Incidence and risk factors of periparturient conditions in smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu Division of Kiambu District, Kenya

A study was carried out on 117 smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu Division of Kiambu District Kenya between April 2004 and December 2004 to determine the incidence of periparturient conditions (downer cow syndrome, dystocia, milk fever and retained placenta among others) in smallholder dairy cattle herds and the associated factors (plausible predictor variables; age, parity and management systems among others) from a total of 206 dairy cattle. Data were collected during farm visits by observation, interviews using semi-structured questionnaires and clinical examination of animals. The most common conditions encountered were downer cow syndrome (12.6 %), dystocia (17.0 %), mastitis (9.5 %), metritis (7.3 %) milk fever (13 %) and retained afterbirth (26.6 %). The overall cumulative incidence of the periparturient conditions was 67 %. Animals with milk fever were 5 times more likely to develop retained placenta (P=0.04) while those with a history of having developed retained placenta in a previous parturition were at 2 times more likely to develop retained afterbirth (P=0.05). Cows with milk fever were 9 times more likely to develop owner cow syndrome (P <0.001) while those that were not given supplemental feed in the last trimester were 4.8 times more likely to develop downer cow syndrome (P=0.007). Animals that had dystocia were 3.9 times more likely to develop metritis (P=0.02) and while those with retained placenta were 5.2 times more likely to develop metritis (P=0.03). In addition, animals with dystocia were 10.55 times more likely to develop postpartum haemorrhage (P=0.01) and 58.9 times more likely to develop injuries to the birth canal (P<0.01). From this study it can be concluded that downer cow syndrome, dystocia, mastitis, metritis, milk fever and retained placenta were the most common periparturient conditions in smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu division of Kiambu district

Isolation rates and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of bovine mastitis pathogens in peri-urban area of Nairobi, Kabete, Kenya

A retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial sensitivity to commonly occurring bovine mastitis pathogens in the peri-urban area of Nairobi between 1994 and 2004. Samples were mainly drawn from the area covered by the ambulatory services of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Veterinary Clinic in Kabete, Nairobi.A total of 888 isolates were studied from bacterial cultures obtained from the bovine samples collected at the clinic. The most common microbial isolates were Streptococcus species (20.6%), Staphylococcus species (20.1%), Escherichia coli (16.8%), Klebsiella species (15.4%), Actinomyces (13.9%) and Pseudomonas species (8.3%). The study showed that sensitivity to antimicrobial agents was highest for gentamycin and kanamycin while it was moderate to low for penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, amoxicillin and penicillin-dihydrostreptomycin. The results of the study however did not show any clear trend in sensitivity to antimicrobial agents over the 11-years period

Modelling the risk of Taenia solium exposure from pork produced in western Kenya

The tapeworm Taenia solium is the parasite responsible for neurocysticercosis, a neglected tropical disease of public health importance, thought to cause approximately 1/3 of epilepsy cases across endemic regions. The consumption of undercooked infected pork perpetuates the parasite’s life-cycle through the establishment of adult tapeworm infections in the community. Reducing the risk associated with pork consumption in the developing world is therefore a public health priority. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of any one pork meal in western Kenya containing a potentially infective T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption, an aspect of the parasite transmission that has not been estimated before. To estimate this, we used a quantitative food chain risk assessment model built in the @RISK add-on to Microsoft Excel. This model indicates that any one pork meal consumed in western Kenya has a 0.006 (99% Uncertainty Interval (U.I). 0.0002–0.0164) probability of containing at least one viable T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption and therefore being potentially infectious to humans. This equates to 22,282 (99% U.I. 622–64,134) potentially infective pork meals consumed in the course of one year within Busia District alone. This model indicates a high risk of T. solium infection associated with pork consumption in western Kenya and the work presented here can be built upon to investigate the efficacy of various mitigation strategies for this locality

Prognostic indicators and the importance of trimming in noninfective claw disorders in cattle

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 32 smallholder dairy farms in Nairobi and its environs, in which 300 cows were examined for claw  disorders. The objective was to evaluate characteristics of claw disorders in dairy cows in smallholder production units in Nairobi and its environs. After a purposive selection of the farms and a systematic sampling of the cows, hind limb claws of all the 300 cows were examined for disorders. Thorough washing and trimming of the claws were done. Claw disorders that were chronic in nature were the most destructive and incorrigible by claw trimming. Apart from chronic nature of the disorders, other prognostic indicators were the laminitic features of claw damage which mainly included invasive erosions of the horn leading to excessively thinned sole, excessively softened and crumbling horn of the sole, widespread penetrating sole haemorrhages and crookedly shaped claws. Thesefeatures of chronic laminitis occurred concurrently with heel or sole erosion, white line separation, sole ulcers, horizontal hoof wall fissures and double soles. In most smallholder farms, cows with these disorderswere neglected to the extent that trimming was inadequately corrective. Regular claw examination and corrective trimming should be adopted as routine procedures in dairy cow production

Cases of Pig Poisoning Encountered Naturally in Smallholder Farms in Nairobi and Its Environs

Systematic necropsies were conducted on 84 pig carcasses presented to Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology between June 2004 and June 2007. Affected farms were visited in order to gather epidemiological data. Four pigs (4.8%) were diagnosed as poisoning cases. The first pig was found dead and at autopsy, 1litre of watery fluid in thoracic cavity was encountered. A commercial feed was responsible for the poisoning. The second was a boar that had nervous signs, at post mortem, it had fluid in thoracic cavity and pericardial sac and infiltration of mononuclear cells into meninges and acidophilia of cortical neurons, microscopically. Swill and lack of water caused the poisoning. The third pig was found trembling and at necropsy, pale kidneys were embedded in gelatinous edema. Histopathology revealed protein material in tubules. Swill supplemented with Amaranthus spp caused the poisoning. The fourth pig that had respiratory distress, at necropsy, gastric and gallbladder edema; and hepatomegaly were observed. Self-formulated feeds were the cause of poisoning. Poisoning cases exist in pig farms, but toxicological analyses to determine the actual toxicant are needed. These cases were associated with poor husbandry and farmers should be educated on good husbandry practices to avoid such losses

Outbreak of neurological disorder associated with Streptococcus suis in a pig multiplication unit in Kenya

Two, 8 week old piglets from a large-scale pig multiplication unit in Nairobi, Kenya was referred to Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology for necropsy and laboratory analyses. Clinically, the  piglets expressed nervous signs comprising inco-ordination, tremors,  nystagmus and paralysis. Out of 200 piglets, 20 developed the disease of which 12 died. Necropsy indicated a septicemia with suppurative meningitis and pneumonia. The cause of the problem was a hemolytic S. suis that was isolated from  meninges and lungs tissues. The stress of weaning and mixing piglets from different sows predisposed to disease. The study showed that confirmatory diagnosis of neurological disorders in pigs is only possible when the clinical signs observed are combined with necropsy and laboratory analyses

Prevalence Of Sole Haemorrhages And Its Correlation With Subclinical And Chronic Laminitis In Dairy Cows

La prévalence et les facteurs de risque de la fourbure aigue étaient déterminés chez 300 vaches laitières de 29 fermes en zéro-pâturage et de 3 ferme en pâturage à Nairobi et dans les districts périurbains. La boiterie était estimée à l\'aide d\'un système d\'évaluation de la locomotion universellement reconnu. Les onglons étaient examinés et une couche de 1-2mm d\'épaisseur de la corne de la sole était rognée pour exposer davantage les lésions qui étaient en-dessous. La localisation des lésions sous les onglons était enregistrée selon les 6 zones universellement reconnues. La prévalence de la fourbure aigue infraclinique et chronique était de 49,3% et 21% respectivement. Alors que l\'hémorragie de la sole n\'était observée que chez 82% sur les 70,3% des vaches souffrant de fourbure aigue (à la fois infraclinique et chronique), elle a en revanche été notée chez toutes les 49,3% des vaches en phase infraclinique de fourbure aigue. Les hémorragies étaient réparties en 5 catégories universellement reconnues. Les hémorragies dans la zone 4 en-dessous de l\'onglon étaient souvent associées à la fourbure aigue infraclinique, tandis que celles dans les zones 2, 3 et 6 étaient surtout associées à la fourbure aigue chronique. Les hémorragies « faible à modérée » (point 1 et 2) avaient une forte corrélation (χ2 = 18,01 ;

Prevalence of laminitis and the patterns of claw lesions in dairy cows in Nairobi and the Peri-Urban Districts

Prospective study was carried out to determine the characteristics of claw lesions in dairy cattle in Nairobi and the peri-urban districts between December 2005 and May 2006. The gaits of 300 dairy cows in 29 zero-grazed and 3 pasture-grazed farms were evaluated and their claws examined for laminitis and other lesions. A retrospectivestudy was also conducted on case records for dairy cattle foot lameness in the Large Animal Clinic of the University of Nairobi. Claws were also collected from abattoirs and examined for lesions. Data was analyzed with GENSTAT for Windows Discovery Edition 2. From the retrospective study, the prevalence of laminitic lesions was 0.79%while infective lesions particularly interdigital necrobacillosis and sole abscesses had prevalence of 35.7% and 11.1% respectively. In the prospective study, the prevalence of laminitis was 70.3%, sole bruising 45%, heel erosion 27.3%, white line separation 18% and double soles 17%. However, the total prevalence of infective claw lesions was 4.7%. Abattoir claws had lesions with similar trends as prospective survey.Current nutrition, housing and management practices that are adopted for increasing productivity and improving hygiene, may account for changes seen in claw lesion patterns of increased laminitis and decreased infective lesions in dairy cattle

Radiographic features of laminitic claws of dairy cows around Nairobi.

The objective of the study was to determine the common radiographic features in laminitic claws from dairy cows using abattoir samples. A total of 192 claws were collected from Wangige slaughter slab and 126 claws from Kiserian abattoir. The claws were examined for gross lesions. Dorso-palmar/dorso-plantar and lateral radiographic exposures of each claw were taken and evaluated for radiographic changes. Subclinical and chronic laminitis was respectively present in 35% and 21% of the claws examined and 44% of the claws showed extreme deformities. Concurrent appearance of lesions was in 27% of the claws. Radiographic changes were observed in the pedal bones but not in the adjacent joints. Dilated vascular channels (61%) and prominently visible non-dilated vascular channels (24%) in the pedal bones were observed in subclinical and chronic laminitis. The most frequently observed radiographic changes in pedal bones were: irregular (serrated) margins (14%), exostoses (8%), and narrowing (6%), complete absence (3%) or partial absence (1%) of its apex. Other changes on the pedal bones were: rotation (4%), “dropping (sinking)” (3%), fissure fractures (2%), periostitis (1%) and osteolysis (1%). Most of these radiographic changes were seen in claws that had chronic laminitis with extreme deformities. It is concluded that radiographic changes in laminitis occur during the chronic phase and are most severe when concurrent extreme deformities of the claws are present

Pathogenic effects associated with natural gastrointestinal helminth infections in pigs in Kenya

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