Krvni i biokemijski pokazatelji u zapadnoafričkih patuljastih jaraca kastriranih Burdizzo kliještima.

The response to the closed method of bilateral castration using Burdizzo castrator was investigated in six West African Dwarf (WAD) goats at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ibadan, Nigeria for 4 weeks. Urea significantly increased (P<0.05) from the first week of experiment until the third when it decreased significantly (P<0.05) and it was again elevated in the final week of the study. Creatinine also increased significantly (P<0.05), without further changes until the fourth week of the study. ALP decreased significantly (P<0.05) from the first to the third week of the study and thereafter increased significantly. ALT did not change significantly until the third week when it increased (P<0.05) and then decreased during the last week of the study. This was still higher than the value at pre-orchidectomy. Serum protein levels increased and decreased without significant differences, but were later significantly (P<0.05) elevated to the pre-castration level. Although the albumin fraction continued to decrease until the 3rd week, this was not significant. A significant increase (P<0.05) was then observed in the last week of the study. Globulin fraction decreased significantly and remained so until the end of the study. The haematological values showed no significant increase in PCV, Hb, RBC and other indices of measurement, but the WBC count showed a significant increase (P<0.05) upon castration and remained elevated until the 4th week when it returned to within a normal range. This study showed that bloodless castration had a milder effect on serum profiles and might be a safer alternative to surgical castration in WAD goats, especially where protein deficiencies or hepatocellular insufficiency exists.Tijekom četiri tjedna promatrani su učinci beskrvne obostrane kastracije Burdizzo kliještima u šest jaraca zapadnoafričke patuljaste pasmine, uzgajanih na obrazovno-istraživačkoj farmi Sveučilišta Ibadan u Nigeriji. Razina ureje značajno je porasla (P<0,05) od prvog do trećeg tjedna kada se značajno smanjila (P<0,05) da bi ponovno porasla u završnom tjednu istraživanja. Razina kreatinina također je značajno (P<0,05) porasla, bez daljnjih promjena do četvrtoga tjedna istraživanja. Razina alkalne fosfataze bila je značajno snižena (P<0,05) od prvoga do trećega tjedna promatranja, a nakon toga njezina je razina bila značajno povišena. Razina alanin transferaze nije se značajno mijenjala sve do trećega tjedna kada je porasla (P<0,05), a nakon toga opadala tijekom posljednjega tjedna istraživanja. No, bez obzira na opadanje, njezina razina bila još uvijek viša u odnosu na onu prije kastracije. Razina bjelančevina u serumu rasla je i opadala bez statistički značajnih razlika, ali je kasnije značajno porasla (P<0,05) u odnosu na razinu prije kastracije. Iako su se frakcije albumina postojano smanjivale do trećega tjedna, to nije bilo statistički značajno, već je značajan porast (P<0,05) bio opažen u posljednjem tjednu istraživanja. Razina globulina značajno se snizila i ostala jednaka sve do kraja istraživanja. Vrijednosti pokazatelja u krvi nisu pokazale značajan porast PCV, Hb, RBC kao ni ostalih pokazatelja osim broja leukocita koji se značajno povećao (P<0,05) nakon kastracije i ostao povišen do četvrtoga tjedna kada se vratio u granice normale. Istraživanje je pokazalo da beskrvna kastracija ima slabiji učinak na promjene u serumu i može biti sigurnija zamjena za kiruršku kastraciju zapadnoafričkih patuljastih jaraca, posebice ako postoji manjak proteina ili jetrena insuficijencija

Environmental and Public Health Issues of Animal Food Products Delivery System in Imo State, Nigeria

Information on livestock movement, animal food products processing facilities, meat inspection methods, official meat inspection records and distribution and marketing systems for processed products in Imo state, Nigeria needed for policy development interventions in the sector are not fully understood. The primary data generated with the aid of personal interviews, field observations and secondary data obtained from records accumulated by the department of veterinary services Imo state from 2001 to 2004 were used to investigate the environmental and public health issues of animal food products delivery system in state. Majority of trade animals supplied to the state originated from the northern states of the country and were brought in with trucks by road. Only two veterinary control posts served the whole state thus resulting in non-inspection and taxing of a large proportion of trade animals. Official record of trade animals supplied to the state from 2001 to 2004 ranged from 45000 – 144000 for cattle, 23000 – 96000 for goats and 11000 – 72000 for sheep per annum, with supplies increasing steadily across the years. Official slaughter points in the state were principally low-grade quality slaughter premises consisting of a thin concrete slab. Meat handling was very unhygienic with carcasses dressed beside refuse heaps of over 2 years standing. Carcasses were dragged on the ground and transported in taxi boots and open trucks. Meat inspection at these points was not thorough because of stiff resistance of butchers to carcass condemnation. Official meat inspection records for the state from 2001 to 2004 revealed that overall totals of 159,000 cattle, 101,000 goats and 67,000 sheep were slaughtered. This accounted for about 56, 57 and 57% shortfall of cattle, goat and sheep respectively supplied to the state and represents the volume of un-inspected animals during the study period. Fascioliasis and tuberculosis were the most common infections encountered in cattle and recorded percentage occurrences of 16.7 and 7.5 respectively, whereas mastitis was common in goats and sheep at percentage occurrences of 5.8 and 5.0 respectively. Overall prevalence rates of 4.4, 8.0, 3.2, 3.3 and 1.5% were recorded for tuberculosis, fascioliasis, streptotricosis, mastitis and worms respectively. Animal food products delivery in Imo state needs to be improved upon in order to safeguarded the health of consumer

Ovarian morphology and estradiol-17beta concentrations in serum and follicular fluid of slaughtered zebu cattle in Ibadan, Nigeria

Over a period of three months (January to March), ovarian morphology and estradiol-17β concentrations in serum and follicular fluid were studied in 110 Bunaji (Bos indicus) cows slaughtered at Bodija abattoir, Ibadan, Nigeria, in order to determine the reproductive state and history of such cattle. Macroscopic examination of the ovaries revealed that 70 (63.6%) of the cows were undergoing active oestrous cycle. Of these, 42 (60.0%) had large ovarian follicles of greater than 3 mm diameter, while 22 (31.4%) had corpora lutea (CL). Six animals (8.6%) had corpora haemorrhagica. Of the 22 animals exhibiting CL, 12 (54.5%) had CL of pregnancy and were with calf, while 10 (45.5%) others had those of normal oestrous cycle. Corpora albicans (CA) counts showed that 90 (81.8%) of the cows had calved at least once, the mean being 4.5 calves per cow. Fifty-eight cows (52.7%) had calved 0-2 times, 34 (30.9%) 3-5 times and 18 (16.3%) 6-8 times. The mean estradiol-17β levels in follicular fluid (1669.6 ± 9.7 pg/mL) were significantly higher than that of the serum (85.5 ± 0.8 pg/mL). The non-pregnant cyclic with corpus luteum group had the highest follicular estradiol concentration (2558.8 ± 8.9 pg/mL), while the pregnant group had the lowest (858.5 ± 6.8 pg/mL). The mean serum estradiol level among pregnant cows was 115.7 ± 1.2 pg/mL. Low levels of serum estradiol-17β were consistently recorded among animals having active ovaries and good volume of follicular fluid, indicating that they were reproductively active and were being sold for reasons other than infertility

Environmental and multi-host infestation of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus in Owerri, South-east Nigeria- a case report

The common brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most predominant tick of dogs in Nigeria. It does not readily attack humans but usually prefers non-human hosts for completion of its development. We report a case of multi-host and environmental infestation of Rhipicephalus sanguineus involving five humans, two canines and three ovine hosts at a peri-urban site in south-eastern Nigeria. Eleven cases of human infestation were recorded, ten of which involved children between the ages of 4 and 8 years, while a single case was recorded in an adult female. Among the domestic animals ticks were found attached to a 2-year-old male Alsatian, an 8- year-old mongrel and three West African dwarf (WAD) sheep comprising a ewe and her two lambs. This case of multi-host parasitism may have resulted from extensive bush clearing in the area resulting in non-availability of other alternative hosts

Open-label comparative clinical study of chlorproguanil-dapsone fixed dose combination (Lapdap) alone or with three different doses of artesunate for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

UNLABELLED: The objective of this study was to determine the appropriate dose of artesunate for use in a fixed dose combination therapy with chlorproguanil-dapsone (CPG-DDS) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. METHODS: Open-label clinical trial comparing CPG-DDS alone or with artesunate 4, 2, or 1 mg/kg at medical centers in Blantyre, Malawi and Farafenni, The Gambia. The trial was conducted between June 2002 and February 2005, including 116 adults (median age 27 years) and 107 children (median age 38 months) with acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Subjects were randomized into 4 groups to receive CPG-DDS alone or plus 4, 2 or 1 mg/kg of artesunate once daily for 3 days. Assessments took place on Days 0-3 in hospital and follow-up on Days 7 and 14 as out-patients. Efficacy was evaluated in the Day 3 per-protocol (PP) population using mean time to reduce baseline parasitemia by 90% (PC90). A number of secondary outcomes were also included. Appropriate artesunate dose was determined using a pre-defined decision matrix based on primary and secondary outcomes. Treatment emergent adverse events were recorded from clinical assessments and blood parameters. Safety was evaluated in the intent to treat (ITT) population. RESULTS: In the Day 3 PP population for the adult group (N = 85), mean time to PC90 was 19.1 h in the CPG-DDS group, significantly longer than for the +artesunate 1 mg/kg (12.5 h; treatment difference -6.6 h [95%CI -11.8, -1.5]), 2 mg/kg (10.7 h; -8.4 h [95%CI -13.6, -3.2]) and 4 mg/kg (10.3 h; -8.7 h [95%CI -14.1, -3.2]) groups. For children in the Day 3 PP population (N = 92), mean time to PC90 was 21.1 h in the CPG-DDS group, similar to the +artesunate 1 mg/kg group (17.7 h; -3.3 h [95%CI -8.6, 2.0]), though the +artesunate 2 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg groups had significantly shorter mean times to PC90 versus CPG-DDS; 14.4 h (treatment difference -6.4 h [95%CI -11.7, -1.0]) and 12.8 h (-7.4 h [95%CI -12.9, -1.8]), respectively. An analysis of mean time to PC90 for the Day 14 PP and ITT populations was consistent with the primary analysis. Treatment emergent, drug-related adverse events were experienced in 35.3% (41/116) of adults and 70.1% (75/107) of children; mostly hematological and gastroenterological. The nature and incidence of adverse events was similar between the groups. No dose-related changes in laboratory parameters were observed. Nine serious adverse events due to any cause occurred in five subjects including two cases of hemolysis believed to be associated with drug treatment (one adult, one child). One adult died of anaphylactic shock, not associated with investigational therapy. CONCLUSIONS: CPG-DDS plus artesunate demonstrated advantages over CPG-DDS alone for the primary efficacy endpoint (mean time to PC90) except in children for the 1 mg/kg artesunate dose. Based on a pre-defined decision matrix, the primary endpoint in the child group supported an artesunate dose of 4 mg/kg. Secondary endpoints also supported a 4 mg/kg artesunate dose to take forward into the remainder of the development program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00519467

Assessment of Mycoflora of Poultry Feed Raw Materials

Abstract: The study was carried out to identify the common moulds growing in the selected feed raw materials in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Fifty-four bulk samples were derived from 162 bags of 6 different raw materials, which included local fish meal (LFM), soybean meal (SBM), groundnut cake (GNC), palm kernel cake (PKC), brewers dried grain (BDG) and maize (MZ). The samples were collected during the rainy season months of June, July and August. The common moulds isolated from these samples were Mucor spp., Aspergillus spp., Yeast spp., Bacteria spp and Rhizopus spp. More fungal organisms were isolated in the month of July although Aspergillus spp was not isolated during the month. Local fishmeal, palm kernel cake, and brewers dried grain had the highest isolates of three organisms each with the prevalence ranging from 13.64 to 18.18%. Soybean meal, maize and groundnut cake on the other hand returned between one and two isolates. The present result showed that untreated feed raw materials are important vehicles for introduction of fungal organisms into poultry feed. It is therefore, advised to routinely treat such feed raw materials with fungal growth inhibitors in order to limit their growth since these organisms are capable of reducing the nutritional values of finished feeds

Environmental and Public Health Issues of Animal Food Products Delivery System in Imo State, Nigeria

Information on livestock movement, animal food products processing facilities, meat inspection methods, official meat inspection records and distribution and marketing systems for processed products in Imo state, Nigeria needed for policy development interventions in the sector are not fully understood. The primary data generated with the aid of personal interviews, field observations and secondary data obtained from records accumulated by the department of veterinary services Imo state from 2001 to 2004 were used to investigate the environmental and public health issues of animal food products delivery system in state. Majority of trade animals supplied to the state originated from the northern states of the country and were brought in with trucks by road. Only two veterinary control posts served the whole state thus resulting in non-inspection and taxing of a large proportion of trade animals. Official record of trade animals supplied to the state from 2001 to 2004 ranged from 45000 – 144000 for cattle, 23000 – 96000 for goats and 11000 – 72000 for sheep per annum, with supplies increasing steadily across the years. Official slaughter points in the state were principally low-grade quality slaughter premises consisting of a thin concrete slab. Meat handling was very unhygienic with carcasses dressed beside refuse heaps of over 2 years standing. Carcasses were dragged on the ground and transported in taxi boots and open trucks. Meat inspection at these points was not thorough because of stiff resistance of butchers to carcass condemnation. Official meat inspection records for the state from 2001 to 2004 revealed that overall totals of 159,000 cattle, 101,000 goats and 67,000 sheep were slaughtered. This accounted for about 56, 57 and 57% shortfall of cattle, goat and sheep respectively supplied to the state and represents the volume of un-inspected animals during the study period. Fascioliasis and tuberculosis were the most common infections encountered in cattle and recorded percentage occurrences of 16.7 and 7.5 respectively, whereas mastitis was common in goats and sheep at percentage occurrences of 5.8 and 5.0 respectively. Overall prevalence rates of 4.4, 8.0, 3.2, 3.3 and 1.5% were recorded for tuberculosis, fascioliasis, streptotricosis, mastitis and worms respectively. Animal food products delivery in Imo state needs to be improved upon in order to safeguarded the health of consumer