Showing papers by "Muhammad Sohail Sajid published in 2015"

High prevalence of West Nile virus in equines from the two provinces of Pakistan.

Abstract: This study describes the first large-scale serosurvey on West Nile virus (WNV) conducted in the equine population in Pakistan. Sera were collected from 449 equids from two provinces of Pakistan during 2012–2013. Equine serum samples were screened using a commercial ELISA kit detecting antibodies against WNV and related flaviviruses. ELISA-positive samples were further investigated using virus-specific microneutralization tests (MNTs) to identify infections with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), WNV and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Anti-WNV antibodies were detected in 292 samples by ELISA (seroprevalence 65·0%) and WNV infections were confirmed in 249 animals by MNT. However, there was no animal found infected by JEV or TBEV. The detection of WNV-seropositive equines in Pakistan strongly suggests a widespread circulation of WNV in Pakistan.

Sero-epidemiology of equine toxoplasmosis using a latex agglutination test in the three metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan.

Abstract: Toxoplasmosis is a serious threat for livestock in addition to being of zoonotic significance. In this study, serodiagnosis of equine toxoplasmosis was conducted in a randomly selected population from the 3 metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan. To this end, 272 draught equines were screened using a commercial latex agglutination assay kit. Association of probable risk factors of equine toxoplasmosis was also documented. A total of 91 (33.5%) equines were found sero-positive for Toxoplama (T.) gondii having antibody titers ranging between 1:32 to 1:612. The highest rates of seropositive cases were observed in donkeys (58.7%) followed by mules (28.6%) and horses (23.5%). Age, sex and species of draught equines were found not to be statistically (p>0.05) associated with the distribution of T. gondii antibodies. The results of the study provided a baseline data for the exposure of equine population in this area. In addition, it is recommended that the contiguous population of domestic ruminants and possible reservoirs such as feral cats should be screened in order to explore the potential risk for the human population in Pakistan.

Descriptive epidemiology of endo-parasitic fauna in layer birds (Gallus domesticus) of central Punjab, Pakistan.

Abstract: During the last few decades, poultry production has become an important sector of the livestock economy worldwide (Watt, 1996). In Pakistan, every rural family and almost every 5th urban family is associated with the poultry business (Anwar et al., 1991). A recent survey describes that about 66% of the Pakistan natives are protein deficient in their diets (Abedullah et al., 2007). Under this situation, ever increasing poultry production is encouraged to meet the daily protein requirements especially of the developing countries, in terms of eggs and meat (Nazir et al., 2014). In Pakistan, poultry production is augmenting at an annual rate of 20-25%, in which a major share of 61% of the country’s production is contributed by the Punjab province. Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism (caused by helminthes and/or protozoa) is a potential threat in layers (Gallus domesticus) causing huge economic losses in terms of impeded growth, reduced weight gain, lowered egg production (Anwar et al., 1991), loss of meat production, cost of labor, equipment, control and treatment. Clinical picture of GI parasitism includes: loose droppings, intestinal obstruction (heavy worm burden), anaemia, lowered Hb concentration, cachexia and nervous manifestations. Necropsy examination of infected birds reveal nodular, haemorrhagic and ulcerative enteritis, atrophy of villi, formation of granulomas in the duodenum and desquamation of epithelial cells (Shah et al., 1999). Among helminths, cestodes (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda) are the most prevalent (52%), followed in order by nematods (Nemathelminthes: Nematoda) (16%) and trematodes (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) (Ahmed and Sinha, 1993; Rabbi et al., 2006). Infections with protozoa are common in poultry that may cause mild to severe nature of the disease. Among GI protozoa, coccidian (Apicomplexa: Sporozoea) are of unquestionable significance. Histomonas (Hm.) melagridis; transmitted by cecal worm Heterakis (H.) gallinarum (McDougald, 1997), causes black head disease in turkeys and is well documented protozoan of GI tract in layers. Round the globe, an overall parasitic fauna of layer GI helminths ranges from 1% to 85%. Factors associated with the GI parasitism include: species of host, rearing system, climatic conditions and the geographical location (Anwar et al., 1991). Many researchers in Pakistan have reported the distribution of different GI parasites in the previous two decades; however, not even a single report has been found providing a complete data of all GI helminths and protozoa in the commercial and domestic layer population of district Faisalabad. Diversity of intermediate hosts in the transmission of helminth infections in layer birds and scarcity of data on the distribution of GI parasitism in layer population of district Faisalabad necessitates periodic monitoring of layer birds to determine the epidemiology of Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 52(3), 815-820; 2015 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 http://www.pakjas.com.pk

Evaluation of commercial ELISA kit for diagnosis of small ruminant fascioliasis in Pakistan.

Abstract: Fascioliasis is the most common and economically important helminth infection of livestock in Punjab, Pakistan (Khan et al., 2009). Ahmad (2008) reported US$ 0.36 and 0.17 million in economic losses due to liver condemnation and weight reduction in small ruminants of the district of Sargodha. Other factors associated with economic losses are decreased wool production, decreased milk yield and reduced fertility (Rioux et al., 2007). It is important as it has to multi definitive host species including livestock, human and wild animals (Rondelaud et al., 2001). The most important species of parasite include Fasciola (F.) hepatica and F. gigantica (Soulsby, 1982). It has already been reported that fascioliasis is prevalent in livestock of district Sargodha (Maqbool et al., 2002; Khan et al., 2009; Ahmad, 2012; Rehman, 2013; Anjum et al., 2014). Climate and unhygienic measures are the key factors for a higher prevalence of the disease in the study area. The agroclimatic conditions of Pakistan are presumed very favorable for the propagation of snails which act as the intermediate hosts for this parasite. The low lying and swampy areas of Punjab like Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Lahore and Chiniot have been reported to support a high incidence of fasciolosis (Khan et al., 2009). A variable prevalence of fascioliasis ranging from 17.6-55.0% in different animals has been reported from Pakistan (Chaudhry and Niaz, 1984; Masud and Majid, 1984; Khan et al., 2009; Rehman, 2013). Among available conventional and modern diagnostic techniques, ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) is the most sensitive and reliable diagnostic tool for fascioliasis. However, due to antigenic diversity, there is demographic variation in sensitivity and specificity of the test (Greiner and Gardner, 2000). Many scientists have developed specific ELISAs using excretory/secretary antigens of indigenous strains of Fasciola in various countries (Hillyer et al., 1996; Ibarra et al., 1998; Anderson et al., 1999; Ortiz et al., 2000; Reichel, 2002; Charlier et al., 2008; Afshan et al., 2013; Jalali et al., 2011). The present investigation was planned to evaluate microscopic faecal examination and a commercial ELISA kit under local conditions.