Pathological findings in animals in Gaborone area.

Short Communication

A 7-year retrospective study was conducted to determine diseases causing mortalities in animals in Greater Gaborone area. Data came from necropsies records performed on 112 carcasses comprising of 15 cattle, 32 goats, 13 sheep, 9 pigs, 8 dogs, 24 poultry birds, 7 guinea fowls and 4 rabbits received from Notwane Farm of Botswana College of Agriculture and some private farms around Sebele, Gaborone. Helminthosis alone or in combination with either coccidiosis or heartwater were diagnosed in 48% (29 out of 60) ruminants. Two cattle, five sheep and ten goats had succumbed to death due to helminthosis only. Mixed helminthic and coccidial infections were observed in carcasses of six goat kids and two lambs. Helminthosis concurrent with heartwater was diagnosed in one cow and three goats’ carcasses. Haemonchus was found to be the most widely distributed helminthic parasite in single as well as in the mixed parasitic infections in both cattle and small stock in 69% (20 of 29) of the animals that died. Heartwater alone and in combination with helminthosis was the second most observed condition and 6 cattle, 5 sheep and 10 goats’ carcasses were infected. Coccidiosis, enterotoxaemia, and mixed Rotavirus and Cryptosporidium species were observed in 2 goats1 sheep and 2 young dairy calves’ carcasses, respectively. Other disease conditions diagnosed in bovines were metritis, pneumonia, hardware disease, and peritonitis. Colisepticaemia, streptococcal mastitis, heat stress, malnutrition/starvation, contagious ecthyma, and traumatic injuries were other conditions observed in sheep and goats. Necropsy and laboratory examination demonstrated pneumonic pasteurellosis, colibacillosis, warfarin (Rattex) poisoning, and septicaemia in pigs; transmissible venereal neoplasms, ancylostomosis, and canine distemper in dogs; chronic respiratory disease, egg peritonitis, pendulous crop, fatty liver syndrome, toxic fat syndrome, salmonellosis, vent picking, dehydration, and fowl pox in chickens; hypothermia, vent picking, and infectious coryza in guinea fowls and pasteurellosis and coccidiosis in rabbits. This study documents that helminthosis and heartwater asthe most common diseases observed in carcasses of animals submitted to Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA) Animal Health Clinic. However, this may not be a representative of actual infection and death occurring in the field since this study was not a control study. Nevertheless, these results signal the need to establish a properly designed disease management plan and an easily accessible veterinary extension network that focuses on efficient quality animal health services to the relevant stakeholders and implementation of more effective animal disease control measures.