A new record of Axiidae off Thoothukudi coast of Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India is reported. Axiopsis consobrina species were newly recorded from Indian waters. The present species (Axiopsis consobrina) are recorded from Thoothukudi coast of Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India. One specimen was caught at the depth of 310 m as an incidental by-catch. It was found in tropical waters from about 08º 53.6’N 78º 16’E and 08º 53.8’N 78º 32’E/310m from Thoothukudi fishing harbour, southeast coast of India.  

A study was conducted to record the gross thickness of skin in various regions of the body at different age groups on Bakerwali goats. The animals were divided into three age groups viz, neonatal, young and adult. The thickness of skin increased with advancement of age. Neck dorsal showed the maximum thickness and thorax ventral showed the minimum thickness among the different regions in all the groups studied. 

The present study was undertaken to detect residues of Tetracycline in marketed pork using a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) System and a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. 300 samples of marketed pork were collected for the study. The samples after collection were preserved at -20°C. Analyses of the samples using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV-Vis Detector were done as per the method of Oka et al., 1985 while analyses of the same samples using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer were done as per the method of Yongnianian et al, 2010. Recovery ranged from 85-93% (HPLC) and 68-83% (Spectrophotometer). Out of the tested samples, 4 samples were detected to be positive for trace residues of tetracycline using Spectrophotometer while 6 samples were detected for tetracycline residues using HPLC method which were well below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) value. The method of HPLC is more sensitive than the Spectrophotometric one. Thus, the HPLC method is useful for monitoring of tetracycline residues in pork. 

In recent years, concerns about the use of antimicrobial products in food-producing animals have focused on human food safety because foods of animal origin are sometimes identified as the vehicles of food borne disease in humans and, therefore, also vehicles of  resistant food borne pathogens and resistant genetic material. The major zoonotic pathogens of concern for the development of  antimicrobial resistance are Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter jejuni. A broad spectrum of antimicrobials are in use in animals One such antimicrobial is Silver, used to treat a various infections . The current wide spread and uncontrolled use of silver may result in more bacteria developing resistance, analogous to the emergence of antibiotic and biocide resistant bacteria. This could be very detrimental to many industrial and medicinal properties that depend on the microbial properties of silver. In the present study, in order to gain an insight into bacterial resistance to silver the clinical isolates of Salmonella typhimurium were plasmid cured, the antibiotic sensitivity was tested in order to find out whether the strains were drug resistant; the Plasmid cured bacterial strains were then grown in nutrient broth containing silver nitrate, in order to determine silver resistance. To identify the protein encoded by this silver resistance determinant, a whole cell lysate was made and an SDS-PAGE was carried out. Plasmid was cured .The results of the study showed that silver resistance is plasmid encoded. A low molecular weight protein found in wild strains was found missing in the plasmid cured strains and possibly could play role in silver resistance.

Anthelmintics are used traditionally as an integral part of helminthic control strategies for grazing livestock to prevent production losses from parasitic infections. The continuous and indiscriminate use of the same anthelmintics over years together as the sole means of control are now failing due to the emergence of resistance strains of helminths. Resistance to the commonly used anthelmintics in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep has become an increasingly wide spread problem throughout the world. The present study was aimed to determine the resistance against albendazole, fenbendazole, levamisole and closantel in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Fifty five naturally infected Madras Red lambs of 6 - 12 months of age were selected and distributed randomly into five treatment groups of eleven animals each. Four groups were treated orally with albendazole (5mg/kg), fenbendazole (7mg/kg), levamisole (7.5m/kg) and closantel (10 mg/kg) respectively, while the fifth group served as untreated control.  Faecal samples were collected per rectum of each lamb just prior to treatment (pre treatment) and then on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after treatment. The anthelmintic resistance was evaluated by in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), post treatment larval culture and in vitro egg hatch assay. In the faecal egg count reduction test, albendazole reduced the faecal egg count by 86.50 per cent, 84.81 per cent, 85.28 per cent and 84.47 per cent respectively for four weeks after treatment. Faecal egg count reduction using fenbendazole was 92.64, 93.04, 90.80 and 90.06 per cent respectively for four weeks after treatment.  The per cent efficacy for levamisole and closantel was more than 95 per cent. The post treatment larval culture contained only Haemonchus contortus. In the in vitro egg hatch assay, the ED 50 value for benzimidazole was 0.299 µg thiabenazole/ml and levamisole showed an ED 50 value of 0.283 µg /ml.

Hydatidosis, caused by the larval stage of the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus is considered to be an important condition in herbivores such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. Due to its presence in the food animals meant for meat purpose, the disease is considered to be of economic and public health significance owing to the impact it produces on the meat industry by condemnation of the affected organs. Food animals such as sheep, goats get infected by accidental ingestion of contaminated feed and water with the eggs of the tapeworm. Development of the cysts in the intermediate host such as sheep and goats occurs in the lungs, liver and other visceral organs. The disease remains asymptomatic in most cases in spite of the presence of the hydatid cysts for a long period. A study was undertaken to find out the incidence of the hydatid cysts in sheep and goats in the Corporation slaughter house by examination of the carcasses of the slaughtered sheep and goats. By the study, an overall incidence of 6.5% in sheep and 5.8% in goats were observed with the sheep harbouring more number of fertile hydatid cysts which plays a major role in dissemination of infection to dogs.

High performance thin layer chromatographic method was developed and validated according to the protocol on “Validation of Analytical Procedures: Methodology, Veterinary International Cooperation on Harmonization (VICH)” with respect to linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy for determination of aflatoxin B1 in feed ingredients and feed. Chromatography was performed on thin layer chromatography (TLC) silica gel 60F254, aluminum sheets by Camag Linomat-5 applicator, with mobile phase condition acetone : chloroform (1 : 9). Analysis of samples viz. feed ingredients and feed, for aflatoxin B1was carried by HPTLC method and compared with TLC method. Extraction of aflatoxin was done as per AOAC method with screening and quantification by TLC and further quantification by HPTLC using reference standards. Out of 38 samples of nine types of feed ingredients analysed, samples of Bengal gram and rice bran & wheat bran mixture were negative by both methods. The other ingredients like cumbu/bajra, de-oiled rice bran, groundnut oil cake, maize, soyabean meal and sunflower oil cake, by HPTLC method wherein the Aflatoxin B1was found to be ranging from 1.61 ppb to 630.73 ppb of 77.42% positive samples, whereas by TLC method it was from 05 ppb to 140 ppb in 70.97% positive samples. While 4 samples of wheat bran analysed were all negative for Aflatoxin B1 by TLC method, whereas 50% (2 samples) found to be positive with HPTLC method with concentration ranging from 2.73 to 17.88.Similarly out of 59 feed samples analysed, 47 and 46 samples were positive for Aflatoxin B1 representing 79.66% and 77.97% of the samples, with concentration ranging from 0.54 ppb to 204.72 ppb and from 05 ppb to 710 ppb by HPTLC and TLC respectively. In the present study, the Limit of detection by HPTLC was 0.5 ppb whereas it was 5 ppb with TLC method.

In - vivo evaluation of  the  efficacy of test anti - coccidial efficacy of salinomycin and amprolium carried out in two different trials in 228 commercial chicken revealed 100% efficacy against mixed eimeria sp on comparative evaluation with standed in feed anti - coccidials.  There was marked reduction in the oocyst output with increased body weight gain and improved feed conversation efficiency in the experimental study.

Helminth parasites cause a wide variety of debilitating and frequently fatal diseases in animals. Paramphistomosis caused by the paramphistome Cotylophoron cotylophorum constitutes a major group of disease in domestic ruminants. The anthelmintic activity of Syzygium aromaticum on the motility and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of the digentic trematode Cotylophoron cotylophorum was studied in vitro. The flukes were exposed to various concentrations of hexane, choloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol extract of Syzygium aromaticum and the motility and mortality of the parasite were observed. As ethanol extract was very effective, further studies were carried out with five different sub lethal concentrations (0.005, 0.01, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/ml) of ethanol extract of Syzygium aromaticum (SaEE). The electronic measurement of the motility of the treated parasites clearly indicate the direct impact of the drugs on the motility of the parasite. Maximum inhibition in the motility (86.27%) and AChE activity (86.86%) was observed in 0.5 mg/ml after 8h of exposure. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an enzyme which is involved in neurotransmission. It is present in the cholinergic synapses in the central nervous system as well as in neuromuscular synapses where it rapidly hydrolyzes acetylcholine. Inhibition of AChE in the parasite results in muscular paralysis and the parasite lose its biochemical hold fast and get expelled from the host.

This study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin E and selenium on Japanese quail broilers. This trial was conducted in 525 Japanese quail birds from day- old to five weeks of age. Experimental birds were randomly divided into seven groups viz.T1Control:  Basal diet (standard Japanese quail ration), T2 Basal diet with vitamin E 150mg/kg, T3 Basal diet with vitamin E 300 mg/kg, T4 Basal diet with selenium 0.3mg/kg, T5 Basal diet with selenium 0.6mg/kg,T6 Basal diet with combination of vitamin E 150mg/kg and selenium 0.3mg/kg, T7 Basal diet with combination of vitamin E 300mg/kg and selenium 0.6mg/kg. Dietary supplementation with the combination of vitamin E 300mg/kg and selenium 0.6mg/kg resulted in significantly higher body weight, better feed efficiency, livability percentage and also enrichment of alpha-tocopherol and selenium level of liver, thigh and breast muscles in the Japanese quail broilers.