Anti-trypanosomal antibodies in sequentially collected sera of N'Dama cattle under natural trypanosomiasis risk in The Gambia

Investigates the time of appearance and the persistence of antibodies in N'Dama cattle bitten by infected tsetse flies under controlled conditions, the serology of village animals exposed to natural trypanosomiasis risk and the time of appearance and duration of anti-trypanosomal antibodies through the monthly collection of serum samples from calves following birth

A brief summary of European legislation regarding animal welfare

An overview of the current European legislation concerning animal welfare is given. The legal requirements concern the housing and care of production animals (poultry, calves and swine), the transport of animals and the killing of animals (not only in slaughterhouses, but also in case of contagious animal disease outbreaks). General information concerning the principles and contents of European pieces of legislation as well as detailed information concerning requirements for individual animal species is given. Furthermore, other elements concerning animal welfare such as castration of piglets, ritual slaughter and animals used for experimental purposes are also reviewed. Finally, some recent initiatives in the field of animal welfare are mentioned and useful links are provided for finding the various legislative acts and additional supportive informatio

Development of Trypanosoma congolense, T. vivax and T. brucei in the skin reaction induced in goats by infected Glossina morsitans centralis: A light and electron microscopical study

Examines the development and the ultrastructural and histological distribution of Trypanosoma congolense, T Vivax and T brucei in the skin of goats in Kenya, after the animals were bitten by infected Glossina morsitans centralis

Salvaging the image of the N'Dama breed: productivity evidence from village production systems in The Gambia

This paper summarises the productivities of N'Dama cattle in traditional production systems inthe Gambia and describes the responses in productivity achieved when nutritional interventions were applied. The studies were carried out at six sites where herd management patterns are similar. Cattle are released in the morning after milk extraction for grazing. Calves are allowed to graze around the tethering sites . During the dry season, animals roam freely. Milk offtake for human consumption was measured for individual cows once a month, starting one to two weeks after calving, and up to weaning of the calf. Cow and calf liveweights were also measured. From these data age at first calving, calving interval, calf weaning weight, weight at 12 months, growth rate, viability, body weight, lactation length and milk offtake were calculated. Performance traits were analysed. Factors investigated were herd, parity of cow, year and season of calving, or birth and sex of calf. The results of this study have demonstrated that when milk extracted from N'Dama for human consumption was taken into consideration, the overall productivity was superior to that of Zebu breeds maintained under similar traditional but tsetse-free systems. Nutritional supplementation to reduce the constraints of seasonal feed shortages could result in major increase in productivity