Milestone achieved in veterinary research collaboration in Malawi

A partnership between the first veterinary school in Malawi and international research experts has contributed new insights into tropical livestock diseases, following the publication of a scientific paper on the epidemiology of the parasitic flatworm Fasciola gigantica.

The paper appears in the April 2025 issue of the journal Veterinary Research Communications and is the first published output from this collaboration through which veterinary undergraduate students at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) benefit from teaching, mentoring and project support from experts at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

ILRI senior scientist Florence Mutua, who co-authored the paper, is involved in coordinating an active partnership with LUANAR in which ILRI funds veterinary students to implement their final year research projects.

Lian Thomas, a lecturer in One Health and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh with a joint appointment at ILRI, is also a co-author.

The baseline findings in the paper will help animal health experts in Malawi to better manage fasciolosis infection in cattle, thereby helping to secure the livelihoods of smallholder livestock keepers in the country.

Citation

Mogha, L., Kainga, H., Kamanga, N., Kapalamula, T.F., Wood, C., Thomas, L.F., Mutua, F., Sargison, N., Hayashida, K., Tsutsumi, T., Hayashi, N., Nonaka, N., Nakao, R. and Chatanga, E. 2025. Genetic diversity and population structure of Fasciola gigantica isolated from cattle in Malawi. Veterinary Research Communications 49(3): 157.

Photo: A cow looks out from her stall in a village in central Malawi (credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann)

Written and curated by Tezira Lore, Communications Officer, ILRI