Knowledge, attitude and practices of coccidiosis in chickens by poultry farmers in southwest, Nigeria

Coccidiosis is a major disease of economic importance in Nigeria requiring adequate knowledge and understanding of the disease pattern as well as correct attitude and acceptable practices in order to effectively control or at least minimize the negative effective on poultry production. In this study semi-structured questionnaire was administered randomly to 166 poultry farmers in Oyo and Ogun States to determine their knowledge and attitude towards chicken coccidiosis and their adopted prophylactic practices. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistics, Chi-square and logistic regression at p≤=0.05 significance level. About 56.4% of the respondents were >50 years with 84.4% having tertiary education and 93.4% were married. About 50.6% of the poultry farms had 1000-5000 flock size with 59.0% using open drinkers resulting in regular water spills on litter which predisposes to coccidiosis. About 95.9% of the respondents were aware of coccidiosis and 82% of them got their information on coccidiosis from Veterinary professionals and this is significantly associated (p<0.05) with good knowledge of coccidiosis. Almost 85% of the respondents have suffered coccidiosis outbreaks with 72.9% occurring in chickens under 8 weeks. Only 73% have foot dips at their farm entrance and this has biosecurity implications on coccidiosis control. Only 15.1% of the respondents could recognize two or more clinical signs of coccidiosis and are said to have good knowledge of the disease while the majority (84.9%) associate coccidiosis with only bloody faeces. Usage of both deep litter and battery cage system was significantly (p<0.05) associated with good knowledge of coccidiosis. Muslim respondents and those using Veterinary Consultants had significantly higher practice of vaccine prophylaxis adoption. Veterinary extension education and faith-based advocacy will enhance better attitudes to and practices of coccidiosis management by farmers; like the adoption of coccidiosis vaccination which will not only reduce anticoccidial usage but also minimize anticoccidial residues in poultry products.Keywords: Coccidiosis, Extension, Poultr

Meteorological parameter anomalies and anomalous radio propagation over Nigeria

Distribution and variation of anomalous radio propagation, temperature and relative humidity anomalies were obtained and analyzed using six years (2010-2015) Era interim data. Seasonal spatial distribution of refractivity gradient and its components were analyzed. The result showed that about 90% of wet component contributed to the variation of refractivity gradient. Highest range of refractivity gradients and its wet components were obtained during the wet season. The result of correlation between ducting occurrence and temperature showed strong negative correlation except in Lagos where positive correlation of 3% was observed. However, positive correlation which ranges between 39% and 70% exist between duct occurrence and relative humidity except in Lagos in Nigeria. Refractivity gradients, relative humidity anomaly and temperature experience a monthly variation. These variations can be attributed to the seasonal movement of inter-tropical discontinuity (ITD) across Nigeria. Keywords: anomalous, anomaly, correlation, IT

Orange peel extract corrected lipid dysmetabolism and pro-inflammation, but not deranged antioxidant and hormonal status in orchidectomised rats

Background: Testosterone is a metabolic hormone; therefore, its absence would affect food metabolism, and subsequently a wide array of associated endogenous processes, including oxidative and inflammatory events. Contrarily, orange peel is known to be rich in flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, asides from their modulatory roles on lipolysis and lipogenesis. Hence, we investigated the effects of ethanolic extract of orange peel (EEOP) on antioxidant, inflammatory, and lipid and reproductive hormonal profiles in experimental animal. Methods: The rats were divided into four groups (N=10), which included: Control (Sham orchidectomised) (group 1); Orchidectomised (Orchid) (group 2); Orchidectomised + Low dose of orange peel (Orchid + LDOP) (group 3); and Orchidectomised + High dose of orange peel (Orchid + HDOP) (group 4). EEOP was administered at a low and high dose of 200 and 600 mg/kg BW, p.o. respectively; however, normal saline (vehicle) was administered at 1 ml/kg BW, p.o. to groups 1 and 2 throughout the four weeks duration of the experiment. Results: Castration was accompanied by dsylipidaemia, without alteration of oxidative, inflammatory, and reproductive hormonal status. Although EEOP reversed alterations in lipid metabolism back to the baseline, it neither showed significant effects on oxidative markers (SOD, catalase, total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde) nor reproductive hormone (testosterone, FSH and LH) profile, even though it significantly reduced uric acid. The effects of EEOP were not dose-graded, except in the MDA result, which was significantly higher in group 3, relative to group 4. Conclusion: EEOP corrected lipid dysmetabolism and pro-inflammation, but not deranged antioxidant and hormonal status in a dose-independent manner in orchidectomised rats. Kewords: Orange peel extract, Oxidative stress, Inflammation, Lipid profile; Hormon

Morphological and morphometric studies of the aorta, pulmonary trunk, and heart of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats

Micro-anatomical changes in the aorta, pulmonary trunk, and left ventricle of Wistar rats were studied after the administration of streptozotocin. Twenty adult Rattus norvegicus were randomly assigned into two groups (control and diabetic) of ten rats each. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced in the diabetic group of rats by daily intra-peritoneal administration of multiple doses of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin dissolved in 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer for five consecutive days. The control group was given the equivalent volume of citrate buffer. The animals were monitored for four weeks after streptozotocin administration. Post sacrifice, the left ventricle, aorta, and pulmonary trunk were excised, weighed, and fixed by immersion in 10% formol saline. The tissues were processed for paraffin embedding, and sections of 6 &#956;m thickness were produced and stained with H & E for general histological observations, and Verhoeff-van Gieson elastic fibre stain to demonstrate elastic fibres in these cardiovascular structures. The data obtained were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Histopathological and morphometric examinations of the stained sections showed a significant increase in the thickness of the tunica intima of aorta (t = &#8211;7.49; df = 9; p < 0.05) and pulmonary trunk (t = &#8211;10.81; df = 9; p < 0.05) in diabetic rats (14.59 &#177; 1.189 mm and 11.307 &#177; 0.863 mm, respectively) when compared to that of the control group (3.62 &#177; 0.353 mm and 3.22 &#177; 0.244 mm, respectively). In addition, the distribution of elastic and collagen fibres was sparse in the hearts of the diabetic group when compared to that of the control group. The findings of this study demonstrated that diabetes mellitus might cause some alterations in the microanatomy of cardiovascular structures

Histomorphological and morphometric studies of the pancreatic islet cells of diabetic rats treated with extracts of Annona muricata

Microanatomical changes in the pancreatic islet cells of streptozotocin induced diabetic Wistar rats were studied after treatment with methanolic extracts of Annona muricata leaves. Thirty adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three groups (control, untreated diabetic group, and A. muricata-treated diabetic group) of ten rats each. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced in groups B and C by a single intra-peritoneal injection of 80 mg/kg streptozotocin dissolved in 0.1 M citrate buffer. The control rats were intraperitoneally injected with an equivalent volume of citrate buffer. Daily intra peritoneal injections of 100 mg/kg A. muricata were administered to group C rats for two weeks. Post sacrifice the pancreases of the rats were excised and fixed in Bouin&#8217;s fluid. The tissues were processed for paraffin embedding and sections of 5 &#956;m thickness were produced and stained with H & E, Gomori aldehyde fuchsin, and chrome alum haematoxylin-phloxine for demonstration of the &#946;-cells of islets of pancreatic islets. Histomorphological and morphometric examination of the stained pancreatic sections showed a significant increase in the number, diameter, and volume of the &#946;-cells of pancreatic islets of the A. muricata-treated group (5.67 &#177; 0.184 N/1000 &#956;m2, 5.38 &#177; 0.093 &#956;m and 85.12 &#177; 4.24 &#956;m3, respectively) when compared to that of the untreated diabetic group of rats (2.85 &#177; 0.361 N/1000 &#956;m2, 2.85 &#177; 0.362 &#956;m and 69.56 &#177; 5.216 &#956;m3, respectively). The results revealed regeneration of the &#946;-cells of islets of pancreatic islet of rats treated with extract of A. muricata. (Folia Morphol 2010; 69, 2: 92-100

Growth Performance, Haematological Indices and Cost Benefits of Growing Pigs Fed Cassava Peel Meal Diets Supplemented With Allzyme® SSF

Effect of replacing dietary maize with cassava peel meal (CPM) supplemented with Allzyme® SSF (SSF) on the growth performance, haematological indices and cost benefits of growing pigs was investigated. Chemical composition of CPM and diets used were determined using standard procedures. Twenty-four growing pigs with average weight of 14.0+0.25kg were allotted to 6 dietary treatments whereby CPM replaced maize at 0, 50 and 100% levels with SSF supplementation at 0g/100kg and 20g/100kg of diet. Each treatment was replicated 4 times while the experiment lasted 8 weeks. Data were collected on daily feed intake (DFI), daily weight gain (DWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR); feed cost/weight gain and feed cost/day were calculated. Blood samples collected through jugular vein puncture were analyzed for haematological indices such as white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell and platelet count. The CPM diets with or without SSF gave comparable (P&gt;0.05) pigs’ growth performance to what was obtained for pigs on the maize based diets in terms of DFI (1.26 – 1.33kg), DWG (0.32 – 0.40kg) and FCR (3.13 – 4.03). Values for WBC were within normal range, though they had significant (p&lt;0.05) variations. Other haematological parameters were not influenced (p&gt;0.05) by CPM inclusion. Feed cost/kg diet (N54.11 – N74.39) and feed cost/weight gain (N195.33 – N244.65) reduced insignificantly (P&gt;0.05) with CPM inclusion in the diets of pigs. It was concluded that cassava peel meal can totally replace maize with or without enzyme supplementation in the diets of growing pigs for optimal performance at reduced cost

Growth performance, haematology and cost benefit of growing rabbits reared on different feed access times and restriction durations

Sixty growing rabbits of mixed breeds and sexes were used for 10 wk in a 4 x 3 factorial experimental design to test for the effect of different feed access times (2, 4, 6 and 24 h) and different restriction durations (2, 4 and 6 wk) on the performance, haematological parameters and cost benefits of growing rabbits. Data obtained were subject to a 2�way analysis of variance. Results showed significantly higher (p0.05) across the feed access time and restriction duration. White blood cell was higher in growing rabbits on 2-h feed access time for 6-wk duration of restriction while all other parameters measured for haematology were not significantly affected by the feed access time and restriction duration. Total cost of feed consumed was highest in growing rabbits maintained on 24-h feed access time. Cost of feed per kg weight gain was not significantly influenced across the feed access times and the restriction durations. It was concluded that for a reduced cost of feeding without an adverse effect on the performance and haematological profile, growing rabbits should be raised on not less than 4-h feed access time for 2-wk restriction duration

Modulatory effect of fermented Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) supplemented diet on cadmium-induced toxicity in rats

Tetracarpidium conophorum (African Walnut) is a plant with acclaimed multi-therapeutic properties in different parts of the plant. This research investigated the effect of fermented walnut supplemented diet on cadmium-induced toxicity in the liver and brain of rats. Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of five animals each weighing between 90-140 g. Group 1 received 5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride (CdCl 2) and normal rat feed. Group 2 received a normal rat diet while groups 3 and 4 received 5 mg/kg body weight of cadmium chloride, and 5% and 10% walnut supplemented feed respectively. Cadmium (Cd) was administered daily for 6 weeks by oral intubation. Rats were sacrificed 24 hrs after the final treatment. Cd exposure elicited increased activities of Acetylcholinesterase, Superoxide dismutase, Catalase as well as elevated Glutathione levels. In addition, Cd exposure caused increases in rat plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. The fermented walnut supplemented diet restored some rats' biochemical parameter to near normal comparable to control. Our study shows that walnut supplemented food could substantially moderate Cd-induced toxicity in rat liver and brain while providing health and nutritional benefits. Hence, it could be useful for occupationally exposed individuals as a dietary intervention to reduce adverse health effects

Polyphenolic content and biochemical evaluation of fijk, alomo, osomo and oroki herbal mixtures in vitro

Background: The current upsurge in the use of herbal remedies coupled with loose regulation on public access to these products underscore research efforts to evaluate their biochemical effect, noting also that many of the herbal medicines lack scientific credence to support medicinal claims. Objective: Determination of in vitro antioxidant capacity and membrane stabilizing potential of some herbal remedies (Fijk, Osomo, Alomo and Oroki) respectively. Methodology: Red blood cells (RBCs) were prepared from rat blood and exposed to the therapeutic doses of Fijk, Alomo, Osomo and Oroki herbals in order to estimate relative hemolysis. Distilled water treatment of RBCs was taken as 100% hemolysis. Subsequently, the hemolysates were used for the determination of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The herbals were further evaluated for their polyphenolic content, free radical scavenging activity as well as total antioxidant capacity. Results: The herbals showed low polyphenolic content, reduced antioxidant capacity and offered no protection against free radical-induced degradation of deoxyribose. On the other hand, the herbal mixtures caused appreciable hemolysis of RBCs as well as depleted the levels of rat erythrocyte G6PD, GSH and SOD. Also, the erythrocyte level of MDA was elevated (p < 0.05) by exposure to Oroki herbal mixture. Conclusion: The herbal mixtures have low polyphenolic content as well as poor antioxidant property. This may impede their capacity to protect against oxidative stress