Volume 64 (2020): Edizione 1 (March 2020)

Enzootic pneumonia caused by hyopneumoniae (MHYO) remains a serious concern to the swine industry in many countries including Nigeria. MHYO strains isolated from pigs from different countries and geographical locations are known to vary in pathogenicity. There is a paucity of information on the pathogenicity of the MHYO strain affecting pigs in Nigeria. This study investigated the pathogenicity of the MHYO strain in naturally infected pigs using immunohisto-chemistry and electron microscopy. Two hundred and sixty four lungs of slaughtered pigs were randomly collected from abattoirs at Abeokuta, Ibadan and Lagos, in Southwest Nigeria. A sub-sample of 104 pneumonic and 20 apparently normal lungs was selected, processed for routine histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry, while 3 lung tissues samples were selected for ultrastructural studies. The most significant microscopic changes observed were suppurative broncho-interstitial pneumonia associated with varying degrees of lymphoid hyperplasia of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) and thickened alveolar septa due to cellular infiltration consisting predominantly of neutrophils and a few mononuclear cells. Immunohistochemically, MHYO antigen was detected in 86/104 (82.69 %) of MHYO-infected lung tissues and typically exhibited a granular brown reaction on the bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial lining, mononuclear cells in the BALT and luminal cellular exudates within the airways. Transmission electron microscopy revealed numerous Mycoplasma organisms in the lumina of the airways, in between degenerated cilia, while a few Mycoplasmas were located within the alveoli. It was concluded that the MHYO strain detected in this study was pathogenic to pigs and capable of inducing pneumonia, and therefore implicated in the pathogenesis.

The epididymis plays an important role in sperm maturation, storage, transport and in the secretion of enzymes and proteins into the tubular lumen. In this study, we examined the histology, microstereology and immunohistochemical localization of alpha smooth muscle (αSMA) in the three regions of the epididymis of the African four-toed hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris). Ten adult males were captured from the wild in Ibadan, Nigeria, between May and October, 2016. The animals were euthanized and the epididymis (caput, corpus and cauda regions) were retrieved and fixed in buffered neutral formalin ahead of the paraffin technique, following standard procedures. The duct of the epididymis was lined by pseudostratified columnar epithelium comprising basal, principal and apical cells as well as intraepithelial lymphocytes in proximity to basal cells. The principal cells, the major cells encountered within the epididymal epithelium of the animal, decreased in population from the caput to the cauda epididymidis while the apical cells were more abundant in the cauda epididymidis. Positive reactions to αSMA were observed in the peritubular muscular coat of the epididymal duct as well as blood vessels across the three regions of the epididymis with the caput and cauda epididymidis showing stronger positive reactions compared to the corpus epididymidis. This study demonstrated that the histology, microstereology as well as the cellular constituents of the epididymal duct of the Atelerix albiventris are similar to those of other mammals with a slight variation. It has also highlighted variation in the localization of αSMA across the regions of the epididymis of the animal.

Male infertility is one of the complications associated with diabetes mellitus. This study reported the effect of managing experimentally-induced diabetes in male Wistar rats with Cleome rutidosperma leaf extract at doses of 100 mg.kg⁻¹, 200 mg.kg⁻¹ or 400 mg.kg⁻¹ for 14 days. Further deterioration or amelioration of reproductive derangement was assessed by changes in sperm morphology, sperm characteristics, and testicular histo-pathology. Andrology profile of diabetic untreated rats showed significant (P < 0.05) derangements compared to normoglycaemic rats. The profile of diabetic rats treated with the extract of C. rutidosperma, especially at the 200 mg.kg⁻¹ dose showed a significant decrease in abnormal sperm cells, increases in sperm motility, live/ dead ratio and count compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Histopathology showed spermatogenic arrest and degeneration of Sertoli cells in the diabetic untreated rats, but was restored in the C. rutidosperma treated rats. This study showed evidence of infertility associated with diabetes and the ameliorative ability of C. rutidosperma on infertility demonstrated by improved andrological parameters. Traditional management of diabetes with C. rutidosperma leaves should therefore be encouraged in both humans and other animals, especially males with reproductive intentions.

Among emerging infectious diseases, 75 % are zoonotic. Migratory birds are important to public health because they carry emerging zoonotic pathogens or infected arthropod vectors. Disease is an important factor in the evolution of avian migrations and patterns of migratory connectivity. Research suggests that pathogen densities and diseases may influence the evolution of migratory behaviour. During the annual life cycle, European migratory birds spend: 2—4 months at the breeding locality, approximately 6 months on the wintering grounds, and several months (3 and more) on migration routes. There are many factors which determine when and where an outbreak of a disease may occur. Therefore, a complete understanding of the avian migratory systems has a high priority in the prevention of future outbreaks.

New data about the fauna of nematodes of Baruscapillaria genus have been obtained which show that they parasitize domestic geese in the Poltava region of the Ukraine. It has been established that the species composition of Capillariidae is represented by two species—B. anseris (Madsen, 1945, Moravec, 1982) and B. obsignata (Madsen, 1945, Moravec, 1982). For the first time in the Ukraine, parasitisation with non-specific geese species of Capillariidae family, B. obsignata, have been substantiated. It was found that capillariosis of geese was more frequent in the co-invasions of the birds’ digestive channel; the prevalence of invasion was 41.97 %. According to the results of helminthological dissection and identification of isolated pathogens, 40 varieties of co-invasions were found, where nematodes of the Baruscapillaria genus were combined with cestodes of two species: Drepanidotaenia lanceolata (Bloch, 1782) and Tschertkovilepis setigera (Froehlich, 1789), as well as with nematodes of four other species: Аmidostomum anseris (Zeder, 1800), Trichostrongylus tenuis (Mehlis, 1846), Heterakis gallinarum (Schrank, 1788) and Heterakis dispar (Schrank, 1790). Most often, we recorded capillariosis as a part of two- (prevalence—17.75 %) and three-component (11.75 %) co-invasions, and the main coexisting helminths of Capillariidae from Baruscapillaria genus were nematodes A. anseris (prevalence 22.78 %) and H. dispar (14.15 %).

The goal of this paper was to study the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri B1/1, B2/1 and B6/1 on the relative expression of selected interleukins (IL-1β, IL-15), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-1β), and the relative percentage of T lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBCs). The mRNA expression levels of interleukins and MIP-1β of PMBCs were evaluated at 24 h and 48 h post inoculation using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The percentage of T lymphocyte subpopulations in PMBCs was determined by flow cytometry. The group that was administered L. reuteri B1/1 had the most significant stimulation of the expression of pro-inflammatory interleukins and MIP-1β, in particular after 24 h. Similarly, we observed a rise in the relative percentage of T cells including CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the groups with L. reuteri B1/1 and L. reuteri B2/1. Overall, L. reuteri B1/1 and L. reuteri B2/1 showed a promising stimulatory effect on the relative expression of pro-inflammatory interleukins, MIP-1β and percentage of T cell subpopulations in vitro. On the flip side, L. reuteri B6/1 did not induce the expression of the IL-1β gene.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite prevalent in humans and other animals worldwide having medical and veterinary importance on account of reproductive failure causing significant socioeconomic losses. The aims of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in goats, determined the possible risk factors associated, and evaluate the performances of the latex agglutination test (LAT) to anti-T. gondii antibodies screening using the indirect Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a reference test (iELISA). A total of 184 serum samples from goats reared on 25 farms in Mila district from North-Eastern Algeria were collected and tested for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies using two commercial serological tests (ELISA and LAT). A seroprevalence rate of 71.73 % and 63.58 % was obtained by both ELISA and LAT tests, respectively. The analysis of some factors thought to be related to the onset of this infection such as age, sex, management system, locality and presence of cats showed no significant relationship (P > 0.05); these factors did not seem to affect the frequency of the infection. The seropositivity level of T. gondii was significantly higher in aborted goats (P = 0.007), which suggested that they may play a significant role in pregnancy failure. In the concordance evaluation between the two serological tests (ELISA and LAT), the Cohen’s Kappa value was calculated and the results showed a K of 0.519 (p = 0.000) belonging to the range of 0.41—0.60 indicating just average agreement. The results of the Mc Nemar test showed that both tests gave significantly different results and seropositivity values (P < 0.05). The high prevalence observed in this study indicated a widespread exposure to T. gondii from goats and the potential risk of T. gondii infection for humans in North-Eastern Algeria. These results elucidate the challenges of applying serology to estimate goat exposure to T. gondii. The choice between the two serological tests will depend on their performances, as well as the availability of the equipment, laboratory conditions and the number of samples to be tested.

The aim of this study was to investigate the micro-biological quality of traditional Slovak “bryndza” cheese made in Slovakia. Besides the common pathogenic bacteria, we focused on the analyses of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), the occurrence of which has been analysed only occasionally in a few products. As we chose food of the highest risk which contained raw milk, we expected several positive findings. The presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. was not confirmed. The enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus was more successful. In the case of VTEC stx and eae screening, the presence of genes producing verocytotoxins vtx1, vtx2 and the gene encoding virulent factor intimin—eae in nine samples by molecular-biological methods were revealed. Only one isolate, which carried genes vtx1 a vtx2 and did not belong to these serogroups: O157, O111, O26, O103, O145, or O104, was detected by confirmation assays.

The aim of this study was to define the morphometric variability of the extreme Eastern Algerian donkeys. The study was carried out from June to December 2018 in El-Tarf, Souk-Ahras, and Tebessa provinces. The study population involved 65 individuals (32 jacks and 33 jennies) between the ages of 3 and 16 years old. In total, 13 body measurements were used, and 5 zootechnical indexes were calculated. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics were studied in order to establish an ethnic and functional classification of this particular subspecies. The qualitative data demonstrated that the coat colour was variable. Bay and greyish colours were dominant with a respective rate of 61.5 % and 38.5 %, respectively. The head, the nose, as well as the eyes contour colours were mainly grey with 52.3 %, 58.5 % and 50.8 % respectively. The partial absence of the coat particularities was observed. The population presented a significate relationship between the quantitative characters (P < 0.05). The donkeys were longilinear, of a rectilinear profile, compact with massive trends. They had a hyper-metric format. The animals are good for meat production. The General Linear Model (GLM) showed that the body measurements were variable by sex and body mass. The principal component analysis (PCA), the multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) and the ascending hierarchical classification (AHC) revealed that the population was composed of 2 clusters representing 4 animal classes. This study was the first report on the phenotypic characterization of donkeys in the extreme Eastern Algerian area, based on corporal measurements. The results indicated the existence of heterogeneity and suggested the possibilities of genetic improvement within the species.

Ear cropping is a controversial subject with both supporters as well as detractors. Some consider that the procedure is cruel and unnecessary, while others consider it to be routine and harmless. The cropping of the ears of dogs for cosmetic reasons has no medical merit. It is a cosmetic, surgical procedure performed to achieve a specific appearance that matches the desired image and sometimes the standard of certain breeds of dogs. Cosmetic surgery offers the dog the desired look, but it is not a necessity. This procedure must be performed by a licensed veterinarian. Those interventions cause pain and anxiety and, like all surgical procedures, are associated with the risk of anaesthesia problems, blood loss and infection. There is only a thin line between what is convenient for the animal and what is good. Almost every community has legislation on animal welfare which includes amputation issues. If something is considered normal in some countries, this does not necessarily mean that it is also moral. The lack of legal consequences may lead some owners to produce certain breeds of dogs to their liking, but they should not be allowed to cripple their dog for their own personal benefit. Amputation can only be performed legally by a veterinarian and a new problem arises. This is because there are veterinarians who refuse to practice that kind of intervention. Some of them may think that since the legislation is unclear, they might be charged with a crime.