Objective: Heavy metals are serious environmental pollutants and their uptake and accumulation in the ecosystem, beyond safe limits, would cause direct consequences to food chain and ultimately to man. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the presence and levels of lead (Pb) in muscles and organs of slaughtered pigs at Nsukka agricultural zone, Nigeria. Materials and methods: From a total of 160 slaughtered pigs, liver, kidney and muscle of each pig were collected and processed for the detection of lead residue using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results: A prevalence rate of 81.25% was recorded for Pb residue in Nsukka agricultural zone. There is a strong association (P<0.0001) between occurrence of Pb residue and the source of samples. Mean concentrations of 0.0758 mg/kg, 0.1050 mg/kg and 0.0985 mg/kg were recorded in kidney, mean concentrations of 0.1676 mg/kg, 0.1235 mg/kg and 0.1955 mg/kg were recorded in liver and mean concentrations of 0.0598 mg/kg, 0.0870 mg/kg and 0.1020 mg/kg in muscle samples in Nsukka, orba and Obollo slaughter houses respectively. There is no significant (P<0.05) difference between the mean concentrations of the Pb in the liver, kidney and muscle samples (Nsukka, Orba and Obollo) and its maximum permissible levels (MPL). Conclusion: More than half of the samples were positive for Pb and few samples that exceeded the MPL may pose human health threat to pork consumers in the study area. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 392-398]

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify rabies virus in camels and other animals in Sudan. Materials and methods: Four camel samples were collected from Garraht Elzawia, Kab-kabia and North Darfur areas in Sudan. The samples were collected based on clinical signs. In addition, two camel samples were obtained from Khartoum and Tambool, one goat sample was collected from El-Fashir, and one cattle sample was obtained from Atbara. The samples were transported to the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) at Khartoum, Sudan for further studies. The samples were subjected for nested and hemi nested RT-PCR (hnRT-PCR) along with the gold standard Fluorescent antibody test (FAT) to diagnose rabies. Results: Out of eight samples, seven were found to be positive by both FAT and RT-PCR methods. The remaining one sample was positive by FAT but negative by hnRT-PCR indicating the suitablity of hnRT-PCR along with FAT for accurate diagnosis of rabies in animals. Conclusion: The study concluded that FAT and RT-PCR are useful tools for research and diagnosis of rabies. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(3.000): 274-277]

Objective: The present study was an attempt to delineate the roles played by the neutrophil surface adhesion molecules and toll like receptors (TLRs) in crossbred cows suffering from Staphylococcus aureus subclinical and clinical mastitis.Materials and methods: Thirty six Karan Fries (KF) cows were categorized into three groups namely healthy (n=12), subclinical mastitis (SCM; n=12) and clinical mastitis (CM; n=12) after screening 146 cows. The grouping was done based on evaluation of collected milk samples by routine procedures like Californian Mastitis Test (CMT) scoring, microscopic counting of milk cells (SCC), bacterial culture of milk samples and observing gross changes in milk. Culture of milk and blood was done for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus subclinical and clinical mastitis. Results: Healthy cows expressed significantly (P<0.05) higher L-selectin (CD62L) in both milk and blood neutrophils as compared to the animals suffering from SCM and CM; however, no significant difference was noticed between milk and blood neutrophils. Significant (P<0.05) increase in the expression of beta integrin (CD11b) was observed in the CM group of cows as compared to SCM and healthy cows. Similar trend in the expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in both blood and milk neutrophils was observed in the CM cows as compared to the healthy and SCM cows. Milk neutrophils revealed a higher expression of TLR as compared to blood neutrophils.Conclusion: Host elicits stage specific expression of surface adhesion molecules and TLR2 and TLR4 as dynamic host innate immune response against Staphylococcal mastitis. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(2.000): 99-105]

Objective: The identification of meat species in meat products is important for protection of human health, economic reasons, religious factors and for controlling the compliance with food regulations. For this purpose, DNA must be obtained in good quality and quantity. The aim of this study was to compare different DNA isolation methods from different meat products.Materials and methods: Comparison among different DNA isolation methods was done. DNA was isolated from different meat products (e.g., sucuk, salami, sausage, braised meet, meatball and pastrami). The methods included phenol/chloroform, DNA isolation kit, Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) and Dodecyle Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (DTAB).Results: Although DNA was obtained from all of these methods, the phenol/chloroform and DNA isolation kit methods were found to be the most effective methods for obtaining high quantity DNA. RNA contamination was determined to be common in DTAB method. High quantity of DNA and RNA contamination in terms of quality was detected in CTAB method. Ruminant specific 16S rRNA primer was used to amplify genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction and all samples were amplified except for some samples of DTAB.Conclusion: DNA isolation kit, another best method, is recommended due to quality and quantity of DNA for researchers who do not want that phenol/chloroform method have toxic substances. This study is also the first study in which DTAB method is used for DNA extraction from meat products. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 368-374]

Objectives: This study was designed to assess the contamination of enterovirulent Escherichia coli with table eggs at Mansoura, Egypt. Materials and methods: A total of 100 commercially available table eggs were randomly collected from various groceries and supermarkets at Mansoura, Egypt. The samples were screened for the presence of E. coli through conventional bacteriological and biochemical analyses followed by confirmation by polymerase chain reaction.Results: Overall, 18% (n=18/100) samples were found to be contaminated with one or more E. coli isolates. All possible E. coli colonies (n=52) appeared on MacConkey agar plates during the screening process were picked for further analysis. Among the 52 suspected isolates, 24 were confirmed as E. coli, which were further serotyped using polyvalent E. coli antisera. In this study, 9 different E. coli serotypes namely O78, O114, O2, O44, O1, O125, O128, O124 and O26 were identified. Out of these 9 serological strains, 5 (O78, O2, O44, O125, O124 and O26) were positive for eae gene, and 3 (O44, O1 and O128) were positive for stx2 gene. Two serological strains (O44 and O1) were positive for both stx1 and eae genes, while O125 and O114 were positive for stx2 and eae genes. Two strains (O78 and O128) were found to be positive for all three genes (stx1, stx2 and eae).Conclusion: Ensuring hygienic measures can effectively reduce the microbial load from table eggs. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(1.000): 1-7]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the histomorphological structure and functional significance of various special regulatory devices of the vascular terminal branches of the skin in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius). Materials and methods: Skin samples from different body parts (e.g., front, neck and shoulder, back, belly, chest, thigh, flank and tail) of camel were used in this study. The samples were stained with Harris hematoxylin and trichrome stain. Semithin sections were also prepared from these samples. Results: The vascular elements demonstrated in the current study included- throttle arteries within the dermis on the level of the hair papillae, glomus bodies within the dermis on the level mid-length of the hair follicles, medium-sized arteries on the level of the secretory end-pieces of the epitrichial sweat glands, and tufts of spirally-oriented arterioles in the nearby of the hair follicles. Conclusions: These vascular elements are either designed to control blood pressure (Hemo-dynamic mechanism) or patterned to control body temperature (Thermo-regulatory mechanism). [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(2.000): 106-111]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of coinfections with bovine herpes virus-1 (BHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), bluetoungue virus (BTV) and bovine herpes virus-4 (BHV-4) in cattle with reproductive problems in Sudan, and to determine the relation of single or mixed seropositivity with abortion, infertility and death after birth.Materials and methods: Meta-analysis of the results from our earlier serosurveys conducted with a total of 688 dairy cattle was carried out in order to determine prevalence of seropositivity of single and mixed (coinfection) viral infections.Reults: The meta-analysis of the data indicated high seroprevalence of coinfections with various combinations of these agents; only few animals were singly infected. An infection with BHV-1 was observed to be higher than the prevalence of associations between BHV-1 and the other three viral agents. Prevalence of seropositivities to coinfection with BHV-1/BTV; BHV-1/BVD; BHV-1/BTV/BVD were the highest while seropositivities prevalences that involved BHV-4 were much lower. The highest abortion rates were encountered in coinfections with BHV-1/BVD/BTV (31%) and BHV-1/BVD/BTV/BHV-4 (30%) while most infertility cases were noticed in coinfection with BHV-1/BVD/BTV (44%) and BHV-1/BVD/BTV/BHV-4 (21%), and coinfections with the four viruses were encountered in most of the death after birth cases (25%). Overall mixed infections with BHV-1/BVD/BTV (34%) and BHV-1/BVD/BTV/BHV-4 (22.5%) were involved in the majority of reproductive problems studied. Conclusion: Mixed infections constitutes the vast majority of cases and are involved in the majority of reproductive disorders investigated. The high prevalence of seropositivity to all of the four viruses should call for an intervention strategy to reduce the impact of these viruses. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 332-337]

Objective: A cross sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) and Newcastle Disease (ND) in poultry of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh. Materials and methods: Post mortem of a total of 208 dead birds were done for the diagnosis purpose. Different poultry species included in this study included broilers, layers, pigeon, duck etc. Results: Among the examined birds, 38% were found to be affected with IBD, and 11% were affected with ND. Age of the birds for both IBD (19.95; 95%CI: 16-23) and ND (122.23; 95%CI: 98.62-145.83); and flock size only for IBD (1317; 95%CI: 1175-1460) was found significantly associated. The chicks aging between 16-23 days and flock size between 1175-1460 were found to be the most susceptible group to IBD, and adult poultry (98.62-145.83 days old) was mostly susceptible to ND.Conclusion: IBD and ND are highly prevalent in the study area. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct effective control measures to reduce the prevalence of these diseases. This study can help in designing appropriate control measures considering risk factors of these diseases. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 406-412]

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the current status of emerging diseases of pet animals in Bangladesh and to estimate the percentage of disease occurrence in the pet animals.Materials and methods: A 2-month potential study was conducted to estimate the percentage (%) of disease occurrence and current status of emerging diseases of pet animals in Bangladesh. A total of 550 animals were examined and 358 data were collected from the disease registered book of the Central Veterinary Hospital (CVH), Dhaka and SA Quaderi Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Bangladesh during June and September, 2014. The data were analysed, and the results on the newly emerging diseases were expressed as percentage (%).Results: Among the most general pet animals in Bangladesh (dog, cat, rabbit), the mostly occured diseases were scabies (23.07%), feline ascariasis (37.14%) and rabbit mange (34.61%), while the less frequent diseases were canine parvovirus enteritis (2.19%), cat scratch disease (5.71%) and overgrown teeth (7.69%). Conclusion: The study provides basic information about the current status and the percentage (%) of disease occurrence considering the emerging diseases of pet animals in Bangladesh. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 413-419]

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify Pasteurella multocida from fowl cholera (FC) suspected chicken, and to prepare and efficacy determination of formalin killed fowl cholera vaccine using the isolated P. multocida strain. Materials and methods: A total of five suspected dead chickens were collected from Brothers Poultry Farm located at Gazipur district, Bangladesh. The samples were processed and the P. multocida was isolated through conventional bacteriological techniques, were finally confirmed by polymerase chain reaction using P. multocida specific primers targeting cap gene. The P. multocida isolate was used to develop a formalin killed fowl cholera vaccine. The efficacy of the newly prepared vaccine was determined in Starcross-579 chickens (n=30) aging 15 weeks either by injecting 1 mL (group-A; n=10) or 0.5 mL (group-B; n=10) vaccine containing approximately 3.2x108 CFU/mL P. multocida organism; 10 birds were kept as unvaccinated control. The sera from the vaccinated and control birds were collected and were subjected for antibody titre determination by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Finally the vaccinated birds were challenged using virulent strains of P. multocida to confer the protection against FC. Results: P. multocida could be isolated from both the samples. The formalin killed vaccine prepared from the isolated bacteria was subjected for the determination of antibody titre in chicken, and found that the antibody titres in the birds of group A and group B were 4.513 and 4.07 respectively after primary vaccination, and 4.893 and 4.37 respectively after booster vaccination. Most of the vaccinated birds were found to be survived after challenging with virulent strain of P. multocida. Conclusion: It is concluded that the causal agent of FC (P. multocida) was successfully isolated from FC affected dead chickens. The prepared formalin killed fowl cholera vaccine induces protective immune response and conferred protection against challenge infection caused by the virulent strain of P. multocida. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(1.000): 45-50]