The efficacy of an amitraz / cypermethrin pour-on preparation (1 % w/v each) was tested against natural tick infestations of buffaloes, eland and blesbok in three separate trials. The eland were also treated with a 0.02 % abamectin (w/v) acaricidal pour-on preparation. The amitraz / cypermethrin pour-on was effective against Amblyomma hebraeum, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Hyalomma marginatum rufipes on the buffaloes. Both acaricides were effective against R. appendiculatus and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus in the eland. The amitraz / cypermethrin acaricide was effective against R. (Boophilus) decoloratus in the blesbok. Ticks can cause damage to the skins, secondary infections, abscesses, anaemia, loss of condition, tick toxicosis and act as vectors of infectious diseases. Introduction of hosts and / or ticks from endemic to non-endemic areas because of translocation of game, may lead to severe losses. The pouron acaricides tested were effective against natural tick infestations and should always be used according to the manufacturer's instructions and efficacy claims.

In this study, two methods for determination of formalin amount were applied on samples of inactivated vaccines representing local or foreign companies. The first method; matching method was conducted by using phenyl hydrazine while in the other method is; spectrophotometry phloroglucinol was used. Spectrophotometrical method was found more sensitive and more accurate than the matching one. At the same time, the spectrophotometry method could be used for determination of formalin in all inactivated vaccines either bacterial or viral vaccines.

In this study a total of 14 infected sheep and 6 lactating albino goats were used. These animals were proved to be brucellosis seropositive using TAT, MET, BAPAT, RBPT and rivanol test as well as bacteriologically positive by isolation of Brucellamelitensis biovar 3 from their milk. These animals were subjected to trials of treatment using three different methods. Goats treated by antibiotics combined withBCG showed the highest recovery rate (on bacteriological basis), followed by animalstreated with antibiotics only and finally animals treated with antibiotics combined ID.The recovered treated animals were placed under careful investigation for 2 yearswith no evidence of Brucella infection neither in them nor in their newborns.

A conclusive study was conducted for preparation and evaluation of combinedinactivated entero-4 vaccine containing bovine rotavirus (BRV), bovine coronavirus(BCV), E. coli K99 and toxoid of C. perfringens type "C". Laboratory and field evaluations were conducted on laboratory animals, calves and late pregnant cows with monitoring the active and passive antibodies in vaccinated cows and their offspring respectively. Laboratory evaluation proved purity, safety and high efficacy of the vaccine without interference between different vaccine ingredients. Field evaluation gave satisfactory results when pregnant cows vaccinated at late stage of pregnancy with high neutralizing antibody titers against BRV, BCV and C. perfringens as well as high E. coli agglutinating titers. Maternal immunity passively protected offspring during the critical period of age and remained protected till the end of sampling time (30th day post parturition).

The present study was designed in a trial to use serum replacement instead of thenewborn calf serum in propagation of BHK-21 cell cultures with subsequent reducingthe cost of foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine production. Two batches of BHK-21 cell culture were prepared where the medium of the first batch was supplemented with newborn calf serum while the medium of the second batch was supplemented with serum replacement. FMD virus was propagated 7 passages using BHK-21 cell culture. Both virus titration and complement fixation titer (CF) revealed that propagation of FMD virus in cell cultures supplemented with newborn calf serum yields a titre higher than that in case of cells supplemented with serum replacement. Also two batches of FMD inactivated vaccine were prepared from the virus propagated in the two-mentioned cell culture batches. Two groups of susceptible calves were vaccinated with these vaccines. Both of virus neutralization test (VNT) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that higher antibody levels were induced in calves vaccinated with the vaccine prepared from cells supplemented with calf serum than those vaccinated with vaccine prepared from cells grown with serum replacement. BHK-21 cell culture supplement with newborn calf serum is most susceptible for FMD virus propagation yielding higher titer of the virus. Moreover, the growth pattern of the used cell culture was much better when the newborn calf serum was used.

Theileria parva-naïve Friesian (Bos taurus), Boran (Bos indicus) and Maasai Zebu steers (B. indicus) were infected with a T. parva sporozoite stabilate dose which had previously been shown to induce an estimated 50 % mortality rate in Boran cattle. All the cattle developed patent infections with no significant differences in the length of the prepatent period to development of macroschizonts (P > 0.05) between the three groups. Clinical theileriosis occurred in all eight the Friesians (100 %), five out of nine Borans (55.6 %) and two out of five Zebus (40 %). Three of the Friesians (37.5 %), and two of the Borans (22.2 %) died of theileriosis. The different cattle types were equally susceptible to the infective dose used as indicated by the length of the prepatent periods, but there was a marked difference in their development of clinical theileriosis. The gradation in resistance to disease confirms the findings of earlier less critical studies and identifies these cattle breeds as suitable for investigations into the mechanisms of resistance to theileriosis.

Seroprevalence rates of Toxoplasma gondii anti-antibodies in adult goats and sheep from different parts of Zimbabwe were determined. A total of 225 (67.9 %) of the 335 serum samples tested were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies with the indirect fluorescent antibody test. There were differences in antibody seroprevalences among communal land goats from the different agro-ecological zones (Natural regions IIb and III: 80 and 96.7 %, respectively; Natural region IV: 65.9 %; Natural region V: 45 %; and Natural region III had a significantly higher seroprevalence than IV and V. The highest seroprevalences found in Natural regions II b and III are likely to be linked to the existence of more households and hence the possibility of a higher concentration of domestic cats that increases the chances of environmental contamination with their faeces harbouring T. gondii oocysts. The seroprevalence rate in sheep from a large commercial farm (10 %) was significantly lower than that of sheep reared under the communal grazing system (80 %). Overall, significantly higher proportions of seropositive animals had antibody titres of 1:50 (34.2 % of 225) and 1:100 (44 % of 225) as compared to the 9.8 % and 12 % with antibody titres of 1:200 and > 1:400, respectively.

In July 2003 a 2-year-old Thoroughbred colt was imported from Harare, Zimbabwe to the Ashburton Training Centre, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Five months after importation, the colt presented with clinical signs suggestive of rabies: it was uncoordinated, showed muscle tremors and was biting at itself. Brain tissue was submitted for analysis and the clinical diagnosis was confirmed by the fluorescent antibody test and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the cytoplasmic domain of the glycoprotein and the G-L intergenic region of the rabies virus confirmed it to be an infection with a canid rabies virus, originating from an area in Zimbabwe endemic for the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and side-striped jackal (Canis adustus) rabies.

Lymph nodes (Ln) are the preferred samples for virus isolation and detection. Inthe present study, carcass and visceral Ln of apparently healthy cattle were screened for the presence of bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV-1) and bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) antigens. A total of 198 Ln (114 carcasses Ln and 84 visceral Ln) were collected. Lymph node homogenates were assayed by agar gel precipitation test (AGPT), rapid Staphyloccocal protein A (SPA) agglutination test and Dot-ELISA. The overall results revealed that BHV-1 antigens were detected in 43.9%, 56.1% and in 68.4% of carcass Ln, and in 29.8%, 47.6% and 57.1% of visceral Ln collected from slaughtered cattle by AGPT, SPA agglutination test and Dot-ELISA respectively. On the other hand, BEFV antigens were detected in 5.3%, 38.6% and 52.6% of carcass Ln, and in 6%, 41.7% and 54.8 % of visceral Ln collected from slaughtered animals by AGPT, rapid SPA agglutination test and Dot-ELISA respectively. The results showed high percentage of positive samples with SPA agglutination test and Dot- ELISA in comparison to AGPT for both BHV-1 and BEF.

An unusual fowl pox outbreak has been diagnosed in 40 days-old-unvaccinatedbroilers farm in Dakahlia Governorate during summer, 2004. The most characteristicobservation of this outbreak was that the pox signs and lesions were observed on the feathered parts of the body mainly in the posterior dorsal area of the chickens.Classical pox lesions were also seen in the mouth, comb, wattle, eyelids and shank of some chickens. Samples were collected from affected birds for virus isolation andhistopathological studies. The isolated virus on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM)was serologically confirmed. Histopathological examination revealed characteristicintracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies in affected chicken tissues and CAM.This outbreak caused severe economic losses due to cutaneous lesions in the feathered area of the body that resulted in high condemnation rate at processing plant beside to high mortality which reached upto25%.