The Information Needs and Utilization of Information Resources Among Clinical Students of College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bingham University Nigeria

This paper examines the information needs and utilization of information resources among clinical students of College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bingham University. The goal of the study is to help the University library and the authority of the University, to examine how often the students use the library, to determine the purposes for which the students use the library, to find out the types of information resources used most by the students, to identify the problems encountered by the students in using the library, to find out if the students are satisfied with the information resources in the library. Survey research method was adopted for the study and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of hundred (100) questionnaires were administered using random sampling technique to the clinical students. A total of 80 copies of the questionnaire, representing (80%) of the 100 questionnaire were returned and found usable. Frequency count and percentage were used in analyzing the data. The major findings were that the student’s purpose of visiting the library was to consult textbooks and they were also averagely satisfied with the library services. Recommendations were proffered on how to improve the library services. Keywords: Information needs, information utilization, clinical students, Bingham University

Epidemiological study on abomasal nematodes in slaughtered small ruminants raised in the guinea savannah zone of Nigeria

Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the major causes of productivity losses in small ruminants in  sub-Saharan Africa. A study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence, worm burden of abomasal nematodes and associated faecal egg counts (FEC) of small ruminants slaughtered from November, 2011 to October,  2012. Two genera of adult abomasal nematodes recovered were Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp.  Goats had the prevalence of 78.5% and 17.5% for Haemonchus spp and Trichostrongylus spp., respectively while sheep had prevalence of 85% and 31% for Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. A significant difference (p<.005) was observed between host species (goats and sheep), age and sex of animal. There was a seasonal arrest of Haemonchus spp. which was greater during the late dry season than other seasons. Faecal examination revealed Strongyle egg (71% in sheep and 62% in goats) being the most prevalent followed by Strongyloides (8% in sheep and 8.2% in goats) and Trichuris (4% in sheep and 6% in goats) eggs. The mean FEC in sheep for Strongyloides, Strongyle and Trichuris were 4208±343.1, 2966±435.7 and 90±23.80, respectively. The mean FEC in goats for Strongyloides, Strongyle and Trichuris were 2630±138.8, 1301±189.9 and 138.8± 30.39, respectively. The prevalence of worm and FEC showed a definite seasonal sequence that corresponded with the regional relative humidity and rainfall pattern. This knowledge is important for the control of nematode infection in small ruminants in Nigeria.Keywords: Abomasum, Nematodes, Season, Small Ruminants, Worm burde

Haemonchosis and haemoparasites of small ruminants reared in north western, Nigeria

Small ruminants (goats and sheep) production systems worldwide are significantly constrained by haemo and gastrointestinal parasites. The study was carried out in Northwestern Nigeria from November 2011 to October 2012 with the aim to identify the common haemoparasites and haemonchosis in small ruminants. Three hundred abomasum samples with corresponding blood samples were collected from 200 goats and 100 sheep, respectively at necropsy. The abomasa were examined by Hansen and Perry method for the presence of Haemonchus contortus while blood samples were examined using the thin blood smear and Haematocrit Centrifugation Techniques (HCT). The prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants was 80.3% with goats and sheep having prevalence of 78% and 85%, respectively. The prevalence for H. contortus in small ruminants during late dry, early dry, late rain and early rain were 64.9%, 84.1%, 89.9% and 81.1%, respectively. The prevalence were statistically significant among the seasons (p<0.05) with highest prevalence in the late rainy season. The total number of adult worms collected was 21862. The highest adult worm burdens were obtained during late rainy season (August to October) when a mean worm burden of 180.2 ± 51.45 and PCV of 26.63 ± 0.63 were recorded. The mean worm burdens for early dry, late dry and early rain were 42.60 ± 6.93, 31.67 ± 5.56 and 61.10 ± 11.33, respectively. The PCV values for the season were 27.73 ± 0.79, 26.60 ± 0.87 and 28.40 ± 0.65, respectively. The values of PCV for the four sub-seasons were not significant from one another but the value of PCV obtained during early rain was different from those of other sub-seasons. The PCV had a weak negative correlation with worm burdens with Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.2632 which was highly significant (p<0.001). Out of 200 goats and 100 sheep examined for haemoparasites, only one goat had heavy infection with Trypanosoma vivax and a sheep had mixed infection with Theileria ovis and Anaplasma ovis. The prevalence of three protozoans encountered was 0.33% each in small ruminants. The PCV of infected goat and sheep with protozoan parasites was 25% and 20%, respectively. The results suggest that Haemonchus contortus may be the major cause of anaemia in the study area. It is therefore recommended that further research be embarked upon to determine the effect of nutrition in ameliorating the effects of helminth infections and anaemia in small ruminant.Keywords: Haemonchosis, Haemoparasites, Prevalence, Small ruminants, Sub-season