Outbreak of Peste Des Petits Ruminants in West African Dwarf Goats in Eruwa, Southwestern Nigeria

In Nigeria, goats play a significant socioeconomic role in the life of rural people. Recently, there had been report of high mortality of goats especially the kids under one year with none of such among sheep reared together in Eruwa, Southwestern Nigeria. An investigation was conducted to ascertain the cause of the deaths. Clinical, pathological and serological findings were described. Serum samples of forty-two animals from affected goats of varied ages were tested for the presence of PPR antibodies by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA).Post mortem examination of three of the carcasses and histopathology of the lungs, segments of the oral mucosa and intestine were also done. The clinical findings observed include loss of appetite, oculo-nasal mucopurulent discharges, dyspnoea, profuse diarrhea and death, the findings led to the tentative diagnosis of PPR. Serum samples from fifteen out of twenty affected,10 out of 10 recovered and 7 apparently healthy goats were tested positive for the presence of PPR antibodies using cELISA. It was also observed that PPRV antibodies were more in goats below one and half years. However, no PPR antibodies were detected in sheep reared together with the goats. At histopathology, there were thickening of the alveolar septa walls with mononuclear cells and presence of varying numbers of macrophages and characteristic giant cells within the alveoli. This is apparently another documented case of PPR after thirty one years of the first report in this community. This showed that obvious concerted efforts in the control of the disease should be harnessed. Enhanced awareness and sensitization campaign among the stockowners towards adoption of annual vaccination of goats before the` onset of rain was recommended.Keywords: Peste des petits ruminants, outbreak, WAD goats, Serology, cELISA, NigeriaNigerian Veterinary Journal, VOL:32 (4) 331-33

Acute and Sub-acute Toxicity Profile of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Nymphaea lotus Linn (Nymphaeaceae) in Wistar Rats

Purpose: To evaluate the acute and sub-acute toxicity profile of the aqueous leaf extract of Nymphaea lotus L in Wistar rats.Methods: Acute toxicity study was performed by administering a single oral dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight of the extract to 5 rats while distilled water was given to another 5 rats (control), and the animals were observed for 14 days. Thereafter, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of the extract were administered to different groups of 5 rats each daily for 28 days while control received distilled water. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and the serum obtained was used for the assessment of haematological and biochemical parameters. Histological examination was also performed on the liver and kidney of the rats.Results: The concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (42.56 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (126.01 U/L) and alkaline phosphatase (183.33 U/L) significantly decreased while creatinine (0.64 mg/dL) and chloride ions (94.50 mmol/L) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) compared to those of control following the extract treatment. Haematological parameters were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from those of control except white blood cell count (7.80 × 109/L), lymphocytes (5.20 %) and monocytes (2.72 %) which were significantly elevated (p 0.05) in the 100 and 200 mg/kg treated groups. Histopathology did not reveal any sign of lesions or pathological changes in the organs that could be attributed to treatment with the plant extract.Conclusions: These results suggest that the aqueous leaf extract of Nymphaea lotus may be safe for use at the doses tested.Keywords: Nymphaea lotus, Toxicity, White Blood Count, Alkaline Phosphatase, Histolog

Heliozoa from Nigeria

A total of seven scaled protistans were observed from four freshwater sites in Nigeria. They include the holiozoan genera Acanthocystis, Polyplacocystis, Pterocystis, and Raphidiophrys. All are new records for Africa. KEY WORDS: Heliozoa, Protozoa, Acanthocystis, Polyplacocystis, Pterocystis, Raphidiophrys Tropical Freshwater Biology 11 (2002) 1-

Genetic diversity in Nigerian brinjal eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

The taxonomy of Solanum melongena L., also known as brinjal eggplant, has remained difficult because previous studies to establish genetic relationships among taxa are mainly based on morphological features, which are insufficient to establish genetic affinities. In the present investigation, five highly polymorphic random amplified polymorphic DNA primers were used to describe the genetic similarity and diversity among its accessions in Nigeria. The results show a high level of polymorphism based on the banding patterns among the samples. This indicated a wide and diverse genetic base. Four distinct clusters were equally noticeable at a coefficient of 0.80 from the dendrogram generated. Generally, the grouping pattern clearly indicates that irrespective of variations in fruit traits among samples, they were still grouped together in different clusters with a high similarity coefficient value. This probably showed some genetic relatedness/closeness among the samples concerned. The study also revealed that there is no association between RAPD pattern and the geographic origin of accessions. These agreed with previously published data on the characterization of eggplant. The study disclosed that molecular methods coupled with morphological analyses could make proper classification of S. melongena and other Solanum species in Nigeria possible to achieve.Keywords: Eggplant, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Data, polymorphism, taxonomyAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(21) 2119-212