Comparative haematological changes in experimentally infected Savannah brown goats with Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma vivax

A comparative study of haematological changes in Savannah brown goats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma vivax was carried out using thirty (30) goats aged between 20 and 48 months and average weight of 13.00 kg. The parameters determined before and after infection included parasitemia, rectal temperature, weight, PCV, and total plasma protein. The mean weight, rectal temperature, parasitemia, packed cell volume, total plasma protein of T. brucei infected goats were 11.88 kg, 39.18°C, 2.40, 22.1% and 11.88 g/dl, respectively, while T. vivax infected goats were 12.34 kg, 39.18°C, 2.20, 23.2% and 12.34 g/dl, respectively. The values of the same parameters in the controlwere 14.89 kg, 38.70°C, 25.8% and 7.06 g/dl, respectively. The parasites significantly (P < 0.05) affected the haematological parameters of the animals. T. brucei infection in the goats was more severe than theT. vivax infection

Phytochemical and antimicrobial study on the leaf extracts of Erythrophleum africanum (Caesalpiniaceae)

The leaf of Erythrophleum africanum was exhaustively extracted with ethanol using cold maceration techniques. This was subsequently partitioned with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and nbutanol. The agar diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial activity against the following micro-organisms eithicillin resistant Staphylococus, Staphylococcus aureaus, Streptococcus feacalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were determined. The in vitro antimicrobial screening revealed that the extracts exhibited diverse activities against different microbes with zones of inhibition ranging from 12 to 36 mm, MIC ranging from 3.25 to 60 mg/ml and MBC/MFC of 3.25 to 60 mg/ml for sensitive organisms at the tested concentrations. The activities observed could be attributed to the presence of terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins. The results justify the ethnomedicinal use of this plant in the treatment of sores, boils, wounds, dysentery, diarrhea and sexually transmitted infections.Keywords: Erythrophleum africanum, phytochemistry, antimicrobial activityAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(4), pp. 598-603, 22 January, 201

Field trial of Malaysian thermostable Newcastle disease vaccine in village chickens in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Village chickens in Kaduna State, Nigeria were vaccinated once with a Malaysian heat-resistant Newcastle disease vaccine (NDV4HR) given in feed. In all, 1605 chickens in 223 households covering 33 villages and 13 Local Government Areas were tagged and bled before vaccination and two weeks after vaccination. Antibodies to Newcastle disease virus were titrated by haemagglutination inhibition test and titres . 3(log2) were assumed to be protective. Presumed protective titres were recorded in 143 (8.9%) of chickens before vaccination and in 957 (65.5%) after vaccination. Recommendation is made for the widespread adoption of this technology