Comparison of blood profiles between healthy and Brucella affected cattle

Aim: The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the blood biochemical metabolites of crossbred cattle suffering from brucellosis, in Khetri region of Kamrup District of Assam, India. Materials and Methods: Blood was collected by venipuncture from the jugular vein using 18 gauge hypodermic needle fitted to a Vacutainer-Leur adapter and evacuated tubes. Samples were screened for Brucella by rose Bengal plate test using plate test antigen. The study consisted of two groups. Group I consisted of healthy crossbred cows and Group II consisted of crossbred cows affected with brucellosis. Blood metabolites were estimated by spectrophotometric methods. Results: Out of 14 serum samples, 8 samples were positive for Brucella and remaining 6 were found to be negative. It was observed that serum albumin and urea of the affected cattle showed a significant decrease (p<0.05), but serum globulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase activities were significantly increased (p<0.05) in comparison to the healthy cattle. Glucose, protein, albumin: globulin ratio, blood urea nitrogen did not show much variation between the Brucellosis affected and healthy cattle. Conclusion: Results obtained showed that brucellosis have a harmful effect on the animals health as they disturb the vital organs functions, which appear in the form of changes in blood biochemical parameters

Seroprevalence of contagious ecthyma in goats of Assam: An analysis by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Aim: The objective of this study was to screen the prevalence of contagious ecthyma (CE) among the goat population of Assam owing to its high prevalence rate. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 231 serum samples were collected from 12 districts of Assam during September 2013 to July 2014. The serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against Orf virus (ORFV) by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Indirect ELISA was standardized using purified Orf reference virus produced in bulk in primary lamb testes cells. Results: Studies on seroprevalence showed 76.62% of goats were seropositive. The total number of animals were divided into different age groups starting from 0-2 months, 2-4 months, 4-6 months, and above 8 months and accordingly highest prevalence of antibodies against ORFV was recorded in the age-group above 8 months of age. Significantly, lower rates of infection were observed in goats of age group 2-4 months. This study recorded that seropositivity from naturally infected animals and in contact apparently healthy animals to be 53.67% and 46.32%, respectively. Conclusion: The results indicated that CE is a prevalent infection in goats of Assam, and the healthy population is at increased risk of infection