Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. It was discovered over 100 years ago and is credited as the most successful parasitic organism worldwide, able to infect and multiply in all warm blooded animals including an estimated 2.3 billion people. Toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals. Infection in the developing fetus and immunocompromised individuals can cause severe clinical disease. Toxoplasmosis is also a major cause of reproductive failure in livestock. The economic impact of toxoplasmosis is believed to be substantial. Factors associated with toxoplasmosis infection have been defined. Eastern Africa region is a high‐risk area mainly due to the close association of humans and livestock as well as sociocultural practices, poor environmental hygiene, and poverty. The present paper provides a narrative review of published data on toxoplasmosis in Eastern Africa.

Toxoplasma gondii is an important foodborne opportunistic pathogen that causes a severe disease in immunocompromised patients. The pathology and immune responses associated with the ensuing disease have not been well described in strains from different parts of the world. The aim of the present study is to determine the IFN-γ and IL-10 variations and organ pathology in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice infected with T. gondii isolated from a Kenyan chicken. Two groups of BALB/c mice were infected with T. gondii cysts and administered with dexamethasone (DXM) in drinking water. Other two groups: infected untreated and uninfected mice were kept as controls. The mice were euthanized at various time points: blood collected for serum and assayed for IFN-γ and IL-10 variations. After infection, significant (p<0.05) elevated levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 were observed. A significant decline in IFN-γ and IL-10 levels (p<0.05) was observed after dexamethasone treatment. Histological sections in the liver, heart, and spleen of the mice administered with DXM revealed various degrees of inflammation characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells. The dexamethasone-treated mice presented with progressively increased (p<0.001) inflammatory responses is compared with the infected untreated mice.

Maize meal, prepared as a stiff porridge called ugali in East African countries, is a staple food for millions. Whole-grain maize foods have nutritional benefits over refined options, but the shelf life of the meal is limited due to its susceptibility to fat rancidity, which negatively affects consumer acceptance. In two concurrent studies, the effects of pre-drying maize grain by thermal treatment to ≤ 11.5% moisture and storing the whole-grain meal under 1) real-time, real-world and 2) controlled ambient (±25°C) as well as accelerated storage (40°C, 65% RH) conditions on rancidity development assessed by trained-panel sensory evaluation of cooked ugali-type porridge and chemical parameters of the maize meal were determined. Both studies showed that an increase in bitterness of ugali-type porridge was the primary sensory indicator of rancidity development in fortified whole-grain maize meal (FWGMM). Pre-drying the maize retarded the development of bitter taste and bitter aftertaste. This is attributable to a reduction in lipase activity and inactivation of oxidase enzymes in the maize meal. Hot-air drying of maize grain to a moisture content below 11.5% prior to milling was a reasonably effective means to stabilise the sensory shelf life of fortified whole-grain maize meal to 6 months.