Hydatidosis of cattle and sheep, its economic importance and Echinococcus granulosus among stray dogs in South Wollo, Ethiopia

In this crossectional survey the prevalence, fertility, size of hydatid cyst in cattle and sheep, economic losses due to hydatidosis in cattle, and prevalence of Echinococcus granulosus in dogs were studied in South Wollo, Ethiopia. for the purpose Each animal carcass was inspected carefully, hydatid cysts of each organ were counted, measured and examined microscopically to determine the fertility and determination of infection of Echinococcus granulosus in the dog involved in the study was done by standard post-mortem procedure. Of the total of 312 cattle and 197 sheep examined 56 (17.95%) and 15(7.61%) were found to be infected with hydatid cysts respectively. The prevalence in cattle tended to be high, though the difference was not statistically significant (P> 0.05, X2=1.006). Lung was found to be the most commonly affected organ in case of cattle, liver in case of sheep with a value of 66.25%and 82.36% respectively. Spleen and heart were found to be less commonly affected organs in cattle and lung in case of sheep, cysts were not observed in the kidney in both species. Studies on the condition of the cysts revealed that medium sized cysts predominate in case of cattle with an abundance rate of 54.9%, followed by small cysts (40.8%) and large cysts (4.3%). All of the cysts found in sheep were small and majority of them showed calcification. Cyst fertility rates were 36.2% and 45.5% in lung and livers respectively (z = 0.46, P = 0.643). Out of 10 stray dogs euthanized and examined at necropsy 2(20%) were found to be infected with adult E.granulosus with a mean worm burden of 30. An annual loss of 464,900 Eth.birr was estimated to be caused by bovine hydatidosis from organ condemnation and carcass weight losses. In conclusion this zoonotic cestode need deserve due attention in order to safe guard the public and reduce the economic losses in animals, thus relevant control measures  pertinent to the prevailing socioeconomic factors in the area were recommended.Keywords: Cattle, Echinococcus granulosus, Ethiopia, Hydatidosis, Prevalence, Shee

Epidemiological study of small ruminant mange mites in three agro-ecological zones of Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia

An epidemiological study of small ruminant mange mites was conducted in three selected agro-ecological zones of Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia, from November 2007 to April 2008. A total of 352 sheep and 376 goats were examined for mange mites infestation, of which 7 (1.98%) and 22 (5.85%) sheep and goats were found positive respectively. The genuses of mange mites identified with this study were Demodex (1.23%) and Sarcoptes (2.61%) of these the genus Sarcoptes was more prevalent in the study area. The prevalence of mange mites was significantly higher in goats than in sheep (F=7.141, P=0.008). But age (X2 =0.108, P=0.743) and sex (X2 =0.007, P=0.79) of the host animals not affected the prevalence of mange mite (There was higher infestation of small ruminant in the lowland area (F=7.463, P=0.006). Keywords: small ruminant, mange mite, Agro-ecolog

Seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in agro pastoral areas of Jijjiga zone of Somali National Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2008- March 2009 to determine the sero-prevalence of bovine brucellosis in four districts of Jijjiga Zone, eastern Ethiopia. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the four districts and nine peasant associations (PAs). A total of 435 blood samples were collected from cattle of 6 or more months of age with no history of previous vaccination against brucellosis. All serum samples were initially screened by Rose-Bengal- Plate Test (RBPT) and those positive reactors to RBPT (n=8) were further tested by complement fixation test (CFT) for confirmation. Out of the 8 RBPT positive sera 6 were found to be positive to CFT. Accordingly, the overall seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in Jijjiga Zone was 1.38% (6/435). The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in the four districts namely Awbare, Harshi, Kebribayah and Fafan districtes were 0.78%, 2.91%, 2.06% and 0%, respectively. Statistically there is no significant deference among the four districts (÷2 = 3.37, df = 3, P = 0.268). The study also revealed absence of significant statistical variation in the seroprevalence of brucellosis in different age and sex groups of the study animals (P > 0.05). Result of this study showed that the seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in the study area is low. However, it is highly likely that the disease spreads in unaffected animals and herds given the extensive production system prevailing in the area which may allow contact of animals during grazing and at watering points. The public in general and high risk group in particular should be made aware of the zoonotic importance of bovine brucellosis

Symbiotic interactions between chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes and Mesorhizobium strains

Legume genotype (GL) x rhizobium genotype (GR) interaction in chickpea was studied using a genetically diverse set of accessions and rhizobium strains in modified Leonard Jars. A subset of effective GL x GR combinations was subsequently evaluated in a pot experiment to identify combinations of chickpea genotypes and rhizobium strains with stable and superior symbiotic performance. A linear mixed model was employed to analyse the occurrence of GL x GR interaction and an additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model was used to study patterns in the performance of genotype-strain combinations.We found statistically significant interaction in jars in terms of symbiotic effectiveness that was entirely due to the inclusion of one of the genotypes, ICC6263. No interaction was found in a subsequent pot experiment. The presence of two genetic groups (Kabuli and Desi genepools) did not affect interaction with Mesorhizobium strains. With the exception of a negative interaction with genotype ICC6263 in the jar experiment, the type strain Mesorhizobium ciceri LMG 14989 outperformed or equalled other strains on all chickpea genotypes in both jar and pot experiments. Similar to earlier reports in common bean, our results suggest that efforts to findmore effective strains may be more rewarding than aiming for identification of superior combinations of strains and genotypes

Phylogeography and Symbiotic Effectiveness of Rhizobia Nodulating Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Ethiopia

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) used to be considered a restrictive host that nodulated and fixed nitrogen only with Mesorhizobium ciceri and M.mediterraneum. Recent analysis revealed that chickpea can also establish effective symbioseswith strains of several other Mesorhizobium species such as M. loti, M. haukuii, M. amorphae, M. muleiense, etc. These strains vary in their nitrogen fixation potential inviting further exploration. We characterized newly collected mesorhizobial strains isolated from various locations in Ethiopia to evaluate genetic diversity, biogeographic structure and symbiotic effectiveness. Symbiotic effectiveness was evaluated in Leonard Jars using a locally released chickpea cultivar “Nattoli”. Most of the new isolates belonged to a clade related to M. plurifarium, with very few sequence differences, while the total collection of strains contained three additional mesorhizobial genospecies associated with M. ciceri, M. abyssinicae and an unidentified Mesorhizobium species isolated from a wild host in Eritrea. The four genospecies identified represented a subset of the eight major Mesorhizobium clades recently reported for Ethiopia based on metagenomic data. All Ethiopian strains had nearly identical symbiotic genes that grouped them in a single cluster with M. ciceri, M. mediterraneum and M. muleiense, but not with M. plurifarium. Some phylogeographic structure was observed, with elevation and geography explaining some of the genetic differences among strains, but the relation between genetic identity and symbiotic effectiveness was observed to be weak

Longitudinal river zonation in the tropics: examples of fish and caddisflies from endorheic Awash river, Ethiopia

Primary Research PaperSpecific concepts of fluvial ecology are well studied in riverine ecosystems of the temperate zone but poorly investigated in the Afrotropical region. Hence, we examined the longitudinal zonation of fish and adult caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in the endorheic Awash River (1,250 km in length), Ethiopia. We expected that species assemblages are structured along environmental gradients, reflecting the pattern of large-scale freshwater ecoregions. We applied multivariate statistical methods to test for differences in spatial species assemblage structure and identified characteristic taxa of the observed biocoenoses by indicator species analyses. Fish and caddisfly assemblages were clustered into highland and lowland communities, following the freshwater ecoregions, but separated by an ecotone with highest biodiversity. Moreover, the caddisfly results suggest separating the heterogeneous highlands into a forested and a deforested zone. Surprisingly, the Awash drainage is rather species-poor: only 11 fish (1 endemic, 2 introduced) and 28 caddisfly species (8 new records for Ethiopia) were recorded from the mainstem and its major tributaries. Nevertheless, specialized species characterize the highland forests, whereas the lowlands primarily host geographically widely distributed species. This study showed that a combined approach of fish and caddisflies is a suitable method for assessing regional characteristics of fluvial ecosystems in the tropicsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bovine trypanosomosis and gastrointestinal helminthosis in settlement villages of Bedele district, South-western Ethiopia

This cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2011 to March 2012 to assess the concurrent infections of bovine trypanosomosis with gastrointestinal (GI) helminthes in Peasant Associations of Bedele district settlement areas located in Illubabor Zone, Southwestern part of Ethiopia. A total of 500 randomly selected cattle were examined using Buffy Coat Technique and coprological examinations. Faecal examination was done by sedimentation and flotation techniques following the standard procedures to identify eggs of parasitic helminthes. Those faecal samples that were positive for flotation technique were subjected to eggs per gram (EPG) count using Mc Master egg counting technique and the degree of infestation was categorized as light, moderate and severe. Out of total cattle examined, 21(4.2%) were positive for Trypanosoma congolense and 321(64.2%) were found to harbor one or more gastrointestinal helminthes infection. Helminthes identified were Fasciola species (51.4%), paramphistomum species (18.7%), the protozoan Eimeria species (6.2%), Trichuris species (6.85%), Trichostrongyles (11 %) and mixed infections (6%). The overall mean PCV value recorded was 26.7±3.9 and it was 26.8±3.9 in trypanosome negative animals and 22.9±3.3 in trypanosome positive animals. The overall mean EPG recorded was 172±99.6. Among 21 cattle found positive for T. congolense, 18 (85.7%) were concurrently infected with (GI) helminthes particularly Fasciolosis (38.1%) and statistically there was significant association (P < 0.05) between trypanososmosis and GI helminthes infection. Age and sex of sampled cattle were not found to influence GI helminthes prevalence (p>0.05). Infection with T. congolense and Fasciola species is the most prevalent form of co-infection in cattle within study areas. In conclusion, any attempts to control or prevent trypanosomosis or GI helminthes infection through different management approaches, need to address the possibility of concurrent infections especially in trypanosomosis endemic areas to save the losses in advance.Key words: Bedele, Cattle, Concurrent, Ethiopia, GI helminthes, Trypanosomosi

Small Ruminants Trypanosomosis in Western Gojam Zone of Amhara Regional State, Northwestern Ethiopia

A cross sectional study in small ruminant trypanosomosis was carried out in Dembecha and Jabitehnan districts of Northwestern Ethiopia to determine prevalence of trypanosomes infection in randomly selected sheep and goats from October 2008 to May 2009. Blood samples were collected from the marginal ear vein of 400 animals (256 sheep and 144 goats), the samples were checked for trypanosomes by Buffy coat –dark ground microscopic technique and Gemsa stain while heamatocrit centrifugation techniques were used to determine packed cell volume (PCV). Out of the examined small ruminants 25(6.3%) were found to be infected with one or more species of trypanosomes. There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in the prevalence of trypanosomosis among small ruminants from different localities. The infection was higher in sheep (7.8%) than goats (3.5%). The overall infection rates for male and female ruminants were 8.9% and 1.9%, respectively, and there was statistically significant difference between two sexes (P<0.05). There was no significance variation in the prevalence of trypanosome infection among the different age groups of small ruminants. T. Congolese was the dominant trypanosome investigated. The mean PCV values of infected sheep and goats were lower than the Mean PCV values of non infected animals. The relatively high infection rates recorded and the low PCV value observed in this study are indicatives of the importance of small ruminant trypanosomosis in the area