CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN SHEEP & GOATS EXPOSED TO LINEAGE III PESTE DES PETITS RUMINANTS VIRUS INFECTION IN KENYA

ABSTRACT It has been demonstrated that positive tissue samples from an active case in Turkana had viral RNA from a lineage III PPRV and the first available genome sequence was determined. Seven goats and sheep aged between 3-6 months that were tested to be negative for PPR antibodies by competitive-ELISA were used for study. These animals were divided into two treatment groups and one control group. Each animal in the treatment groups was inoculated through intranasal route with 2ml of 30% infected mixed tissue suspension while the control group was inoculated with phosphate buffered saline. Animals were then examined daily for development of PPR clinical signs. Clinical signs were observed in treatment groups while the control remained apparently healthy. Fever started to develop from 6.6 ±1.14 and 8.6 ±1.34 days post infection (dpi) in goats and sheep respectively. There was a progressive rise in respiratory rates from 9 to 16 dpi in goats and from 9 to 14 dpi in sheep. Nasal discharges were recorded from days 8.2 ±2.28 and 9 ±1.83 post infection in goats and sheep respectively. Ocular discharges were observed from days 10±2.24 and 9.8±2.17 post infection in goats and sheep respectively. Oral lesions were observed only in one goat and two sheep. Diarrhea was observed from day 13.5±0.58 post infection in sheep and from day 14±1 post infection in goats.Gross pathology revealed lesions mainly in the lungs, body lymph nodes and the intestines. The results from this study indicate that whereas PPR is thought to mainly affect goats, the disease in Kenya appear to evenly affect both, goat and sheep

The Pathophysiology and Clinical Management of Degenerative Joint Disease

Degenerative joint disease is a common and important disease that affects humans as well as domestic animals, especially dogs and cats. The etiological factors for the disease in humans and animals are similar. The disease is characterized by progressive deterioration of the joint, thinning of hyaline cartilage, joint effusion and periarticular osteophyte formation. Trauma, sepsis, prolonged immobilization, immune-mediated disease, congenital malarticulation (e.g. hip dysplasia or developmental diseases (e.g. osteochondrosis), may incite the development of degenerative joint disease. The insults stimulate the release of degenerative enzymes from chondrocytes and these destroy the articular cartilage matrix. Two distinct functional processes in injured chondrocytes are responsible for the positive feed-back cascade that ultimately results in joint destruction. The catabolic process is induced by proinflammatory stimuli and causes secretion of protease inhibitors and cell replication. In the recent past, a lot of basic and clinical research on degenerative joint disease has been conducted. Deeper understanding of the pathophysiology has resulted in the development of new treatment modalities for the disease. Practicing clinicians need to keep abreast with new knowledge and biomedical technology in order to manage their patients in the best way possible. This paper collates the current knowledge of the pathophysiology and clinical management of degenerative joint disease with special reference to the canine patient. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 28 2005: pp. 33-3

Traditional antimalarial phytotherapy remedies used by the South Coast community, Kenya

a b s t r a c t Aim of the study: This study was conducted to document herbal medicines used in the treatment of malaria as well as the existing knowledge, attitudes and practices related to malaria recognition, control and treatment in South Coast, Kenya. Methods: Data was collected using semistructured questionnaires and interviews. A focused group discussion held with the community members, one in each of the study villages supplemented the interview and questionnaire survey. Results: The respondents were found to have a good understanding of malaria and could distinguish it from other fever types. They were also aware that malaria was spread by mosquitoes. Malaria prevalence was high, and affected individuals an average of four times a year. Community members avoided mosquito bites by using mosquito nets, clearing bushes around their homesteads and burning plant parts to generate smoke. They prevented and treated malaria by taking decoctions or concoctions of traditional herbal remedies. Forty plant species in thirty-five genera distributed in twenty-four families were used as antimalarials in the study area. Five plant species, namely; Heeria insignis Del. (Anacardiaceae), Rottboelia exaltata L.F (Gramineae), Pentanisia ouranogyne S. Moore (Rubiaceae), Agathisanthenum globosum (A. Rich) Hiern (Rubiaceae), and Grewia trichocarpa Hochst ex A. Rich (Tiliaceae) are documented for the first time in South Coast, Kenya, for the treatment of malaria. Conclusions: The plants documented in the current study are a potential source for new bioactive compounds of therapeutic value in malaria treatment. The results provide data for further pharmacological and toxicological studies and development of commercial antimalarial phytotherapy products

Some Clinical Features of Osteoarthritis of the Hip Joint in Adult Dogs in Kenya

Clinical examination of forty German shepherd dogs with hindlimb lameness was conducted. The severity of lameness was classified as normal conformation, mild lameness or severe lameness attributable to the hindlimb and assigned numerical scores 1, 2 or 3 respectively. Thirty three percent (33 %) were clinically normal, 19 % had mild lameness while 48 % had severe and debilitating lameness. These observations were verified by radiographic examination of affected hip joints. Five dogs were severely affected with hindlimb lameness also had decubital wounds on the dorsal aspect of the paws of the hindlimb. Although some animals were clinically normal, ventrodorsal pelvic radiographs revealed severe osteoarthritis. Clinical and radiographic examination of adult dogs is useful in diagnosis of orthopaedic disease. This improves diagnostic accuracy and assists in determining the prognosis for appropriate medical or surgical therapy and advice on control breeding of affected dogs. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 29 2005: pp. 126-12

Development of high-throughput sample preparation procedures for the quantitative determination of aflatoxins in biological matrices of chickens and cattle using UHPLC-MS/MS

Aflatoxins (AFs) frequently contaminate food and animal feeds, especially in (sub) tropical countries. If animals consume contaminated feeds, AFs (mainly aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), G2 (AFG2) and their major metabolites aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and M2 (AFM2)) can be transferred to edible tissues and products, such as eggs, liver and muscle tissue and milk, which ultimately can reach the human food chain. Currently, the European Union has established a maximum level for AFM1 in milk (0.05 µg kg−1). Dietary adsorbents, such as bentonite clay, have been used to reduce AFs exposure in animal husbandry and carry over to edible tissues and products. To investigate the efficacy of adding bentonite clay to animal diets in reducing the concentration of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and the metabolites AFM1 and AFM2 in animal-derived foods (chicken muscle and liver, eggs, and cattle milk), chicken and cattle plasma and cattle ruminal fluid, a sensitive and selective ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed. High-throughput sample preparation procedures were optimized, allowing the analysis of 96 samples per analytical batch and consisted of a liquid extraction using 1% formic acid in acetonitrile, followed by a further clean-up using QuEChERS (muscle tissue), QuEChERS in combination with Oasis® Ostro (liver tissue), Oasis® Ostro (egg, plasma), and Oasis® PRiME HLB (milk, ruminal fluid). The different procedures were validated in accordance with European guidelines. As a proof-of-concept, the final methods were used to successfully determine AFs concentrations in chicken and cattle samples collected during feeding trials for efficacy and safety evaluation of mycotoxin detoxifiers to protect against AFs as well as their carry-over to animal products

Biodiversity can support a greener revolution in Africa

The Asian green revolution trebled grain yields through agrochemical intensification of monocultures. Associated environmental costs have subsequently emerged. A rapidly changing world necessitates sustainability principles be developed to reinvent these technologies and test them at scale. The need is particularly urgent in Africa, where ecosystems are degrading and crop yields have stagnated. An unprecedented opportunity to reverse this trend is unfolding in Malawi, where a 90% subsidy has ensured access to fertilization and improved maize seed, with substantive gains in productivity for millions of farmers. To test if economic and ecological sustainability could be improved, we preformed manipulative experimentation with crop diversity in a countrywide trial (n = 991) and at adaptive, local scales through a decade of participatory research (n = 146). Spatial and temporal treatments compared monoculture maize with legume-diversified maize that included annual and semiperennial (SP) growth habits in temporal and spatial combinations, including rotation, SP rotation, intercrop, and SP intercrop systems. Modest fertilizer intensification doubled grain yield compared with monoculture maize. Biodiversity improved ecosystem function further: SP rotation systems at half-fertilizer rates produced equivalent quantities of grain, on a more stable basis (yield variability reduced from 22% to 13%) compared with monoculture. Across sites, profitability and farmer preference matched: SP rotations provided twofold superior returns, whereas diversification of maize with annual legumes provided more modest returns. In this study, we provide evidence that in Africa, crop diversification can be effective at a countrywide scale, and that shrubby, grain legumes can enhance environmental and food security

Oedema (exudative diathesis) in Ostriches in Kenya

Ostriches of various ages, unhatched embryos and chicks found to have oedema during postmortem examination are described here. Unhatched eggs and chicks originated from a commercial farm, where there was a complaint of poor hatchability of eggs and high chick mortality. Of 35 embryos examined, 29 (82.9%) had severe subcutaneous oedema either generalized (23) or localized (6). Of 311 chicks, 232 (74.6%) had oedema of varying degrees of severity. In 10 chicks, the oedema was subcutaneous and severe, in 5 it was only serous effusions in body cavities and in 217 it was manifested as wetness of subcutaneous tissues. Adult and juvenile ostriches originated from three farms, where they were kept as pets. Of 22 birds, 16 (72.7%) developed a general sickness and 10 (62>3%) of them died. Postmortem examination revealed emaciation and either subcutaneous oedema or serous effusion in body cavities. Additional lesions included combinations of steatites, haemorrhages and pneumonia. The sick birds responded to improved diets that were also supplemented with multivitamins and minerals. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 28 2005: pp. 11-1

Effects of aflatoxins and fumonisins, alone or in combination, on performance, health, and safety of food products of broiler chickens, and mitigation efficacy of bentonite and fumonisin esterase

The current study evaluated the effects of feeding diets contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisins (FBs), or both on the performance and health of broiler chickens and the safety of their food products as well as the efficacy of bentonite and fumonisin esterase to mitigate the effects of these mycotoxins under conditions representative for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Four hundred one-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 20 treatments with either a control diet, a diet with moderate AFB1 (60 μg/kg feed) or high AFB1 (220 μg/kg feed), or FBs (17,430 μg FB1+FB2/kg feed), alone or in combination, a diet containing AFB1 (either 60 or 220 μg/kg) and/or FBs (17,430 μg FB1+FB2/kg) and bentonite or fumonisin esterase or both, or a diet with bentonite or fumonisin esterase only. The experimental diets were given to the birds from day 1 to day 35 of age, and the effects of the different treatments on production performance were assessed by feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Possible health effects were evaluated through blood biochemistry, organ weights, mortality, liver gross pathological changes, and vaccine response. Residues of aflatoxins (AFB1, B2, G1, G2, M1 and M2) were determined in plasma, muscle, and liver tissues using validated UHPLC-MS/MS methods. The results obtained indicated that broiler chickens fed high AFB1 alone had poor FCR when compared to a diet with both high AFB1 and FBs (p = 0.0063). Serum total protein and albumin from birds fed FBs only or in combination with moderate or high AFB1 or detoxifiers increased when compared to the control (p < 0.05). Liver gross pathological changes were more pronounced in birds fed contaminated diets when compared to birds fed the control or diets supplemented with mycotoxin detoxifiers. The relative weight of the heart was significantly higher in birds fed high AFB1 and FBs when compared to the control or high AFB1 only diets (p < 0.05), indicating interactions between the mycotoxins. Inclusion of bentonite in AFB1-contaminated diets offered a protective effect on the change in weights of the liver, heart and spleen (p < 0.05). Residues of AFB1 were detected above the limit of quantification (max: 0.12 ± 0.03 μg/kg) in liver samples only, from birds fed a diet with high AFB1 only or with FBs or the detoxifiers. Supplementing bentonite into these AFB1-contaminated diets reduced the levels of the liver AFB1 residues by up to 50%. Bentonite or fumonisin esterase, alone, did not affect the performance and health of broiler chickens. Thus, at the doses tested, both detoxifiers were safe and efficient for use as valid means of counteracting the negative effects of AFB1 and FBs as well as transfer of AFB1 to food products (liver) of broiler chickens