Veterinary Medicine International

The excessive and irrational use of antibiotics to control bovine mastitis and the informal trade in milk with antibiotic residues are objects of great interest for public health, due to the problems associated with the consumption of milk with antibiotic residues on human, animal, and environmental health, and antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to understand the attitudes of dairy farmers towards the self-consumption of milk on the farm, the use of milk with antibiotic residues, and the formal and informal milk trade that generates risks for public health...

BACKGROUND: Eimeriosis, which is caused by several Eimeria species, is a protozoan disease affecting the cattle worldwide. The current investigation was aimed at ascertaining the prevalence of bovine eimeriosis, evaluation of the involved risk variables, and identification of the several Eimeria species that were prevalent in the Kacha Bira district of central Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional coprological assessment of Bovine coccidiosis and its associated risk factors through a simple random sampling technique was conducted from January 2021 to December 2022...

With the objective to characterize the gingival index (GI) and its progression, 218 domestic cats in a subtropical region of Mexico were studied. All teeth of each cat were examined with a periodontal probe to determine the GI; in addition, the absence of teeth was recorded. Six months later, the teeth of the 38 cats were again examined to assess any progression of the GI and loss of teeth. From the 218 cats, 33.0% of them develop some degree of gingival inflammation; from those, 61.5% were classified as GI 1...

Lameness is one of the greatest constraints on the productivity, health, and welfare of dairy cattle. A cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2021 to September 2021 in Hawassa town with the aim of assessing the prevalence and identifying the associated risk factors of lameness in dairy farms. The study was conducted on 440 animals belonging to 19 randomly selected intensive dairy farms. Data regarding lameness and its possible risk factors were collected both at animal and farm level using a questionnaire...

Taenia solium remains among the major causes of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the geospatial distribution of the parasite is important to inform control strategies. This study assessed spatiotemporal changes in the T. solium infection among pigs from a rural area in southwestern Tanzania. Secondary data from a previous repeated cross-sectional study in the Mbeya and Mbozi districts were used, involving sixteen villages, eight from each of the two districts. Serum samples were collected from 482, 460, and 421 pigs in 221, 196, and 139 households, respectively, at seven-month intervals...

This study aimed to evaluate whether total replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with sundried soymilk residue (SSR) in a total mixed ration (TMR) affects intake, digestibility, milk production, and blood metabolites in dairy goats. A total of 12 healthy Saanen dairy goats (40.12 ± 5.80 kg of BW) in midlactation (31.23 ± 10.12 days) were used in a randomized complete design ( n  = 4 goats/group). Dietary treatments were based on a TMR as follows: control TMR without SSR (CON) or SBM-based TMR with 50% or 100% of SSR replacing SBM (SSR-50 and SSR-100, respectively)...

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly contagious viral disease that causes significant economic losses in cattle populations globally. This study aimed to isolate and detect the LSD virus responsible for an outbreak in selected areas (Daaroo Labuu, Hawwii Guddina, and Gumbi Bordede district) of the West Hararghe Zone in Ethiopia between January 2020 and December 2021. Out of the 625 animals examined for the presence of LSD, only 73 animals showed clinical signs, and skin scrapes were collected from these animals for further analysis...

Greater cane rats ( Thryonomys swinderianus ) are now being captive reared and domesticated in the sub-Saharan Africa because of increase in their demand for biomedical research and traditional medicine and as a source of meat. This research was performed to provide the normal radiological anatomy of the pelvis and pelvic limb in greater cane rats for a reference in biomedical research, in anatomical studies, and in clinical use. Radiological examination of the pelvis and right pelvic limb was done in five greater cane rats...

Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniosis (TSCT) are two forms of a zoonotic disease caused by T. solium tapeworm. Towards promotion of a One Health approach to the control of TSCT, we assessed TSCT reporting in the medical and veterinay sectors in Tanzania. We conducted a cross-sectional study between January and April 2020 in Babati and Mbulu districts (northern Tanzania), Kongwa district (central Tanzania), Mbinga and Nyasa districts (southern Tanzania), and the Zonal Veterinary Centres in Iringa (southern Tanzania) and Arusha (northern Tanzania) regions...

This study was intended to evaluate the healing of skin injury by using decellularized urinary bladder submucosa scaffolds and tendon-derived hydrogel. Thirty-six adult local breeds of both sex rabbits, with an average weight of 2.0-2.5 kg, were divided randomly into three groups (12 animals for each group). All groups were subjected to an induced injury (2 cm) in diameter at the right side of the abdominal skin, the rabbits of the 1st group (A) were sutured without the application of any substance as a control group, the rabbits of the 2nd group (B) were sutured and treated with the application of decellularized urinary bladder submucosa scaffolds, and in the 3rd group (C), they were sutured and treated with the application of tendon-derived hydrogel...

The elite bull plays an extremely important role in the genetic progression of the dairy cow population. The previous results indicated the potential positive relationship of large scrotal circumference (SC) with improved semen volume, concentration, and motility. In order to improve bull's semen quantity and quality by selection, it is necessary to estimate the genetic parameters of semen traits and their correlations with other conformation traits such as SC that could be used for an indirect selection. In this study, the genetic parameters of seven semen traits ( n  = 66,260) and nine conformation traits ( n  = 3,642) of Holstein bulls ( n  = 453) were estimated by using the bivariate repeatability animal model with the average information-restricted maximum likelihood (AI-REML) approach...

Anxiety disorders in dogs are ever-growing and represent an important concern in the veterinary behavior field. These disorders are often disregarded in veterinary clinical practice, negatively impacting the animal's and owner's quality of life. Moreover, these anxiety disorders can potentially result in the abandonment or euthanasia of dogs. Growing evidence shows that the gut microbiota is a central player in the gut-brain axis. A variety of microorganisms inhabit the intestines of dogs, which are essential in maintaining intestinal homeostasis...

Global egg production is mainly based on cage systems, which have been associated with negative effects on the welfare of birds. Stress factors in restrictive production systems can lead to changes in gene transcription and protein synthesis, ultimately impacting the quality of poultry products. The liver serves various metabolic functions, such as glycogen storage, and plays a crucial role in animals' adaptation to environmental changes. Consequently, both internal and external conditions can influence liver functions...

The ability of ticks to adapt to different ecological zones, coupled with the spread of infectious pathogens negatively affects livestock production and thus, there is a need for better control strategies. However, control measures within a geographical region can only be effective if there is available information on tick population dynamics and ecology. This study focused on ticks infesting livestock in the Kassena-Nankana Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana. The ticks were morphologically identified, variables such as season, animal host, and predilection sites were recorded, and the data were analyzed using STATA version 13...

Biting flies and associated pathogens are the major health constraints on camel production and productivity and are implicated in causing significant economic losses in the pastoralist community in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of biting flies and their associated pathogens in relation to different risk factors in camels in the Amibara district, from October 2019 to April 2020. A total of 480 camels were examined for biting flies and associated pathogens. The study revealed that overall, 87% (418/480) and 18% (87/480) of camels were infested by one or more biting flies and infected with Trypanosoma evansi during the study period, respectively...

Tuberculosis (TB) is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans as well as from human to human. Little research has been conducted on bovine tuberculosis prevalence and molecular characterization in the western part of Ethiopia. To investigate this, a cross-sectional study was conducted on slaughtered cattle at the Nekemte municipal abattoir between January 2020 and June 2021. A detailed postmortem examination, culture, acid-fast staining technique, molecular characterization using RD4 deletion, and spoligotyping were all carried out...

During the production cycle of poultry farms, pathogens may remain in the next cycle of rearing young chickens. This study was conducted at three industrial chicken farms (A, B, and C) in central Thailand. Results showed that the percentages of E. coli during the resting period in farms A, B, and C were 28.6, 53.8, and 7.8, respectively, and those during the growing period were 45, 68.8, and 75. The most common resistant patterns during the resting period in all farms were AML-AMP-SXT and AML-AMP-DO-SXT, and those during the growing period were AML-AMP and AML-AMP-SXT...

Despite the implementation of brucellosis eradication programs in Iran, this disease is still endemic and highly prevalent among ruminants in this country. The infection of small ruminants with Brucella abortus may play a significant role in the continuation of brucellosis among the herds of ruminants. This study investigated the proportion of B. abortus and Brucella melitensis in 150 samples of sheep and goat's raw milk which were obtained from Lorestan and Hamadan provinces in the western part of Iran using the PCR method...

The investigation of infectious agents invading human and nonhuman populations represents a rich research domain within the framework of mathematical biology, captivating the interest of scientists across various disciplines. In this work, we examine the endemic equilibrium of feline coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis by using a modified susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemiological model. We incorporate the concept of mutations from FCoV to FIP to enrich our analysis. We establish that the model, when subjected to reasonable parameter ranges, supports an endemic equilibrium wherein the FCoV group dominates...

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a widely used diagnostic assay in human medicine but nowadays poorly applied in veterinary medicine. This test measures the speed (millimeters per hour) at which red blood cells settle in a whole anticoagulated blood tube. In human medicine, high ESR values are associated with various disorders, including infections, rheumatoid arthritis, oncologic diseases, and other inflammatory conditions. The ESR can also be influenced by some factors such as age and gender. In veterinary medicine, the ESR with the Westergren manual method was almost forgotten over the years due to blood consumption and long turn-around time...