Small Ruminant Production Research Articles

Population, World Production and Quality of Sheep and Goat Products

Sheep and goats are two of the first animals that were domesticated by humans. The initial reasons for raising these animals was meat, milk and dairy products, fleece and skin. Also, one of the most important reasons for raising sheep and, goats on the farm was due to the difficulties associated with preserving animal products like meat. It was easier to keep, raise livestock and slaughter them whenever meat was required. Sheep meat production on the global scale is near 9 million tones per year and developing countries are at the top of the list. Sheep meat consumption is fourth after pork, poultry and beef meat. About 20.8% of dairy products come from sheep and goats and they make up to 1.3 and 1.9% of the total milk production in the world, respectively. Many people and infants have allergic reactions to cow’s milk but not to goat's and sheep's milk and their dairy products, so there are medical benefits for goat and sheep milk. Undoubtedly, using fleece of goat and sheep is one of the main reasons for raising and developing related breeds. Carpets, bedding, upholstery and blankets are general end products of wool. Angora is a unique breed of goats that produces mohair that is suitable for knitwear, apparel, curtaining, upholstery material, shawls, socks and accessories. Global demand for small ruminant products is increasing and achieving this demand requires scientific, educational and practical infrastructures. These are mostly accomplished through organizing producer associations, access to technical services and arranging rules and policies to enhance profitable production of small ruminants and decrease obstacles.

Eradicating the Scourge of Peste Des Petits Ruminants from the World.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of both domestic (goats and sheep) and wild ruminants. Caused by a morbillivirus, that belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae. The disease is clinically and pathologically similar to rinderpest of cattle and human measles. PPR is one of the most economically devastating viral diseases of small ruminants. In April 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) launched the PPR Global Control and Eradication Strategy (PPR GCES) with the vision for global eradication by 2030. There is a strong and lasting international consensus to eradicate the disease in order to protect the livelihoods of the world’s poorest populations. As with any disease, eradication is feasible when, policy, scientific and technical challenges are addressed. Ten majors challenges are described in this paper namely: understanding small ruminant production, facilitating research to support eradication, refining laboratory testing, improving epidemiological understanding of the virus, defining infection of wildlife and other species, optimizing vaccine delivery and novel vaccines, developing better control of animal movement, heightening serological monitoring, understanding socio-economic impact, and garnering funding and political will.

Changes in cardiac biomarkers in goats naturally affected by pregnancy toxemia

Pregnancy toxemia (PT) is considered one of the most common metabolic diseases with high impact on the production of small ruminants. The objective of this study was investigate possible myocardial damage in goats affected with PT by the determination of serum myocardial biomarkers CK-MB and cTnI. A total of 44 goats affected with PT, and 10 apparently healthy goats (control group or CG) were used in the study. In goats with PT, the serum concentrations of cTnI (0.43 ng/mL) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (0.06 ng/mL). Although CK-MB showed no significant difference, it was approximately three times higher in animals with PT. The serum concentrations of insulin were significantly lower in PT goats (5.03 ppmol/L) compared to CG goats (10.66 pmol/L). The serum concentrations of cortisol in PT goats (155.41 nmol/L) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (36.58 nmol/L). Results of this study indicate that a clinically significant myocardial damage might occur in goats affected with PT leading to significant elevations in values of cTnI and CK-MB. Therefore, these parameters could be used as a potential prognostic indicator in goats affected with this important disease.

Gastrointestinal Helminthic Challenges in Sheep and Goats in Afro-Asian Region: A Review

Sheep and goats, being hardy and prolific in their growth, play a crucial role in cultural and socioeconomic life of rural poor under privileged people in Afro-Asian countries by providing meat, milk, wool and hide to them. Gastrointestinal helminthic infections are worldwide problem in ruminants. They results considerable loss in them causing mortality and poor production. Various helminthes types like trematodes, cestodes and nematodes are prevalent in different climates and geographical regions depending on rearing systems, intermediate host's availability and management practices. Epidemiology of helminthic diseases, though variable at times, is determined by various factors like treatment, climate and poverty (socio-economic and traditional practices). The study oversees gastrointestinal helminthic challenges in goats and sheep faced in Afro-Asian region in last decade. Methodology involves exhaustive exercise of screening and massive literature hunt which included published research, bot. abstracts and full length papers on the subject in last 10 years in addition to authors own observations. The diseases like Fasciolosis, Dicrocoelosis, Amphistomosis in trematodes, Monieziosis, Avitellinosis in cestodes and Haemonchosis, Trichostronglylosis, Oesophagostomosis, Trichuriosis, Strongyloidosis in nematodes were still serious challenges in the region threatening the small ruminant production. Frequent reports on Marshallgia, Ostertagia, Nematodirus, Stilesia, Thysaniezia spp. from this region showed emerging threats. Infections like Camelostrongylus, Graphidiops, Parabronema and Skrjabinema spp. were scarcely distributed. The paper reviews scientific work and developments of last 10 years on occurrence, distribution and epidemiology of common gastrointestinal helminthic infections of sheep and goats in Afro-Asian region with future research prospective in light of newer scientific approaches.

Contribution of small ruminants to food security for Ethiopian smallholder farmers

Abstract This study investigates how and to what extent arguments related to food security influence preference of livestock species for women and men. Data was collected in four regions of Ethiopia through 92 focus group discussions (FGD) in communities where small ruminant production is common, Using a gender sensitive study designs, 23 FGDs were held separately with men, women and youth (male and female), and through a household survey involving 217 male and 212 women. Qualitative analysis was conducted to extract reasons given to explain the importance of livestock. Reasons related to food security were mapped to the four dimensions underpinning food security—accessibility, availability, nutritional value and stability. All FGDs considered sheep the most important livestock species, followed by cattle, with women allocating higher scores to sheep than men. All four dimensions of food security came up in statements explaining the importance of species but with variations across species. Interestingly, food security related arguments were most prevalent for goats followed by poultry. Of reasons given by women concerning the importance of goats, 78 % were related to food security with all four dimensions represented, and 52 % for poultry with two dimensions (availability and nutritional value). Answers from men especially had a stronger focus on economic reasons directly linked to income generation. Nevertheless, 64 % of men’s arguments for goats were related to food security. For sheep however, women only scored higher for arguments related to availability. When investigating purpose of small ruminant production at household level through a household survey, the importance of small ruminants for food security were confirmed; however, gender differences were less apparent. Being able to sell animals at short notice was the main reason for keeping small ruminants for both women and men followed by meat and milk for home consumption. Women’s argument for prioritizing selling were accessibility. For men, key arguments for selling were related to availability. For meat and milk their nutritional value was an important argument. Comparing agroecologies, accessibility (selling) was ranked top in highland areas and nutritional value (milk) was most important in lowland areas. In conclusion, this study provides much needed evidence on how small ruminants contribute to different dimensions of food security and are promising entry points targeting women to improve food and nutritional security by providing adequate animal source foods in a household.

Variation in gut bacterial composition is associated with Haemonchus contortus parasite infection of sheep

BackgroundOne of the greatest impediments to global small ruminant production is infection with the gastrointestinal parasite, Haemonchus contortus. In recent years there has been considerable interest in the gut microbiota and its impact on health. Relatively little is known about interactions between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal tract pathogens in sheep. Thus, this study was undertaken to investigate the link between the faecal microbiota of sheep, as a sample representing the gastrointestinal microbiota, and infection with H. contortus.ResultsSheep (n = 28) were experimentally inoculated with 14,000 H. contortus infective larvae. Faecal samples were collected 4 weeks prior to and 4 weeks after infection. Microbial analyses were conducted using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A comparison of pre-infection microbiota to post-infection microbiota was conducted. A high parasite burden associated with a relatively large change in community composition, including significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences in the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes following infection. In comparison, low parasite burden associated with a smaller change in community composition, with the relative abundances of the most abundant phyla remaining stable. Interestingly, differences were observed in pre-infection faecal microbiota in sheep that went on to develop a high burden of H. contortus infection (n = 5) to sheep that developed a low burden of infection (n = 5). Differences observed at the community level and also at the taxa level, where significant (p ≤ 0.001) in relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (higher in high parasite burden sheep) and Firmicutes (lower in high parasite burden sheep).ConclusionsThis study reveals associations between faecal microbiota and high or low H. contortus infection in sheep. Further investigation is warranted to investigate causality and the impact of microbiome manipulation.

Caught in a Deadlock: Small Ruminant Farming on the Greek Island of Samothrace. The Importance of Regional Contexts for Effective EU Agricultural Policies

Sedentary extensive small ruminant farming systems are highly important for the preservation of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland. Both the abandonment of grazing and overgrazing have led to environmental degradation in many Mediterranean regions. On the Greek island of Samothrace, decades of overgrazing by sheep and goats has caused severe degradation of local ecosystems. The present study highlights the importance of regional contexts for national and EU agricultural policies in regard to sustainable development of sedentary extensive livestock systems. By utilizing the conceptual framework of socio-ecological systems research, we analyze the interdependencies of environmental, economic and social factors on a local island level. Results show that between 1929 and 2016, the livestock and land-use system of Samothrace transformed from a diverse system towards a simplified system, solely used for small ruminant production. Total livestock units increased from 2200 in 1929 to 7850 in 2002, declining to 5100 thereafter. The metabolic analysis conducted for the years 1993–2016 shows that 80–90% of the feed demand of small ruminants was covered by grazing, exceeding available grazing resources for at least a decade. The regional implementation of CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) continues to support excessively high animal numbers, while farmers are highly dependent on subsidies and find themselves in an economic deadlock.

Species of forages utilized by farmers producing halal goats in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Philippines

Abstract. Navarra GA, Salvaña FRP, Sepelagio EG, Sanchez CB, Besana CM, Manceras LJS, Bra SG. 2019. Species of forages utilized by farmers producing halal goats in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Philippines. Asian J Ethnobiol 2: 1-7. Local production of small ruminants necessitates forage assessment considering the fact that animals are typically fed with locally available plant species. This study was carried out to determine the species of plants used as forage by raisers producing halal goats in BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). Personal interview with the respondents producing halal goats was conducted and a questionnaire was used to determine species of forages. A total of eight municipalities were included in the survey, seven of which were from Maguindanao and one was from Lanao del Sur. Purposive sampling was used in the survey. A total of 47 respondents was interviewed based on the criteria: (i) a believer of Islam (ii) with 5 to 24 breeder does; and (iii) willingness of the farm owner to participate in the survey. All respondents fall to these criteria were interviewed. All respondents used forage species including paragrass (Brachiaria mutica), carabao grass (Paspalum conjugatum), ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) and kakawate (Gliricidia sepium) in all sampling sites. Other species included malunggay (Moringa oleifera), banana (Musa balbisiana), stylo (Stylosanthes humilis), centrosema (Centrosema pubescens), langka (Artocarpus heterophyllus), pinto peanut (Arachis pintoi), napier (Pennisetum purpureum), barnyard grass (Echinochloa sp.), Guinea grass (Panicum maximum), indigofera (Indigofera tinctoria), calliandra (Calliandra calothrysus), katurai (Sesbania grandiflora) and rensonii (Desmodium rensonii). Only eleven percent (11%) of the respondents utilized improved and domesticated species of forages. Improved and domesticated forage species are plants commonly cultivated forage for livestock production. Some species of plants present in open vegetated areas like Erigeron canadensis, Sphagneticola trilobata, Ageratum conyzoides and Urena lobata were also consumed by goats according to the respondents. There were also plant-related toxicosis observed by the respondents caused by C. pubescens and Urena lobata. Most of the respondents in BARMM are not utilizing improved and domesticated species of forages and rely on locally available forages present in rangeland. Most of them have limited knowledge of the nutritional requirements of goats. There is a need to enhance the understanding of farmers on the importance of proper forage selection and combination.

Assessment of water source availability and quality for small ruminant consumption in the Northern Badia region of Jordan.

Background and Aim:Water is the most important nutrient for the production of healthy livestock. Water scarcity bottlenecks livestock production in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly during the dry season. This study aimed to assess water availability and quality for small ruminants, and to identify major challenges of meeting their water requirements in two major small ruminant production systems in Jordan.Materials and Methods:Transhumant and sedentary production systems in the Northern Badia region of Jordan were the focus of this study. A questionnaire was distributed to 120 sheep and goat farmers (62 transhumant farmers and 58 sedentary farmers) and a water quality assessment was completed.Results:Results showed that the two production systems varied their water source use seasonally. Water provision was perceived as one of the major constraints for Bedouins, particularly during the dry season in transhumant production systems, when longer distances to water sources and the high costs of fetching water daily aggravated the problem. The mean distance and travel times to the boreholes were less in the sedentary system. Watering frequency was significantly lower in the transhumant system compared to the sedentary system (p<0.05). Although the values of water quality parameters complied with guidelines for livestock consumption, low water quality was the main concern expressed by some of the survey households.Conclusion:Technical support to properly design, manage, and rehabilitate surface water harvesting systems is required for the sustainable use of water resources in the study region. Moreover, systematic water quality monitoring is necessary to ensure its suitability for livestock use. Further investigations on the microbiological quality of water and its effect on the health and performance of livestock are recommended.

Effect of Commercial and Non-conventional Feeds, Leaves of Indigenous and Improved Multipurpose Tree Supplementation on Feed Intake, Digestibility and Growth Performance of Sheep

Background: Acute shortage of feed and very poor quality of the available feeds during the dry season are the prime limiting factors for increasing the production and productivity of small ruminants in most agroecological zones of Ethiopia. Thus, the study evaluated the effect of concentrate mixture of wheat bran and Sesame seed cake (T1), Atella (T2), Faidherbia albida (T3) and Sesbania sesban leaves (T4) on feed intake, digestibility, body weight change and economical profitability of local sheep. Methods: Twenty-four yearling intact local male sheep with mean Initial Body Weight (IBW) of 18 ±1.55 kg (mean ± SD) were used for the experiment. The study was conducted using randomized complete block design and sheep were blocked into six based on their IBW. Sheep within a block were randomly assigned to treatments. The experiment had 90 days feeding trial and 7 days digestibility trial after 15 and 3 days acclimatization period, respectively. The amount of supplements offered was 300 (T1), 330 (T2), 360 (T3) and 280 (T4) g/day on DM basis, each calculated to supply 73.6 g/day Crude Protein (CP). Results: Hay intake in T1, T2 and T4 (397˗400 ±1.44g/day) were significantly (P &lt; 0.001) higher than T3 (375±1.44 g/day). Total DM intake was in the order of T2 = T3&gt;T1&gt; T4 (p&lt;0.001) (698, 730, 735 and 677 g/day for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Digestibility of CP was in the order of T1 &gt; T2&gt;T4 &gt; T3 (p&lt;0.001), while the value in T2 differed only with T3 (75.6, 73.4, 60.2 and 67.9 for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). Average Daily Gain (ADG) was 50, 45, 38 and 42 g/day for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and differed only between T1 and T3. The partial budget analysis indicated that, sheep supplemented with Atella returned higher net income (5.46 US$) than T1 (1.93 US$), T3 (2.56 US$) and T4 (3.2 US$); similarly, MRR was also higher in T2 (93.7%) compared to T3 (56.1%) and T4 (50.4%). Conclusion: Sheep producers can use the supplement feeds in the order of T2, T4 and T3, respectively, based on their availability.

The Clinicopathological Evaluations of the Efficacy of Incorporation of Amantadine Hydrochloride in the Treatment of West African Dwarf Goats Experimentally Infected with Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus

Peste des petits ruminants poses a major threat to the development of small ruminant production. The objective of this study was to determine the comparative efficacy of amantadine hydrochloride (HCl), oxytetracycline long acting (LA) and levamisole in West African dwarf (WAD) goats experimentally infected with PPR. In addition to the presence of the characteristic clinical signs, complement ELISA and haem agglutination inhibition (HI) tests were used to confirm PPR infection in the West African dwarf goats, then treatment was instituted in the different groups namely, group 1 which was treated with amantadine HCl orally, oxytetracycline LA intramuscularly (IM) and levamisole per os. Group 2 was treated with oxytetracycline LA IM and levamisole. Group 3 was treated with levamisole while group 4 served as untreated control. The physiological parameters namely rectal temperature, pulse rate and respiratory rates of the different groups were recorded. The mortality rates in the different treatment groups were also recorded. The respiratory rates of the WAD goats increased as the infection progressed, but the increase was not significant (P&gt;0.05). The treatment helped reduce the respiratory rates in the treated WAD. The rectal temperatures of all the animals in the different treatment groups increased only slightly as the infection progressed and was not significant (P&gt;0.05). The percentage mortalities were 0% in Group 1, 25% in the Group 2, 50% in the treated group 3 and highest (75%) in the untreated group respectively. In conclusion, incorporation of specific antiviral agents like amantadine hydrochloride in the treatment regimen with oxytetracycline and levamisole particularly during the early stages of the infection can reduce morbidity and mortality of the disease to the barest minimum.

The emergence of classical BSE from atypical/Nor98 scrapie

Atypical/Nor98 scrapie (AS) is a prion disease of small ruminants. Currently there are no efficient measures to control this form of prion disease, and, importantly, the zoonotic potential and the risk that AS might represent for other farmed animal species remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the capacity of AS to propagate in bovine PrP transgenic mice. Unexpectedly, the transmission of AS isolates originating from 5 different European countries to bovine PrP mice resulted in the propagation of the classical BSE (c-BSE) agent. Detection of prion seeding activity in vitro by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) demonstrated that low levels of the c-BSE agent were present in the original AS isolates. C-BSE prion seeding activity was also detected in brain tissue of ovine PrP mice inoculated with limiting dilutions (endpoint titration) of ovine AS isolates. These results are consistent with the emergence and replication of c-BSE prions during the in vivo propagation of AS isolates in the natural host. These data also indicate that c-BSE prions, a known zonotic agent in humans, can emerge as a dominant prion strain during passage of AS between different species. These findings provide an unprecedented insight into the evolution of mammalian prion strain properties triggered by intra- and interspecies passage. From a public health perspective, the presence of c-BSE in AS isolates suggest that cattle exposure to small ruminant tissues and products could lead to new occurrences of c-BSE.

Constraints and risk factors contributing to young stock mortalities in small ruminants in Jordan

• Diseases and malnutrition are the major reasons of mortalities for young stocks. • The overall annual mortality rates were higher in kids than lambs. • The overall annual mortality rates of male kids and lambs were higher than females. • Deaths were found to peak during cold season and drop in warm months. • Ecology, production system, flock size affected death rates of newborns. A single-visit survey was conducted from June to October 2017 to estimate the kid and lamb mortalities, and identify major causes and risk factors in Karak governorate of Jordan. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 120 small ruminant farmers in addition to focus group discussions. Results showed that diseases, feed shortage, poor mothering, predators and insufficient milk provision were perceived to be the most important causes of mortality in kids and lambs. Among diseases, diarrhea and pneumonia, were the top causes of young stock death losses. The overall mean annual mortality rates were 27.4 kids and 8.2 lambs per 100 live births a year. Mortality rates were higher in kids than lambs and found to decrease with age categories. The overall mean annual mortality rates of male kids and lambs within and between production systems were significantly higher than their female counterparts (P < 0.05). Deaths were found to peak (57.3%) during cold season (December to February), and drop (3.5%) in warm months (June to August). Death rates were significantly higher in mountain region, with incidence rate ratio of 2.5 times greater in lambs and 2.1 times more in kids compared to those in semi-desert ecology. Lamb mortality was also higher in transhumant production system (1.6 times more) than sedentary system but no difference for kids. For a unit increase in flock size, the incidence rate ratio of lamb death rate was found to decrease by factor of 0.99. In general, young stock mortality is a challenge for small ruminant production in the study area and calls for improvements of health care and proper feeding during the last stage of pregnancy of females and increased care for newborns.

Ovicidal and larvicidal potential of Rosmarinus officinalis to control gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection (GIN) are the main constraint to the production of small ruminants. Studies of medicinal plants have been an important alternative in the effort to control these parasites. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activity of essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis. The oil was extracted, analyzed by gas chromatography and tested on GIN eggs and larvae in six concentrations, 227.5mg/mL, 113.7mg/mL, 56.8mg/mL, 28.4mg/mL, 14.2mg/mL and 7.1mg/mL. To determine the ovicidal activity, GIN eggs were recovered from sheep feces and incubated for 48h with different concentrations of the oil. For the evaluation of larval migration, third-stage larvae (L3) were obtained by fecal culture, and associated with the essential oil for 24h at the same concentrations, after which they were left for another 24 hours on microsieves, followed by the count of migrating and non-migrating larvae. The assays of R. officinalis oil showed a significant (p<0.05) 97.4% to 100% inhibition of egg hatching and a significant (p<0.05) 20% to 74% inhibition of larval migration. The main constituent revealed by gas chromatography was Eucalyptol. The results indicate that R. officinalis essential oil has ovicidal and larvicidal activity on sheep GINs.

Abomasal nematode parasites in goats slaughtered in Mekelle town, northern Ethiopia

Infection with abomasal nematodes, especially haemonchosis, is one of the most important problems challenging small ruminant production in the tropics. This study was carried out to identify nematodes infecting the abomasa, and estimate their prevalence and count in goats slaughtered in Mekelle town, northern Ethiopia. A total of 166 abomasa of goats were examined for postmortem differential adult nematode parasites count using standard procedure. Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrogylus axei were recovered from 126 (75.9%) and 109 (65.7%) abomasa, respectively. It was noted that 152 (91.6%) goats harbored at least one of the parasites, while 83 (50%) goats were found infected with both parasites. Mean and maximum adult worm counts were 39.2 and 270 and 55.2 and 600 for Haemonchus spp. and T. axei , respectively. Months of the year had significant (p<0.05) effect on prevalence and adult worm count in both species of parasites identified. The adult worm count and prevalence were relatively high in February for Haemonchus spp . and in December for T. axei . The high prevalence of these economically important parasites in goats in the dry season may entail insidious losses they could incur in the productivity of goats in the study area. Keywords : Abomasal nematodes; Ethiopia; Goat; Haemonchus; Trichostrogylus axei

Effects of sea-buckthorn leaves on performance and serum metabolic profiles in Altay lambs

In this study, the effects of sea-buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides L.) leaves (SL) on the biochemical parameters and metabolomic profiling in Altay lamb (Ovis aries) were observed. Sixty six-month-old male Altay lambs (body weight 28.0 ± 3.5 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups (n=15). The experimental groups were named as CON, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%. The group CON, contained animals fed with a basal diet. Animals of the other groups were fed a treatment diet consisting of 2.5% (Group 2.5%), 5.0% (Group 5.0%) and 7.5% (Group 7.5%) SL. The experimental period lasted 56 days. The results showed that the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased with the increase in the levels of dietary SL. Dietary SL showed a direct relationship with total protein (TP), albumin, globulin and total cholesterol (TC) content of the experimental animals. However, an indirect relationship was observed between dietary SL and the concentration of urea nitrogen (UN). The concentrations of glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed quadratic change. Additional changes occurred in the endogenous metabolites involving multiple pathways. The pathways were tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, the metabolism of protein and amino acid and the metabolism of fatty acid and steroid. The changes in metabolites primarily revealed an increase in amino acids and carbohydrates and a decrease in lipid metabolites. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the effects of the metabolic aspects of sea-buckthorn leaves on Altay lambs. In addition, the present research results provide a better understanding to the development and utilization of sea-buckthorn as a healthy additive for small ruminant production. Keywords: Hippophae rhamnoides L., lamb, metabolomics, growth performance, serum parameters

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in small ruminant and molecular study of virulence and resistance genes in Beni-Suef Governorate.

Small ruminant producers sustain a considerable economic loss in many countries due to herd infection with Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), a contagious chronic pyogenic disease of sheep and goat. This disease is caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. In this study we investigated the prevalence of CLA in sheep and goat in Beni-Suef Governorate from the period of (March 2016 - April 2017) and examined the status of C. pseudotuberculosis drug resistance genes. Out of two hundred animals (165) sheep and (35) goat affected with external abscess, abscesses swabs were examined for presence of C. pseudotuberculosis. Prevalence of C. pseudotuberculosis was 13.9% in sheep and 8.6% in goat being mainly in the mandibular 56.3%, parotid 35.1% and prescapular 4.8%. Antibiotic sensitivity of the C. pseudotuberculosis showed its high susceptibility to quinolone, phenicol and sulpha and higher resistant to β-lactames, aminoglycosides and lincosamides. PCR amplification of the antibiotic resistance genes revealed the presence of β-lactames resistance gene (bla) in 40% of the isolates, aminoglycosides resistance gene (aadA2) in 42% of the isolates.The current study revealed the change of the C. pseudotuberculosis susceptibility to the antimicrobial effect than previous report. These results may necessitate the reconsideration of the general C. pseudotuberculosis management protocol based on the current situation which also seem to be specific for each locality depending on the previous exposure to antibiotic regimes for controlling C. pseudotuberculosis or other microorganism.

Quantitative molecular diagnosis of levamisole resistance in populations of Haemonchus contortus

Parasitism by Haemonchus contortus is one of the main limiting factors in small ruminant production around the globe. Although several studies suggest the use of integrated management practices, these parasites have been controlled essentially with synthetic anthelmintic drugs. The resistance mechanism against the imidazothiazole derivative levamisole in Haemonchus contortus has not been fully described. Recently, resistance was associated with a 63bp deletion in the Hco-acr-8b gene that encodes a subunit for a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. This study aimed to standardize a real time PCR (qPCR) protocol for levamisole resistance diagnosis in H. contortus populations based on this polymorphism and use it to characterize 23 field H. contortus populations obtained from different localities of Ceará State, Northeast Brazil. In addition, two populations of H. contortus were used as a standard of susceptibility and resistance, Inbred Strain Edinburgh (ISE) and Kokstad, respectively. Larval development tests (LDT) were performed on five field isolates and both EC50 and EC95 were estimated. LDT EC95 values provided a wider interval between susceptible and resistant populations than EC50 values (EC95 = 1.96–57.93 μM; EC50 = 0.05–0.39 μM), and were found to be more appropriate for differentiating them. Real time PCR results showed resistance allele frequencies ranged from 20.9 to 76.7%. Our results suggest that levamisole resistance may be present in field populations but it is not as widespread as benzimidazole resistance. This methodology may be useful to monitor levamisole resistance in field populations of H. contortus.

Maternal malnutrition impacts placental morphology and transport. An origin for poor offspring growth and vulnerability to disease.

Pregnancy toxemia (PT) is considered one of the most common metabolic diseases with high impact on the production of small ruminants. The objective of this study was investigate possible myocardial damage in goats affected with PT by the determination of serum myocardial biomarkers CK-MB and cTnI. A total of 44 goats affected with PT, and 10 apparently healthy goats (control group or CG) were used in the study. In goats with PT, the serum concentrations of cTnI (0.43 ng/mL) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (0.06 ng/mL). Although CK-MB showed no significant difference, it was approximately three times higher in animals with PT. The serum concentrations of insulin were significantly lower in PT goats (5.03 ppmol/L) compared to CG goats (10.66 pmol/L). The serum concentrations of cortisol in PT goats (155.41 nmol/L) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (36.58 nmol/L). Results of this study indicate that a clinically significant myocardial damage might occur in goats affected with PT leading to significant elevations in values of cTnI and CK-MB. Therefore, these parameters could be used as a potential prognostic indicator in goats affected with this important disease.

Sheep and Goat Value Chain Analysis in Tahtay Adyabo District, Tigray, Ethiopia

This study was aimed at evaluating the value chain of the small ruminant in Tahtay Adyabo District of Tigray Region. The data were collected from 138 sample households, 26 traders, 5 butchers, 7 hotels/restaurants and 11 consumers interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire and from key informant interview. The value chain analysis revealed that the major actors in the district being input suppliers, small ruminant producers, farmers, collectors, small traders, large traders, hotels/restaurants, butchers and consumers. Office of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution, NGO (Save the Children) and Shire-Maitsebri Agricultural Research Center are main supporting institutions. Nine main alternative channels were identified for goat and sheep marketing. Small ruminant market participant of sample respondents were supplied 137.28 TLU of goats and 107.25 TLU of sheep to the market. In the study area, the governance of the sheep and goat value chain is buyer driven, and there are no producers and buyers cooperatives. Therefore effort should be made to establish farmers’ cooperative and collective action of farmers to lower transaction costs to access inputs.