Occurrence of dermatomycosis (ringworm) due to Trichophyton verrucosumin dairy calves and its spread to animal attendants : case report

Persistent dermatomycosis (ringworm) caused by Trichophyton verrucosum affected 20 dairy calves aged between 3 months and 1 year and housed together. The infection also spread to 2 animal attendants working among the calves. The major clinical lesions observed on the affected calves were extensive alopecia and/or circumscribed thick hairless skin patches affecting the head, neck, flanks and limbs. The observed lesions persisted for more than 17 weeks and most of the calves did not respond to topical treatment with various anti-fungal drugs within the anticipated period of 9 weeks. Two animal attendants developed skin lesions that were circumscribed and itchy and there was good response to treatment following the application of anti-fungal skin ointment. Although ringworm in dairy animals in Kenya has not previously been associated with spread to humans, the potential is evident from this report

An outbreak of urticarial form of swine erysipelas in a medium-scale piggery in Kiambu District, Kenya : case reoprt

This report concerns an outbreak that occurred during July/August 1997. Ten pigs from a herd of 181 pigs in a medium-scale, semi-closed piggery in Kiambu District, Kenya, contracted the clinical disease. The main clinical findings in affected pigs included: fever (40.5-41.8 oC), prostration, inappetence, dog-sitting posture, abortion, erythema and raised, firm to the touch and easily palpated light pink to dark purple diamond-shaped to square/rectangular spots on the skin around the belly and the back. Based on the pathognomonic skin lesions, a clinical diagnosis of swine erysipelas was made. The diagnosis was confirmed by the isolation of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae organisms from the blood and skin biopsies taken from the affected pigs. Response to treatment with a combination of procaine penicillin and dihydrostreptomycin at the dosage rate of 20 000 IU/kg body weight (based on procaine penicillin) for 3 days was good and all the affected pigs recovered fully. The farm was placed under quarantine to prevent spread of the disease

Prognostic indicators of post partum viability of kids born to Escherichia coli-vaccinated or unvaccinated does : research communication

This study was undertaken to determine some blood and other physiological parameters with potential for use as prognostic indicators of viability of newborn goat kids. Of the 143 kids born during the on-farmstudy, 97 were crosses of Galla × Small East African (SEA) and 46 were pure SEA. The SEA × Galla kids were 46 single males, with a mean body weight at birth of 2.77 ± 0.22 kg , 43 females with a mean body weight at birth of 2.36 ± 0.76 kg and 5 and 3 sets of female and male twins (mean body weight at birth of 1.8 ± 0.19 kg and 2.05 ± 0.07 kg for the female and male kids, respectively). The SEA kids comprised 36 single male and female kids (mean body weight at birth of 2.48 ± 0.04 kg and 10 sets of twins (both male and female) (mean body weight at birth of 1.50 ± 0.04 kg ). Pre-suckling sera obtained on-station from kids born of does vaccinated against Escherichia coli (n = 8) and unvaccinated does (n = 7) had a total protein content of < 40.0 g/l and no detectable levels of IgG and A or E. coli antibodies. Sera obtained 12 hours post partum from kids that survived in both groups contained about 19-22 g of Ig g/ , 50-80 g total protein/ , blood glucose of >5 mmol/l and had an E. coli antibody titre of between 1/160 and 1/640. On the other hand, kids that died within 48 hours of birth (parturient deaths) and had been classified in categories 3 and 4 righting reaction had low (< 40 g//l ) total protein, low white blood cell count (4000/m/l ) and low blood glucose concentration (< 4.9 mmol//l ). It is concluded that kids with delayed righting reaction (> 45 minutes), low rectal temperature (< 36 °C), low birth weights (< 1.5 kg for singles and < 1.0 kg for twins), low white blood cells (< 4000/ m/l ), low (< 2 mmol/l ) blood glucose levels, low total protein (< 40.0 g//l ), low (< 1:160) E. coli antibody titre and IgG ( < 3350 mg//l ) in sera obtained 12 hours after birth have a poor prognosis for survival