Aim:Plants used in the Far North Region of Cameroon by livestock farmers to manage foot and mouth disease (FMD) in cattle and the phytochemical composition and antioxidant potentials of two of them (Boscia senegalensis [BS] and Tapinanthus dodoneifolius [TD]) were investigated in this study.Materials and Methods:Ethno veterinary data were collected from 325 livestock farmers using semi-structured interviews from September 2011 to April 2012. The 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content (TPC) were first performed with five different solvents to choose the best extract of each plant based on these two factors. To achieve our aim, the ferric iron reducing activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA), free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), vitamin E and iron content were analyzed on extracts selected using current techniques.Results:The results showed that 12 plants of 8 different families are regularly used by farmers to manage FMD. It also demonstrated that acetone extract of TD and methanolic extract of BS are the extracts which showed the best total antioxidant activity (AA) and the best TPC. In general, TD show the best AA during the HRSA and FRSA analysis compared with BS. Similarly, TD content more phenolic compounds and tannins than BS. Both plants contain proteins, saponins, tannins, phenols, alkaloid, and polyphenols which are known to have many biological activities.Conclusion:These results support the AA of both plants and can justify their use by herders to treat FMD which is often followed by many secondary diseases.

The objective of this study was to determine beef consumption and evaluate the knowledge of consumers on meat quality in Maroua city in the Far North Region of Cameroon. To achieve this, 202 households selected using a gripped map and random selection method were surveyed. The cookers or cooks were surveyed and observed in each household. During this survey, the pieces of beef, as cuts before cooking, were weighted and the quantity of beef consumed per person was calculated. The influence of socio economic and demographic factors related to consumer (religion, age, monthly income, number of person in the household and district) on beef consumption was also evaluated. Overall, 96% of the surveyed households consumed meat and among them, 98% eat beef. Beef is consumed the most (72%), followed by goat (21%), sheep (5%), chicken (1%) and pork (1%). In majority of the beef-eating households (39%), cattle meat was eaten two or three times per week. In addition, a person consumed 133.25 ± 33.49 g of beef per day and this consumption rate was affected by the age, monthly income and the district position. During the evaluation of consumer's knowledge on meat quality, color and tenderness were found to be the most important factors for consumers. These findings suggest that meat consumption in the livestock production area in Cameroon is very important as it is higher than that observed in the whole Cameroon and in Africa. Thus Cameroonian government should focus on improving meat consumption in consumption zones.

BackgroundGetting a random household sample during a survey can be expensive and very difficult especially in urban area and non-specialist. This study aimed to test an alternative method using freely available aerial imagery.MethodsA gridded map and random selection method was used to select households for interviews. A hundred numbered of points were put along the edges of an updated map of Maroua. Then two numbers were randomly draw at a time and a line was drawn between those two numbers. A lot of different kinds of shapes of different sizes obtained were numbered. Ten shapes were randomly draw and the one selected were considered as ‘neighbourhoods’. A grid of 30 m × 30 m was drawn over each and then numbered. 202 grids considered here as households were randomly selected from the ten neighbourhoods for interviews.ResultsOut of 202 households visited, only 4 were found to be something other than a house. In addition, 30 sampled households (14.85%) were abandoned or the occupants had relocated elsewhere. This method resulted in an accuracy level of 72%, its advantage is the ability to generate efficient random sample at relatively low cost as well the time required.ConclusionsThe method proposed in this study was efficient and cost-effective when compared to the infield generation of a household inventory or Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of households. It can then be used by researchers in low-incomes countries where funding for research is a challenge. However, this method needs to train the investigators on how to use the GPS.