Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. Infections in Arab Horses, Southwest of Iran

Background: Because of the economic importance of the Arab race horses and also the role of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. in abortion and reproductive failure of these animals, we decided to perform this study. Objectives: We designed this study to investigate the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Neospora spp. antibodies in Arab horses from 12 cities of Khuzestan province in southwest of Iran. Materials and Methods: From October 2009 to March 2011, a total of 235 blood samples were collected from jugular veins of Arab horses of different ages and genders from 12 cities of Khuzestan province. All the sera were tested for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies using the modified agglutination test (MAT) and the existence of anti-Neospora antibodies were tested using N-MAT for Neospora spp. Results: According to the MAT results, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 114 (48.5%) of 235 sera with titers of 1:20 in 84, 1:40 in 19, 1:80 in four, 1:160 in four, and 1:320 in three horses. According to the N-MAT results, antibodies to Neospora spp. were found in 47 (20%) of 235 sera with titers of 1:40 in 39, 1:80 in five, and 1:160 in three horses. We did not observe any statistically significant differences regarding age groups and genders between seropositive and seronegative horses for Neospora spp. using chi-square (chi(2)) test, but it seemed that anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were more prevalent in older horses ( >= 10 years old). Conclusions: The results indicated that Arab horses are exposed to these parasites in southwest of Iran. Further research is required to determine the genomic structures of these parasites in Arab horses in southwest of Iran

Epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in Africa: a OneHealth systematic review

Background: Q fever is a common cause of febrile illness and community-acquired pneumonia in resource-limited settings. Coxiella burnetii, the causative pathogen, is transmitted among varied host species, but the epidemiology of the organism in Africa is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of C. burnetii epidemiology in Africa from a “One Health” perspective to synthesize the published data and identify knowledge gaps.<p></p> Methods/Principal Findings: We searched nine databases to identify articles relevant to four key aspects of C. burnetii epidemiology in human and animal populations in Africa: infection prevalence; disease incidence; transmission risk factors; and infection control efforts. We identified 929 unique articles, 100 of which remained after full-text review. Of these, 41 articles describing 51 studies qualified for data extraction. Animal seroprevalence studies revealed infection by C. burnetii (≤13%) among cattle except for studies in Western and Middle Africa (18–55%). Small ruminant seroprevalence ranged from 11–33%. Human seroprevalence was <8% with the exception of studies among children and in Egypt (10–32%). Close contact with camels and rural residence were associated with increased seropositivity among humans. C. burnetii infection has been associated with livestock abortion. In human cohort studies, Q fever accounted for 2–9% of febrile illness hospitalizations and 1–3% of infective endocarditis cases. We found no studies of disease incidence estimates or disease control efforts.<p></p> Conclusions/Significance: C. burnetii infection is detected in humans and in a wide range of animal species across Africa, but seroprevalence varies widely by species and location. Risk factors underlying this variability are poorly understood as is the role of C. burnetii in livestock abortion. Q fever consistently accounts for a notable proportion of undifferentiated human febrile illness and infective endocarditis in cohort studies, but incidence estimates are lacking. C. burnetii presents a real yet underappreciated threat to human and animal health throughout Africa.<p></p&gt

Caractérisation des Paramètres de Productivité des Poules Locales (Gallus Gallus Domesticus) de Côte D’ivoire Élevées en Conditions Semi Intensives

The purpose of this study iswas to evaluate the effects of N. caninum serological prevalence oninfection on the fertility of dairy cows in the area surrounding Dakar, Senegal. This study was conducted from January 2006 to December 2010 and involved 400 dairy cows ( aged 2 to -10 years old.) stabled on these farms. Females identified by ear tagsthe animals were inseminated on natural and / or induced oestrus. Pregnancy status was assessed by rectal palpation 60 days after insemination. A blood sample was collected from each cow and . The sera obtained were analyzed tested for N. caninum antibodies with the multi - species cELISA kit kit(VMRD Inc., Pullman, WA 99163, USA).. On average, The seroprevalence of neosporosis, the pregnancy rate and the calving rates were respectively 23.8%, 43.6% and 95.6% in those herdsrespectively. Pregnancy and calving rates were respectively 33.1% and 92.1% respectively in seropositive cows against compared to 51.7% and 97.3% in seronegative cows (p <0.05). Seropositive cows required more inseminations to get pregnant compared to seronegative cows (3.0 vs 1.9 inseminations /  pregnancy) (p <0.05). A longer calving-fertilizing insemination interval of 22.1 days was observed in seropositive females compared to negative females (p <0.05). In conclusion, So, this protozoan disease has an economic impact due to increased infertility rate it is likely to induce in cattlecows herds

Factors Influencing Conception Rates of Cameroonian Zebu Cattle (Bos Indicus) following Oestrus Synchronisation and Artificial Insemination

A study was carried out to identify and evaluate factors affecting variation in conception rate (CR) in Cameroonian Zebu cattle following oestrus synchronisation and artificial insemination (AI). Two hundred and six local female Zebu cattle were evaluated to determine relationship between factors such as lactation number, age, body condition score (BCS), days postpartum and conception rate. Animals received an intravaginal progesterone release device (PRID®) containing 1.55mg of progesterone and a capsule with 10mg estradiol benzonate for 10 days and were treated with luteolytic dose of PGF2α and 1000mg IU PMSG at the time of PRIDt withdrawal. Animals were inseminated 48 hours after PGF2α and PMSG injection. Pregnancy status was assessed by observed non-return to oestrus and confirmed by rectal palpation 55-60 days after insemination. The overall CR was 47.6%. CR was influenced (p< 0.05) by lactation number, age and days postpartum of cows. The multivariate logistic regression model used revealed that CR was optimum in primiparous cows, those between 4.5 -7 years old and 151-300 days postpartum