Vaccination of domestic ruminants is considered to be an effective strategy for protecting these animals against Rift Valley fever (RVF), but available vaccines have limitations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the safety and immunogenicity of RVF virus (RVFV) mutagenesis passage 12 (MP-12) and arMP-12ΔNSm21/384 vaccine candidates in goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in Tanzania. Goats were vaccinated intramuscularly with RVFV MP-12 or arMP-12ΔNSm21/384, and then on Day 87 post-vaccination (PV) all animals were revaccinated using the RVFV MP-12 vaccine candidate. Serum samples were collected from the animals before and after vaccination at various intervals to test for RVFV using a Vero cell culture assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and for RVFV-neutralising antibody using a plaque reduction neutralisation assay. Serum samples collected before vaccination on Days -14 and 0, and on Days 3, 4 and 5 PV were negative for RVFV and neutralising antibody. All animals remained healthy, and viremia was not detected in any of the animals. Rift Valley fever virus antibody was first detected on Day 5 PV at a 1:10 dilution in five of five animals vaccinated with the MP-12 vaccine and in five of eight animals vaccinated with arMP-12ΔNSm21/384. Titres then increased and were sustained at 1:40 to 1:640 through to Day 87 PV. All animals that were revaccinated on Day 87 PV with MP-12 developed antibody titres ranging from 1:160 to as high as 1:10 240 on Days 14 and 21 PV. Although the antibody titres for goats vaccinated with RVF MP-12 were slightly higher than titres elicited by the arMP-12ΔNSm21/384 vaccine, these findings demonstrated that both vaccines are promising candidates for the prevention of RVF among Tansanian goats.

The present study aimed to determine the effect of adding plant oils; extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), sunflower and soybean to animal feed on serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) levels, histological structure of ovaries and in vitro maturation of oocytes (IVM). A total of 60 mature female Albino rats were used. Animals were divided equally into 5 groups; control group (received standard diet), group II (received EVOO), group III (received sunflower oil), group IV (received soybean oil) and group VI (received oil mixture which consist of sunflower and soybean oils). After 6 weeks of feeding oil addited diet, blood samples were collected from all rats throughout the different stages of estrous cycle. Sera were used for determination of serum E2 and P4 levels. Only females that were not in estrus were scarified after the last blood sample collection, ovaries were harvested for histopathological examination and for in vitro maturation. Results showed that none of oils led to ovarian changes except soybean oil and oil mixture, cause congestion of some ovarian blood vessels. It was also noted that the hormonal pattern didn’t differ significantly among different treatments within the same stage of the cycle, except for the group received oil mixture where E2 and P4 levels decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during metestrus and diestrus phases, respectively. In the treated groups, the highest significant (P < 0.05) oocyte recovery rate (RR) (5.43 ± 0.23% and 4.41± 0.13%) and maturation rate (MR) (79.17 ± 2.03% and 73.43 ± 1.97%) were attained after application of EVOO followed by sunflower oil, respectively. While the lowest values were calculated with the soybean oil and oil mixture (3.83 ± 0.13 % and 2.50 ± 0.16 %) and (68.18 ± 2.29 % and 62.50 ± 2.23 %), respectively. It could be concluded that EVOO as well as sunflower oil have a beneficial influence on ovarian functional performance, retrieval of high number of good quality oocytes and raise oocyte maturation.

The objective of this study was to detect the influence of age, breed and season on sexual behaviour, testosterone concentrations and scrotal circumference in Egyptian rams. The study was carried out at agricultural research center belonging to Minia University, Shosha village, Samalut city, El-Minia. Ten crossbred and five adult Ossimi rams were used during this study. Every ram was allowed to breed two ewes to evaluate its sexual behaviour for a twenty minutes test. Blood samples were collected three times per season at two weeks interval from each ram during the period of experiment to measure testosterone concentrations. Also, scrotal circumference was measured at the same frequency and time interval as blood samples. Sexual behaviour was better in old rams than young ones (p<0.01), but it was not affected by breed or season (p>0.05). Serum testosterone level was higher at autumn (7.13±02.9 ng/ml) than at winter (5.54±0.29 ng/ml) in crossbred rams (p<0.01), while in Ossimi rams, higher level was obtained in spring (8.24±.39 ng/ml) than in summer (3.99±0.40 ng/ml). Mean scrotal circumference was higher in older rams (30.20±1.20 cm) than younger rams (22.53±1.27 cm). There was no significant difference for measures of scrotal circumference between crossbred rams (30.86±1.09 cm) and Ossimi rams (30.93±1.06 cm). Season had no significant effect on scrotal circumference in crossbred rams, whereas in Ossimi rams the effect of season was significantly obvious with the highest and lowest values were recorded in spring (31.0±1.05 cm) and winter (30.60±1.17 cm) respectively. It could be concluded from this study that the age of rams had a great influence on their sexual behaviour and scrotal circumference, while the effect of breed and season on sexual behaviour and scrotal circumference was not clear.

The current study aimed to describe the normal cross sectional anatomy, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of fetlock joint in adult camel from both sexes. The study was carried out on twelve fetlock joints of fresh cadavers from three camels. The case history of these camels indicated that they were grossly normal with no orthopedic disorders. The cadaveric fetlock joints (n=12) were scanned using CT scanner and a 1 Tesla MRI scanner, injected with colored latex and sectioned into transverse, dorsal and sagittal slices. Cross anatomical sections were correlated with their corresponding CT and MR images for evaluation of the normal relevant anatomical structures which appeared with different signal intensities on CT and MRI scans. The current study revealed that all major soft tissues in fetlock joint of camel were clearly visualized on both CT and MR images, except the short and cruciate sesamoidean ligaments which could not be identified on both CT and MR images. The anatomical sections with the corresponding CT and MR images obtained in this study could be used as a reference for diagnosis and interpretation of clinical diseases in fetlock joint of camel.

Butorphanol is a synthetic opioid commonly used for epidural anesthesia in human either alone or in combination with bupivacaine but not in goat. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of epidural butorphanol either alone or in combination with bupivacaine. Fifteen adult apparently healthy goats were randomized into three equal groups to receive a lumbosacral epidural injection of bupivacaine 0.5 % (0.5 mg/kg), butorphanol 1% (0.08 mg/kg) or their combination (bupivacaine 0.25 mg/kg and butorphanol 0.04 mg/kg). Animals were observed for incoordination of hind limbs, perineal pin prick and sedation at 10 minutes interval. Heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature were assessed every 15 minutes. Epidural butorphanol resulted into significantly (P <0.05) rapid analgesia (9.8 ± 1.1 Min) than the butorphanol– bupivacaine combination (12.8 ± 0.84 Min) and bupivacaine (16.6 ± 0.55). Butorphanolbupivacaine combination provoked significant ((P < 0.05) prolonged intense analgesia (208 ± 8.36 Min) compared to either bupivacaine (112 ± 8.37) or butorphanol (166 ± 5.48 Min). Ataxia accompanied administration of bupivacaine either alone or in combination with butorphanol, while sedation was observed in animals received butorphanol alone or combined with bupivacaine. No significant changes were observed in heart rate, respiratory rate or rectal temperature. The epidural administration of butorphanol-bupivacaine combination promoted longer-lasting analgesia in goats without motor disturbances compared to bupivacaine alone. This combination might prove useful clinically to provide analgesia in goats for long-duration perineal obstetrical or surgical procedures.

The aim of the present study was to compare the microbiological quality and safety of chicken products collected from a poultry processing plant and from the retail market. The collected samples represented 120 chicken product samples (mortadella, frankfurters, burgers, nuggets, fillet and fajita); 60 samples were collected from a poultry processing plant and 60 samples were from retail markets. For assessing the microbiological quality of these products, total bacterial count (TBC), most probable number (MPN) of coliforms and total mold and yeasts were determined. While, for evaluating the safety of collected products, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. As well as, sensory evaluation of collected products was carried out. It was found that the bacterial counts in samples collected from processing plants were lower than corresponding samples collected from retail market. For instance, the obtained mean values of TBC in processing plant samples were 1x10, 4x102, 2x10, 2x10, 3x10 and 6x10 CFU/g in case of chicken mortadella, chicken frank, chicken nuggets, chicken burger, chicken fillet and chicken fajita, respectively. While for retail market samples, TBC mean values were 2x10, 2x10, 3x10, 3x10, 4x10 and 3x10 CFU/g in chicken mortadella, chicken frank, chicken nuggets, chicken burger, chicken fillet and chicken fajita, respectively. It was evident that most of examined chicken product samples either from processing plant or retail markets were contaminated with investigated foodborne pathogens, namely; Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, in addition to contamination with mold and yeasts. In conclusion, the rate of contamination of chicken products from retail markets was higher than corresponding products obtained from processing plant, which is attributed to contamination of chicken products through bad handling during transportation, storage and marketing, as well as growth of contaminants as a result of improper storage conditions including temperature and humidity.

The present study aimed to describe the normal cross sectional anatomy and magnetic resonance imaging of pastern and coffin joints in dromedary camel. This study was conducted on twelve distal limbs (fore and hind) of fresh cadavers from three adult camels of both sexes. The specimens appeared normal without orthopedic disorders. Twelve distal limbs were scanned using a 1 Tesla MRI scanner and then injected with colored latex to be sectioned into sagittal, dorsal and transverse slices. Cross anatomical sections were matched with their corresponding MR images for identification and evaluation of the clinically relevant anatomical structures that appeared with different signal intensities on MRI scans. The present study showed that all major soft tissues in pastern and coffin joints of camel were clearly depicted on MR images, however, the palmar/plantar ligaments of pastern joint and ligaments of navicular cartilage could not be identified on MR images. The annotated cross anatomical sections with the corresponding MR images could be used as a normal reference for interpretation of some clinical diseases in pastern and coffin joints of camel.

E. coli infections in avian species are an economic threat to the poultry industry worldwide. The spread of MDR bacteria has been recognized as an increasing problem in the veterinary and medical fields. The current study aimed to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial patterns of avian Pathogenic E. coli isolated from broiler chickens. Results of in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that E. coli isolates were more sensitive to imipenem only (72.4%). On the other hand, they were highly resistant to most of used antimicrobials including ciprofloxacin (95.9%), amikacin (94.9%), cefotaxime sodium (92.9%), gentamicin (89.9%), cefotriaxone (89.9%), topramycin (87.8%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprime (85.7%), ceftazidim (84.7%). Also, they were resistant to cefoprazone (79.9%), doxycycline (72.4%) and amoxycillin/clavulinic acid (69.4%). All the tested isolates of E. coli (100%) were multi drug resistant (MDR). PCR was applied on 15 MDR E. coli isolates to determine 4 genes responsible for antibiotic resistance included ampC, blaCTX, blaSHV and tetA (A). The results revealed that that ampC and blaCTX genes were the most prevalent found in all isolates (100%) while tetA (A) and blaSHV genes were harbored in 14 isolates (93.3%).

Mycobacterium bovis is the main cause of tuberculosis in wildlife. In South Africa, African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) are a wildlife maintenance host while a number of other species are considered spillover hosts. Nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), a large antelope species from Southern Africa, is frequently traded and can be infected with M. bovis. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assays that detect cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses to M. bovis infection have shown promise in elephants, rhinoceroses and buffaloes. The BOVIGAM® assay is a commercial IFN-γ release assay designed to detect tuberculosis in cattle and has been validated in buffaloes. We tested the suitability of the BOVIGAM® assay to detect native IFN-γ release in nyala. Blood samples collected from 17 nyalas were stimulated with different mitogens and IFN-γ release measured. We found that incubating whole blood with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and calcium ionophore (PMA/CaI) resulted in the highest levels of IFN-y release. Samples stimulated with tuberculin purified protein derivatives of M. bovis (PPDb) and M. avium (PPDa) did not show significant IFN-γ production. An intradermal tuberculin test (IDT) and culture of tissues from 15 of the 17 culled nyala were also performed, which supported the findings of the BOVIGAM® assay, suggesting the potential value of this assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in nyala.