Influence of Supplemental Methionine on Growth Performance of Uda Lambs in a Semi-Arid Environment

A twelve week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of supplementing methionine on growth performance of lambs. A total of twelve growing lambs were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments containing graded methionine levels in a completely randomised experimental design. The animals were fed diets containing 0 (control), 2 and 4g/kg methionine. Results indicated significant differences (P<0.05) between treatment means in terms of feed intake and live weight changes. Animals fed diets containing 2g/ kg methionine were better (P <0.05) compared to other treatments in terms of feed intake and growth performance. It was concluded that 2g/kg methionine gave the optimum performance

Household Barriers to Effective Malaria Prevention and Control in a Rural Community of North-Western Nigeria

Background: Malaria is endemic throughout Nigeria. Majority of Nigerians live in rural areas where subsistence farming is their main occupation. Most of them live below poverty line, earning less than $1.25 a day. In rural communities, many household factors constitute barriers to effective malaria prevention and control.Objective: This study was conducted to assess the factors that constitute barriers to prevention and control of malaria in Gimba village, a rural community in Soba Local Government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study conducted during community diagnosis posting of final year medical students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in July 2012. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the total population of household heads in the community.Results: Of the 686 respondents, most were farmers (69.7%). In terms of malaria prevention, most of the households (81.8%) own a mosquito net, but in 40.8% of the households, no member slept under a mosquito net the night before the survey. A significant proportion of the households (32.9%) use “otapiapia”, a cheap, unpatented, locally made pesticide as mosquito repellent, while 20.7% of the households do not use any method for malaria prevention. Respondents that had formal education, or with less than 5 children were more likely to use malaria preventive methods compared to those with no formal education or with more than 5 children. Regarding malaria treatment, most of the households, 73%, treated their last cases of presumptive malaria at chemist shops.Conclusion: Some socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and household practices militate against effective malaria prevention and control in the study area. Health Education and Socioeconomic Development in rural areas are recommended for successful malaria prevention and control.Keywords: Household, Barriers, Malaria, Prevention, Rural Community, Nigeri

Effect of health education on long lasting insecticidal nets utilization among mothers of under five children in yamaltu deba lga, Gombe state, Nigeria

Malaria remains a major global public health challenge. It is the leading cause ofdeath among children below the age of five years and constitutes 10% of the continent's disease burden. The objective of this study was to determine effect of health education on utilization of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) among mothers of under five children in Yamaltu Deba LGA of Gombe state: Objective: This study was aimed at determining the effect of health education on LLINs utilization among mothers of under five children in Yamaltu Deba LGA of Gombe State. Method: The study was a community-based quasi-experimental intervention where 240 mothers of under five children were selected from two communities using a multi stage sampling technique. Health education was given in the study community and withheld in the control community. Data was collected from both communities before and after the intervention using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using EPI-INFO 3.7.1 and Micro soft Excel software. Result obtained was presented using proportion, Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between categorical variables and decision taken at p<0.05. Results: The mean ages of respondents in study and control communities were 28.9±6.2 and 27.9±6.7 years respectively. At pre-intervention, LLIN ownership was found to be 86.6% and 76.3% while its utilization was 45.4% and 38.1% in both communities. After health education intervention, (LLINs) improved significantly in study community from 42.9% to 89.9% compared with control community which increased from 33.9% to 60.9% and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0001). Conclusion: This study concludes that health education significantly improved utilization. We recommendedcontinuous health education on LLINs utilization in communities especially among mothers of under five children

Outcome of training on yellow fever surveillance in a South-Western State, Nigeria: Implications for improved field implementation

Nigeria is in the process of strengthening yellow fever case-based surveillance with the collection of serum samples among suspected case patients. Atraining conducted for surveillance officers in the local government areas (LGAs) of Osun State on yellow fever case-based surveillance was assessed to determine its immediate impact on the knowledge of participants. The training focused mainly on how to detect and report a suspected case of yellow fever to the national authorities and the reference laboratory. Training materials included theWorld Health Organization district guidelines for yellow fever surveillance.Apre and post test was used to evaluate the immediate impact of the training on knowledge among participants. Atotal of 31 officers participated. The mean scores for pre and post tests were 7.1 (SD 3.6) and 20.7 (SD 3.4) out of a total of 30 points respectively. More than 80% of participants rated the training as excellent in overall organization.All participants indicated that they were very confident to fully implement yellow fever surveillance in their LGAs

Assessment of yeast supplementation on the onset of laying and subsequent performance of Shika brown layers fed high levels of rice bran during growing period

The study assessed the effect of feeding grower pullets with high levels of rice bran supplemented with or without yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on sexual maturity and subsequent laying performance. The treatment groups were: treatment 1, 0% rice bran without yeast, treatment 2, 45% rice bran without yeast, treatment 3, 50% rice bran without yeast treatment 4, 45% rice bran supplemented with yeast and treatment 5, 50% rice bran supplemented with yeast. These diets were fed from the 9th to 20th week of age. Thereafter, a common layer diet was fed to all treatment groups from 20th - 40th week. Results of the study indicated that feeding rice bran at the growing phase did not affect age at point of lay. Indeed the birds fed rice bran diets without yeast reached point of lay earlier than the control group. Similarly, birds on high rice bran + yeast reached peak production earlier than the control group. However, hen-day egg production was higher for the birds fed control diet. It could be concluded therefore that feeding diets containing up to 50% rice bran with or without yeast supplementation during the growing phase did not adversely affect the onset of laying and subsequent performance of Shika brown pullets.Keywords: Yeast, rice bran, pullets, eg

Household Expenditure on Treatment of Presumptive Malaria in a Rural Community of North-western Nigeria

Background: Malaria is endemic in Nigeria and there is a vicious cycle between it and poverty. It contributes towards poverty, while poverty influences the risk of its infection. Majority of Nigerians, 70%, live in rural areas, below poverty line. They earn less than $1.25 a day. Subsistence farming is their main occupation. The cost of malaria treatment represents a significant portion of their income.Objective: This study was conducted to assess the direct cost of presumptive malaria treatment on households in Gimba Village of Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study conducted during community diagnosis posting of final year medical students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in July 2012. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to collect data from household heads.Results: Most of the respondents (69.7%) were farmers. A large proportion of the respondents (47.3%) earned between N10,000.00 to N20,000.00. monthly. The average household size was 6 while the average number of presumptive malaria cases per household per year was 13. On average, the direct cost of presumptive malaria treatment alone, consumes 4.9 % of the annual income of household heads. There was a statistically significant association between cost of treatment and place of seeking treatment (p <0.001).Conclusion: The direct cost of presumptive malaria treatment alone consumed a large proportion of the meagre annual income of households in the study area. For effective malaria control in Nigeria, free or subsidized malaria treatment and rural health insurance scheme are recommended.Keywords: Household, expenditure, Treatment, presumptive malaria, Gimba Community, Nigeria

Apparent Nutrient Retention and Haematology of Shika Brown Pullet Chicks Fed Three Plant Protein Sources

An experiment was carried out to determine apparent nutrient retention and haematological indices of pullet chicks fed three plant protein sources. 243 day old Shika Brown chicks were divided into three treatment groups of 81 chicks subdivided into three replicate groups of 27 chicks. Three experimental diets were formulated to contain groundnut cake (GNC) Full fat soya (FFS) and lablab seed meal (LSM) and fed to the chicks for five weeks (3-8 weeks of age). At the 8th week three chicks per replicate were kept in metabolic cage and fed for faecal sample collection. Feed and faecal samples were weighed, oven dried and analyzed for proximate and mineral composition. Blood samples were collected via wing vein from 1 chick per replicate and stored in EDTA bottles for haematological analysis. Results indicated that retention of dry matter, nitrogen free extract and calcium were similar for chicks fed GNC and FFS but significantly different (P<0.05) from those fed LSM. Crude fibre retention was higher (P<0.05) in chicks fed FFS than those fed GNC and LSM, which were similar. Magnessium and sodium retentions were similar for chicks fed FFS and LSM but significantly different from those fed GNC. Only packed cell volume (PCV) varied significantly between treatment means. Other haematological parameters were similar across treatments and within normal ranges. Nutrients in LSM could be well utilized and safely too as those of GNC and FFS

Prenatal skull radiography and calvaria histogenesis in Uda and Yankasa breeds of sheep

The anterior fontanelle was opened and radiolucent in the second trimester; at the third trimester, the fontanelle began to shrink and finally closed at birth and became radiopaque. The borders of the orbit and the teeth were both radiolucent and undifferentiated at the second trimester and at the third trimester, and these regions became radiopaque at the second and third trimester, respectively. The histomorphology of the calvarium in the first-trimester foetus had three layers consisting of the mesenchymal and osteoblast cells; as the foetus ages within the second trimester, the mesenchymal cells were transformed into osteoblast, colonies, primitive bone spicules, matured bone spicules, and primitive trabeculae respective, in the third trimester, the primitive trabeculae developed into a matured trabeculae, in the day old, the matured trabeculae transforms into a primitive spongy bone. However, this process occurs earlier in Yankasa than in Uda. The histomorphology of the calvarium during foetal life is similar in the Uda and Yankasa. However, the stages of calvarium development occur earlier and faster in Yankasa than Uda of the same ages. This implies that foetal development and time of parturition could occur earlier in the Yankasa compared to the Uda breeds

Bacterial pathogens associated with wound infections at the university of maiduguri teaching hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria

Wound infection is a significant health problem in many parts of the world especially, Africa. It complicates the recovery of the patient, increases trauma care, prolongs hospital stay and has economic consequences on the patient. It also undermines the cost-effectiveness of wound management objectives in health settings. Objective: The study aims at investigating bacterial pathogens associated with wound infections at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Methods: Each of the 165 various wound specimens included in the study were streaked on blood and MacConkey agar plates, incubated aerobically at 37oC for 24 hours and colonies were identified and characterized using conventional methods. Result: Out of the 165 wound samples cultured and examined bacteriologically, 98.8% were positive for bacterial growth. Pure culture was obtained in 139 (84.2%), mixed growth of two organisms in 24 (14.5%) and 2 (1.2%) were negative for isolate. The most prevalent (57%) of gram positive organisms was Staphylococcus aureus and of the gram negative organisms, Proteus spp (16.4%). Twenty (83.3%) out of 24 polymicrobial infections were between Staphylococcus aureus and other organisms and 4(16.7%) were among gram negative organisms.Conclusion: It is hoped that reports of this type will create greater awareness in the selection of prophylactics and suitable antibiotic therapy for prompt healing of wounds and reduction of emergence of resistant strains

Management of Unilateral Suppurative Mastitis in A Four-year-old Red

Nigerian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 32(3): 2011; 246 - 24