Fascioliasis is an importantparasitic disease caused by the liver flukeFasciola gigantica in Malaysia. Theinfestation of liver fluke in ruminants;cattle, sheep, goats and buffaloes can resultin economic losses to the country mainlydue to the drop in livestock production,reduction in growth rate, condemnationof liver, reduction in draught power andhigh usage of anthelmintics. This paperdescribes a case of liver fluke infestationin a two year old male buffalo that waseventually slaughtered. The buffalowas reported to be emaciated and wasreared in an oil palm plantation for useas draught power in buffalo-drawn cartsloaded with oil palm bunches; alongwith 18 other buffaloes of various ages.Previously, there were two cases of buffalodeaths from the same herd. The organand faecal samples were sent to KuantanRegional Veterinary Laboratory (RVL)for diagnostic work up. The receivedsamples were then sent to parasitology,histopathology and bacteriology sectionsfor laboratory analysis and confirmationon the pathogens. The bacteriology resultshowed Escherichia coli isolated in allinternal organs. Presence of adult flukes(Fasciola gigantica) were observed inthe bile duct of the liver through grossexamination and also histopathologicalevaluation and supported by the positiveresult of Fasciola ova via sedimentationtest conducted from the faecal sample, thusjustifying the final diagnosis as severe liverfluke infestation leading to emaciation andsimultaneously having colibacillosis.

Parasitic nematode infection in animal is one of the main causes for the mortality of animals and most of the treatment relies on the use of the anthelmintic drugs to overcome such a problem. However, the heavy use of anthelmintic contributed to the problem of multidrug resistance. This study was carried out to investigate the infectiveness of Punica granatum (aqueous leaf and peel extracts) as an alternative treatment. This study utilised the in-vitro assay technique (motility assayand larval migration inhibition assay) to determine the effect of the extracts on the survival of L3 stage of parasitic nematodes.The results showed that incubation of L3 in different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mg/ml) of extracts paralysed and killed the worms after 24 hours and 48 hours ofincubation periods. The same results were obtained from larval migration inhibition assay, showing that both extracts of Punicagranatum inhibited the migration of the L3. After 2 hours of incubation in the leaf extract (5 mg/ml), the migration of nematode larvae was inhibited to 56±12.29% as compared tothe control. While for the peel extract the percentage of migration was reduced to 53 ±3.33%. Further reduction of the migration was observed at 10, 20 and 50 mg/ml of leaf extract.

A total of 2803 bloodsamples from ruminant livestock werereceived for diagnosis for parasiticinfections from 2011 to 2015. Theruminant samples were from small holderand commercial farms from the states ofNegeri Sembilan, Melaka, Selangor andthe Federal Territory. The results indicatethe presence of theileriosis, anaplasmosis,babesiosis and trypanosomiasis in theseanimals. The most common parasiteidentified annually is theileriosis in cattle.This information is vital for disease controlstrategies as most blood protozoa causemorbidity and is transmitted by vectorssuch as ticks.

A total of 302 faecal specimens from animals of various species including poultry, ruminants, mammals, swine, primates, companionanimals, wild animals, and laboratory animals were examined for the presence of Blastocystis sp. These anaerobic parasites which are environmentally resistant were found in 104 specimens (34.44%), that is, from ostriches, pigs, ruminants and nonhuman primates whereas samples from other animals were completely free of the organism. There is a need to assess the impact of these infections on theproductivity of animals and its importance in human infections.

Many parasitology laboratories practiced the McMaster technique as a method in obtaining the quantitative diagnosis of Strongyle eggs burden in farm animals especially ruminants. The McMaster technique also play a crucial role in faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) for anthelmintic resistance identification. Some laboratoriesrecommend two-chamber counting method while some recommend single chamber counting method. This study focuses on the comparison between single and double counting in McMaster technique fordetection of Strongyle egg count. In this study, it is shown that there is no significant difference between both methods basedon the p-value obtained which is p>0.05 from 127 fresh goat faecal samples. The techniques practised during the study follow the standard established technique. Single chamber counting is suitable for a large number of faecal samples from big herds because it is faster, less laborious and produces sensitive and reliable results in Strongyle egg count. As more commercial farms are set up, there is a need to conduct a fast and efficient test to help farmers evaluate their livestock worm burden.

This study was done to evaluate the status of resistance to nematode populations on four major groups of anthelminthics. Nematode faecalegg count reduction tests (FECRT) were conducted on six free grazing small holder goat farms (namely Farms A-F) in Perak.The four drug groups tested in this study were Benzimidazoles, Imidazothiazoles,Macrocyclic Lactones and Salicylanilides. Faecal samples were subjected to the standard procedures of McMaster for worm egg estimation and also larval cultures for third stage larvae identification. Results of Farm A, Farm C and Farm D showed resistance to all 4 drugs groups of anthelminthic that were tested and the major worm population of this farm were Haemonchus contortus (49.75%), Trichostrongylus colubriformis (47.71%) and Cooperia sp. (2.53%). The results of Farm B and Farm F showed resistance to all the 3 groups of anthelminthics except Levamisole and the worm population of this farm was Haemonchus contortus (47.30%), Trichostrongylus sp. (38.44%), Oesophagostomum columbianum (13.50%) and Cooperia sp. (0.76%) Farm E was resistant to Benzimidazoles andsuspected resistance to 3 drugs groups; Levamisole, Macrocyclic Lactones and Closantel. The worm population for Farm E was Haemonchus contortus (71.35%), Trichostrongylus sp. (27.6%) and Oesophagostomum sp. (2%). These farms have a history of using the same anthelminthics over the past few years, thus leading to the severe case of anthelminthic resistance. Recommendations have beenmade to control helminths using alternative approaches such as cut and carry feeding, herbal medication using Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) and rotational grazing as well as improvement in management of animals to increase their immunity.

Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Stearin (RBDPS) is a solid fraction obtained from Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Oil after fractionation by crystallization at controlled temperature. Fractionated RBDPS was found to be enriched with C16 fatty acids,
lacking in trans fat and has a high melting point. The fractionated RBDPS produced had an iodine value of 13.1 gI2/100g, C16 content of 79.7% and melting point 60°C .These characteristics indicate fractionated RBDPS has potential as a rumen bypass fat as well as providing desirable carbon chain composition for good milk characteristics.

The aim of this study is to determine the phytochemical constituent of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam (Jackfruit) and its effectiveness as an alternative for the anthelmintic treatment of parasitic nematodes in ruminants. Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam leaves were used to test on L3 nematode larva harvested from fecal culture. There are four species of parasitic nematodes identified, namely: Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus sp., Cooperia sp., and Oesophagostomum sp. Haemonchus contortus was found to be the most dominant, followed by Trichostrongylus sp., Cooperia sp., and Oesophagostomum sp. The phytochemical test of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam leaves was revealed to possess alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, tripertenes and steroids. These components were shown to be effective at causing paralysis and deaths of parasitic nematode in the larval motility assay, where 100 % of the nematodes tested were killed below 6 hours at 5.0 mg/ml concentration; and inhibit migration in the larval migration assay, where migration of the larva was completely inhibited in 2 hours using 2.0 mg/ml concentration. The results suggest that Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam leaves can be used as an alternative for the anthelmintic treatment in goats and sheep.

Bluetongue (BT) is an arthropod-borne viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants caused by Bluetongue virus (BTV). It has been reported in most tropical and subtropical regions of the world which raises significant socioeconomic concerns for international trade in animals and animal products. However, recent and updated information related to the current prevalence of BT in Malaysia is limited. The last holistic report was reported during BT outbreaks in the year of 1990s. This study aims to determine the current status of seroprevalence of BT among ruminants in Malaysia from 2013 to 2019. A total of 9,787 serum samples from buffalo, cattle, deer, goat as well as sheep were received from January 2013 until December 2019. All these serum samples were subjected to Agar Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID) test to detect the presence of antibodies towards BTV. The overall status of BTV was 20.18 % (1,975/9,787), with 56 % (14/25) in deer, 46.4 % (428/922) in cattle and 35.7 % (60/168) in buffalo. Positive BT antibodies were detected in young animals (<6 months) with 30.60 %, while 23.61 % in adult animals (>2 years). The results of this study revealed that BTV is still circulating at low level in domestic and wild ruminant livestock animals in Malaysia. It is suggested that this disease needs close monitoring to prevent possible outbreaks in the future.