Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health 

About: Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health is an academic journal published by Academic Journals. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Seroprevalence & Prevalence. It has an ISSN identifier of 2141-2529. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 392 publications have been published receiving 3447 citations.

Isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus from bovine mastitic milk and their drug resistance patterns in Adama town, Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2008 - April 2009 to estimate the prevalence of mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, to assess the associated risk factors and to determine the antimicrobial resistance pattern in Adama town, East Shoa, Ethiopia. From 102 markets oriented small holder dairy farms, a total of 300 lactating cows were tested for mastitis using the California Mastitis Test (CMT). One hundred and forty of the cows (46.7%) had mastitis, of which 10.0% (30/300) and 36.7% (110/300) showed clinical and sub clinical mastitis, respectively. The quarter level prevalence was 29.0% (348/1200); from which the clinical form was 5.4% (65/1200) and the subclinical was 25.6% (283/1200). Of the 65 quarters with clinical cases, 18 had blind teats while 47 had active mastitis. A total of 140 (30 from clinical and 110 from subclinical cases) milk samples were collected and cultured for S. aureus of which 59 resulted in growth of the bacterium (10 from clinical and 49 from subclinical cases). Mastitis prevalence showed significant variation among cows of different age groups (p = 0.005), different housing systems (p = 0.000) and at different lactation stages (p= 0.016). Thus, bovine mastitis was more likely to occur in cows above 6 years of age (OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 0.9, 13.7), that were kept in muddy houses (OR = 5.3, 95% CI = 3.2, 8.9) and were at a lactation stage of above 6 months (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.44, 9.03). The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that S. aureus was highly susceptible to chloramphenicol (100%) followed by gentamycin (91.7%), kanamycin (88.9%) and streptomycin (86.1%). In contrast, isolates were highly resistant to penicillin (94.4%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (58.3%) and amoxicillin (36.1%). In conclusion, this study confirms the importance of S. aureus as a mastitis causing bacterium and identifies risk factors associated with the disease in the Ethiopian setting. Key words: Mastitis, prevalence, risk factors, Staphylococcus aureus, antimicrobial susceptibility test.

Diagnostic approaches for tick-borne haemoparasitic diseases in livestock

Abstract: Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a major economic constraint to livestock production affecting the productivity of livestock worldwide. Identification of these haemoprotozan and rickettsial infections is essential in understanding the epidemiology and it is important to distinguish between species and subspecies involved. Conventional techniques including serological and microscopic examinations do not always meet these requirements. Clinical diagnostic and surveillance tools, such as the complement fixation test (CFT), the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) have been successfully used over decades. In addition, DNA-based tests for diagnosis, differentiation and characterisation of different haemoparasites have been developed. Molecular diagnostic techniques, such as DNA hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allow detection of parasites in blood, tissue or ticks with high levels of sensitivity, specificity and reliability. In addition, some techniques can identify multiple pathogens in the same samples. Furthermore, these techniques can also be exploited to identify unambiguous species and subspecies. Under the precondition that these tests are correctly designed and validated, they provide a powerful tool for epidemiology, with greater advantages of affordability and amenability to standardization. The implementation of these techniques for studying TBDs worldwide will be invaluable. Thus, the aim of this study is to put together the details of the techniques in the form of small review consultation of the practitioners and researchers. Key words: Diagnosis, livestock, molecular, haemoparasites, tick-borne diseases.

Helminthosis of sheep and goats in and around Haramaya, Southeastern Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study was carried out in sheep and goats kept under extensive management system in and around Haramaya, Southeastern Ethiopia, during the period from July 2010 to June 2011 with the aim of determining the prevalence, and the status of gastrointestinal (GIT) helminthosis and the risk factors associated with it. For this purpose 768 fecal samples were collected from 384 sheep and 384 goats. Parasitological methods including floatation, sedimentation and coproculture were employed in the study. The fecal samples examined revealed an overall prevalence of 472 (61.4%) in the small ruminants where as 259 (67.75%) in sheep and 213 (55.47%) in goats harbor one or more genera of helminths with nematodes (59.89%) being the most prevalent helminths. Upon coproscopic examination, strongyle type of helminths was the most prevalent parasite (36.20%) in the area in both hosts. The study revealed significantly higher (p<0.05) prevalence of helminths in sheep than in goats and in young animals than in adults, and wet season than drier ones. In this present study, there was no association between egg per gram of feces and the prevalence of helminths. Overall, 7 and 6 genera of helminths were identified in sheep and goats, respectively. Coproculture of the samples positive for strongyle type helminths revealed Haemonchus sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Oesophagostomum sp.,Strongyloides sp., and Bunostomum sp. in a decreasing order in both sheep and goats. The present study revealed polyparasitism in both host species, hence proper management of young stocks and treatment of animals by considering risk factors such as age and season, could help in the control of the disease. The result of this study indicates that, even though subclinical in nature, gastrointestinal helminths are one of the major problems that could hamper health and productivity of sheep and goats in the study area. Thus, further studies on species-based prevalence and larval ecology are recommended in order to design appropriate control measures. Key words: Prevalence, helminths sheep, goats, Ethiopia.

Prevalence study of bovine trypanosomosis and tsetse density in selected villages of Arbaminch, Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study was carried out with aimed at determining the prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis and apparent tsetse density in two selected villages of Arba Minch Woreda, from November, 2009 to April, 2010. Blood samples were collected from 384 randomly selected cattle to detect the prevalence of trypanosomes using buffy coat method. The overall infection rate 4.43% (N=17) was recorded. The cattle are invariably infected with different species of trypanosome parasite and among these Trypanosoma congolense is the commonest (82.35%) followed by co-infection of Trypanosoma viviax and T. congolense (11.76%), and T. vivax (5.88%). This study showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in trypanosomosis infection rate among poor, medium and good body condition animals. Poor body condition animals were highly affected compared to medium and good body condition. The mean PCV value of parasitemic and aparasitaemic animals was recorded as 20.94 and 23.55%, respectively. In each study area, entomological surveys were conducted using NGU trap and it indicated that G. pallidipes were the only tsetse fly species caught in the study area along with other biting flies like stomoxys and tabanus. Apparent tsetse flies density of 0.312 and 29.624 flies/trap/day were recorded in Fura and Eligo villages, respectively and the overall apparent density of tsetse flies in the study area was 14.97 flies/trap/day. Due to its impact on livestock production, emphasis should be given for the control and prevention of trypanosomosis infection and its vectors. Key words: Bovine trypanosomosis, prevalence, NGU trap, Tsetse fly, Southern Ethiopia.

Probiotics in animal production: A review

Abstract: Probiotics have been recently defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization/ World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. A good probiotic should be non-pathogenic, non-toxic and capable of exerting beneficial effect on the host animal. It should be present as viable cells and capable of surviving and metabolizing in the gut environment. It should also be stable and capable of remaining viable for periods under storage and field conditions. Probiotics have been shown to promote growth, improve efficiency of feed utilization, protect host from intestinal infection and stimulate immune responses in farm animals. In laying chicken, probiotics increased hen-gay egg production. Weight gain performance was significantly increased in broilers and turkeys. In ruminants, probiotics also improved growth rate. Increased weight gain and higher efficiency of feed utilization were the results of the trials in pigs. Mortalities especially due to diarrhoea were reduced in pigs. The beneficial effects of probiotics in animal production have been related to different modes of action. The improvements in productive performance of all animal species fed with probiotics were mostly due to the fact that probiotics promoted the metabolic processes of digestion and nutrient utilization. Key words: Probiotics, nutrient utilization, immune, animal production.