The north-western part of South Africa, in particular, is well known for mineral imbalances. Aphosphorosis, resulting in rickets and osteomalacia, received a lot of attention at the turn of the nineteenth century (1882-1912). This was followed in 1997 by research on Vryburg hepatosis, another area-specific mineral imbalance-related disease in young calves reared on manganese-rich soil derived from the weathering of dolomitic (carbonate) rock formations. In 1982, a totally new syndrome (osteochondrosis) manifested in, amongst others, areas in South Africa where aphosphorosis was rife. Osteochondrosis was also identified in the south-western parts of Namibia as well as southern Botswana and other areas in South Africa. Osteochondrosis has a multifactorial aetiology and this study focused on the role of minerals, particularly phosphorus, in the development of the disease. A significant improvement in the clinical signs in experimental animals and a reduction of osteochondrosis occurred on farms where animals received bioavailable trace minerals and phosphorus as part of a balanced lick. An increase in the occurrence of the disease on farms during severe drought conditions in 2012-2013 prompted researchers to investigate the possible role of chronic metabolic acidosis in the pathogenesis of the disease.

A descriptive study was conducted to identify the different strains of Echinococcus granulosus occurring in livestock in Moroto district, Uganda.Echinococcus cysts from 104 domestic animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and camels, were taken and examined by microscopy, polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism and Sanger DNA sequencing. Echinococcus granulosus genotypes or strains were identified through use of Bioinformatics tools: BioEdit, BLAST and MEGA6. The major finding of this study was the existence of a limited number of E. granulosusgenotypes from cattle, goats, sheep and camels. The most predominant genotype was G1 (96.05%), corresponding to the common sheep strain. To a limited extent (3.95%), the study revealed the existence of Echinococcus canadensis G6/7 in three (n = 3) of the E. granulosus-positive samples. No other strains of E. granulosus were identified. It was concluded that the common sheep strain of Echinococcus sensu stricto and G6/7 of E. canadensiswere responsible for echinococcal disease in Moroto district, Uganda.

The nematode, Haemonchus contortus, is responsible for major economic losses in the livestock industry. The management of parasites such as H. contortus has been through the use of synthetic parasiticides. This has resulted in the presence of residues in meat and milk, which affects food safety. The development of resistance to available anthelmintics coupled with their high cost has further complicated matters. This has led to the investigation of alternative methods to manage nematodes, including the use of plants and plant extracts as a potential source of novel anthelmintics. Acetone extracts were prepared from 15 South African plant species and their anthelmintic activity determined using the egg hatch assay (EHA). The leaf extract of Cleome gynandra had the best inhibitory activity (68% ± 3%) at a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL, followed by the stem extract of Maerua angolensis (65% ± 5%). The extracts had a relatively low toxicity on Vero cells determined by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cellular assay.

A study was carried out to analyse the efficacy of neem leaf powder, administered in a capsule against coccidiosis in young goats as well as to identify the species of coccidia found in a selected private farm in Sungai Siput, Perak. A total of seven Eimeria spp were found, in faecal samples from the experimental goats, namely; E. arloingi,E. hirci, E. alijevi, E. christenseni, E. jolchijevi, E. ninakohlyakimovae and E. caprina at a rate of 40%, 23%, 14%, 7%, 5% and 2% respectively. Two types of treatment for coccidiosis, herbal and synthetic, were given to 24 young goats for a period of 8 weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a herbal product, that is the neem leaf powder capsule, a product of the Veterinary Research Institute.Results show that there is no significant differences (p>0.01) between neem capsule treatment and a synthetic drug (sulphurbased) treatment in treating coccidiosis infection. This study shows that neem leaf powder can be an effective substitute for controlling coccidiosis in goats

In 2014, a total of 16 riverterrapins (Batagur affinis), locally calledtuntung sungai, died due to variouscauses and a post mortem was carriedout. Complete diagnostic evaluationof parasitological and bacteriologicalfindings were recorded. Significantparasitological findings consisted of seventerrapins showing presence of Ascarid(Sulcascaris sulcata) and Strongyle(Oesophagostomum sp.) worms in the gutcontents. Strongyle and strongyloides eggswere detected using McMaster’s method onfaeces of 12 terrapins. Bacterial culturesfrom organs indicated the presence ofE. Coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis,Staphylococcus chromogenes, Aeromonashydrophila (4+) dan E.Coli (4+). Thisindicates that common parasites andbacteria are important in the conservationprogrammes for river terrapins andmeasures to curb the infection is highlyrecommended. Continuous data collectionwill enable its management and assessmentin control programmes for a more effectiveconservation programmes.

This study was conducted to investigate whether dietary enzymes alter the caecal microbial profile of broilers fed sorghum-based diets. Four sorghum-based diets (918 g sorghum/kg diet) were prepared. One was the control diet and three had enzymes (xylanase, phytase andprotease) added. Broilers, 35-day-old, were reared (8 birds/cage) in an environmentally controlled shed and randomly allocated to replicated (n=4) assay diets and free access to feed and water all time. On day-42, birds were euthanized and caecal contents collected, pooled on a per/pen basis and frozen (-20 °C). The DNA was extracted from caecal samples using a bead-beating protocol and the V2V3 regionof the bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplified by PCR. Amplicons were separated on sequence difference using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and microbial profiles generated and compared.The DGGE profiles, when analysed, indicated that there was approximately 80% similarity between caecal microflora in all types of the diet treatments. This suggests that there was no overalldifference between any of the profiles and therefore the addition of different types of feed enzymes in a sorghum-based diet had no impact on the overall composition of the broiler caecal microflora.

Nematode eggs in liver tissues of two wild rats were recorded atthe Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Kota Bharu from 2014 to 2015. A total of 15 (2014) and 48 (2015) wild rats were examined by the laboratory for routine screening of zoonotic pathogens such as Leptospira sp. and others. On histological examination of the haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained liver tissues, masses of parasitic nematode eggs were observed. The shell of the eggsis striated with shallow polar prominences at either end. Numerous mini-pores can be seen on the outer shell as well. The eggswere identified as Capillaria hepatica (C. hepatica) nematode eggs, which causes hepatic capillariasis in rodents and numerous other mammal species, including humans. The wild rats were alsoshown to harbour Salmonella enteritidis from the intestine, E. coli from the lung and liver but none had leptospirosis by PCR. The purpose of this report is to highlight a common nematode of wildrats that is Capillaria hepatica infection in wild rats in Kelantan diagnosed by the Kota Bharu Regional Laboratory, in orderto create the awareness on concurrent parasitic infections which may cause reduced immunity thereby creating higher risk for other zoonotic pathogens such as leptospirosis.

OBJECTIVE To compare expression, activity, and fecal concentration of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) between healthy dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE). ANIMALS 9 healthy university-owned Beagles and 109 healthy client-owned dogs (controls) and 28 dogs with CE (cases). PROCEDURES Cases were defined as dogs with persistent (> 3 weeks) gastrointestinal signs that failed to respond to antimicrobials and anti-inflammatory doses of prednisolone or dietary trials, did not have mechanical gastrointestinal abnormalities as determined by abdominal radiography and ultrasonography, and had a diagnosis of lymphoplasmacytic enteritis or eosinophilic gastroenteritis on histologic examination of biopsy specimens. Duodenal and colonic mucosa biopsy specimens were obtained from the 9 university-owned Beagles and all cases for histologic examination and determination of IAP expression (by real-time quantitative PCR assay) and activity (by enzyme histochemical analysis). Fecal samples were obtained from all dogs for determination of fecal IAP concentration by a quantitative enzyme reaction assay. RESULTS For dogs evaluated, IAP expression and activity were localized at the luminal side of epithelial cells in the mucosa and intestinal crypts, although both were greater in the duodenum than in the colon. Active IAP was detected in the feces of all dogs. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase expression and activity were lower for cases than for controls, and fecal IAP concentration for dogs with moderate and severe CE was lower than that for dogs with mild CE. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that dogs with CE had impaired IAP expression and activity. Additional research is necessary to elucidate the role of IAP in the pathogenesis of CE.

OBJECTIVE To measure thrombin generation by high and low tissue factor (TF)–expressing canine cancer cell lines. SAMPLE Canine cell lines CMT25 (high TF–expressing mammary gland tumor cell line) and HMPOS (low TF–expressing osteosarcoma cell line). PROCEDURES Thrombin generation by cancer cells was measured in pooled normal canine plasma by use of calibrated automated thrombography without added trigger reagents. Results were expressed as lag time, time to peak thrombin concentration, peak thrombin concentration, and total thrombin concentration or thrombin generation potential. Corn trypsin inhibitor, hirudin, and annexin V were used to inhibit contact activation, thrombin formation, and phosphatidylserine activity, respectively. Pooled normal human plasma deficient in coagulation factors VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, or XII was used to assess the role of individual coagulation factors on thrombin generation. RESULTS CMT25 generated significantly more thrombin than did HMPOS (mean ± SD, 3,555 ± 604nM thrombin•min and 636 ± 440nM thrombin•min, respectively). Thrombin generation of CMT25 was dependent on factor VII and phosphatidylserine and was independent of contact activation. In contrast, thrombin generation of HMPOS was attributed to contact activation. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE High TF-expressing canine mammary cancer cells generated thrombin in a plasma milieu in vitro in a factor VII- and phosphatidylserine-dependent manner. These findings support a role for TF in hypercoagulability detected in dogs with mammary gland tumors and potentially for other tumors that strongly express TF.