Veterinary medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)最新文献

The use of cytokine adsorption is an emerging treatment for inflammatory diseases in human medicine. There are few reports of this treatment modality in veterinary medicine and no reports of the use of a cytokine adsorbent for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). These case reports illustrate the use of a cytokine adsorbent as an adjunctive treatment during therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). All dogs were unresponsive to conventional treatment or were severely affected by rapid hemolysis of red blood cells. The aim was to treat all dogs with three sequential TPE sessions; however, one dog died before completion of three sessions and one dog required additional sessions. Preliminary evidence indicates that the use of a cytokine adsorption is well tolerated and can be considered as an adjunct in the management of IMHA that is severe or refractory to traditional treatment.

Coxiellosis is a zoonotic disease that is prevalent globally and can pose significant challenges, especially in less developed countries like Ethiopia. Coxiella burnetii is responsible for causing an infection called Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in ruminants. Pneumonia and endocarditis are the only signs that characterize the acute and chronic forms of Q fever, respectively. Ruminants exhibit symptoms such as abortion during the later stages of pregnancy, impaired fertility, perinatal death, premature delivery, and reduced birth weight. C. burnetii infection typically spreads among healthy cattle via tick bites and exposure to infected cattle or their bodily secretions. The primary source of human infection is through the ingestion of contaminated milk and milk products, but transmission through aerosols and dust generated during livestock operations is also common. Cattle, sheep, camels and goats are the primary sources of human infection, and the bacterium can be found in various bodily fluids of infected animals. Several factors, including host characteristics, environmental conditions, and management practices, can potentially affect the occurrence of C. burnetii infection in livestock, such as cattle, camels, sheep, and goats. Coxiellosis is prevalent in Ethiopia's pastoral and mixed cattle management systems, as individuals frequently interact with cattle and are therefore more prone to exposure to the C. burnetii bacterium. Vaccination and biosecurity measures are effective techniques for managing C. burnetii infection. Therefore, it is crucial to implement appropriate mitigation strategies, raise awareness about the spread of C. burnetii infection, and conduct further studies on C. burnetii infection in high-risk groups.

Background: Brucellosis is a contagious, economically significant bacterial disease that affects animals worldwide and is one of the most neglected zoonotic diseases in the world. The disease poses a barrier to the trade of animals and animal products, represents a public health hazard, and is an impediment to free animal movement.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from December 2019 to May 2020 in order to determine seroprevalence and identify potential risk factors for brucellosis in dairy cows in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia with recent cases of abortion. Purposive sampling was carried out on the farms and kebeles in question to screen for recent cases of abortion in dairy cows. For the purpose of performing serological testing, 352 blood samples from dairy cattle were obtained. The Rose Bengal Plate test was used to initially screen the serum samples, and the Complement Fixation test was utilized as a confirmatory test.

Results: Using combined RBPT and CFT tests, the overall seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.16-2.09). Retained fetal membrane (OR = 32.74, p = 0.006), market-based stock replacement (OR = 16.55, p = 0.002), breeding method (OR = 7.58, p = 0.027), and late stage of abortion (OR = 14.74, p = 0.0002) are all significantly associated risk factors.

Conclusion: The present seroprevalence study revealed that brucellosis is prevalent at a lower rate among dairy cattle in the study areas. However, there is a possible risk of brucellosis transmission in dairy cattle and the exposed human population in research locations because no control measures were put in place there. Implementing a test and slaughter method with compensation for farmers is advised due to the low prevalence of bovine brucellosis in government-owned and small-holder farms.

Introduction: Foot-and-mouth disease is globally one of the most economically important viral diseases of cloven-hoofed animals that can be controlled by different strategies, where vaccination plays an important role. Selection of adjuvant added to vaccine preparation is crucial in ensuring the protective effect of the vaccine. Aluminum hydroxide gel mixed with saponin (AS) is widely used adjuvant, with its suboptimal immune response in FMD vaccine. The present study was undertaken to evaluate different ingredients of adjuvants for inactivated trivalent (A, O and SAT 2) FMD vaccine and to demonstrate the effect of booster dose in cattle.

Methods: Cattle were grouped into five; four experimental and one control, with six animals in each group and immunized with trivalent vaccine with various formulations of adjuvants. Immune response was measured using Solid Phase Competitive Enzyme Linked Immune Sorbent Assay (SPCE).

Results: The antibody level in cattle immunised with a vaccine formulation containing a mixture of aluminum hydroxide gel and saponin (AS) were significantly lower than AS boosted group for the three serotypes (p<0.05, t-test), which directs the need for booster dose. Whereas the antibody response in the AS + oil group was higher followed by oil alone. The AS preparation with a booster dose has shown better immune response compared to the group without.

Conclusion: The findings of this study could suggest that oil based and AS with oil could replace the conventional aluminum hydroxide gel and saponin adjuvants in FMD vaccine preparations. Challenge test was not successful indicating the need for further research on the virus infectivity.

Purpose: Hirudiniasis is a disease in people and animals who have been infested by blood sucking leeches. In Ethiopia, it is a neglected disease, causing significant economic loss in the livestock industry. In the study area, information on livestock Hirudiniasis is very limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess livestock owners' awareness, knowledge, and control practices toward leech infestation, and to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of livestock Hirudiniasis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February to September 2022 on domestic animals randomly selected from livestock owners of Mirab Abaya district, Southern Ethiopia. In total, 384 domestic animals were sampled and examined for the presence of leech infestation. A questionnaire survey was carried out on 150 livestock owners.

Results: This study discovered a 13.54% (52/384) overall prevalence of livestock Hirudiniasis in the study area and the highest prevalence was observed in cattle (22.14%), followed by sheep (10%), goats (8.65%), and equines (5%). Limnatis nilotica was the only leech species identified in the study area. The occurrence of livestock Hirudiniasis was significantly higher in the dry season (OR=3.16, p<0.05), around bodies of water (OR=10.88, p<0.01), in extensive production systems (OR=3.81, p<0.05), and in adult (OR=2.58, p<0.05) and poor body condition animals (OR=9, p<0.01). However, the species and sex of domestic animals were not significantly associated with Hirudiniasis. The questionnaire showed 61.33% and 35.33% of respondents had knowledge about leech infestations in domestic animals and its zoonotic impacts, respectively. Manual removal and traditional medicine are common control measures taken by livestock owners against Hirudiniasis.

Conclusion: The present study showed that leeches were prevalent and significantly affects the health and productivity of livestock in the study area. Hence, cost-effective parasitic control measures need to be implemented to address the setback.

Introduction: Pathogen molecular epidemiology determines the origin of specific outbreaks locality of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype South African Territories-2 sequence-based analysis of highly variable Viral Protein 1 (VP1), which helps to identify the evolution of this virus through time and space. The objective of this study was to compare the differences between SAT-2 VP1 sequences of FMDV circulated in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2015 at the genetic level.

Methods: The nucleotide and amino acid sequences were analyzed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tools (BLAST), Multiple sequence alignment and sequence editing and Phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences alignment, distance matrix, and phylogenetic tree constructions were done using the MEGA 6.0 software package.

Result and discussion: In this analysis, we found 76% nucleotide identities and amino acid similarities among the sequences. The overall group mean distance at nucleotide level was 19% with a mean intra-population diversity of 2%. The lowest sequence variation was observed among sequences obtained from the years 2007/09/10, 2014/15, and 1990/91 which was less than 5% among them. This analysis revealed that in the last 25 years, four different topotypes of the FMDV SAT-2 were circulating in Ethiopia. The Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) amino acid (AA) motif at AA position 144-146 within the G-H loop of the VP1 protein of FMDV is conserved, but up- and downstream hyper-variable AA sequences are identified. In this study, it was observed that four topotypes (IV, XIV, XIII, and VII) were circulating in Ethiopia for 25 years. Further, compared with sequences from neighboring countries (Sudan, Kenya) confirmed the presence of these topotypes.

Conclusion: Pertinent to this genetic diversity control strategies in Ethiopia should be based on having regular antigenic and genetic vaccine matching tests with the circulating strain within a defined period, space, transboundary nature of the disease and applying biosecurity measures.

Introduction: Peste des petits ruminants is a transboundary disease of major economic importance and imposes significant constraints on small ruminant production.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed in Dera and Gerar Jarso districts of the North Shewa zone, Oromia Region from February 2021 to March 2022, to estimate the antibody of PPRV and assess the associated risk factors. Blood samples (n = 662) were collected from sheep and goats. Cluster sampling strategy was employed to collect the data. Villages/Kebeles and individual small ruminants were randomly selected, while households were designated using a systematic random sampling method.

Results: An overall individual animal and flock level sero-prevalence was 10.3% (95% CI = 8.2-12.8) and 100% (95% CI = 96.3-100), respectively, from the c-ELISA test result. A sero-prevalence of 11.2% (95% CI = 8.7-14.4) in Dera and 8% (95% CI = 5-12.7) in Gerar Jarso districts was recorded.

Discussion: Flock size, age, sex, communal grazing, and watering system, new small ruminant introduction into a flock, and mixed rearing were significantly associated with PPR sero-positivity in sheep and goats. The chance of PPR occurrence in goats was 4 times (OR = 4; P = 0.000) more than sheep. Female sheep and goats were more likely to be sero-positive to PPR by 3 times (OR = 3.2; P = 0.003) than males. The newly introduced small ruminants had 4 times more odds (OR = 4.4; P = 0.000) of sero-positivity than animals being born at home. Small ruminants kept under communal grazing and watering system were nearly 12 times (OR = 11.5; P = 0.024) more likely sero-positive than privately managed small ruminants. Likewise, sheep and goats reared together were almost 9 times (OR = 9.4; P = 0.000) a higher chance of being sero-positive compared with separately reared small ruminants.

Conclusion: The finding of PPR virus antibodies in small ruminants from all study areas indicates endemic circulation of the virus. The implementation of regular vaccination could minimize the occurrence of PPR.

Background: Acidosis is one of the most common rumen diseases characterized by changes in the rumen environment and the circulatory system. Recent alternative trends in rearing small ruminants have led to the use of probiotics, rumenotorics and prebiotics to treat acidosis in animals.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics and the combination of probiotics with prebiotics and probiotics with rumenotorics for the treatment of acidosis in sheep.

Methods: This experimental study was conducted from September 2018 to May 2019. For the therapeutic study, 25 sheep were randomly divided into 5 equal groups. Acidosis was induced by an oral dose of 50 g/kg with wheat flour after a 24 hour fast. Four regimens of therapy were employed: PT probiotics, PPT probiotics with prebiotics; PRT probiotics with rumenotorics and standard ST treatment were adopted. Before and after therapy, laboratory analyses on rumen fluid, serum analysis, physical signs, and hematological changes were conducted.

Results: When probiotics were combined with rumenotorics (PRT), the mean standard deviation of rumen pH at day zero was 4.96±0.837 (PRT). Rumen pH improved from day one today three to 5.92±0.54, 6.30±041 and 6.75±0.34, respectively. The change in rumen pH was statistically significant after treatment on day 3 (p=0.002). The therapeutic regimens of PRT had improved heart rate and respiratory rate after treatment and the change was statistically significant (p=0.006 and p=0.000) compared to the control group. The PCV of the PRT treated sheep was also improved.

Conclusion: Probiotics with rumenotorics were the most successful therapeutic regimen for the treatment of ruminal acidosis in sheep. Therefore, the use of probiotics with rumenotorics is the promising alternative for the treatment of acidosis.

Introduction: Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is viral disease affecting cattle production and productivity in Ethiopia. As a prevention method, vaccinations have been used for a long period with a questionable output due to the existence of LSD outbreaks in vaccinated herds in different parts of Ethiopia.

Methods: A longitudinal study was performed from October 2019 to April 2020 with the objective of assessing the humoral immune response of cattle with a serum neutralization test (SNT) from different management systems in central Ethiopia. In this study, theserum was collected from 113 cattle (extensive (60/113) and intensive (53/113) management systems) before and after vaccination.

Results and discussion: From collected sera, a limited number of cattle had seroconversion before vaccination (7.08%). On the other hand, it is obvious the seroconversion rises post vaccination. Accordingly, seroconversion starts to increase after a week (8.85% at 7 dpv) post-vaccination which proceeds to significantly increase at 30 days post vaccination (dpv) (41.65% (25/60)). Furthermore, the risk factor study before and after vaccination showed intensively managed cattle with significantly higher levels of antibody titer at 7 dpv (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 0.22, 6.2; p = 0.016) and 30 dpv (OR = 3.67; 95% CI = 1.1, 12.29; p = 0.035) compared with that of extensively managed cattle. The other animal-related risk factor that showed a significant difference was breeds and a specific age group ([4½, 7] years) at 15 dpv (OR = 6.69; 95% CI = 2.02, 22.08; p = 0.002) and 30 dpv (OR = 4.24; 95% CI = 1.22, 14.71; p = 0.023); respectively.

Conclusion: This study showed an overall lower antibody detection across the study, posing a question on the current LSD-vaccine efficacy. Therefore, a circulating strain of LSDV should be cross-checked with the vaccine strain and adaptations should be made from it.

Background: A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected districts of Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia over a period of November 2019 and September 2020 to estimate seroprevalence and associated risk factors and assess knowledge and practices of smallholder farmers about bovine brucellosis. Two districts and four kebeles from each district were purposively selected, and individual animals were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 384 sera samples were collected, and concurrently, 236 dairy cattle owners were interviewed. The samples were tested for antibodies against Brucella using both Rose Bengal Plate test and Complement Fixation test following OIE standard protocol. Risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.

Results: The survey result has shown that 95% and 97% of the small holder farmers did not know the cause and symptoms of bovine brucellosis, respectively, and the majority have engaged in risky practices. Eight (2.08%) of the collected serum samples were positive with screening test (RBT) and only six (1.5%) were positive with confirmatory test (CFT). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between herd sizes and the disease. The seropositivity of the disease is higher in small-sized herds followed by medium-sized herds.

Conclusion: The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was found to be at a low percentage with confirmatory tests even if there was a presence of associated risk factors for the disease in the study area. Again, the results suggest that smallholder farmers have poor knowledge and risky practices, which expose them to the disease. Awareness creation about the disease is of paramount importance even if the prevalence was low in this serological study. The implementation of a test and slaughter program before the disease becomes widespread, along with the testing of new stock before introduction to the farms is recommended.