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The aquaculture industry has been growing rapidly over the past few decades to meet future animal protein demands. However, intensive aquaculture industry faces challenges such as growth abnormalities, high mortality rates, water quality and intestinal health deterioration. Administering probiotics can serve as a nutritional strategy to enhance the immune system and growth performance of fish influxes of gut microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of two dietary probiotic strains L. mesenteroides and L. lactis on the growth performance, immunity, and gut microbiota of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish were fed with basal and experimental diet supplemented by both L. mesenteroides and L. lactis bacteria at 106 cell/g for 8 weeks. Feeding a combination of L. mesenteroides and L. lactis resulted in significant improvements in feed utilization parameters (PER and FER) (P < 0.001), alternative complement pathway activity, intestinal lactic acid bacteria count (P < 0.012), mucus secretion (P < 0.002) and peroxidase activity (P < 0.001) compared to the control groups. Serum lysozyme activity also exhibited a significant increase in the L. mesenteroides and L. lactis dietary group (P < 0.011) compared to the control and single probiotic supplemented diet groups. Furthermore, Nile tilapia fed the L. mesenteroides and L. lactis supplemented diet showed enhanced growth performance metrics (weight gain, final weight and specific growth rate) compared to those fed control and single probiotic supplemented diets (P < 0.022). Additionally, superoxide dismutase activity was significantly elevated in the L.mesenteroides and L. lactis supplemented diet groups compared to the control and single L.mesenteroides supplemented diet groups (P < 0.017). These findings strongly indicate that a dietary combination of L. mesenteroides and L. lactis probiotics could function as a beneficial immunostimulant feed supplement in Nile tilapia aquaculture., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Paritova et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: This study was performed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of farmers and veterinary professionals towards foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the area studied., Methods: The study was based on a comprehensive questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Between January and May 2022, 543 households and 27 animal health practitioners (AHP) were visited in 4 provinces of the West Kazakhstan region to assess their KAPs towards FMD., Results: A large proportion of herd owners (84%) had known the name of the disease, and nearly a half (48) of respondents had heard of FMD cases on farms in the neighbourhood. Oral mucosa lesions were the most consistent with clinical sign characteristic of FMD among farmers (31.4%), followed by hoof blisters (27.6%) and excessive salivation (18.6%). Farmers reported that new animal introduction was potentially the main factor associated with FMD occurrence in their herds. Over half of farmers (54%) interviewed prefer not to purchase livestock from unknown or potentially epidemiologically disadvantaged areas., Conclusion: All AHPs (27) reported that in their zone of veterinary responsibilities, vaccination against FMD is not practised because the area investigated possesses FMD-free status. However, in the past few years, numerous FMD outbreaks have been detected throughout the region. For this reason, immediate actions need to be taken to prevent further FMD occurrences by giving the region a status of an FMD-free zone with vaccination. The current study demonstrated that inadequate quarantine controls of imported animals, absence of regular vaccination and unrestricted animal movement within the country were the primary obstacles in controlling and preventing FMD in the investigated area., (© 2023 The Authors. Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Contact between wild (saiga) and domestic (sheep) animals on pastures results in a composite community of helminths. Wild animals like saigas are vulnerable to parasites and the diseases they transmit are fatal. Adults may be less susceptible to infection than their offspring but remain a dangerous source of parasite spread., Aim: The aim of the article is to determine the environmental factors influencing the spread of helminthiasis (echinococcosis, coenurosis, and moniziosis) in animals., Methods: Epizootological indicators of the saigas helminth fauna have been studied to assess the epizootic state of the area, and the causes of invasive foci appearance (caenurosis, moniziosis, and echinococcosis) in farms in the Kaztalov and Zhanybekov districts of the Western Kazakhstan region. The diagnosis of saiga helminth infections was confirmed by well-grounded helminthological and pathological anatomical examinations of dead saigas., Results: Climatic, natural, and anthropogenic factors of the seasonality of infestation are considered. The climatic factors of helminth infestation in animals were described, based on the influence of environmental factors, which include favourable conditions for the survival of helminth larvae. The main source of helminth infestation is the animals' watering places; therefore, it is necessary to green and create a large number of watering places, which will reduce the disease rate and improve the health of the animals from infestation., Conclusion: Regular helminthological and ecological monitoring in animal populations is necessary to ensure and preserve natural biocenoses.

Lumpy skin disease is an important emerging disease posing a threat to the livestock industry worldwide. Moreover, factors involved in disease transmission in the field and at farm level remain unidentified. This research was based on a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews with affected farmers. From January 2021 to July 2021, 543 households were visited in four provinces of the West Kazakhstan region to assess the prevalence of LSD and its associated risk factors. Animal and farm level risk factors were examined using univariable and multivariable mixed effect logistic regression. At animal level, the factors associated with LSD outbreaks include herd size Medium OR = 0.68, (95% CI: 0.54-0.84); large OR = 0.63, (95% CI: 0.49-0.81), purchasing animals OR = 11.67, (95% CI: 8.87-15.35), and selling animals during LSD outbreak OR = 1.24, (95% CI: 1.06-1.45). The overall animal level and herd level LSD prevalence were 10.2% (95% CI: 9.6 -0.10.9) and 49.2% (95% CI: 45.0 - 53.4) respectively. Our study demonstrates the dissemination of LSDV from primary outbreaks to new areas and risk factors associated with LSD in Kazakhstan. This finding will enhance knowledge on disease epidemiology and help develop coordinated actions in prevention and control of the possible LSD outbreaks., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an emerging disease of cattle in Kazakhstan and the means of transmission remains uncertain. In the current study, retention of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) by three Stomoxys species following intrathoracic inoculation was demonstrated under laboratory conditions. A virulent LSDV strain was injected into the thorax of flies to bypass the midgut barrier. The fate of the pathogen in the hemolymph of the flies was examined using PCR and virus isolation tests. LSDV was isolated from all three Stomoxys species up to 24h post inoculation while virus DNA was detectable up to 7d post inoculation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.