Veterinary Medicine International最新文献

Data are sparse on the epidemiological picture of Taenia saginata taeniasis in Kenya. Infections are underreported, and their persistence nonetheless negatively impacts the beef industry. Populations vulnerable to taeniasis in the developing world are commonly burdened with other intestinal parasites, ubiquitous in unsanitary environments. This study aimed to estimate the occurrence of human taeniasis in Narok County, Kenya, and screen for the presence of other intestinal parasitic infections. A community-based survey was conducted in five pastoral wards, and stool samples, mainly from adults, subjected to multiple diagnostic tests. One sample tested positive for Taenia spp. by coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (0.3%, 95% CI, 0-1.6, n = 360), and all samples tested negative on multiplex copro-polymerase chain reaction targeting the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene and copromicroscopy. Microscopy (n = 361) additionally identified Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii at a prevalence of 15.5% (95% CI, 12.1-19.6), Giardia spp. at 5.3% (95% CI, 3.4-8.1), Hymenolepis spp. at 1.1% (95% CI, 0.4-2.8), and hookworm at 0.3% (95% CI, 0-1.6). Grazing livestock near the homestead (< 2 km) and a formal education background were associated with a reduced likelihood of Giardia spp. infection (AOR 0.07, 95% CI 0-0.36, p=0.011, and AOR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.50, p=0.014, respectively). Our findings suggest a very low prevalence of human taeniasis in the population. The occurrence of other pathogenic zoonotic intestinal parasites highlights a public health concern and calls for a One Health approach in the enhancement of hygiene initiatives.

Calf morbidity and mortality pose significant economic challenges for smallholder dairy farms in Ethiopia, resulting in direct losses from calf deaths, replacement costs, treatment expenses, and reduced lifetime productivity. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the magnitude and epidemiological characteristics of calf morbidity and mortality in Northern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study with mixed approaches was carried out from December 2019 to September 2020. A total of 183 questionnaire survey, four focus group discussion (FGD), and 17 key informant interviews (KII) were included in the study. Furthermore, participatory epidemiological appraisals were incorporated to triangulate and strengthen survey evidences. Analysis of survey results revealed that 69.4% of the farmers have experienced calf morbidity, while 63.9% of them have encountered calf mortality. Similarly, results of proportional piling indicated that calf morbidity and mortality were estimated to occur in 75.5% and 55.9% of the farms, respectively. Moreover, all KIIs had encountered calf morbidity, while 88.2% of them had faced calf mortality. Ninety percent of KIIs, 66.2% of the participants of community-based epidemiology, and 27.87% of questionnaire survey respondents suggested that calf morbidity and mortality occur in less than one-week-aged calves. Regarding the potential risk factors, source of water, frequency of barn disinfection, breed types, health status of dams, using separate calf housing, amount of colostrum provided to calves, and cleaning frequency of barns had statistically significant association with the occurrence of calf morbidity and mortality (p < 0.05). Additionally, results of participatory appraisal, FGDs and KIIs showed that calf diarrhea, nutritional disorder, pneumonia, and navel ill were the leading causes of calf morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, observation assessment showed that most dairy farms were surrounded by dense human settlements, livestock markets, and municipal slaughtering houses. Hence, the farms had critical space limitation (for animals to exercise) as well as poor drainage systems and hygienic practices. Our assessment also showed that lack of veterinary services, shortage of water supply, and poor artificial insemination services were the major challenges of dairying in the area. In conclusion, the present study revealed that calf morbidity and mortality were critical challenges for dairying in Northern Ethiopia. Furthermore, the study highlighted the epidemiological characteristics and potential risk factors associated with calf morbidity and mortality, awareness gaps in calf management, as well as key bottlenecks in dairy farming. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive study, continuous capacity building initiatives, improved infrastructure, and services to mitigate calf losses.

Background: Foodborne zoonotic diseases are a widespread public health problem globally. Infections are naturally transmitted between animals and humans through food. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2024 to evaluate the awareness of foodborne zoonotic diseases and their associated factors in and around Debre Tabor city, Northwest Ethiopia. In this study, 771 participants were involved in which, a single individual over the age of 18 was chosen from each family using a simple random sampling method for data collection. Data were processed using Epi Info Version 7, and the analysis was conducted with SPSS Version 20 software. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were utilized to examine the influence of different factors on the dependent variable's level. Results: A total of 771 participants took part in the study, resulting in an overall response rate of 95.7%. The number of participants having a good knowledge and practice towards meat-borne zoonoses were 378 (49%) and 412 (58.6%), respectively. The knowledge of the respondents on tuberculosis, anthrax, taeniasis, and cysticercosis was 192 (24.9%), 335 (43.5%), 313 (40.6%), and 266 (34.5%), respectively. Educational status and access to information sources of respondents were significantly associated with knowledge as p value < 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. Conclusion: The level of knowledge and practice was poor about foodborne zoonotic diseases in this study. This is because of the habit of backyard slaughtering and consumption of raw meat.

Different conditions of production systems including stocking density, thermal conditions, and behavior restriction can have a significant detrimental effect on the health and performance of laying hens. The conventional cage system is one of the systems that have been reported to cause stress problems in birds, due to social and behavioral stress. Emerging technologies have facilitated a deeper understanding of animal responses to various scenarios and can be an additional tool to conventional ones to assess animal welfare, where transcriptomic analysis has the potential to show the genetic changes that occur in response to stress. According to this, the aim of this work was to characterize the liver transcriptome of hens housed under two egg production systems (conventional cage and cage-free). Liver tissue from Hy-Line Brown hens housed in conventional cage (n = 3) and cage-free (n = 3) production systems at week 80 of age was processed using the Illumina platform to identify differentially expressed genes with a padj < 0.05. Regarding the differentially expressed genes, 138 genes were found, of which 81 were upregulated and 57 downregulated. Some of the genes of interest were TENM2, GRIN2C, and ACACB, which would indicate greater fat synthesis in the liver of caged hens. The enriched KEGG pathways were DNA replication and the cell cycle. In conclusion, it was identified that the cage production system may influence DNA replication and the cell cycle since the genes related to these terms were found suppressed, which would indicate cellular instability.

Bovine fasciolosis (BF) is a parasitic disease of cattle that causes significant economic impacts to cattle farmers. The physical loses include weight loss, drop in productivity, liver condemnation and mortalities. This study assessed the prevalence, financial losses and risk factors associated with the disease in Lira and Gulu Districts, northern Uganda. A cross-sectional study of 720 slaughter cattle from the abattoirs was conducted by macroscopic examination of the animals and carcasses during routine slaughter. In the farms, 120 rectal faecal samples were taken to a laboratory for Fasciola egg detection by simple microscopy, while risk factors were assessed by administering a questionnaire to farm owners. Prevalence of BF was highest (38%) within cattle in the age group of 1-3 years and lowest (18%) in those over 5 years. The overall BF prevalence was 48% and 26% by postmortem examination and coprology, respectively. The cattle body condition had a significant association (p < 0.01) with prevalence of BF, in which emaciated cattle were most affected (59%), while fat ones had the least prevalence (15%). The annual financial loss due to BF infection was USD 89,099. The major risk factors associated with the disease at the farm level were communal grazing in swampy areas (82%) and watering cattle in swamps (71%). Farms where the source of drinking water was swamp water had higher chances (p < 0.05) of their cattle having BF. An integrated approach using routine deworming programs, improvement of cattle management practices and control of snail intermediate hosts is recommended to effectively control the spread of BF.

The precursor protein of A-kinase anchor protein 4 (proAKAP4), which is abundant in the fibrous sheath of sperm, plays an essential role in sperm motility and has been developed into one of the candidate molecular-based fertility markers. This study aimed to identify proAKAP4 in the sperm of Indonesian dairy bulls and to investigate its correlation with various sperm quality characteristics. The findings are expected to be applied and developed to optimize the use of superior dairy bulls. Frozen semen from 20 Indonesian dairy bulls were used, which had previously been classified based on their fertility levels into two groups: high fertility (HF) and low fertility (LF). Analysis of frozen-thawed sperm quality, such as progressive and total motility, sperm kinematics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, acrosome integrity, and capacitation status, was carried out in both groups. ProAKAP4 protein in frozen-thawed sperm was analyzed using the Bull 4MID Kit with the ELISA technique. Each dairy bull showed varying proAKAP4 abundance (p < 0.05) from one another. Frozen-thawed sperm quality in HF bulls was higher (p < 0.05) than in LF bulls, especially in total and progressive motility, sperm kinematics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, acrosome integrity, and noncapacitated sperm. The parameters of capacitated and acrosome-reacted sperm showed the opposite results, where the quality in LF bulls was higher (p < 0.05) than in HF bulls. The results of proAKAP4 identification showed that the protein abundance in HF bulls was higher (p < 0.05) than in LF bulls. Correlation analysis confirmed a strong association (p < 0.05) between proAKAP4 levels and sperm fertility rate. The proAKAP4 protein has great potential to be developed and applied as a marker for determining the fertility of dairy bulls and for selecting superior dairy bulls.

The condition known as colibacillosis is still very common in Indonesia, which means that laying hens affected by it are unable to achieve their peak egg production phase. Instead, their egg production is delayed and more susceptible to infection by other diseases. The goal of this study is to determine if the mixture of citric acid and dextrose can inhibit the growth of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) bacteria in laying hens, ultimately leading to the control of colibacillosis cases in Indonesia. A total of 240 laying hen heads in all were split up into 6 treatments, each with 40 replications.The group received the following treatments: T0 is a treatment for laying hens free of APEC infection and they are given no drink that contains any mixture of citric acid and dextrose. T0 (-) is a treatment for laying hens free of APEC infection but a drink mixture of citric acid and dextrose is administered at a dose of 1 g/2.5 L of drinking water. T0 (+) is a treatment for laying hens infected with APEC up to 2 mL/head orally (3 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) and given a drink without the mixture of citric acid and dextrose. T1 is a treatment for laying hens infected with APEC up 2 mL/head orally (3 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) and given a mixture of citric acid and dextrose at a dose of 1 g/1.25 L of drinking water. T2 is a treatment for laying hens infected with APEC up to 2 mL/head orally (3 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) and given a mixture of citric acid and dextrose at a dose of 1 g/2.5 L of drinking water. T3 is a treatment for laying hens infected with APEC up to 2 mL/head orally (3 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) and given a mixture of citric acid and dextrose at a dose of 1 g/3.75 L of drinking water. The results of this study stated that the mixture of citric acid and dextrose showed a significant decrease in the appearance of the intestinal villi of laying hens, because the results were actually less good compared to the treatment infected with APEC. It is suspected that the dose given may still be excessive in concentration. This can be seen from the dose with the highest concentration range (T1) to the lowest (T3) which showed an image of intestinal villi that had a tendency to improve. Therefore, further research and studies are needed regarding the use of a mixture of citric acid and dextrose in laying hens infected with APEC with a lower dose.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a major health issue in dogs, contributing to both morbidity and mortality. This retrospective study reviews the epidemiological features and prevalence of CHD in dogs visiting veterinary facilities in Tehran, Iran, over the last 10 years. Medical records were analyzed for 4033 canines that underwent comprehensive cardiac examinations, including echocardiography, between January 2013 and October 2023. In this study, 88 cases of CHD were detected, and an overall prevalence of 2.18% was determined. A significant difference was noted between mixed-breed dogs (8.65%) and purebred dogs (1.63%). Pulmonary stenosis (PS) is the most commonly diagnosed CHD, followed by subaortic stenosis (SAS) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). CHD prevalence correlated strongly with age and gender; in particular, females and older dogs were more likely to suffer from specific CHDs. CHD is most often diagnosed without symptoms, highlighting the importance of regular screenings and careful auscultation for early detection. Future research must focus on identifying the genetic factors that make dogs more susceptible to CHDs and developing more effective methods for diagnosing and treating these conditions in canine populations. This study does not represent the general dog population in the region or the country but provides researchers with valuable insights into the epidemiology of CHD in dogs referred to veterinary hospitals in Tehran, Iran, underlining the importance of monitoring and focused therapies to improve their health and general well-being.

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland tissue that is generally associated with an infection. Staphylococcus aureus is a primary pathogen responsible for bovine mastitis worldwide. Nonetheless, there is limited information on virulence factors and resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus associated with bovine mastitis in northwestern Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the frequency of virulence genes and antibiotic susceptibility profile of Staphylococcus aureus in dairy cows with mastitis. A cross-sectional study with a simple random sampling method was conducted from October 2022 to June 2023 in Chagni town, Amhara region from a ranch and 20 smallholder farms. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated and identified using standard bacteriological and molecular methods, followed by antibiotic sensitivity testing of the isolates. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the study results. Of 140 milk samples tested, 64 (45.7%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Enterotoxins (seb = 13 [20.3%], sec = 11 [17.2%], seh = 9 [14.1%], and see = 6 [9.4%]), Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl = 11 [17.2%]), toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst = 7 [10.9%]), and alpha-hemolysin (hlb = 7 [10.9%]) were the prominent virulence genes. The isolates exhibited high antimicrobial sensitivity to sulfamethoxazole (87.5%) and gentamycin (79.7%), followed by tetracycline (75%), erythromycin (72%), and azithromycin (71.8%). However, they were highly resistant to cefoxitin (65.6%), followed by erythromycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin (25%). Multidrug resistance was also observed in 23 isolates, which showed resistance to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories. Our research identified a significant presence of virulent genes and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus responsible for mastitis, underscoring the critical necessity for enhanced specific mastitis control strategies against S. aureus in the study setting.

Bovine subclinical mastitis (SCM) is the costliest disease for the dairy industry. Technologies aimed at the early diagnosis of this condition, such as infrared thermography (IRT), can be used to generate large amounts of data that provide valuable information when analyzed using learning techniques. The objective of this study was to evaluate and optimize the use of machine learning by applying the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm in the diagnosis of bovine SCM, based on udder thermogram analysis. Over 14 months, a total of 1035 milk samples were collected from 97 dairy cows subjected to an automatic milking system. Somatic cell counts were performed by flow cytometry, and the health status of the mammary gland was determined based on a cutoff of 200,000 cells/mL of milk. The attributes analyzed collectively included air temperature, relative humidity, temperature-humidity index, breed, body temperature, teat dirtiness score, parity, days in milk, mammary gland position, milk yield, electrical conductivity, milk fat, coldest and hottest points in the mammary gland region of interest, average mammary gland temperature, thermal amplitude, and the difference between the average temperature of the region of interest and the animal's body temperature, as well as the microbiological evaluation of the milk. Using the XGBoost algorithm, the most relevant variables for solving the classification problem were identified and selected to construct the final model with the best fit and performance. The best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC: 0.843) and specificity (Sp: 93.3%) were obtained when using all thermographic variables. The coldest point in the region of interest was considered the most important for decision making in mastitis diagnosis. The use of XGBoost can enhance the diagnostic capability for SCM when IRT is employed. The developed optimized model can be used as a confirmatory mechanism for SCM.