Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate economic loss from liver condemnation due to Fasciolosis in slaughtered ruminants in Maiduguri abattoir, Borno State, Nigeria.Materials and methods: Three hundred (300) livers each of cattle, sheep and goats slaughtered were randomly selected and examined for the presence of Fasciola flukes. The infected livers were weighed and economic value in Nigerian Naira (?) and US Dollar (US$) were assessed.Results: An overall economic loss of ?602,400.00 (1,882.50 US$) per annum was incurred during the period under study from a total of 753 kg of liver condemned. Total of 428 kg and 325 kg of liver were condemned during dry and rainy seasons respectively, resulting in higher economic loss of (?342,400.00; 1,070 US$) in dry season and (?260,000.00; 812.50 US$) during rainy season. More liver were condemned in the adult cattle (372 kg) than in adult sheep (117 kg) and goats (108 kg) during the period of this study.Conclusion: Ruminant fasciolosis is endemic in Maiduguri, and high economic loss for the farmers and butchers are reported in this study. Strengthening and developing better control methods of fasciolosis in ruminants in Borno State is suggested.http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2017.d192

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the origin, course and distribution of the arteries supplying the stomach of the goat which is of extreme clinical importance for surgeon during caprine rumenotomy. Materials and methods: Fifteen adult goats were used in this study to demonstrate the arterial supply of the stomach by injection of the thoracic aorta with red gum milk latex after general anesthesia and slaughtering of the animals. Gross dissection of the arteries of the stomach was done to detect the origin, course and distribution of these arteries. Results: The study revealed that the rumen was richly supplied by the right and left ruminal arteries as well as ruminal branches from the reticular artery. The reticulum was supplied with reticular branches of reticular and accessory reticular arteries. The omasum was vascularized by omasal branches of the left gastric artery. While the abomasum received its entire arterial supply from abomasal branches of the left gastric, left gastroepiploic, right gastric and right gastroepiploic arteries.Conclusion: The stomach of the goat receives its arterial supply from the branches of the right ruminal, left ruminal, reticular, left gastric and hepatic arteries. Rumenotomy could be done in the left aspect of the dorsal ruminal sac, between the area of anastomoses of the terminal branches of the left and right ruminal arteries as the blood supply was minimal, so that bleeding will be low.http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2017.d194

Objective: This study was conceived to investigate the pathogenicity of relapsed (Diminazene aceturate-resistant), field (original) and mixed (relapsed and field) isolates of Trypanosoma brucei brucei in rats.Materials and methods: Twenty eight healthy adult albino rats of both sexes weighing between 149-177 gm were used to compare the pathogenicity of relapsed, field and the mixed isolates of T. brucei brucei infections. The rats were separated into four groups (A-D); where, group A was kept as uninfected control, and group B was infected with 1x103 trypanosomes of the field isolate and 1x103 trypanosomes of the diminazene aceturate resistant isolate. The rats of groups C and D were infected with 1x106 trypanosomes of the diminazene aceturate-resistant isolate and 1x106 trypanosomes of the field isolate, respectively.Results: The infected rats became parasitemic within 4 to 8 days post-infection. The mean pre-patent periods (PP) were 4.1±1.1, 6.0±2.0 and 9.1±1.1 days in groups B, C and D respectively, while the mean survival time (ST) in groups B, C and D were 21.4±10.1, 27.1±13.2 and 34.0 ±12.8 days, respectively. The PP and ST were shortest (P<0.05) in group B (mixed infections), and level of parasitemia was higher (P<0.05) in group B (mixed infections) as compared to groups C and D. The level of anemia was comparable (P>0.05) in groups C and D and more severe (P<0.05) in group B.Conclusion: Mixed infections exhibit shortest PP, ST, higher level of parasitemia and more severe anemia, and appear to be more pathogenic.http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2017.d197

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the chelating effect of silver nitrate (AgNO3) by chitosan on growth performances, hematological and biochemical parameters, and the histopathological structure of the liver and the kidney in broiler chicken.Materials and methods: A total of 192 day-old Cobb 500 strain chicks were randomly assigned to 3 treatments of 64 chicks each. Control group was fed on basal diet without supplement (R0) and the two others groups were fed on rations supplemented with 10 mg of unchelated (RAg) or chelated (RCs-Ag) AgNO3 per Kg of feed, respectively. Parameters that have been studied consisted of feed intake, weight gain, blood and serum biochemical, and histopathological analyses of liver and kidney.Results: Results revealed that chelation of AgNO3 by chitosan did not have any effect on growth performances and hematological parameters in chicken. However, chelated and unchelated AgNO3 increased the serum content in triglyceride, and cholesterol and decreased the serum content in creatinin, albumin and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT). Chelating AgNO3 with chitosan prevented and corrected the toxicity induced on the histological structure of liver and kidney.Conclusion: Chitosan can be used as a chelating agent to alleviate the harmful effects of AgNO3 as silver ion for poultry.http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2017.d210                   XML      PubReader

The objective of the study was to record the tick species collected from three species of tortoise, each in a different province of South Africa. Ticks were collected from leopard tortoises, Stigmochyles pardalis, in the southern region of the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga province; from hingeback tortoises, Kinixys zombensis, in the Enseleni Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal province and from angulate tortoises, Chersina angulata, in the West Coast National Park, Western Cape province. Of the 63 leopard tortoises examined, 58 were infested with Amblyomma marmoreum and 49 with Amblyomma hebraeum, and all stages of development of both species were recovered. Amblyomma nuttalli was collected from 25 hingeback tortoises, and all stages of development were present. All 24 angulate tortoises examined were infested with Amblyomma sylvaticum, and large numbers of larvae, nymphs and adults were collected. Three snake species and a sand lizard were also infested with A. sylvaticum. The adults of A. marmoreum, A. nuttalli and A. sylvaticum were identified as specific parasites of the family Testudinidae, whereas all stages of development of A. hebraeum were classified as generalists.

A retrospective study of clinical bovine dermatophilosis outbreaks and cases for the period 1995–2014 was conducted, using data obtained from the Division of Veterinary Services (DVS). A total of 3856 outbreaks and 26 659 cases of dermatophilosis were reported countrywide during this period. The post rainy season accounted for 37.9% of the outbreaks followed by the rainy season (26.7%), cold dry season (22.1%) and the hot dry season (13.2%). A retrospective space–time scan statistic in SaTScanTM was used to detect clusters. From this study, it was evident that dermatophilosis was spreading from the north-west of Zimbabwe through the central to the north-east during the period 2010–2014. Five clusters were identified mainly in the central and north-western regions of Zimbabwe. The primary cluster was centred at Ungwe, Gokwe district in Midlands; the second, third, fourth and fifth likely clusters were centred at Bonga (Mashonaland Central), ARDA (Mashonaland West), Nsenga (Matabeleland North) and Zanda in Gokwe, respectively. The findings of this study suggest the continued spread of dermatophilosis across the country; as such the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services are advised to develop measures aimed at managing this spread such as dipping, quarantine, movement control and raising farmer awareness.

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-positive, endospore-forming and soil-borne bacterium Bacillus anthracis. When in spore form, the organism can survive in dormancy in the environment for decades. It is a controlled disease of livestock and wild ungulates in South Africa. In South Africa, the two enzootic regions are the Kruger National Park and the Ghaap Plateau in the Northern Cape province. Farms on the Plateau span thousands of hectares comprising of wildlife – livestock mixed use farming. In 2007–2008, anthrax outbreaks in the province led to government officials intervening to aid farmers with control measures aimed at preventing further losses. Because of the ability of the organism to persist in the environment for prolonged periods, an environmental risk or isolation survey was carried out in 2012 to determine the efficacy of control measures employed during the 2007–2008, anthrax outbreaks. No B. anthracis could be isolated from the old carcass sites, even when bone fragments from the carcasses were still clearly evident. This is an indication that the control measures and protocols were apparently successful in stemming the continuity of spore deposits at previously positive carcass sites.

Campylobacter spp. are common pathogenic bacteria in both veterinary and human medicine. Infections caused by Campylobacter spp. are usually treated using antibiotics. However, the injudicious use of antibiotics has been proven to spearhead the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to detect the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in Campylobacter spp. isolated from chickens and human clinical cases in South Africa. One hundred and sixty one isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were collected from chickens and human clinical cases and then screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes. We observed a wide distribution of the tetO gene, which confers resistance to tetracycline. The gyrA genes that are responsible quinolone resistance were also detected. Finally, our study also detected the presence of the blaOXA-61, which is associated with ampicillin resistance. There was a higher (p 0.05) prevalence of the studied antimicrobial resistance genes in chicken faeces compared with human clinical isolates. The tetO gene was the most prevalent gene detected, which was isolated at 64% and 68% from human and chicken isolates, respectively. The presence of gyrA genes was significantly (p 0.05) associated with quinolone resistance. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the presence of gyrA (235 bp), gyrA (270 bp), blaOXA-61 and tetO antimicrobial resistance genes in C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from chickens and human clinical cases. This indicates that Campylobacter spp. have the potential of resistance to a number of antibiotic classes.

Geigeria poisoning in sheep, locally known as ‘vermeersiekte’, is an economically important plant poisoning in southern Africa. The toxic principles contained by the toxic plants are believed to be several sesquiterpene lactones, such as geigerin, vermeeric acid and vermeerin, which cause striated muscle lesions in small stock. Because of ethical issues surrounding the use of live animals in toxicity studies, there is currently a dire need to establish an in vitro model that can be used to replace traditional animal experimentation. The objective of this study was to determine the cytotoxicity of geigerin in a murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) using methyl-thiazol-tetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mouse myoblasts were exposed to 2.0 mM, 2.5 mM and 5.0 mM geigerin for 24, 48 and 72 h. A concentration-dependent cytotoxic response was observed. Apoptosis was detected by means of annexin V flow cytometry during the first 24 h and apoptotic bodies were also visible on TEM. According to the LDH and PI flow cytometry results, myoblast cell membranes were not injured. We concluded that the murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) is a suitable model for future studies planned to evaluate the cytotoxicity of other and combinations of sesquiterpene lactones, with and without metabolic activation, implicated in ‘vermeersiekte’ and to elucidate the subcellular effects of these myotoxins on cultured myoblasts.

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden’s index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types.