Elevated rectal temperature, mucopurulent nasal discharge, mortalities and abortion of pregnant ewes were the main clinical abnormalities recorded in sheep flocks at Seedy Salem Village, Kafr Al-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt following their vaccination by the attenuated Rift Valley vaccine. Meanwhile, 45 of the farmers in the village showed variable findings suggestive for a RVF epidemic and 17 farmers died of haemorrhagic fever as reported by the World Health Organization, WHO (2003). Blood serum samples were collected from 78 humans and 86 sheep and tested for RVF antibodies. We found that, where 11 (12.94%) and 10 (19.30%) of sheep and human sera respectively were positive. The recent history of vaccination of such flocks using the attenuated RVF vaccine lead us to suggest that the used vaccine might be the source of such epidemic.

In the present study, the humoral immune response developed following vaccinationwith the live-attenuated (Smithburn) Rift Valley fever (RVF) vaccine in sheep, goats,cattle, buffaloes and camels was investigated. Results showed that, serum neutralizing antibody titers of RVF virus started to appear in the sera of all vaccinated animals with live-attenuated Rift valley fever vaccine after the first week post-vaccination and reached its peak after the third month of vaccination. It persisted to be higher than the acceptable limit of protection (>40) in the sera of sheep and goats in more than 6 months post-vaccination while it declined in the sera of cattle, buffaloes and camels to become lower than the acceptable limit of protection (<40) after the sixth month post-vaccination. On the other hand, the serum neutralizing antibody titers remained negative in the sera of non-vaccinated (control) animals throughout the study. It could be concluded that, the neutralizing antibodies following vaccination of cattle, buffaloes and camels with live attenuated RVF (Smithburn) vaccine was low and of a short duration compared with those in sheep and goats. Hence, it is important to prepare a new vaccine which is safe and gives a high immune response for long period in cattle, buffaloes and camels instead of live attenuated (Smithburn) RVF vaccine to protect these animals species against this disease.

Gastrointestinal nematodes pose a threat to animal health and affect farmers by negatively impacting farm management.

Objective: Hemoparasitism is a condition commonly found in animals and it exerts negatively on the health, production, reproduction, and performance of the affected animals. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of different hemoparasites affecting cattle and sheep in Mosul, Iraq, and to deduce the effect of climatic factors on the occurrence of these hemoparasites. Materials and Methods: Blood samples from cattle and sheep that were submitted to the Parasitology Laboratory of the Veterinary Hospital of Ninavah between 2008 and 2018 were examined for the presence of blood parasites using the thin blood smear preparation. Data were analyzed using percentages (%), tabulations, and graphs. Spearmans rank correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of association between the occurrence of hemoparasites of cattle/sheep and each climatic variable. Results: Anaplasma spp. Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. were the hemoparasites detected among cattle and sheep in the study, with Theileria spp. been the most prevalent among cattle, while Anaplasma spp. was the most prevalent among sheep. There was no distinct pattern in the yearly and monthly prevalence of these hemoparasites among cattle and sheep. Rainfall and relative humidity negatively influenced the occurrence of hemoparasites infections, while temperature favored their occurrences. Conclusion: This study appears to be the first to evaluate the correlation between climatic vari¬ables and the prevalence of hemoparasites of cattle and sheep in Mosul, Iraq. Climatic variables influenced the abundance of hemoparasites of cattle and sheep in the study area. The outcome of this study will add to the existing knowledge on the effect of climatic factors on the occurrence of parasitic diseases of ruminants in Middle East. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2019; 6(4.000): 492-498]

Objective: Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) infection is existing worldwide causing economic loss in goat production. This work was conducted to investigate the prevalence of CAE in local and foreign goat breeds and sheep in different localities in Sudan.Materials and methods: A total of 368 sera samples were prepared; among these, 112 were collected from cross (n=39) and foreign (n=73) breeds of goat in Khartoum state, equal number of sera (n=23) were collected from goats and sheep from each of River Nile, Gedarif, Sinnar and North Kordofan states. Eighteen cross bred goats were tested from River Nile state. From foreign bred goats, 28 and 26 sera were collected from Gazira and Northern states, respectively. The collected sera were examined for the presence of antibodies to CAE virus using Enzymed-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).Results: The overall seroprevalence of CAE was 2.99% (n=11/368). Positive results were found only in 11 of foreign breed of goats (Cyprus shami) collected from Gazira (39.29%; n=11/28). Statistically, there was an association between breed and location (P=0.001 and P=0.671, respectively). Conclusion: The CAE virus infection exists only in foreign goat breeds. Gazira state showed the highest seroprevalence as compared to other states considered in this study. Strict hygienic measures should be adopted to control the disease and to prevent its spread to local breeds. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(3.000): 259-262]

Objective: This study was aimed at elucidating the association between Para influenza virus 3 (PIV3) and respiratory infections in domestic ruminants in different areas of Sudan.Materials and methods: During 2010-2013, five hundred sixty five lung samples with signs of pneumonia were collected from cattle (n=226), sheep (n=316) and goats (n=23) from slaughter houses in different areas in Sudan. The existence of PIV3 antigen was screened in the collected samples using ELISA and Fluorescent antibody technique. PIV3 genome was detected by PCR, and sequence analysis was conducted.Results: Positive results were found in 29 (12.8%) cattle, 31 (9.8%) sheep and 11 (47.8%) goat samples. All the studied areas showed positive results. Highest prevalence (66.7%) was detected in the sheep and goats in Khartoum, followed by in goats in Nyala (33.3%) at western Sudan. Sequence analyses of PIV3 of different regions of Sudan indicated that these were similar in sequence and length. The BLAST analysis indicated that the test sequences were closely related to the available annotated sequences at the GenBank. All these sequences matched with Bovine parainfluenza virus 3 except two those were matching with Swine parainfluenza virus 3. Conclusion: The results prove the existence of PIV3 infection in cattle, sheep and goats in the studied areas in Sudan and suggest its possible role in the respiratory infections. Genetic analysis indicate that the virus is mostly similar with bovine PIV3. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(3.000): 236-241]

The study was conducted in Mokwa, Nigeria, to estimate the live body weight (LBW) of Nigerian breeds of sheep using cannon bone length (CBL), and other linear body measurements (LBM). A total of 116 sheep were measured for LBW and LBM. The animals were categorized into two sex groups as male and female, and four age groups as <12 months, 13-24 months, 25-36 months and ≥37 months. The current findings showed that in almost all the age groups, the chest depth and heart girth alone or in combination gave the best fitted prediction equation(s). However, the CBL negatively correlated with LBW in the male and female (combined) of <12 months age group, and positively correlated with LBW in the age groups of 25-36 and ≥37 months.

Indigenous sheep are highly adaptable and widely distributed in different regions of Bangladesh. They are famous for their tolerance to harsh environmental conditions, low demand for feed, and disease resistance with minimum or no housing and management facilities. Ample indiscrimi¬nate research reports and case studies on the native sheep of Bangladesh have been published. Nonetheless, a comprehensive review of reproductive and productive performances, as well as their various morphometric physiognomies and climate resilience capabilities, is lacking. This review was designed to explore and summarize the available research reports on indigenous sheep to highlight the gaps and provide an updated database for the future research plan for sustainable native sheep production in Bangladesh. It covers studies on sheep biodiversity, their adaptabil¬ity to the local environment, morphometric features, feeding and nutrition, reproduction and production performances, diseases and health management, and the problems and prospects of sheep farming in Bangladesh. Due to the increased demand for animal protein, especially red meat, the scope of sheep farming increases along with that of other large and small ruminants. The vital constraints of sheep production in Bangladesh include insufficient feed and fodder sup¬ply with its high prices, higher disease occurrence with low or no management practices, kid mortality, and a poor marketing channel with the lower popularity of sheep meat than goat meat. Future research would be a prerequisite to measuring the impact of native sheep on household economies and food security during the year, evaluating the other challenges, and finding out the possible interventions in the fields of nutrition, reproduction, and health management. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 649-662]

Objectives: We investigated the impact of rice gruel as an alternative energy source of molasses as well as measured the effectiveness of rice gruel on the physiology of the rumen environment and the growth performance of growing lamb.Materials and methods: A number of 18 sheep with an average age of 7 months and mean body weight of 5.9 kg were selected and divided into three groups for 60 days long feeding trial with urea molasses straw (UMS), urea rice gruel straw (URS), and concentrate feed. Every fortnight interval, live weight was recorded and rumen liquor from every group was collected four times before and after feeding at 4-h interval to examine the rumen environment.Results: Color, odor, consistency, and protozoal motility remain unchanged in all three groups. The pH of the rumen liquor was highest at 8 h of post feeding among three groups. The bacterial count (6.1 × 1010) was higher in the group that consuming UMS than URS and concentrate feed. The rumen protozoa also showed a similar growth pattern in proportion to a number of rumen bacteria. At the end of the 60 days feeding trial, no significant differences (p &#8804; 0.05) were found among the three groups in contrast to body weight gain.Conclusion: In the current feeding trial, the close similar effectiveness of rice gruel and molasses was found as a fermentable energy source. However, we suggest that rice gruel can be supplemented as a substitute for molasses under the situation when molasses are not available or expensive in field condition. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2018; 5(4.000): 432-438]

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infection is a prime cause of failures in sheep production. This study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GIT) helminths of sheep in Sherpur district, Bangladesh. Besides, prevalence of helminthiasis in sheep also assessed considering age, sex, nutritional condition and rearing system.Materials and methods: In total, 106 rectal fecal samples of sheep were randomly collected and were examined for the presence of ova by using direct smear and Stoll&#146;s ova counting techniques during July to October, 2016. Eggs were identified on the basis of its size, morphology and other landmark features.Results: Out of 106 samples, 67.9% (n=72/106) revealed the presence of ova of different helminths. The prevalence of helminth infection was associated with Fasciola gigantica (11.3%; n=12/106), Paramphistomes (13.2%; n=14/106), Schistosoma indicum (3.8%; n=4/106), Moniezia sp. (3.8%; n=4/106), Strongyle-type (24.5%; n=26/106), hook worm (6.6%; n=7/106), Strongyloides sp. (12.3%; n=13/106) and Trichuris sp. (1.9%; n=2/106). Egg count per gram (EPG) was calculated which was ranged between 100 and 600. Parasitic counts in lambs, young and adult showed no significant variations (P=0.511) from one other. Infection was significantly (P=0.04) higher in poor body conditioned sheep (76.3 %) as contrasted to normal body conditioned sheep (57.4%). No significant variation (P=0.601) was noticed in infection rates between sexes. Females displayed a higher infection (70.0%) as compared to males (65.2%). In rearing system, the result was found statistically insignificant (P=0.247). Conclusion: Utterly, GI helminths are endemic at great levels among sheep in the study area. Also, their infestation differs within various age groups, sexes, nutritional condition and rearing system of sheep. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(3.000): 274-280]