DOI={10.3168/jds.2019-16461}, abstractNote={This study determined the prevalence, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles, and antimicrobial resistance profile of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolates from dairy cattle farms in Jordan. Samples from bulk tank milk (n = 305), cattle feces (n = 610), and rectoanal mucosal swabs (n = 610) were collected from 61 dairy cattle farms. We confirmed 32 L. monocytogenes, 28 S. enterica, and 24 E. coli O157:H7 isolates from the samples. The farm-level prevalence (at least 1 positive sample per farm) of L. monocytogenes, S. enterica, and E. coli O157:H7 was 27.9, 19.7, and 23.0%, respectively. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes, S. enterica, and E. coli O157:H7 in bulk tank milk was 7.5, 1.6, and 3.3%, respectively. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes and S. enterica in fecal samples was 1.5 and 3.8%, respectively, and the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in rectoanal mucosal swabs was 2.3%. Based on disk diffusion testing, all L. monocytogenes, S. enterica, and E. coli O157:H7 isolates exhibited resistance to at least 1 antimicrobial class. Multidrug resistance (resistance to 3 or more classes of antimicrobials) was exhibited by 96.9% of L. monocytogenes, 91.7% of E. coli O157:H7, and 82.1% of S. enterica isolates. Moreover, 93.8, 79.2, and 57.1% of the L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and S. enterica isolates, respectively, were resistant to 5 or more antimicrobial classes. More than 50% of L. monocytogenes isolates were resistant to ampicillin, clindamycin, penicillin, erythromycin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, streptomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, vancomycin, kanamycin, and tetracycline. More than 50% of S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 isolates were resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, nalidixic acid, kanamycin, streptomycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and tetracycline. The prevalence of the studied pathogens this study was comparable to reports from other countries. The isolated pathogens exhibited a high degree of antimicrobial resistance, suggesting that the bacterial flora of dairy cattle in Jordan are under intense antimicrobial selection pressure. Additional research is required to determine the causes and drivers of resistance, and to develop approaches to mitigating antimicrobial resistance.}, journal={Journal of Dairy Science}, publisher={American Dairy Science Association}, author={Obaidat, Mohammad M. and Stringer, Andrew P.}, year={2019}, month={Jul} }
 @article{stringer_christley_bell_gebreab_tefera_reed_trawford_pinchbeck_2018, title={Evaluating the Efficacy of Knowledge-Transfer Interventions on Animal Health Knowledge of Rural Working Equid Owners in Central Ethiopia: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial}, volume={5}, ISSN={2297-1769}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00282}, DOI={10.3389/fvets.2018.00282}, abstractNote={The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of several knowledge-transfer interventions about donkey health, utilizing a cluster-randomized controlled trial (c-RCT), on the long-term knowledge change (~6 months post intervention) of Ethiopian rural working equid owners. Knowledge transfer interventions included: an audio programme, a village meeting and a diagrammatic hand-out, which were also compared to a control group, which received no intervention. All interventions addressed identical learning objectives. Thirty-two villages were randomly selected and interventions randomly assigned to blocks of eight villages. All participants in a village received the same intervention, and knowledge levels were assessed by questionnaire administration both pre and post intervention. Data analysis included multilevel linear and logistic regression models (allowing for clustering of individuals within villages) to evaluate the change in knowledge between the different knowledge-transfer interventions, and to look at other factors associated with change in knowledge. A total of 516 randomly selected participants completed pre-intervention questionnaires, 476 undertook a post-dissemination questionnaire ~6 months later, a follow-up response rate of 92%. All interventions significantly improved the overall knowledge score on the post intervention questionnaire compared to the control group, with the diagrammatic hand-out [coefficient (coef) 10.0, S.E. = 0.5] and the village meeting (coef 8.5, S.E = 0.5) having a significantly greater impact than the audio programme (coef 4.0, S.E = 0.5). There were differences in learning across interventions, learning objectives, age and education levels of the participants. Participants with higher levels of formal education had greater knowledge change but this varied across interventions. In conclusion, knowledge of donkey health was substantially increased by a diagrammatic hand-out and the impact of this simple, low-cost intervention should be further evaluated in other communities in low-income countries. This study should assist in the design and development of effective knowledge-transfer materials for adult learning for rural villagers in low-income countries.}, journal={Frontiers in Veterinary Science}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Stringer, Andrew P. and Christley, Rob M. and Bell, Catriona E. and Gebreab, Feseha and Tefera, Gebre and Reed, Karen and Trawford, Andrew and Pinchbeck, Gina L.}, year={2018}, month={Nov} }
 @article{laing_christley_stringer_aklilu_ashine_newton_radford_pinchbeck_2018, title={Respiratory disease and sero-epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in the working horses of Ethiopia}, volume={50}, ISSN={0425-1644}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evj.12834}, DOI={10.1111/evj.12834}, abstractNote={Summary}, number={6}, journal={Equine Veterinary Journal}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Laing, G. and Christley, R. and Stringer, A. and Aklilu, N. and Ashine, T. and Newton, R. and Radford, A. and Pinchbeck, G.}, year={2018}, month={May}, pages={793–799} }
 @article{obaidat_stringer_roess_2018, title={Seroprevalence, risk factors and spatial distribution of West Nile virus in Jordan}, volume={113}, ISSN={0035-9203 1878-3503}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/try111}, DOI={10.1093/trstmh/try111}, abstractNote={Background
This is the first countrywide study of the seroprevalence, risk factors and spatial distribution of West Nile virus (WNV) in Jordan.


Methods
A cross-sectional sample of 801 participants was administered a comprehensive questionnaire survey and tested for WNV immunoglobulin G antibodies.


Results
The point seroprevalence rate for WNV infection was 8.61% (95% confidence interval 6.8 to 10.8). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that sex, age, climate, income and drinking water source were significantly associated with seropositivity (p≤0.05). Males had 1.73 greater odds of infection compared with females. Compared with 15 to 29-year-olds, adults 30-49 y old and adults ≥50 y old had 2.0 and 3.1 greater odds of infection, respectively. Individuals living in the Jordan Valley and Badia had 22.2 and 7.2 times greater odds of infection, respectively, compared with individuals living in the highlands. Households with an income of <US$750/month had 1.8 greater odds of infection compared with those with higher household incomes. Individuals using spring lakes as a drinking water source had 5.1 greater odds of infection than people who used water from any other source.


Conclusions
This study demonstrates that WNV is circulating in Jordan and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in medical cases presenting with nervous system symptoms, especially for older populations living in the Jordan Valley and Badia areas.}, number={1}, journal={Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Obaidat, Mohammad M and Stringer, Andrew P and Roess, Amira A}, year={2018}, month={Oct}, pages={24–30} }
 @article{scantlebury_pinchbeck_loughnane_aklilu_ashine_stringer_gordon_marshall_christley_mccarthy_et al._2016, title={Development and evaluation of a molecular diagnostic method to rapidly detect Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum (causing Epizootic Lymphangitis) in equine clinical samples}, volume={39}, ISSN={0737-0806}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2016.02.020}, DOI={10.1016/j.jevs.2016.02.020}, number={Supplement}, journal={Journal of Equine Veterinary Science}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Scantlebury, C. E. and Pinchbeck, G. L. and Loughnane, P. and Aklilu, N. and Ashine, T. and Stringer, Andrew and Gordon, L. and Marshall, M. and Christley, R. M. and McCarthy, A. J. and et al.}, year={2016}, month={Apr}, pages={S9–S10} }
 @article{stringer_christley_bell_gebreab_tefera_reed_trawford_pinchbeck_2016, title={Owner reported diseases of working equids in central Ethiopia}, volume={49}, ISSN={0425-1644}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evj.12633}, DOI={10.1111/evj.12633}, abstractNote={Summary}, number={4}, journal={Equine Veterinary Journal}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Stringer, A. P. and Christley, R. M. and Bell, C. E. and Gebreab, F. and Tefera, G. and Reed, K. and Trawford, A. and Pinchbeck, G. L.}, year={2016}, month={Oct}, pages={501–506} }
 @article{stringer_2014, title={Improving animal health for poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods}, volume={175}, ISSN={0042-4900 2042-7670}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.g6281}, DOI={10.1136/vr.g6281}, abstractNote={Animals are vital to ensuring food security for individuals, families and communities in countries around the world. In this, the latest article in Veterinary Record 's series promoting One Health, Andy Stringer, director of veterinary programmes at the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, discusses how improving animal health, particularly of poultry and working equids, has the potential to reduce poverty and promote food security and sustainable livelihoods in low‐income countries}, number={21}, journal={Veterinary Record}, publisher={BMJ}, author={Stringer, A.}, year={2014}, month={Nov}, pages={526–529} }
 @article{stringer_2014, title={Infectious Diseases of Working Equids}, volume={30}, ISSN={0749-0739}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2014.09.001}, DOI={10.1016/j.cveq.2014.09.001}, abstractNote={Most working equids reside in low-income countries where they have an essential role in the livelihoods of their owners. Numerous infectious diseases negatively impact the health and productivity of these animals. There are considerable technical, social-behavioral, and institutional impediments globally to reducing the burden of infectious diseases on working equids. One the greatest remaining challenges is the lack of funding for research, resulting from the low priority assigned to working equids by funding bodies. Changing the attitudes of decision makers will require data-driven advocacy, and global networks of collaborators have a vital role in building this more robust evidence base.}, number={3}, journal={Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Stringer, Andrew P.}, year={2014}, month={Dec}, pages={695–718} }
 @article{stringer_lunn_reid_2014, title={Science in brief: Report on the first Havemeyer workshop on infectious diseases in working equids, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 2013}, volume={47}, ISSN={0425-1644}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evj.12359}, DOI={10.1111/evj.12359}, abstractNote={The working equid is of vital importance in many low-income countries where horses, mules and donkeys are the primary means of transport and traction. Notwithstanding basic husbandry and welfare needs, infectious diseases compromise the health and welfare of these working animals, which in turn threatens the livelihoods of the most vulnerable members of society. A workshop on Infectious Diseases of Working Equids was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2013, attended by 35 participants representing academia, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), governmental institutions and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The aim of the workshop was to identify ways to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in working equids worldwide. The specific workshop goals were as follows: 1) to identify the global working equid population and define its role in low-income countries with respect to food security, poverty alleviation and gender equity; 2) to collate the current knowledge of infectious diseases in working equids and identify key priority pathogens responsible for high morbidity and mortality; 3) to identify current diagnostic, surveillance, treatment and prevention strategies for infectious diseases in working equids and identify gaps and strategies needed for future control programmes; 4) to identify current and future roles and responsibilities of various institutions and stakeholders in infectious disease control of working equids and ways to engage them in effective disease reduction; and 5) to identify key focus areas with the greatest opportunities for impact on the occurrence of infectious diseases affecting working equids and form consensus opinions on the future goals and strategies to reduce the impact of infectious diseases on working equids. Workshop presentations focused on the role of working equids and their impact on livelihoods, priority infectious diseases, surveillance and disease control strategies, regulatory policies, the role of institutions in disease control, research gaps and funding opportunities. This workshop report focuses on the following 3 areas: working equids and their role in livelihoods; infectious diseases of working equids; and solutions and strategies for the future.}, number={1}, journal={Equine Veterinary Journal}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Stringer, A. and Lunn, D. P. and Reid, S.}, year={2014}, month={Dec}, pages={6–9} }
 @article{okell_pinchbeck_stringer_tefera_christley_2013, title={A community-based participatory study investigating the epidemiology and effects of rabies to livestock owners in rural Ethiopia}, volume={108}, ISSN={0167-5877}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.07.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.07.003}, abstractNote={A participatory study was carried out in the Oromia region of Ethiopia to ascertain the principal epidemiological features of rabies and its impact on livestock owners. Due to the variation in topography (and therefore livestock and human populations within the study area) villages from both high (>1500 m) and lowland areas were included. Local development agents who had no knowledge of the study's purpose recruited a total of one hundred and ninety six participants from eleven lowland and ten highland villages. A facilitator trained in animal health and participatory techniques conducted the interviews with groups of up to eleven participants. Methods used included ranking, scoring, proportion piling, seasonality calendars and open discussions to investigate a set of questions pre determined from a pilot study. The relative importance of rabies to other zoonoses, temporal distributions of the disease, the species affected, current methods of control within affected species and consequences of their loss were all explored. Data was compared between high and lowland areas and previously published studies. The study found that rabies was considered the zoonosis of greatest risk to public health in both areas. It reportedly occurred with higher frequency in highland areas and subsequently affected more livestock in these parts. Two distinct temporal patterns within the areas were described and participants provided reasons of biological plausibility for the occurrence. Livestock were found to contribute as a higher proportion of all species affected than previously shown in published material. This is likely to be due to the low level of reporting of affected animals to the available veterinary services, from where comparative data originated. The death of infected livestock species was found to have numerous social and economic implications and the ramifications of this are made greater by the perception that the highest incidence of clinical disease being in areas of greatest livestock density. The underestimation of the burden of disease by central bodies is likely to influence the economic rationale behind effective rabies control in the future.}, number={1}, journal={Preventive Veterinary Medicine}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Okell, C.N. and Pinchbeck, G.P. and Stringer, A.P. and Tefera, G. and Christley, R.M.}, year={2013}, month={Jan}, pages={1–9} }
 @article{stringer_bell_christley_gebreab_tefera_reed_trawford_pinchbeck_2011, title={A cluster-randomised controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of different knowledge-transfer interventions for rural working equid users in Ethiopia}, volume={100}, ISSN={0167-5877}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.02.001}, DOI={10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.02.001}, abstractNote={There have been few studies evaluating the efficacy of knowledge-transfer methods for livestock owners in developing countries, and to the authors’ knowledge no published work is available that evaluates the effect of knowledge-transfer interventions on the education of working equid users. A cluster-randomised controlled trial (c-RCT) was used to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of three knowledge-transfer interventions on knowledge-change about equid health amongst rural Ethiopian working equid users. Groups were exposed to either; an audio programme, a village meeting or a diagrammatic handout, all of which addressed identical learning objectives, and were compared to a control group which received no intervention. Thirty-two villages were randomly selected and interventions randomly assigned. All participants in a village received the same intervention. Knowledge levels were assessed by questionnaire administration. Data analysis included comparison of baseline data between intervention groups followed by multilevel linear regression models (allowing for clustering of individuals within village) to evaluate the change in knowledge between the different knowledge-transfer interventions. A total of 516 randomly selected participants completed the pre-intervention questionnaire, 504 of whom undertook the post-dissemination questionnaire, a follow up response rate of 98%. All interventions significantly improved the overall ‘change in knowledge’ score on the questionnaire compared to the control, with the diagrammatic handout (coefficient (coef) 9.5, S.E. = 0.6) and the village meeting (coef 9.7, S.E. = 0.6) having a significantly greater impact than the audio programme (coef 4.8, S.E. = 0.6). Covariates that were different at baseline, and which were also significant in the final model, were age and pre-intervention score. Although they had a minimal effect on the intervention coefficients there was a significant interaction between age and intervention. This study should aid the design of education materials for adult learning for working equid users and other groups in developing countries.}, number={2}, journal={Preventive Veterinary Medicine}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Stringer, A.P. and Bell, C.E. and Christley, R.M. and Gebreab, F. and Tefera, G. and Reed, K. and Trawford, A. and Pinchbeck, G.L.}, year={2011}, month={Jun}, pages={90–99} }
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