This study was performed in the period February 2009 through January 2010 to determine the role of dairy cattle in transmitting listeriosis to man in Beni-Suef Governorate, Egypt. Individual milk samples and rectal swabs were gathered from 175 dairy cows (125 clinically diseased and 50 apparently healthy). A total of 75 kariesh cheese and 150 dairy shop milk samples were randomly collected from the same localities where the examined cattle were reared. Stool and blood samples were taken from 125 humans comprising 75 individuals residing in close contact with the examined cows and 50 feverish inpatients. The occurrence of Listeria spp. in the examined dairy cattle revealed that 1.14 % of individual milk samples harboured Listeria spp.; L. innocua (0.57 %) and L. seeligeri (0.57 %). None of rectal swabs revealed a positive result. L. monocytogenes could not be recovered from any of the examined cattle samples. Examination of kariesh cheese demonstrated a positive result to L. innocua (1.33 %). Concerning dairy shop milk examined, 5.33 % was Listeria spp.-positive; they were identified as L.monocytogenes (2.67 %), L. innocua (1.33 %) and L.seeligeri (1.33 %). Examination of humans revealed a positive result for L. welshimeri in a stool sample (0.8 %) taken from an apparently healthy woman while all the examined blood sampleswere Listeria-negative. It was concluded that listeriosis in Beni-Suef Governorate appears to be ofsporadic nature and that the potential of human exposure to Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes from dairy cattle is more likely to exist in dairy shop milk rather than being related to the animal itself.

The current investigation studied an outbreak of lumpy skin disease of cattle in Beni-Suef and Al-Fayium governorates from March up to September 2006. Epidemiological data over a total of 5500 cattle from all ages, breeds and sexes were investigated. Prevalence of lumpy skin antibodies was screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that revealed high exposure rates; 57% and 51.42% in Beni-Suef and Al Fayium governorates respectively Virus isolation was conducted on chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of specific pathogen free embryonated chicken egg (SPF-ECE) and MDBK cell culture. The virus identity was confirmed by passive haemagglutination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the infected CAM and MDBK cell culture. Experimental infection of rabbits was successful, demonstrating their possible roles in the epidemiological process of the disease.