The prevalence of nasal carrier status of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pigs has been described elsewhere, but is unknown in South Africa. To address concerns that exist regarding the zoonotic risk that carriers pose to workers, the herd-level prevalence of MRSA was determined among 25 large (> 500 sows) commercial pig herds in South Africa, representing 45% of the large commercial herds in the country. From each herd, the nasal contents of 18 finisher pigs were sampled at the abattoir, pooled into three and selectively cultured to determine the presence of MRSA. A herd was classified as MRSA-positive if one or more of the three pooled samples cultured positive. Three of the 25 herds tested positive for MRSA, equating to a 12% herd prevalence (95% CI: 7% - 23%) among South African commercial piggeries. The prevalence of nasal MRSA carriers among large commercial pig herds in South Africa was low compared to what has been reported elsewhere and suggests a relatively low zoonotic MRSA risk to workers in South African commercial piggeries and abattoirs.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the major trans-boundary animal diseases in East Africa causing economic loss to farmers and other stakeholders in the livestock industry. Foot-and-mouth disease occurs widely in both Uganda and Tanzania with annual outbreaks recorded. With the recent introduction of the Progressive Control Pathway for FMD control (PCP-FMD) in eastern Africa, knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of FMD at the border area between Uganda and Tanzania is helpful in framing engagement with the initial stages of the PCP. Retrospective data collected between 2011 and 2016 from four districts located along the border areas of Uganda and Tanzania, recorded 23 and 59 FMD outbreaks, respectively, for the entire study period. Analysis showed that 46% of the 82 recorded outbreaks occurred in 20% of sub-counties and wards immediately neighbouring the Uganda-Tanzania border and 69.5% of the outbreaks occurred during the dry months. While the serotypes of the FMD virus responsible for most outbreaks reported in this region were not known, previous research reported South African Territory (SAT) 1, SAT 2 and O to be the serotypes in circulation. The results from this study provide evidence of the endemic status of FMD on the Uganda-Tanzania border and emphasise that the border area should be given due consideration during FMD control drives and that cross-border coordination should be prioritised. With the limited data on circulating serotypes in this area, there is a need for more vigilance on FMD case detection, laboratory diagnostic confirmation and provision of more complete documentation of outbreaks. This work further recommends more studies on cross-border livestock movement coupled with phylogenetics in order to understand the spread of the FMD in the border area.

Xenomonitoring is an important approach in assessing the progress of trypanosomiasis control as well as in estimating the endemicity of trypanosomes in affected areas. One of the major challenges in this approach is the unavailability of sensitive and easy to use xenomonitoring tools that can be used in the remote areas where the disease occurs. One tool that has been used successfully in detecting the parasites in tsetse flies is the repetitive insertion mobile element loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RIME LAMP). This tool has recently been modified from the liquid form to dry form for use in remote areas; however, uptake for use in the field has been slow. Field-collected tsetse flies were used to evaluate the performance of dry RIME LAMP over the conventional liquid RIME LAMP. All the samples were also subjected to internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a standard. ITS1-PCR-positive samples were further sequenced for confirmation of the species. A total of 86 wild tsetse flies were left to dry at room temperature for 3 months and DNA was extracted subsequently. All 86 flies were Glossina morsitans morsitans. From these, dry RIME LAMP detected 16.3% while liquid RIME LAMP detected 11.6% as infected with trypanosomes. Ten positive samples on ITS1-PCR were sequenced and all were shown to be trypanosomes. The use of dry RIME LAMP in the field for xenomonitoring of trypanosomes in tsetse flies will greatly contribute towards control of this neglected tropical disease as it provides the cheapest, fastest and simplest way to estimate possible human infective trypanosome infection rates in the tsetse fly vectors.

Ozobranchus spp. are leeches that feed solely on turtle blood. They are common ectoparasites found on a range of marine turtle species, with some species of the leech being implicated as vectors of fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus (FPTHV). Green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles are the two commonly occurring species in the inner granitic islands of the Seychelles. Routine monitoring of nesting turtles on Cousine Island, Seychelles, allowed for opportunistic sightings of leeches on two hawksbill females. In both cases infestation was low, with three leeches collected off one female turtle and five off the other. No obvious signs of papillomas secondary to infection of FPTHV were seen. All of the turtle leeches collected were determined to be Ozobranchus margoi as they had five pairs of lateral digiform branchiae. The specimens were deposited in the Seychelles Natural History Museum on Mahé. To the best of our knowledge this is the first record of Ozobranchus margoi recorded in the inner granitic Seychelles on hawksbill turtles.

In Bangladesh, veterinarians often claim to reduce the mortality of natural peste des petits ruminants (PPR) outbreaks with the help of supportive fluid and electrolyte therapy. Information on haematological and biochemical parameters of PPR-infected goats, which is often altered because of associated tissue damages, is necessary to formulate the appropriate supportive therapy. This study determined the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of Black Bengal goats naturally infected with PPR virus. Blood and serum samples from 13 PPR-affected Black Bengal goats from 13 field outbreaks and 5 healthy goats were collected and analysed by routine haematological and biochemical examination. Haematological analysis of PRR-affected goats showed severe anaemia characterised by significant decrease in the values of haemoglobin, total erythrocyte counts (TECs) and packed cell volume (PCV). On the contrary, PPR-affected goats showed marked leucocytosis with absolute increase in lymphocytes and neutrophils counts compared to the healthy goats. Biochemical analysis revealed significant decrease in total protein and albumin level and increased creatine kinase, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase that mirrored the gross and histopathological changes in the PPR-affected goats. Significant increase in the values of sodium and chloride ions was found in the sera of PPR-infected goats. Peste des petits ruminants virus altered the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of the infected goats. Antidiarrheal agents with aqua solution together with other drugs to support liver and kidney function could help improve therapy of PPR-infected goats.

In this article, the main amphistome species infecting domestic and wild ruminants in East and Southern Africa, their snail intermediate hosts and epidemiological features are reviewed and discussed. Twenty-six amphistome species belonging to nine genera from three families occur in domestic and wild ruminants in the region under review and over 70% of them belong to the genera Calicophoron, Carmyerius and Cotylophoron. Of the amphistome species, 76.9% are shared between domestic and wild ruminant hosts - an important observation when considering the different options for control. Seven freshwater snail species belonging to four genera from two families act as intermediate hosts of the identified amphistome species, with the genus Bulinus contributing 57% of the snail species. Some of the snails are intermediate hosts of amphistome species belonging to the same genus or to different genera; a phenomenon not yet fully elucidated as some snails are reported to be naturally infected with amphistome cercariae of unidentified species. Only nine (34.6%, 9/26) of the amphistome species have known snail intermediate hosts, while most (65.4%, 17/26) have unknown hosts. Species of intermediate hosts and the potential of the flukes to infect these hosts, the biological potential of the snail hosts, the definitive hosts management systems and their grazing habits are considered to be the main factors influencing the epidemiology of amphistomosis. Based on the epidemiological features of amphistome infections, various practical control options are discussed. Further research is necessary to determine amphistome-snail associations, develop diagnostic tests that can detect prepatent infections in the definitive host, determine the burden and economic importance of amphistomosis in domestic and wild ruminants and the efficacy of different anthelmintics in the treatment of patent infections.

The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Peste des Petits Ruminants in different breed of goats based on age, sex, seasonal variation and vaccination status at Upazilla Veterinary Hospital, Pirojpur Sadar, Bangladesh during the period from January 2015 to December 2015. A total of 319 cases of different breed of goats were recorded in which 43 (13.48%) were infected by Peste des Petits Ruminants. The diagnosis of Peste des Petits Ruminants was performed based on clinical history, clinical signs and some laboratory techniques. The major clinical signs were high fever, nasal discharge, rapid breathing, mouth lesions and bloody diarrhea.The prevalence was highest in Black Bengal goat (6.90%) compare to Jamunapari (3.76%) and crossbreds (2.82%). Female goats were more susceptible (60.47%) than the male goats (39.53%). 5 months to 11 months aged goats showed highest prevalence (48.84%) followed by 1 to 3 years aged goats (27.91%) and 0 to 4 months aged goats (23.26%). In winter season, the prevalence was highest (55.81%) compare to summer (25.58%) and rainy season (18.60%). The non-vaccinated goats were more susceptible (90.91%) than the vaccinated goats (9.09%).Those prevalence of Peste des Petits Ruminants in different breed of goats based on age, sex, seasons and vaccination will help clinician to know the occurrence of Peste des Petits Ruminants in this area and will help them to take proper preventive measures.

In this study, prevalence of clinical diseases and disorders of goat at upazilla veterinary hospital, Pirojpur, Bangladesh were calculated and analyzed based on age, sex and seasonal variation during the period from June, 2014 to May, 2015. The protocol of disease diagnosis was mainly based on clinical sings, physical examination and some common laboratory techniques. Total 277 clinical cases (diseases and disorders) of goat were recorded for this study.The prevalence of medicinal, surgical and gynecological cases were 47.29%, 41.16% and 11.55%; respectively. In medicinal cases, prevalence of diarrhea was highest (22.90%) compare to bloat (13.74%), pestedes-petites ruminant (13.74%), shipping fever (12.98%), fever (11.45%), conjunctivitis (11.45%), mite infestation (10.69%) and tetanus (3.05%). Female (63.36%) and older goat (54.20%) were more susceptible to different types of medicinal cases. In surgical cases, prevalence of castration was highest (52.63%) compare to abscess (17.54%), dog bite (16.67%) and foot rot (13.16%). Summer season represented highest surgical case (49.12%) prevalence followed by winter season (33.33%) and rainy season (17.54%). In gynecological cases, prevalence of retained placenta was highest (37.50%) compare to vaginal prolapsed (31.25%) and dystocia (31.25%). Seasonal variation was also observed in gynecological cases and summer season (50%) represented highest case prevalence followed by winter season (37.5%) and rainy season (12.50%).Those prevalence of different diseases and disorders of goat will helpful for clinician to know the disease occurrence according to goat’s age, sex and seasonal variation in this area and will help them to take proper preventive measures against those diseases and disorders.

This study was carried out to determine the prognostic importance of troponin enzyme levels in lambs with White Muscle Disease (WMD). Materials and Methods: This study consisted of 50 male and female lambs aged 0-3 months old, 30 of which had clinical white muscle disease (Group I) and 20 of which were healthy (Group II – Control Group). Group I was composed of lambs that showed clinical symptoms of the disease. The disease was also identified by laboratory analysis. The lambs in this group were treated and the course of the disease was followed for 15 days.Compared with the control group, the Group I before treatment results were as follows: AST, LDH, CK, CK-MB, Troponin I and T (P<0.001) were high, while GSH-Px (P<0.001), SOD (P<0.01), Se (P<0.01), Retinol and Tocopherol were low. Compared with the control group, the Group I After Treatment results were as follows: AST, CK, Troponin T (P<0.001) were high, LDH (P<0.01) was high and GSH-Px (P<0.01) was low. Comparing Group I Before Treatment and After Treatment results, AST, CK, CK-MB and Troponin I (P<0.001), as well as GSH-Px, SOD and Se (P<0.01) were high. It was determined that LDH decreased and Tocopherol increased. Whereas Vitamin D3 was determined to be insignificant in all three groups, the levels of CK-MB, Troponin I, Retinol, SOD and Se were insignificant in the After Treatment and control groups, and the Troponin T and retinol values were measured to be insignificant in the Before Treatment and After Treatment groups.To conclude, measuring the AST, CK, CK-MB, LDH values as well as Troponin can be an important parameter for the identification and prognosis of WMD.

The present study was designed to assess the therapeutic efficacy of Randia dumetorum, Tinospora cordifolia and commercial herbal medicine (Prajana HS, Indian Herbs Overseas) for induction of cyclicity in anoestrus buffalo heifers.Fourty eight anoestrus buffalo heifers were examined and redistributed into six groups(G0, G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5) and each comprising of eight (n=8) animals. Untreated anoestrus animals (G0) andcyclic animals (G6) were kept as an anoestrus control and cyclic control, respectively. Group G1 wassupplemented with the mineral mixture, while G2, G3, G4, and G5 groups were treated with Prajana HS, Randiadumetorum,Tinospora cordifolia,and the combination of Randia dumetorum andTinospora cordifolia,respectively along with supplementation of mineral mixture. Overall estrus induction and conception rate were recorded as 50 % and 75 % in mineral mixture (G1),75 and 83.33 % in Prajana HS (G2), 87.50 % and 85.71 % in Randia dumetorum (G3), 62.5% and 80% inTinospora cordifolia (G4), and 87.5% and 85.71% in Randia dumetorum and Tinospora cordifolia combination(G5) whereas none of heifers were exhibited estrus symptom in untreated anoestrus control group.