Natural outbreak of Newcastle disease in village chickens obtained from various sources in semi-arid region of Nigeria

An outbreak of Newcastle Diseases (ND) was investigated in caged local chickens that were obtained from various locations in and around Bama, Nigeria. A morbidity rate of 58% and morality rate of 60% were recorded among the affected birds. The birds started dying two days after the onset of clinical signs. The signs observed were consistent with ND and included respiratory distress with gasping and sometimes coughing; nervous signs such as paralysis, torticollis; loss of appetite, swollen head and wattles, sometimes ocular and nasal discharge, severe conjunctives and death after some days. The death peaked on day 5 following onset of clinical signs and ceased on day 13 after the onset. The histopathological lesions observed include congestion of the spleen, kidney and lungs, hemorrhages in the proventriculus and kidney. Majority 20/26 (76.9%) of the sera tested during the acute phase of the disease were negative of ND antibodies while those collected during the convalescent phase of the disease showed varying titres ranging between 1:20 and 1:80, suggested of a recent viral infection. All tissue samples collected from infected birds were positive for Newcastle disease virus haemagglutinating antigens and titers ranging between 1:2 and 1:6 were recorded. It was concluded that the outbreak might have been as a result of introduction of some in apparently infected chicken into the cage. It was recommended that the birds should be screened for the presence of ND virus before introduce into a new flock in addition village chicken should be obtained from source that are not infected with the virus and village chicken should be vaccinated routinely against ND

Betulinic and ursolic acids from Nauclea latifolia roots mediate their antimalarial activities through docking with PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins

Abstract Background Chemotherapies target the PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins in Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, in an effort to prevent the disease’s high fatality rate. This work identified the phytochemical components of Nauclea latifolia roots and docked the chemical compounds against target proteins, and examined the in vivo antiplasmodial effect of the roots on Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Methods Standard protocols were followed for the collection of the plant’s roots, cleaning, and drying of the roots, extraction and fraction preparation, assessment of the in vivo antiplasmodial activity, retrieval of the PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins, GCMS, ADME, and docking studies, chromatographic techniques were employed to separate the residual fraction’s components, and the Swis-ADME program made it possible to estimate the drug’s likeness and pharmacokinetic properties. The Auto Dock Vina 4.2 tool was utilized for molecular docking analysis. Results The residual fraction showed the best therapeutic response when compared favorably to amodiaquine (80.5%) and artesunate (85.1%). It also considerably reduced the number of parasites, with the % growth inhibition of the parasite at 42.8% (D2) and 83.4% (D5). Following purification, 25 compounds were isolated and characterized with GCMS. Based on their low molecular weights, non-permeation of the blood–brain barrier, non-inhibition of metabolizing enzymes, and non-violation of Lipinski’s criteria, betulinic and ursolic acids were superior to chloroquine as the best phytochemicals. Hence, they are lead compounds. Conclusion In addition to identifying the bioactive compounds, ADME, and docking data of the lead compounds as candidates for rational drug design processes as observed against Plasmodium falciparum target proteins (PfEMP-1 and PfPKG), which are implicated in the pathogenesis of malaria, the study has validated that the residual fraction of N. latifolia roots has the best antiplasmodial therapeutic index