In part 2 of the series about HALIs Honor’s students at Sokoine University, we highlight Enos Kamani’s project.
Enos is a 5th year veterinary student from the Mwanza region of northern Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Enos’s research project is a dirty job – he is working to determine how frequently young cattle in pastoralist households shed the protozoa Giardia and Cryptosporidium. These organisms are shed in the feces and can be passed from livestock to people, causing diarrhea. The illness can be particularly severe in young children and those affected by HIV/AIDS. Enos is using state-of-the-art detection methods to detect these disease causing parasites in feces and water. HALI project has transferred these technologies to Tanzania as part of our efforts to increase in-country disease diagnostic capacity.
Enos places processed fecal and water samples onto slides. He will examine them microscopically using a flourescent antibody test to detect diarrhea causing Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
While in Tanzania I also sat down with Enos and asked him a few questions about his interests and the project:
Why did you decide to become a veterinarian? ” I love the animals and they are friends of mine. Thus I need to make them live in happiness.“
What have you learned from or enjoyed about conducting your Honor’s research? ” The very interesting part of my project is on performing the IMS (immunomagnetic separation) and DFA (direct flourescent antibody) techniques. I have learned and understand these techniques very well. Also, I know now very well how the Giardia and Cryptosporidia cysts looks like under the fluorescent microscope as well as how to take their photos under the microscope. Also a very important part on how to handle and roperly store reagents for IMS, DFA and samples (Water and Fecal samples).”
Like Khadija, Enos also hopes to find an opportunity to conduct graduate study after completing his Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine.
MICROSCOPE CHALLENGE - Can you see the small apple-green Giardia cysts in the fecal sample?
Hey Enos! Habari Bwana! Na picha fuleshi! Keep up the good work over there, and thanks for helping me out on this project. I’m very happy to be working with such a talented and capable scientist. HALI is proud.
[...] Check out Enos’ profile on the HALI blog here! [...]
[...] was from Enos Kamani. Legendary scientist and soon to be veterinarian with honors from the Sokoine University of [...]
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