Genetic diversity and reassortments among Akabane virus field isolates.

Passive laboratory-based surveillance data from Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development were analyzed for common Salmonella serovars, prevalences, trends, and for the presence of temporal clusters. There were 1767 isolates between October 1990 and December 2001 comprising 63 different serovars, including 961 isolates from chickens, 418 from cattle, 108 from pigs, 102 from turkeys, and 178 from all other species combined. Salmonella Typhimurium, Heidelberg, Hadar, Kentucky, and Thompson were the 5 most frequently isolated serovars. Approximately 60% of the S. Typhimurium were isolated from cattle, whereas over 90% of the S. Heidelberg, Hadar, Kentucky, and Thompson were isolated from chickens. Salmonella Enteritidis was rarely isolated. There was an increasing trend in isolates from chickens, cattle, and pigs, and a decreasing trend in isolates from turkeys. Temporal clusters were observed in 11 of 15 serovars examined in chickens (S. Anatum, Heidelberg, Infantis, Kentucky, Mbandaka, Montevideo, Nienstedten, Oranienburg, Thompson, Typhimurium, and Typhimurium var. Copenhagen), 5 of 5 serovars in cattle (S. Dublin, Montevideo, Muenster, Typhimurium, and Typhimurium var. Copenhagen), and 1 of 3 serovars in pigs (S. Typhimurium). Short-duration clusters may imply point source infections, whereas long-duration clusters may indicate an increase in the prevalence of the serovar, farm-to-farm transmission, or a wide-spread common source. A higher concentration of clusters in the winter months may reflect greater confinement, reduced ventilation, stressors, or increased exposure to wildlife vectors that are sharing housing during the winter. Detection of large clusters of Salmonella may have public health implications in addition to animal health concerns.

A temporal study of Salmonella serovars in animals in Alberta between 1990 and 2001.

This review is to provide information on viral diseases of livestock in Zambia. The distribution of the diseases as well as the control measures and limited research that has been done, are described. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) causes serious economic losses in the cattle industry. So far five serotypes (SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, O and At of FMD virus have been isolated in Zambia. Other notifiable viral diseases are rabies, Rift Valley fever, Lumpy skin disease, African horse sickness, bluetongue, African swine fever, Newcastle disease, Marek's disease, fowlpox and infectious bursal disease. Based on the reports of clinical and/or serological diagnoses, these are widespread in the country, although their precise incidence rates are not known. With the establishment of a veterinary school equipped with modern diagnostic facilities and the increasing number of qualified veterinary personnel, this review would stimulate surveillance study on the viral diseases for the ultimate goal of achieving effective disease control measures.

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Viral diseases of livestock in Zambia.

The isothermal and chimeric primer-initiated amplification of nucleic acids (ICAN) is a new isothermal DNA amplification method composed of exo Bca DNA polymerase, RNaseH and DNA-RNA chimeric primers. We detected invA of Salmonella from chicken carcasses, egg yolk and cattle fecal samples. Fifty-three of 59 isolates were invA-positive in ICAN-chromatostrip detection. The result was consistent with those obtained by standard PCR. Salmonella invA was detected in 12 of 14 carcass rinses by ICAN, while in 7 of 14 rinses by standard PCR. These results indicate that ICAN is an efficient, sensitive and simple system to detect invA of Salmonella species in developing countries such as Zambia.

Detection of Salmonella invA by isothermal and chimeric primer-initiated amplification of nucleic acids (ICAN) in Zambia

A total of ninety-six Shaver 579 pullets were fed on isocaloric and isonitrogenous diet with vitamin-mineral premixes, Supramixes Layer, Acimix Super-L and Adivit-L and without premix (control) in the age duration from 25 to 40 weeks to evaluate the efficacy of different commercial premixes. Daily feed intake and body weight gain of the pullets did not differ significantly (P>0.05). Hen day egg production of different treatments differed significantly (P 0.05) differences were observed in livability. The observation of the results showed that use of commercial vitamin-mineral premix to supplement the diet of caged laying pullets is inevitable to maintain desirable production level. But the efficacy of all commercial premixes was not equal. The quality of marketed premixes is not uniform which is revealed in terms of performance test in the study.

Efficacy of Different Commercial Vitamin - Mineral Premixes on Productive Performance of Caged Laying Pullets

An occurrence of vitamin A deficiency in chickens in Zambia.

In Zambia, a dairy farm keeping about 600 cows and self-contained calves had applied S. Dublin and S. Typhimurium bacterins to pregnant cows and calves in combination with all-in all-out pen system for rearing calves. Only relatively small scale outbreaks of S. Dublin infection occurred repeatedly in these years from 1989 to 1991 among fattening calves on the farm. The results obtained from the epizootiological study suggest that the preventive measures including the vaccination with Salmonella bacterins gave insufficient protection against S. Dublin infection to the calves, but they might have prevented large scale outbreak of the disease. This is the first report of the epizootiological study on outbreak of bovine S. Dublin infection on farm in Zambia.

Outbreaks of Salmonella Dublin Infection among Calves on a Dairy Farm Applying Salmonella Bacterins in Zambia

Hydranencephaly without arthrogryposis was observed in three newborn Holstein-Friesian calves, born during one week in a 400-cow dairy herd in Zambia. The affected calves were blind and exhibited nystagmus and depressed behavior. Akabane virus infection was suspected based on the pathological findings and etiological data, however, we could not determine the exact causative agent.

Markus Schneebeli

Papers

An occurrence of vitamin A deficiency in chickens in Zambia.

Outbreaks of Salmonella Dublin Infection among Calves on a Dairy Farm Applying Salmonella Bacterins in Zambia

Hydranencephaly in newborn calves in Zambia.