Detection of canine parvovirus antigen in dogs in Kumasi, Ghana

Background: Canine Parvovirus (CPV) in dogs has been documented in many countries. However, evidence of the infection is scanty in Ghana. This study was conducted to detect canine parvovirus antigen in dogs presented with diarrhoea to the Government Veterinary Clinic in Kumasi, Ghana.Materials and Methods: Faecal samples from 72 dogs presented with diarrhoea were tested for the presence of canine parvovirus antigen using commercially available rapid test kit (BIT® Rapid Colour Canine Parvovirus Ag Test Kit, BIOINDIST Co. Ltd, Korea) based on the principle of immunochromatography. Influence of breed, sex, age, vaccination history and the nature of diarrhoea were assessed. Data obtained was analysed with SPSS and subjected to the chi-square test. Significance was at α0.05Results: We found 61.11% tested positive (44/72) for CPV. Based on sex, 61.54% of males (20/33) and 60.61% of females tested positive (24/39). A total of 65.67% of samples from puppies below 6 months were positive. 56.25% of CPV vaccinated dogs and 70.83% of unvaccinated dogs were positive respectively. 69.05% of samples from haemorrhagic diarrhoeic dogs and 50.00% from non-haemorrhagic diarrhoeic dogs were positive of CPV.Conclusion: The study is the first documented evidence of the existence of CPV in Ghana. It also revealed that absence of bloody diarrhoea does not necessarily rule out CPV infection.Keywords: Canine Parvovirus, Diarrhoeic dogs, Kumasi, Ghan

DETECTION OF CANINE PARVOVIRUS ANTIGEN IN DOGS IN KUMASI, GHANA

Background: Canine Parvovirus (CPV) in dogs has been documented in many countries. However, evidence of the infection is scanty in Ghana. This study was conducted to detect canine parvovirus antigen in dogs presented with diarrhoea to the Government Veterinary Clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. Materials and Methods: Faecal samples from 72 dogs presented with diarrhoea were tested for the presence of canine parvovirus antigen using commercially available rapid test kit (BIT® Rapid Colour Canine Parvovirus Ag Test Kit, BIOINDIST Co. Ltd, Korea) based on the principle of immunochromatography. Influence of breed, sex, age, vaccination history and the nature of diarrhoea were assessed. Data obtained was analysed with SPSS and subjected to the chi-square test. Significance was at α0.05 Results: We found 61.11% tested positive (44/72) for CPV. Based on sex, 61.54% of males (20/33) and 60.61% of females tested positive (24/39). A total of 65.67% of samples from puppies below 6 months were positive. 56.25% of CPV vaccinated dogs and 70.83% of unvaccinated dogs were positive respectively. 69.05% of samples from haemorrhagic diarrhoeic dogs and 50.00% from non-haemorrhagic diarrhoeic dogs were positive of CPV. Conclusion: The study is the first documented evidence of the existence of CPV in Ghana. It also revealed that absence of bloody diarrhoea does not necessarily rule out CPV infection

THE PREVALENCE OF BRUCELLOSIS IN CATTLE AND THEIR HANDLERS IN NORTH TONGU DISTRICT OF VOLTA REGION, GHANA

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic pathogen responsible for great economic losses in most sub-Saharan nations. Although Ghana has successfully implemented the “One Health” initiative for the control of some emerging infectious zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential like Avian Influenza, there is very limited data available on brucellosis especially human brucellosis prevalence. He objective of his study is to determine the seroprevalence of human and bovine brucellosis as well as the predisposing factors at the community level in the North Tongu District of Ghana. Materials and Methods: Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT) was used to analyze blood samples from 178 cattle farmers, and 315 cattle. The positive samples were further confirmed with cELISA. Predisposing factors were determined by questionnaires administered to cattle farmers. All sample sites were geo-referenced. Results: Human and bovine brucellosis seroprevalence using RBPT were 10.1% and 22.9% respectively. Eighty six percent (62/72) of bovine cases were confirmed with ELISA. Delivery assistants were more likely to be infected (p=0.043) with odds ratio of 2.7. Out of the human cases (18), males constituted 88.9%. Ages 11-20 years recorded 77.7% seropositivity whilst cattle drovers represented 44.5% (8/18) of positives. Significant risk factors in cattle were herd size (p=0.037), history of retained placenta (0.000) and abortion (0.005). Conclusion: Bovine and human brucellosis is prevalent in North Tongu district, Ghana. Close contact with parturient cows was a major predisposing factor for human infection. Early referral of positive persons to the Hospital for confirmation and treatment is required to comply with the “One Health” initiative on brucellosis and other zoonoses

The incidence and pattern of pneumonia in pigs slaughtered at the Kumasi abattoir, Ghana

Pneumonia has been identified as a major disease condition limiting the swine production in West Africa; however the data on its implications to swine health has not been fully elucidated. The pattern and prevalence of pneumonia in slaughtered pigs was determined in respect to the age, sex and breed of pigs slaughtered between a periods of four months (November 2013-February 2014). Samples of the affected lungs were also taken for histopathological analysis using standard techniques. Of 2,462 pigs were slaughtered, 665 pigs were purposefully examined and 33 (5%) were found to have pneumonia. The consolidation was more to the left lung than right while the histological classification showed more of the bronchopneumonia with more peribronchiolar reactions buttressing the cranial lobe consolidation observed in all the breeds. The intact males were more affected than castrates and female while more pneumonia cases were observed in Landrace than Large White and the indigenous Ashanti Black pigs. The younger and aged animals were also more affected. Though the prevalence was more to the late raining season and early dry season, the direct financial loss was 2.5 Million cedis for every one million pig slaughtered. With the indirect financial loss due to weight loss, anorexia and cost of treatment, this loss could be enormous. Hence, there is need for an extensive investigation to identify the causal agents of pig pneumonia in Ghana using isolation and immunohistochemistry techniques in order to initiate the appropriate control strategy to curtail pig pneumonia

Nutrient profiling of ruminant feed resources in Ghana

A study was carried out to evaluate the available ruminant feed resources for their nutrient compositions. Two hundred and seventy-eight (278) feed resources were sampled from 27 farms in six regions in Ghana: Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East and Volta. Parameters measured included proximate composition, detergent fibre, and in vitro gas production of the samples. Other parameters such as apparent digestibilities, relative feed values, short-chain volatile fatty acid (SCFAs) content and dry matter intake were estimated using the established models. A Kruskal-Wallis H test was carried out with the nutritional parameters serving as random factors whilst the different feed materials served as fixed factors. The results obtained indicated that root crops and their residues had higher (p < 0.001) CP contents than the other categories of plant-based feed materials whilst cereals and their residues recorded the least CP (p < 0.001). The crude fat content was generally low for all samples, however, the fibre content was high in the cereals, legumes and their residues, grasses, and forbs. The mixed feeds and mashes produced the highest (p < 0.001) quantities of gas after 96 h of incubation (19.38 ml/200 mg DM) and also had a faster rate (p < 0.001) of gas production than the other materials (0.025 ml/h). However, the root crops and their residues were the materials with the highest (p < 0.001) potential gas produced. Digestibilities, SCFA, metabolisable energy and other estimated nutritional attributes were relatively low (p < 0.05) for the varying categories of feed materials except for the mixed feeds and mashes. The study revealed that the nutrient composition and the nutritional value of the feed resources were generally lower than the requirement of ruminant livestock and this may subsequently affect their productivity