In vitro Efficacy of Albendazole against Strongyle eggs recovered from Trade Goats slaughtered at the Nsukka Abattoir: A Preliminary Survey of Resistance to Albendazole

The efficacy of Albendazole against trichostrongyle nematode parasites in goats presented for slaughter at the Nsukka municipal  abattoir was evaluated using the In vitro Egg hatch assay (EHA) model. The abattoir was visited once every week for 4 consecutive months during which a total of 240 goats were sampled. Fecal samples were collected per rectum from a minimum of 15 goats on each day of the visit. Egg Hatch Assay was performed on strongyle eggs recovered from pooled faecal sample on each day of sampling with a 2.5% W/V Albendazole. Faecal culture was also set up from the pooled faecal sample on each sampling day to recover and identify the nematode parasites present in the goats. Among the 240 goats sampled, the prevalence of trichostrongylosis as observed by the presence of strongyle eggs was 94.6% (227/240). Faecal culture and larval identification revealed 69.8% of the strongyles as  Haemonchus contortus, while 25.5 and 4.8% were Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Oesophagostomum species respectively. In the EHA, Albendazole had mean LC50 value of 0.16 µg/ml which is slightly in excess of the discriminating dose of 0.1µg/ml as prescribed by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) as an indication of anthelmintic resistance. There is therefore an urgent need to screen the nematode parasite population in the Nigeria for the presence Albendazole resistance genes. Key words: GI nematode; egg hatch assay; goat; Albendazole; Resistance; Nigeri

Response of Nigerian local breed of dog to graded doses of Ancylostoma caninum infection

The experiment investigated the response of Nigerian local breed of dog to different doses of Ancylostoma caninum infection. Sixteen dogs aged 6 to 7 months and assigned to 4 groups (A – D) of 4 dogs each were used. Groups A, B and C were infected with 100, 200 and 400 A. caninum infective larvae (L3) while group D served as the uninfected control. Faecal egg count (FEC), red blood cell (RBC) counts, haemoglobin concentrations (HBC), packed cell volume (PCV) and body weight (BWT) were evaluated weekly from day 0 (D0) to D56 post-infection (Pi). The dogs were humanely sacrificed on D56 Pi to determine the adult worm count (WC). The mean FEC of dogs given 400 L3 (group C) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those given 100 L3 (group A). There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference between the mean FEC of groups B (200 L3) and C dogs. The group C dogs had significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) worm burden than those in groups B and A. There was a dose dependent reduction in RBC counts, HBC and PCV of the infected dogs which was most significant (P < 0.05) in group C followed by group B. The control and group A dogs had a BWT gains of 0.75 and 0.15 kg, respectively at the end of the experiment when compared to their D0 BWT while groups B and C lost 1.70 and 3.30 Kg of their BWT by D56 respectively. The results of this study showed that while the FEC did not differ significantly among the infected dogs, other measures of parasite intensity, namely, WC, PCV, RBC, HBC and BWT differed in a dose dependent manner.Keywords: Ancylostoma caninum, Dogs, infective dose, Nigeria, Respons

Effect of a combination of permethrin and diesel oil on Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Ctenocephalides canis in experimentally infested dogs

Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown dog tick) and Ctenocephalides canis (dog and cat flea) cause heavy economic burden for dog owners in Nsukka, south-east, Nigeria, and are also major cause of vector-borne diseases worldwide. A total of 40 apparently healthy dogs were randomly assigned to 3 groups (A, B and C) and experimentally infested with Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Ctenocephalides canis. Each dog in Group A (n = 10) was treated with a mixture of permethrin and diesel oil while Groups B (n = 6) and C (n = 4) were treated with permethrin and diesel oil respectively. The remaining dogs in each group served as controls. Parasites were counted 48th hour post-treatment and efficacy estimated as percentage reduction in live parasites in treated groups compared to untreated groups. In Group A the average percentage efficacy was 99.7% while in groups B and C it was 98.3% and 72.1% respectively for R. sanguineus, Geometric mean of live parasites between treated and control groups was significantly different (p<0.05) for every day in Groups A, B and C. Tick and flea numbers can be reduced in dogs by the application of diesel oil as an acaricide. Keywords: Dogs; tick and flea control; diesel fuel oil; permethrin

Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections of dog in Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria

The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections of dog in Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria was studied retrospectively and prospectively. In the retrospective study, records of all diagnosed helminth infections of dogs brought to the University of Nigeria Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Nsukka from January, 2006 to September 2013 were collated and analyzed. The prospective study was carried out between October 2013 and July 2014 by examination of 263 faecal samples collected per rectum from dogs presented to a purposively selected Veterinary Clinics in Enugu metropolis and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The results of the 8 year retrospective prevalence study gave an overall prevalence of 56.1% and Ancylostoma species as the most prevalent helminth in the study area (33.2%). Mixed infections with more than one helminth parasite species were recorded in 8.6% of the cases. Annual breakdown of the prevalence data showed that the highest prevalence was recorded in 2009. Breed and age of the dogs were found to significantly influence the prevalence. In the prospective study, an overall prevalence of 51.7% was obtained. Ancylostoma spp. was also found most often in the study area, with a prevalence rate of 33.6%. Mixed infections with more than one helminth parasite species were found in 16.3% of the cases. A strong association was obtained between prevalence and breed of the dogs and also between prevalence and season. Due to the zoonotic nature of most of the encountered parasites and the close association between children and dogs, routine deworming, proper management of dogs and adequate personal hygiene is therefore recommended