Infectious diseases of livestockare a major threat to global animal health and welfare and their effective control is crucialfor agronomic health, for safeguarding and securing national and international food supplies and for alleviating rural povertyin developing countries. Some devastating livestock diseases are endemic in many parts of the world and threats from old and new pathogens continue to emerge, with changes to global climate, agricultural practices and demography presenting conditions that are especially favourable for the spread of arthropod-borne diseases into new geographical areas. Zoonotic infections that are transmissible either directly or indirectly between animals and humans are on the increase and pose significant additional threats to human health and the current pandemic status of new influenza A (H1N1) is a topical example of the challenge presented by zoonotic viruses (Tomley and Shirley, 2009). Malaysia, being one of the members of the World Organisation forAnimal Health (OIE) which is responsible for setting standards for control of animal diseases. For year 2017, the list included 116 animal diseases, infections and infestations, many of which are zoonotic in nature. As such, this paper discusses the commonzoonotic infections diagnosed in the five Regional Veterinary Laboratories which are spread across the country and entrustedto carry out diagnostic tests to aid in the treatment and control of animal diseases. A total of almost half a million samples weretested comprising more than a million tests to help the Department of Veterinary Services control and eradicate economically important diseases to safeguard the animal population. Of these, zoonotic diseases comprise a small but significant entity which needs careful attention (Chandrawathani et al., 2017) Dora Tan (1981) reported that among the many zoonotic diseases prevalent in Malaysia, are leptospirosis, rabies, influenza, Japanese encephalitis, toxoplasmosis,ornithosis, Q fever and monkeypox which have been investigated at the lnstitute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur. The regional laboratories have full capability to conduct tests to confirm parasitic, viral and bacterial infections except for rabies andavian influenza, which was diagnosed in the Veterinary Research Institute. However, preliminary tests for avian influenza wascarried out in regional laboratories.

Malaysia has experienced four waves of H5N1 outbreak but no humandeaths were recorded which is in 2004, 2006, 2007 and latest outbreak in 2017 at Kelantan. The objective of this paper is tocollect, analyse and summarise the data of HPAI cases from the outbreak from 1 March to 22 June 2017. A total of 1,634 cases, 8,544 samples were received at the Registration Unit and Virology Section, Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Kota Bharu (RVLKB) for diagnosis and surveillance of H5N1 during this period. The samples received were pooled organs and intestines from post-mortem (41 cases) and cloaca swabs in tryptose phosphate buffer from surveillance (1,593 cases), which were sent to RVL, Kota Bharu and Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh, Perak (VRI). They were processed and diagnosed using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT qPCR) technique to detect and subtyping of the virus. Total positive cases for H5N1 were 53 out of 1,634 with 18 diagnostic cases and 35 surveillance cases. All positive cases during outbreak were detected from 43 locations from six districts of Kota Bharu, Bachok, Pasir Puteh, Pasir Mas, Tumpat and Tanah Merah, with 19 locations in Kota Bharu which is thehighest affected by H5N1, seven locations in Bachok, four in Pasir Putih, six in PasirMas, six in Tumpat and one in Tanah Merah. Many factors could have led to the acute spread of the virus between the districts like chicken smuggling, legal and illegal poultry trade, migration of infected wild birds and others. Understanding the source of outbreak and how it spread is important to control, eradicate and prevent the spread of the disease as it is zoonotic and infects human.

Histopathological changes were studied in Swiss albino mice (N:36)which were challenged with the South Indian local strain of Trypanosoma evansi. Each animal was infected with 5×105 trypanosomes intraperitoneally. The animals were examined daily for development of clinical signs and infection status by wet blood-films made from the tail veins. The infected mice were dull and depressed from two days post-infection (DPI) onwards. Systematic post-mortem examination of the infected mice was performed and pathological changes were recorded. The different tissue samples were collected in 10% formalin and were used to study the histopathological changes. Postmortem examination from 3-4 DPI (the maximum period of observation) revealed splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, marked congestion of lungs, presence of fl uid in peritoneal cavity. Histopathologically, heart muscles showed hyaline degenerative changes and haemorrhages. Liver parenchyma revealed congestion of central vein and sinusoids, binucleated hepatocytes and fatty change of hepatic cells. Thickening of interstitial space with mononuclear infiltration, areas of collapse, areas of emphysema, edema and dilated and congested blood vessels were the histopathological changes noticed in the lungs of the infected mice. In the spleen, giant cells aggregation, hyperplasia, thickening of capsule and trabecule were the changes indicating irreversible degeneration. The affected kidney showed inter-tubular hemorrhages in the cortex, medullary hemorrhages, congested glomerulus, atrophied glomerulus, desquamated tubular epithelium and disruption of renal tubules at some places.

The emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in 2004 draws attention to the safety of rearing edible bird nest swiftlets within the vicinity of human dwellings in urban areas. There is also concern on the safety of the product itself. Convenient sampling of edible bird nest swiftlets (A. fuciphagus and A. maximus) was conducted by the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry from September 2004 until June 2011. A total of 137 samples
were collected from four premises and two natural caves in four locations, namely Tawau, Kunak, Sandakan and Penampang. The samples were collected for Egg Innoculation Tests for H5N1 and Newcastle Disease (ND). All samples yielded negative results for both diseases.