Pathogenic water-borne protozoa and helminths sometimes cause debilitating infections in children and immunocompromised people, and the poorest of the poor communities living adjacent to wildlife protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk. This study aimed to assess the existence of protozoan cysts/ trophozoites, and helminth eggs in fresh surface and piped tap water utilised by locals and tourists in the Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA) in western Uganda. Water samples were taken from natural (environmental) sources and domestic water sources (piped tap water). The samples were analysed for helminth eggs, free-living amoeba (FLA) trophozoites, Cryptosporidium oocysts, and Giardia cysts. The parasites were examined under the microscope, after which they were identified, counted, and recorded. The overall prevalence of the protozoan parasites, from highest to lowest, were: FLA (56.6%), Cryptosporidium spp. (38.2%), Giardia spp. (36.5%), Eimeria spp. (20.3%), and Paramecium spp. (2.7%). Similarly, helminth parasite prevalence was: Strongyle (38.2%), Ascaris spp. (33.3%), Trematodes (25%), Strongyloides (10.5), Toxocara spp. (8.3%), and Capillaria spp. (3.2%). Necessary steps should be taken to improve the water quality in QEPA.

This study aimed to establish phytochemical composition and determining the effect of Capsicum frutescens powder on body weight and carcass yield of Cobb500 broilers. Four hundred and fifty broilers at 35 days were randomly assigned to treatments defined by three dietary inclusion levels (1.1, 2.2, 4.4%) of C. frutescens powder for each of the three durations (13 days, 19 days, 24 days) prior to 59 days of age. A control group received only the basal finisher diet. Each treatment group had 15 birds replicated thrice. The phytochemicals detected in C. frutescens powder included flavonoids, phenols (588 mg GAE/100g), alkaloids (6.8%), and saponins (23.5%). Further, only diets formulated with 2.2% inclusion level and provided for 19 days increased body weight (1258g, p=0.03), carcass weight (786g, p=0.03) by 14 and 15% respectively relative to the control. The results of this study highlight that C. frutescens has several beneficial phytochemicals for improving broiler production and that an inclusion level of 2.2% in finisher diets for 19 days is acceptable since it has capacity to improve body weight and carcass yield of Cobb500 broilers.