Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis is an acute, febrile disease of warm blooded animals including humans. Social norms and poverty in addition to climatic factors such as soil conditions, seasons of year, ambient temperature and rainfall influence the persistence of the B. anthracis and anthrax outbreaks. The present study was designed to reveal the factors influencing the repeated outbreak of anthrax in Bangladesh. Considering the previous outbreaks of anthrax, Sirajganj, Bogra, Kushtia, Tangail and Mymensingh districts of Bangladesh were selected for this study. To elucidate the factors, qualitative data relating to the animal management, knowledge and behavior of the people; and quantitative data relating to soil conditions, ambient temperature and rainfall were acquired, and analyzed critically. Based on the outbreak histories, a year was divided into two seasons, anthrax prone season (May-November) and anthrax dry season (December-April). Anthrax spores could be isolated from 11.67% (n=14/120) of the soil samples collected from the study areas. The present study revealed that poor knowledge, lack of awareness, improper carcass disposal, inadequate vaccination, high Ca content and moisture in the soil along with high ambient temperature and rainfall during the anthrax prone season were the possible influencing factors of repeated outbreaks of anthrax in the study areas. Intensive propaganda to create public awareness of anthrax together with proper vaccination may reduce anthrax outbreaks in Bangladesh.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of calving difficulty or dystocia on the vitality of newborn calves and its association with blood pH, the apparent efficiency of immunoglobulin G (IgG) absorption (AEA), and weight gain. A total of 45 calving events (N = 48 calves) were monitored from the first sight of fetal membranes. All calves were assessed at the time of first attaining sternal recumbency (SR), at 2 and 24 h, and at 7 and 14 d of age. Measurements included time to SR, rectal temperature, respiration and heart rate, analysis of blood gases and other blood measures, suckling response, time to standing, passive transfer of IgG, and weight gain. Calves were separated from their dam 2 h after birth and fed a commercial colostrum replacer containing 180 g of IgG by esophageal tube feeder. Calves born following dystocia had lower venous blood pH and took longer to attain SR and attempt to stand than those born unassisted. Duration of calving interacted with the number of people required to extract the calf by pulling as a significant predictor of pH at SR. No association was found between pH at SR and AEA. However, reduced AEA was found in calves that were female and in calves that did not achieve SR within 15 min of birth. A longer calving duration, being born in July or August rather than June, and a shorter time spent standing in the first 2 d of life were significantly associated with reduced weight gain to 14 d. It was concluded that factors at calving impact the physiology, vitality, and subsequent weight gain of newborn calves.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are used to monitor sensory function and are often recorded under general anesthesia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of isoflurane on SSEPs in calves as it has not been reported. Eight calves (mean age: 40 days), were included in the study. Calves were anesthetized with a randomized sequence of four different isoflurane partial pressures. Blood gas analysis was performed before each measurement. SSEP were induced by repeated stimulation of the common dorsal digital nerve III. SSEPs were recorded from the lumbo-sacral junction (s-SSEP) and the head (c-SSEP). Latency and inter-amplitude of each peak were measured. For s-SSEP: One negative (Nsp1) and two positive (Psp1 and Psp2) peaks were identified in all tracings except for two calves. There was a significant effect of isoflurane on the latency of Psp2 (P = 0.01). Inter-amplitude decreased significantly with PaO2, PaCO2 and temperature (P < 0.05). Psp2 latency decreased with PaO2 (P = 0.01). For c-SSEP: two positive (Pc1 and Pc2) and two negative (Nc1 and Nc2) peaks were identified. There were identifiable peaks for the analysis of Pc1 latencies only. There was a significant positive linear relation between end-tidal isoflurane partial pressure (ETiso) and Pc1 latency (P = 0.04). None of the co-variables had a significant effect on the latency of Pc1 (P > 0.1). Isoflurane has a major impact on the recording of c-SSEP. Recording should be done at the lowest ETiso as possible, and anesthesia parameters should be kept constant.

Avian influenza outbreaks have occurred during winter months, and effective disinfection of poultry premises at freezing temperatures is needed. The commercial disinfectants Virkon and Accel, supplemented with an antifreeze agent [propylene glycol (PG), methanol (MeOH), or calcium chloride (CaCl2)], were evaluated for their effectiveness in killing avian influenza virus (AIV) at −20°C or 21°C. An AIV suspension was applied to stainless steel disks, air-dried, and covered with a disinfectant or antifreeze agent for 5 to 30 min. Virkon (2%) and Accel (6.25%) with 30% PG, 20% MeOH, or 20% CaCl2 inactivated 6 log10 AIV within 5 min at −20°C and 21°C. At these temperatures PG and MeOH alone did not kill AIV, but the 20% CaCl2 solution alone inactivated 5 log10 AIV within 10 min. The results suggested that CaCl2 is potentially useful to enhance the effectiveness of disinfection of poultry facilities after outbreaks of AIV infection in warm and cold seasons.

A primary fibroblast cells from embryos of brown quail Coturnixypsilophora has been established and partially characterized. The cells were maintained in Modified Eagle’s medium (MEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were able to grow at temperatures between 35°C and 38°C with optimum temperature of 37°C. The growth rate of primary quail fibroblast cells increased as the FBS proportion increased from 5% to 20% at 37°C with optimum growth at the concentrations of 10% or 15% FBS. The cells showed no microbial contamination throughout the period of experiment and the total chromosome number of a diploid cell was 78, according to karyotyping and chromosome analysis. The susceptibility of quail primary cells for avian viruses was investigated in this study after inoculation with ND and IB viruses. Both viruses showed a satisfactory CPE development and the infectivity were assayed by virus titration (TCID50). This suggests that the quail primary cells can be used for isolation of various avian viruses with further steps of infectivity confirmation in the future.

This report describes the parasitological and pathological information retrieved from the samples submitted to Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Bukit Tengah, Penang (MVKBT) followingan episode of histomoniasis in a small scale poultry farm. Liver and ceca from two dead turkey birds, water (n=5) and freshwater snails (Pomacea sp, n=7) were stored between 4°C to 10°C until analyzed. Soil samples (n=7) were preserved in 5% formalin and kept at room temperature prior to further testing. The soil samples were filtered through laboratory test sieves before the filtrates at each level were examined using direct microscopy. Portions of the liver were processed using routine paraffin technique for histopathological examination and found positive for Histomoniasis. Results from direct microscopy of the liver samples revealed Schistosoma mansoni ova, Sarcocystis sporocysts and Fasciola sp. Heterakis sp ova were detected from cecal content. Four out of seven soil samples were positive for Sarcocystis sporocysts, Coccidia oocyst, Strongyles ova and nematod larva. Water and freshwater snail samples were negative for cercaria of Schistosoma mansoni. This case was concluded as Histomoniasis, Sarcocystosis and helminthiasis with incidental finding of Schistosoma mansoni.

Quail closed-house system is a house that support quails’ optimumrequirements as far as temperature, relative humidity, ventilation and light are concerned. One of the four units of quail closed-house systems at the Institute of Poultry Technology, Malacca was used in this study. The objective of this project was to evaluate the performance of the quail closed-house system by comparing the condition of the house under current management condition and after the Standard Operating Procedure determined by DVS was adhered. Thehouse performance was evaluated by observing its ability to achieve an optimum temperature range of 20°C to 27°C with a relative humidity between 60% to 80% as perfect surroundings for quails. At the end of the experiments, the results showed a decline in internal temperature at almost 3°C and increasing in a relative humidity of 10% after all the specifications and procedures were followed.