Suspected sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever in a zero-grazed dairy herd in Kenya

An outbreak of a disease characterised by very high mortality occurred in a group of nine calves (1-4 months old) in a zero-grazing unit 2-3 weeks after an introduction of an apparently healthy alien sheep into the calf pen. Five of the six calves which contracted the disease died. The main clinical signs observed were marked depression, persistently high body temperature (40.5-41.5degreesC), copious mucopurulent nasal and ocular discharges, dyspnoea, bilateral keratoconjunctivitis with corneal opacity, enlargement of the superficial lymph nodes and marked erythema and/or superficial erosions of the buccal mucosae. At necropsy there were lesions in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts, lymph nodes, brain, eyes, liver, kidneys and the urinary bladder. The lesions were histopathologically characterized by fibrinoid vasculitis which was accompanied by lymphocytic infiltration in the parenchyma of the affected tissues. Based on the evidence of contact between the calves and the recently introduced foreign sheep, the characteristic clinical signs and histopathological findings, a diagnosis of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever was made.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201

Biochemical and haematological changes in rats administered an aqueous extract of Prunus africana stem-bark at various dosage levels

An aqueous extract of Prunus africana (Hook. f.) Kalkm. (syn. Pygeum africanum) (Hook. f.) (Rosaceae) was administered daily at dosage rates of 10, 100 and 1000 mg/kg body mass to randomized groups of Sprague Dawley rats. The extract caused a moderate rise in plasma alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase mainly at rates of 1000 mg/kg body mass, but it did not cause any significant variations in haematological parameters or in plasma levels of total proteins, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and blood urea nitrogen at the dosage levels used. There were no overt clinical signs in any of the rats. It was concluded that the extract may contain components that are mildly toxic to the liver and heart of rats after repeated daily oral administrations of 1000 mg/kg body mass.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.International Foundation for Science (IFS). German Academic Exchange Programme (DAAD).mn201

Should we design extended or straightforward questions for small stock when records are unavailable?

Data from two closely related questions in a survey on rabbits is analyzed in order to determine whether results from these two groups of questions would yield similar results about numbers of rabbits kept by a household. One question seeks a straightforward answer about numbers of rabbits kept while the other group of questions breaks the question into several questions seeking numbers of rabbits disaggregated by sex and age. This is prompted by the fact that record keeping is not a very common undertaking in a small holder agricultural setting in Kenya and that in their absence, farmers may not recall precisely how many rabbits they own unless a headcount is performed. A paired sample t test is implemented to detect any significant under-reporting of rabbit numbers based on numbers from the straightforward question which we hypothesize would yield numbers far less than what is on the farm. The results show that such under-reporting is not serious enough. The conclusion is that between the two question modes implemented in the survey, the straightforward question is suitable as it is time saving when the survey data required does not include numbers disaggregated by sex or age of rabbits

Should we design extended or straightforward questions for small stock when records are unavailable?

Data from two closely related questions in a survey on rabbits is analyzed in order to determine whether results from these two groups of questions would yield similar results about numbers of rabbits kept by a household. One question seeks a straightforward answer about numbers of rabbits kept while the other group of questions breaks the question into several questions seeking numbers of rabbits disaggregated by sex and age. This is prompted by the fact that record keeping is not a very common undertaking in a small holder agricultural setting in Kenya and that in their absence, farmers may not recall precisely how many rabbits they own unless a headcount is performed. A paired sample t test is implemented to detect any significant under-reporting of rabbit numbers based on numbers from the straightforward question which we hypothesize would yield numbers far less than what is on the farm. The results show that such under-reporting is not serious enough. The conclusion is that between the two question modes implemented in the survey, the straightforward question is suitable as it is time saving when the survey data required does not include numbers disaggregated by sex or age of rabbits

Volume of the ligamentum capitis femoris in osteoarthritic hip joints of adult dogs

Ventrodorsal pelvic radiographs were made of 32 adult dogs under general anaesthesia. The hip joints were evaluated according to the severity of osteoarthritic changes graded as 0, 1, 2 or 3. The dogs were euthanased, the hip joints opened and the ligamentum capitis femoris dissected out in toto. The volume of each ligament was determined using a water displacement technique and the mean volume compared to the four radiographic grades of osteoarthritis. There was an inverse correlation (r = -0.75) between the mean volume of the ligamentum capitis femoris and the increasing severity of osteoarthritis as assessed by radiography. The results confirmed the crucial role of radiography in the clinical evaluation of hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis in the adult dog. Assessment of the volume of the ligamentum capitis femoris revealed that it is an important tool for research in canine hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in dromedary camels and small ruminants in Mandera and Wajir counties of Kenya

A study was conducted to determine the presence of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in camel population kept together with small ruminants in Isiolo, Mandera, Marsabit, and Wajir counties of Kenya. This was done in the wake of a disease with unknown etiology “Camel Sudden Death Syndrome” camels in the horn of Africa. Thirty-eight (38) samples, 12, 8, 15, and 3 samples, were collected from Mandera, Wajir, Isiolo, and Marsabit, respectively, from 25 camels, 7 goats, and 4 sheep. One camel in Mandera and one goat in Wajir were confirmed positive for PPR virus (PPRV) through reverse Polymerase Chain Reaction. The analysis of sequences revealed closest nucleotide identities of obtained sequences from both goat and camel to the lineage III of PPRV albeit with 60.29% of nucleotide identity. This study establishes that camels in the study area suffer with PPR manifest clinical signs that are mainly characterized by inappetence, loss of body condition, and general weakness terminally leading to diarrhea, conjunctivitis, and ocular nasal discharges preceding death. These clinical signs are similar to those observed in small ruminants with slight variations of manifestations such as keratoconjunctivitis as well as edema of the ventral surface of the abdomen. This shows that camels could be involved in the epidemiology of PPR in the region and that PPRV could be involved in the epidemics of Camel Sudden Death syndrome. There is therefore a need for resources to be dedicated in understanding the role camels play in the epidemiology of PPR and the role of the disease in Camels Sudden death syndrome