An overview of mastitis in Sokoto red goat, Nigeria

No Abstrac

Molecular characterization and species differentiation of Fasciola parasite isolated from cattle slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir, Nigeria

Fascioliasis is an important zoonotic disease endemic in many African countries, causing significant financial losses due to reduced productivity and visceral condemnation at slaughter. Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are the main causative agents of fascioliasis in domestic animals and humans. Traditional species differentiation based on their morphometric characteristics is subjective and can be challenging. This study was undertaken to identify the Fasciola species associated with cattle infection using a molecular approach. Thirty-eight Fasciola parasite samples collected from cattle slaughtered at the Sokoto modern abattoir were characterised by PCR-RFLP analysis of ITS1 and ITS2 genes using RsaI restriction enzyme, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. The results revealed that the isolates belonged to the F. gigantica species based on RFLP patterns. Similarly, phylogenetic results showed clustering with F. gigantica when compared with sequences from neighbouring African countries obtained from the GenBank. This study affirmed that F. gigantica is the predominant Fasciola species affecting cattle in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The results also demonstrate the discriminatory potentials of RFLP and its ability to determine genetic variability among Fasciola Parasites

Prevalence and molecular identification of Mycobacteria isolated from animals slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir, Sokoto State, Nigeria

This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacteria isolated from animals slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir. During meat inspection, 104 suspected tuberculosis lesions were sampled from a total of 102,681 animals slaughtered between November 2016 and January 2018. These samples were subjected to Ziehl Neelsen staining, followed by culture on Lowenstein-Jensen media. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the 65KDa heat shock protein (hsp65) gene were performed to identify and phylogenetically characterize the cultured organisms. Because sequencing of the hsp65 gene was unable to distinguish between Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and M. tuberculosis, PCR was performed to amplify a genomic region-specific to M. bovis in order to differentiate them from M. tuberculosis. Results showed that, 14 samples yielded growth after culture. Furthermore, hsp65 was detected in 9 out of the 14 isolates screened, 5 of the amplicons were successfully sequenced. Similarity search using NCBI BLAST tool showed the five sequences to share highest identities with Mycobacterium novocastrense (95.99%), M. canettii (94.54%), and M. tuberculosis/M. bovis (100%). Two out of the 5 isolates were confirmed to be M. bovis after PCR amplification using M. bovis specific primers. Phylogenetic tree further confirmed the identity of these isolates by placing them close to species of their kind. Further studies should be conducted to establish the transmission dynamics of the zoonotic Mycobacteria between animals and their owners, to facilitate control and eradication of tuberculosis