There is a paucity of published research information on the quality of water used in the Malaysian ruminant livestock production system. Also, there are growing concerns about the sanitation standards of ruminant farms as it affects the management of wastewater in Malaysia. This study was designed to compile preliminary data on the drinking water and wastewater quality in designated dairy cattle farms in the Klang Valley. Seven dairy farms were randomly selected and visited to collect samples of drinking and wastewater for laboratory analysis. The water samples were analyzed to determine dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate, phosphates, total coliform count, iron, and magnesium content. The means of various parameters were compared with the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) to determine the appropriate classification. We further streamlined the rating of water quality into three broad categories, namely, good (Class I and II), moderate (Class III) and unsatisfactory (Class IV and V). Analysis of drinking water revealed 1(14.29%), 2 (28.57%), 2 (28.57%) and 2 (28.57%) farms were categorized as Class II, III, IV and V, respectively. Meanwhile, all the wastewater samples analyzed in this study were classified as Class V. This study provides preliminary data on the quality of drinking and wastewater in select dairy cattle farms in Malaysia. The obtained findings indicate that the quality of drinking water in most of the cattle farms is below the National Water Quality Standards.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals, the occurrence of which increases markedly during and after heavy rainfall and flooding. The aim of this study was to determine the serological prevalence of leptospiral infection in livestock after a voluminous flood in 10 districts of the Malaysian state of Kelantan. In December 2014, Kelantan was hit by an extensive flood. A total of 1,728 serum samples were collected from livestock from the state, comprised of 1,024 from cattle, 366 from goats and 338 from sheep, and they were tested using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Altogether, 203 (11.75%; 203/1728; 95% CI: 10.20%–13.30%) of the tested sera were found to be positive serologically. Cattle had the highest prevalence of 14.16% (145/1024), while goats and sheep had 11.20% (41/366) and 5.03% (17/338) respectively. The most frequent serovars detected were Hardjo-bovis (3.70%; 64/1728), Hebdomadis (2.08%; 36/1728) and Pomona (1.04%; 18/1728). There was a statistically significant association (P < 0.05) between livestock that were exposed to the flood and seropositivity. This study showed that flood is a risk factor that can play a role in the epidemiology of leptospiral infection in livestock.

The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) is an endangered species with a declining population. This article describes the first successful attempt at sperm collection and evaluation, and the testicular and sperm morphometries of the wild proboscis monkey in Sabah, Malaysia. Eight semen collection procedures using electro-ejaculation and digital manipulation were conducted in three wild adult male proboscis monkeys. A total of 21 ejaculates were collected. The testicular biometry was measured with the aid of ultrasonography. Sample evaluation included semen volume and pH and sperm concentration, viability, and abnormality. The sperm morphometry was undertaken using phase contrast microscopy. The mean (±SD) total testicular volume of these animals was 5.77 cm³ (±1.58). Semen collection by electro-ejaculation resulted in an 84% success rate, while digital manipulation did not result in any ejaculation. Each animal showed different semen characteristics, where the volume was 5–540 μL, pH 8–9, and sperm concentration 0.041–83.00 ×106/mL. The percentage of abnormal sperm was high at 76.8% (±89.60), largely due to midpiece abnormality. Normal sperm had a spherical head and long tail with a head : midpiece : tail length ratio of 1 : 2: 8. The social status of these animals may contribute to the generally low quality of the semen. The techniques and data from this study are useful for future conservation and application of assisted reproductive technology in this species.

Objective: This short study describes the occurrence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in two major wet markets in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: 30 rodents (20 rats and 10 shrews) were caught in 2 wet markets, and a postmortem was performed to extract both kidneys. Molecular diagnosis via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to detect leptospiral DNA using universal and pathogenic Leptospira primers, respectively. Results: The results showed that 20/28 (72%) rat samples were detected positive for Leptospira spp, and all shrews were negative. Further sequencing analysis identified L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii as the most frequently Leptospirosis species from kidney samples. Conclusions: The presented study here sheds light on the presence of pathogenic leptospires har¬boring the rat population in both wet markets in Kelantan, which presents a great public health risk to wet market workers and visitors. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(2.000): 275-281]