Clausena anisata is a medicinal plant used traditionally to treat myiasis and as an insect repellent by various communities. We have previously demonstrated the effects of C. anisata extracts on blowfly feeding and development in our laboratory. The impact of C. anisata leaf extracts on populations of different fly species on farms in Mpumalanga, South Africa was investigated in this study under field conditions. Flies were exposed to liver baits treated with acetone leaf extracts of C. anisata (150 mg/mL). Fly numbers and composition on two farms, with and without C. anisata treated liver, were compared during a period of 12 weeks when fly populations were expected to be high. Observations were made on fly behaviour and development, adult sizes and numbers. The flies exposed to liver treated with the leaf extract of C. anisata had a decreased rate of development, prolonged larval period, smaller body sizes and more sluggish behaviour compared to those subjected to the control treatment. No significant differences were, however, found between the numbers and sizes of flies on the treated and on the control farm, which was most likely due to the limited nature of the baiting programme we followed. The effects of C. anisata extracts on blowfly behaviour and development observed in previous laboratory studies were confirmed in this field evaluation. Although the extracts did not have a significant effect on the overall population size in this experiment, we believe that the C. anisata leaf extract could be useful in integrated pest management based on its effect on larval development. In addition, species such as Lucilia cuprina and Chrysomya marginalis seemed to have been repelled by the C. anisata treated liver; as a result, further work should explore this aspect and how it can be used for the protection of animals.

The pharmacokinetic aspects of tulathromycin(2.5 mg/kg) administered alone and in combination with flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg/kg) after a single subcutaneous (SC) administration, werestudied in clinically healthy goats. The animals were divided into two groups: the 1st group was given tulathromycin alone and the 2nd group was given tulathromycin concurrently with flunixin meglumine. Serum concentrations of tulathromycin were determined using microbiological assay method. Tulathromycin was rapidly absorbed with a half-life of absorption (t(0.5)ab) of 0.54 h and the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 3.7ug/ml was attained after 0.98 h (Tmax). Flunixin significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin by increasing its absorption and delay its elimination from body where t0.5(ab)were 0.54 and0.34 h and the elimination half-lives (t0.5(el)) were 1.35 and 1.8 h, for alone and combination groups, respectively. Significant decreases (39.8%) in the area under the curve (AUC) and (22.6%) in the elimination rate constant (Kel) from the central compartment were found following coadministration with flunixin compared with administration of tulathromycin alone. It was concluded that the combination of tulathromycin and flunixin negatively altered the kinetics of tulathromycin.

Campylobacteriosis is assumed to be mainly a food-borne disease. Also the importance of milk as a source of human Campylobacter enteritis was confirmed by the European Union summary report on food-borne disease outbreaks. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to detect the prevalence of Campylobacters in milk and milk products. A total of 250 samples (100 milk, 50 Domiati cheese, 50 kareish cheese and 50 ice-cream) were collected from the different collection points in El-Minia and Beni-Suef Governorates. The samples were examined by microbiological culture method, and presumptive isolates were further confirmed by genetic amplification (PCR) using specific primers of hippuricase gene.The overall prevalence of Campylobacter species were 13% in raw milk, 52% in kareish cheese, 18% in Domiati cheese and 6% in ice-cream. PCR amplification of hipO gene of isolated C. jejuni from the milk and milk products samples had been shown identical fingerprints with human isolates at 323bp, which indicates the zoonotic hazards of Campylobacter jejuni in Egypt.

Omphalitis is a major cause of increased first week-chick mortality. Omphalitis, navel-yolk sac infection, is a hatchery-born disease, and also known as ‘mushy chick disease’ or ‘navel ill’. It is a common disease of chicks and poults, often artificially hatched chicks, causing high losses in the brooding period, as a bacterium penetrates the porous egg shell. As incubation conditions are suitable for bacterial growth and incubating eggs as well, various bacteria, such as E. coli, staphylococci, Proteus, Clostridium fecali and Pseudomonas may be involved in the yolk sac infection. The present study aimed to determine bacterial causes of omphalitis through isolation and identification of such pathogens. Therefore, samples from 216 yolk sacs were collected from chicks with unabsorbed yolk materials that could even smell putrid. Among those, 196 (90.7%) were positive; 135 (62.5%) harboured single bacterial strains and 61 (28.2%) had mixed infections. The most prevalent single bacterial isolates were E. coli (110 isolates) and P. aeruginosa (11 isolates). Meanwhile, the most predominant mixed bacterial strains were E. coli with Salmonella spp. (16 isolates; 7.4%) and E. coli with P. aeruginosa (13 isolates; 6%). Other mixed infections were found in low percentages. Most E. coli strains were Congo red-positive and non-haemolytic. Different E. coli serogroups were serologically identified including O27 (4 isolates; 20%), O157 (3isolates; 15%), O26 (3 isolates; 15%) and one isolate of each of the following; O78, O6, O125, O44, O15, O115, O25, O168, O112 and O63 (each of 5%). Different Salmonella serogroups were identified including S. cremieu (2 isolates) and one isolate of each of the following S.enteritidis, S. blegdam, S. senftenberg, S. kingston and S. emek.

In the current study, a total of 20 and 78 milk samples were collected from animals showed signs of clinical and subclinical mastitis, for isolation and identification of different causative pathogens in some dairy farms of Beni-Suef Governorate, and for investigation of in vitro sensitivity. The recovered microorganisms were Staphylococcus species (n=79; 80.61%), Enterococcus spp. (n=28; 28.57%), CAMP negative Streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=7; 7.14%), E. coli (n=3; 3.06%) and Proteus vulgaris (n=1; 1.02%). Antibiogram profile for S. aureus showed that the most effective drug was vancomycin and the least was penicillin. Trials were done to detect biofilm production for recovered isolates of S. aureus (n=23) by the use of a phenotypic method (Congo red agar, CRA) and genotypic methods through determination of some biofilm related genes using PCR. All recovered S.aureus isolates were seeded on the CRA media to detect the biofilm forming ability. It has been found that all tested isolates showed a biofilm forming ability either strong (13; 56.52%) or intermediate (10; 43.48%). The detection of some biofilm associated genes (icaA, icaD and bap genes) using polymerase chain reaction revealed that two (10.53%) isolates out of 19 were negative for all tested genes, 16 (84.21%) isolates harbored both icaA and icaD gene, while only one (5.26%) isolate had all tested genes.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Haemonchus contortus infection on rams’ haematological, biochemical and clinical parameters and reproductive performances. A total number of 12 Barbarine rams (control and infected) were included in the experiment. The infected group received 30 000 H. contortus third-stage larvae orally. Each ram’s ejaculate was immediately evaluated for volume, sperm cell concentration and mortality rate. At the end of the experiment (day 82 post-infection), which lasted 89 days, serial blood samples were collected in order to assess plasma testosterone and luteinising hormone (LH) concentrations. There was an effect of time, infection and their interaction on haematological parameters (p < 0.001). In infected rams, haematocrit, red blood cell count and haemoglobin started to decrease from 21 days post-infection. There was an effect of time and infection for albumin. For total protein, only infection had a statistically significant effect. For glucose, only time had a statistically significant effect. Concentrations were significantly lower in infected rams compared to control animals. A significant effect of infection and time on sperm concentrations and sperm mortality was observed. The effect of infection appears in time for sperm concentrations at days 69 and 76 post-infection. Sperm mortality rate was significantly higher in infected animals at day 46 post-infection when compared to control group (p < 0.05). Finally, plasma testosterone traits (average concentration, cumulated levels during the sampling period and pulse frequency) were depressed in infected rams when compared to control counterparts; none of these endocrine traits were affected for plasma LH.

Between 2005 and 2006, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in domestic ruminants in agropastoral communities of Serengeti district, Tanzania to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in domestic–wildlife interface villages. Both the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Competitive Enzyme Linked-immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA) were used to analyse 82 human and 413 livestock sera from four randomly selected villages located along game reserve areas of Serengeti National Park. Although both cattle (288) and small ruminants (125) were screened, seropositivity was detected only in cattle. The overall seroprevalence based on c-ELISA as a confirmatory test was 5.6%. In cattle both age and sex were not statistically associated with brucellosis seropositivity (P = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.8 and 0.33; 95% CI = 0.6, 3.7, respectively). Overall herd level seropositivity was 46.7% (n = 7), ranging from 25% to 66.7% (n = 4–10). Each village had at least one brucellosis seropositive herd. None of the 82 humans tested with both RBPT and c-ELISA were seropositive. Detecting Brucella infection in cattle in such areas warrants further investigation to establish the circulating strains for eventual appropriate control interventions in domestic animals.