Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomosis (nagana) has been the cause of stock losses in the recent past and still presents a major problem to livestock owners in certain areas of KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. Over 10 000 cattle mortalities were reported in the 1990 nagana outbreak. Although information on the distribution and abundance of the tsetse flies Glossina brevipalpis and Glossina austeni in KwaZulu-Natal exists, data on their vector competence are lacking. This study aimed to determine the rate of natural Trypanosoma congolense infection by field-collected as well as colony-reared flies of these species. A total of 442 field-collected G. brevipalpis and 40 G. austeni flies were dissected immediately after collection to determine their infection rates, whilst 699 G. brevipalpis and 49 G. austeni flies were fed on susceptible animals in 10 and four batches, respectively, for use in xenodiagnosis experiments. Teneral colony flies were fed on infected animals and dissected 21 days post infection to confirm their infectivity testing. Glossina austeni harboured 8% immature and mature infections. In G. brevipalpis, the infection with the immature stages was lower (1%) and no mature infections were observed. Although all four batches of G. austeni transmitted T. congolense to four susceptible animals, no transmission resulted from 10 batches of G. brevipalpis fed on susceptible cattle. Colony-derived G. austeni (534) and G. brevipalpis (882) were fed on four bovines infected with different T. congolense isolates. Both G. austeni and G. brevipalpis acquired trypanosome infection from the bovines, with immature infection ranges of 20% – 33% and 1% – 4%, respectively. Parasites, however, only matured in G. austeni (average = 4%). Glossina austeni plays a larger role in the epidemiology of animal trypanosomosis in KwaZulu-Natal than G. brevipalpis and therefore more focus should be aimed at the former when control measures are implemented.

Myiasis-causing larvae were extracted from dogs attending veterinary clinics in Plateau State, Nigeria and subjected to molecular analysis involving polymerase chain reaction amplification of the 28S rRNA gene of blowflies, cloning and sequencing techniques. All larvae were confirmed as Cordylobia anthropophaga Blanchard (Diptera: Calliphoridae) after the initial morphological identification. This is the first molecular identification of any myiasis-causing fly species in Nigeria and may serve as a reliable alternative to morphological identification where samples are not well preserved or difficult to identify to species level.

The risk to consumers of antimicrobial residues in table eggs produced in Khartoum State, Sudan, was studied. All producing layer farms (n = 175) in the state were sampled in April, June and August 2008. A total of 933 eggs from 335 layer houses were screened for antimicrobial residues by using the growth inhibition of Geobacillus stearothermophilus var. calidolactis in-house test. A high proportion of layer farms (72% in April, 61% in June and 66% in August) and layer houses (63% April, 59% in June and 61% in August) were found to have antimicrobial residues, with no significant difference in prevalence (p = 0.57) between study periods. The study showed that the consumer was at constant risk of exposure to antimicrobial residues in table eggs. The paper discusses reasons for the high prevalence of antimicrobial residues in Sudanese eggs and its implications, and makes recommendations to address this important public health problem.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cryopreservation at approximately -196 °C in liquid nitrogen (N) and freezing at approximately -20 °C in a freezer, on the viability and survival of eight different mastitogenic bacteria inoculated in milk. Bacteria were frozen at approximately -20 °C in a freezer and cryopreserved at approximately -196 °C in liquid nitrogen. An effective preservation method was needed for follow-up samples from cows identified in the South African National Milk Recording Scheme (NMRS) with somatic cell counts above 250 000 cells/mL milk. The organisation responsible for sample collection of the NMRS milk samples also provides producers with liquid nitrogen for their semen flasks at the collection sites. This existing mode of storage and transport could therefore be utilised.Ten samples of each organism were thawed and cultured bi-weekly until week 18 for both temperature treatments. An additional sampling was performed at week 30 for samples frozen at approximately -20 °C. Freezing and cryopreservation did not impair subsequent isolation of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus (STH) (phage type lytic group III) or Sta. aureus (STA) (phage typed, other than lytic group III). Survival was indicated by the isolation of bacteria from samples, and viability by the strength of growth of the bacteria isolated. The survival of Streptococcus agalactiae decreased after week 12 and Escherichia coli after week 16 of freezing, but both organisms survived under cryogenic preservation until week 18. Coagulase-negative staphylococci survived until week 18 for both freezing and cryogenic preservation.Both storage methods could thus contribute to the improvement of a pro-active approach towards udder health management in South African dairy herds.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in urban Harare and five selected rural communities in Zimbabwe and to assess public awareness of the disease. Sera from randomly selected dogs were tested for antibodies to the serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona of Leptospira interrogans using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical chemistry was performed on all seropositive and selected seronegative sera to screen for hepatic and renal insufficiency. A questionnaire- based survey was conducted in Harare to assess dog owners’ awareness of leptospirosis and other zoonoses. Overall, 15.6% of sera samples tested (39 out of 250; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.0% – 20.2%) were positive for leptospiral antibodies. A significantly higher (p 0.05) seroprevalence was recorded in urban dogs than in rural dogs (25% vs. 11.2%). No significant difference in seroprevalence was observed amongst dogs from different rural communities or between sexes of dogs. There was a significant association between seropositivity and hepatic and/or renal insufficiency (p 0.01), with dogs having hepatic and/or renal insufficiency being approximately twice as likely to be seropositive (relative risk = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.3–3.0). Of the dog owners, 78.8% (119/151) were aware of zoonoses. Except for rabies (92.4%), awareness of leptospirosis (5.0%) and other zoonoses amongst these owners was low. This study showed that leptospirosis was present and represented a risk to dogs from urban Harare and the selected rural communities in Zimbabwe. Availing training programmes for dog owners would be beneficial in improving disease control and reducing the public health risk of pet zoonoses.

Trypanosomosis is a parasitic disease that causes serious economic losses in livestock, especially in sub-Saharan countries. This study was conducted from October 2010 to March 2011 in the Diga and Sasiga districts of the East Wollega zone in western Ethiopia to determine the prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis and its vectors. A total of 386 blood samples were collected from randomly selected animals. Packed cell volume (PCV) was determined and samples were examined for the presence of trypanosomes using the buffy coat technique. Out of 386 blood samples, 8.55% tested positive for trypanosomes. The majority of the infections were caused by Trypanosoma congolense (72.73%), followed by Trypanosoma vivax (27.27%). There were no statistically significant differences (p 0.05) between districts, altitudes, sexes and ages, but the prevalence was significantly higher (p 0.05) in cattle which were in poor body condition. The mean PCV value of infected animals (21.45 ± 3.62 s.d.) was significantly lower (p 0.05) than that of non-infected animals (26.60 ± 4.60 s.d.). A total of 1151 flies were caught by deploying 21 monoconical shaped traps. Of these flies, 822 (71.42%) were Glossina, whilst the remaining flies were either Stomoxys (17.20%) or Tabanus (11.38%). The overall apparent densities of tsetse and biting flies were 1.45 and 0.58 flies per trap per day, respectively. In conclusion, this study confirmed that trypanosomes and their vectors are prevalent and still pose a threat to cattle production in the area. Therefore, proper strategies have to be designed and implemented to minimise their effect on livestock production.

Brucellosis is an endemic disease in Zimbabwe caused by the genus Brucella. Brucella seroprevalence was recently reported to be high in the wildlife-livestock interface in the Chiredzi district and the neighbouring Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe, and higher amongst communal cattle with an abortion history and access to grazing in GNP than amongst communal cattle with no abortion history or access to grazing in GNP. The aim of this study was to investigate Brucella species in brucellosis seropositive cattle in the Chiredzi district with access to GNP using isolation and identification. Isolation of Brucella species from whole blood (n = 18) and milk samples (n = 10) from seropositive animals with an abortion history was based on the rose Bengal test (RBT) and enzyme-linked immunoassays (enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]; indirect ELISA and complement ELISA), using microbiology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Brucella abortus was cultured and identified from blood and milk collected from seropositive cows in both communal areas. The Brucella-specific 16-23S intergenic spacer (ITS) PCR and multiplex AMOS-PCR assays verified the identification of the cultures. Our results confirmed that B. abortus is present in cattle on communal farms in the Chiredzi district in Zimbabwe and might cause cattle abortions. The need for implementing control measures and raising public awareness on zoonotic transmission of brucellosis are recommended.

With on-going changes in land use practices from conventional livestock farming to commercial, wildlife-based activities, the interface or interaction between livestock and wildlife is increasing. As part of the wildlife-based activities of ecotourism, breeding and hunting, game farmers are also exploring the utilisation of meat from hunted or harvested game. The expanding interface or increased interaction between livestock and wildlife increases the risk of disease incidence and the emergence of new diseases or the re-emergence of previously diagnosed diseases. The risk is not only related to domestic and wild animal health, but also to the occupational hazards that it poses to animal handlers and the consumers of game meat. This review endeavours to highlight the role that game plays in the spreading of zoonotic diseases to other animals and humans. Examples of zoonotic diseases that have occurred in wild animals in the past, their relevance and risk have been summarised and should function as a quick reference guide for wildlife veterinarians, ecologists, farmers, hunters, slaughter staff, processors and public health professionals.

Histochemical patterns of lectin binding during development of the rat vomeronasal organ (VNO) were studied to determine whether glycoconjugates are differently expressed after birth. Three types of lectins, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), and Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I), were studied histochemically in the rat VNO at various stages post-birth: postnatal days 1 and 7, the preweaning period (4 weeks after birth), and at sexual maturity (8 weeks after birth). The free border of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium was positive for both WGA and UEA-I in rats of all ages; whereas, VNO receptor cells and supporting cells were positive only for both WGA and UEA-I from 4 weeks after birth. DBA reactivity was detected in the free border but less so in receptor cells and supporting cells. WGA and UEA-I, but not DBA, showed similar patterns in various ages. In the Jacobson's gland, WGA, UEA-I and DBA were detected in some acini from 4 weeks after birth but not at postnatal days 1 or 7. Collectively, reactivity for three lectins, WGA, UEA-I and DBA, increased in receptor cells and gland acini during postnatal development, possibly contributing to the enhanced chemoreception in rats.

Rabies is a major zoonotic disease that causes approximately 55,000 human deaths worldwide on an annual basis. The nucleocapsid protein and glycoprotein genes of the Korean rabies virus (RABV) have been subjected to molecular and phylogenetic analyses. Although the phosphoprotein (P) has several important functions in viral infection and pathogenicity, the genetic characterizations of the P of Korean RABV isolates have not yet been established. In the present study, we conducted genetic analyses of P genes of 24 RABV isolates circulating in the Republic of Korea (hereafter, Korea) from 2008 to 2011. This study revealed that the P genes of Korean RABVs are genetically similar to those of RABV strains of lyssavirus genotype I including V739 (dogs, Korea), NNV-RAB-H (humans, India), NeiMeng925 (raccoon dogs, China), and RU9.RD (raccoon dogs, Russia). Among Korean isolates, the RABV P genes showed low variability in the variable domains among Korean isolates; they had specific consensus sequences and amino acid substitutions capable of identifying geographic characteristics and retained specific sequences thought to be important for viral function. These results provide important genetic characteristics and epidemiological information pertaining to the P gene of the Korean RABV.