ONE HEALTH APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA
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The aquaculture industry in Kenya is highly diverse and faces a range of challenges that span human, animal, and environmental health. My PhD research expanded knowledge of the Kenyan aquaculture industry and enhanced regional capacity through a multidisciplinary approach, including: (1) characterizing aquaculture production/biosecurity practices and identifying gaps in knowledge through in-person surveys of cage farmers and site-visits; (2) improving uptake of biosecurity and best management practices by delivering targeted extension services to cage farmers; (3) determining the identity and prevalence of tilapia pathogens via active disease surveillance and rapid-response fish health investigations; (4) characterizing antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens using disk diffusion methods; (5) enhancing regional capacity in fish health diagnostics with applied training in disease surveillance fieldwork, pathology, and microbiology; (6) characterizing the fatty acid, mineral, and toxin profiles of farmed and wild tilapia to understand the impact of aquaculture expansion on human nutrition and food safety. My research gathered stakeholder-relevant data that will guide evidence-based policy in aquaculture production practices, biosecurity, disease management, antimicrobial stewardship, water quality, and human nutrition.