ILRI MSc Graduate Fellowship: Cross-sectional study of mastitis in dairy cattle in Nandi County at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

About the position

The dairy industry is an emerging sector of the livestock industry in many lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) particularly in Africa. Structured dairy cattle breeding programs, such as the African Dairy Genetic Gains (ADGG) project, are currently being implemented for improved performance and production. The ADGG program is a farmer-focused partnership that records and disseminates on-farm productivity and genetic information on dairy cattle.  The data generated by the ADGG project aims to assist farmers to improve cow management, improve animal and herd productivity as well as increasing income for smallholder dairy farmers. The ADGG project consists of performance recording and sampling systems for dairy cattle. Performance information and genetic analysis is used to develop systems to select crossbred bulls and cows of superior genetic merit for Artificial Insemination and natural mating.

A challenge to productivity in dairy farming is mastitis. Previous work has indicated that the incidence of mastitis may be as high as 50%. Pathogens that cause mastitis may also develop antimicrobial resistance reducing the effectiveness of treatment.  To address this major challenge for dairy producers and to reduce both the economic losses from discarded milk, we will conduct a longitudinal study of mastitis in cows. This will generate the disease and infection phenotypes that can then be linked to the ADGG genotypes to deliver genomic tools to develop resistance/tolerance to diseases.

We are recruiting an MSc student to conduct the baseline cross-sectional study to the determine the prevalence of mastitis causing pathogens in a population of dairy cattle in Nandi County, Kenya.

Responsibilities of the fellow:

• Collect survey data using Open Data Kit (ODK).
• Collect samples from cattle.
• Run microbiological and molecular tests for pathogens such as E. coli, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and antimicrobial resistance.
• Risk factor analysis.
• Conduct statistical analysis of data using appropriate methods.
• Preparation of research proposal and thesis for purposes of academic attainment.

Minimum requirements

The ideal candidate should:

• Have registered in a recognized university and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in biological sciences or related field.
• Have completed their course work and is ready to begin the research component of their study.
• Possess working knowledge of MS Office applications.
• Exhibit field experience conducting surveys and administering questionnaires using ODK.
• Experience in laboratory methods – microbiology and PCR.
• Display good understanding of data handling techniques, analysis, especially involving use of statistical packages such as STATA, R or Python.
• Show excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Duration: 5 months

Terms of appointment and stipend:

• ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses, medical insurance cover, and meet research expenses.
• The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI scientist and the university/academic supervisor/s.