In Zimbabwe, there have been no chlamydiosis and limited brucellosis studies in goats. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of the two diseases in goats at three different livestock–wildlife interface areas: porous, non-porous and non-interface in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe. Collected sera (n = 563) were tested for Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and the complement fixation test (CFT); and for Chlamydia abortus antibodies using the CFT. All tested goats were negative for Brucella antibodies. Overall, chlamydial seroprevalence was 22%. The porous [c2 = 9.6, odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, p = 0.002] and non-porous (c2 = 37.5, OR = 5.8, p < 0.00001) interfaces were approximately three and six times more likely to be chlamydial seropositive than the non-interface area, respectively. Chlamydial seroprevalence was not associated with sex (c2 = 0.5, OR = 1.2, p = 0.5), abortion history in female goats (c2 = 0.7, OR = 1.3, p = 0.4), keeping goats with cattle (c2 = 0.2, OR = 1.5, p = 0.7) or flock size (c2 = 0.03, OR = 1.4, p = 0.9). Our study provides the first serological evidence of chlamydiosis in goats in Zimbabwe and the results suggest that proximity to wildlife is associated with increased chlamydial seropositivity. Further studies are required to determine the role of chlamydial infection on goat reproductive failure and that of wildlife on C. abortus transmission to domestic ruminants.

Source Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/595372/) | International audience | In Zimbabwe, there have been no chlamydiosis and limited brucellosis studies in goats. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of the two diseases in goats at three different livestock–wildlife interface areas: porous, non-porous and non-interface in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe. Collected sera (n = 563) were tested for Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and the complement fixation test (CFT); and for Chlamydia abortus antibodies using the CFT. All tested goats were negative for Brucella antibodies. Overall, chlamydial seroprevalence was 22%. The porous [c2 = 9.6, odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, p = 0.002] and non-porous (c2 = 37.5, OR = 5.8, p < 0.00001) interfaces were approximately three and six times more likely to be chlamydial seropositive than the non-interface area, respectively. Chlamydial seroprevalence was not associated with sex (c2 = 0.5, OR = 1.2, p = 0.5), abortion history in female goats (c2 = 0.7, OR = 1.3, p = 0.4), keeping goats with cattle (c2 = 0.2, OR = 1.5, p = 0.7) or flock size (c2 = 0.03, OR = 1.4, p = 0.9). Our study provides the first serological evidence of chlamydiosis in goats in Zimbabwe and the results suggest that proximity to wildlife is associated with increased chlamydial seropositivity. Further studies are required to determine the role of chlamydial infection on goat reproductive failure and that of wildlife on C. abortus transmission to domestic ruminants.

In Zimbabwe, there have been no chlamydiosis and limited brucellosis studies in goats. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of the two diseases in goats at three different livestock–wildlife interface areas: porous, non-porous and non-interface in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe. Collected sera (n = 563) were tested for Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and the complement fixation test (CFT); and for Chlamydia abortus antibodies using the CFT. All tested goats were negative for Brucella antibodies. Overall, chlamydial seroprevalence was 22%. The porous [c2 = 9.6, odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, p = 0.002] and non-porous (c2 = 37.5, OR = 5.8, p 0.00001) interfaces were approximately three and six times more likely to be chlamydial seropositive than the non-interface area, respectively. Chlamydial seroprevalence was not associated with sex (c2 = 0.5, OR = 1.2, p = 0.5), abortion history in female goats (c2 = 0.7, OR = 1.3, p = 0.4), keeping goats with cattle (c2 = 0.2, OR = 1.5, p = 0.7) or flock size (c2 = 0.03, OR = 1.4, p = 0.9). Our study provides the first serological evidence of chlamydiosis in goats in Zimbabwe and the results suggest that proximity to wildlife is associated with increased chlamydial seropositivity. Further studies are required to determine the role of chlamydial infection on goat reproductive failure and that of wildlife on C. abortus transmission to domestic ruminants.

Background and Aim: Dog ectoparasites are a major concern regarding the emergence of several vector-borne zoonotic diseases associated with domestic dogs. Information on the quantified assessment of ectoparasite collection methods from dogs remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ”3-minute method” for col- lecting dog ectoparasites in the human and wildlife border interface in Northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: The ”3-minute method” (TMM) was compared with the bath- ing-combing method (BCM) in 31 domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area, comprising 4 villages in Nan province, Thailand, from July 2022 to July 2023. All ectopara- sites were collected, and morphological identification was confirmed. The percentage of agreement between TMM and BCM was calculated using Kappa. A seasonal comparison of ectoparasite infestation was conducted using the TMM method. Results: Comparatively, the diversity of ectoparasites collected by TMM was revealed to be similar to the BCM method: ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Hae- maphysalis spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Dermacentor spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae)), fleas (Cten- ocephalides felis orientis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)), and lice (Heterodoxus spp. (Phthiraptera: Boopiidae)). More ectoparasites were collected by the BCM than by the TMM method. The average efficiency percentages of TMM and BCM were 12.8% and 87.2%, respectively. The observed percentage agree- ment between BCM and TMM was very good (K = 0.9) for ticks, good (K = 0.7) for fleas, and moderate (K = 0.5) for lice. The diversity of ectoparasites in dogs living in the domestic dogs-wildlife interface area showed that there were 4 species of ectoparasites collected in the dry season compared to 6 species in the rainy season. Conclusion: The fast-body search for 3 minutes is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method for the identification and study of the diversity and abundance of ectoparasites from owned dogs when compared to bathing and combing methods with Amitraz. This method can be used as a non-invasive technique to collect ectoparasites from domesti- cated dogs for further study. Sharing ectoparasites from wildlife to domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area has reported.

Source Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/612069/) | International audience | Background and Aim: Dog ectoparasites are a major concern regarding the emergence of several vector-borne zoonotic diseases associated with domestic dogs. Information on the quantified assessment of ectoparasite collection methods from dogs remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ”3-minute method” for col- lecting dog ectoparasites in the human and wildlife border interface in Northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: The ”3-minute method” (TMM) was compared with the bath- ing-combing method (BCM) in 31 domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area, comprising 4 villages in Nan province, Thailand, from July 2022 to July 2023. All ectopara- sites were collected, and morphological identification was confirmed. The percentage of agreement between TMM and BCM was calculated using Kappa. A seasonal comparison of ectoparasite infestation was conducted using the TMM method. Results: Comparatively, the diversity of ectoparasites collected by TMM was revealed to be similar to the BCM method: ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Hae- maphysalis spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Dermacentor spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae)), fleas (Cten- ocephalides felis orientis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)), and lice (Heterodoxus spp. (Phthiraptera: Boopiidae)). More ectoparasites were collected by the BCM than by the TMM method. The average efficiency percentages of TMM and BCM were 12.8% and 87.2%, respectively. The observed percentage agree- ment between BCM and TMM was very good (K = 0.9) for ticks, good (K = 0.7) for fleas, and moderate (K = 0.5) for lice. The diversity of ectoparasites in dogs living in the domestic dogs-wildlife interface area showed that there were 4 species of ectoparasites collected in the dry season compared to 6 species in the rainy season. Conclusion: The fast-body search for 3 minutes is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method for the identification and study of the diversity and abundance of ectoparasites from owned dogs when compared to bathing and combing methods with Amitraz. This method can be used as a non-invasive technique to collect ectoparasites from domesti- cated dogs for further study. Sharing ectoparasites from wildlife to domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area has reported.

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden's index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types. (Résumé d'auteur)

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden’s index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types.

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden’s index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types.