The Maasai ethnodiagnostic skill of livestock diseases: a lead to traditional bioprospecting.

A survey study was conducted on the ethnoveterinary knowledge of the Ilkisonko Maasai of Kenya. The data on the ethnodiagnostic skills of livestock diseases was gathered using a well-structured questionnaire. The result show that the Maasai rely not only on symptoms of diseases but also on vectors of disease, season effects and species affected by a particular malady. The Ilkisonko Maasai use 18 medicinal plant species to combat the diseases positively diagnosed. It is concluded that, the Maasai ethnodiagnostic skill is the bases of their traditional bioprosecting techniques. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.