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Background: Anthrax is the most prioritized zoonotic disease in Kazakhstan due to its threatening potential to the public health and agricultural sector. Sporadic anthrax outbreaks are being reported annually among human and livestock populations throughout the country, with the highest frequency occurring in West Kazakhstan., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey-based face-to-face interview. From January to May 2022, 489 randomly selected participants were surveyed in 6 districts of the Baiterek province in West Kazakhstan oblast to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding anthrax among community members. This is the first KAP study conducted relating to outbreaks of anthrax in Kazakhstan., Results: In this study, most participants (74%) surveyed were males, and 40% of respondents had a secondary level education. Overall, 91% of the community respondents were engaged in agriculture and livestock rearing. Among these community members, cattle rearing was the most common (67%) occupation compared to other livestock species. Additionally, over a 50% of the population studied had no knowledge about the zoonotic nature of the disease, and about 82% and 87% of respondents were unaware of any animal and human anthrax symptoms, respectively. About 70% of the respondents were interested in vaccinating their livestock against anthrax. Individuals aged 45-54 displayed notably higher animal vaccination rates (45%; 95% CI: 38.4-52.0; p < 0.025) compared to those aged 25-34 and 65-74. Respondents residing in the Beles district (20%; 95% CI: 17.1-24.7; p < 0.005) exhibited a significantly higher level of awareness concerning the fatality of anthrax in contrast to participants from Bolashak. Roughly 61% of respondents held the belief that anthrax is a lethal disease. An overwhelming majority of the survey participants (99%) affirmed their non-participation in the slaughter of infected animals., Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that KAP among community members relating to anthrax is low and requires swift implementation of education programmes in building awareness of anthrax under the One Health approach, especially in anthrax prone regions., (© 2024 The Author(s). Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) technologies have great potential in the preservation of endangered species. In the current study, an IVF experiment was carried out to evaluate whether reproductive technologies are suitable for Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle, aimed at preserving this breed whose population has reduced drastically over the last thirty years. The reproduction characteristics of Kazakh Whiteheaded cows were compared to Aberdeen Angus cows. Transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovum pick up sessions were carried out followed by in vitro embryo production and embryo transfer and pregnancy diagnosis. The total and viable oocytes per OPU procedure were 12.8 ± 1.18 and 8.7 ± 0.85 for the Aberdeen Angus breed, and 8.8 ± 1.04 and 6.2 ± 0.83 for the Kazakh Whiteheaded breed. Similarly, the mean number of cleaved oocytes and morula/blastocyst stage embryos produced by OPU/IVF were 4.8 ± 0.49 and 1.4 ± 0.15 for the Aberdeen Angus breed, and 2.4 ± 0.46 and 0.18 ± 0.05 for the Kazakh Whiteheaded breed ( p ≤ 0.02). From fifty Kazakh Whiteheaded donor animals, 2585 oocytes were aspirated following six ovum pick up sessions. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six (72.5%) oocytes were chosen for maturation and were further fertilized. The number of embryos cleaved was 720 (38.3% out of oocytes fertilized) on day four post-fertilization. Of these cleaved embryos, 56 (7.5%) developed into the late morula/blastocyst stage on day seven post-fertilization, averaging 1.12 embryos per donor animal. Pregnancy was detected in 12 recipients; 4 healthy calves have been born to date. The outcomes of our study have demonstrated that reproductive technologies can be applicable in preserving the endangered Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle. The findings in this report will enhance knowledge of the reproductive characteristics of endangered domestic animals and help develop sophisticated reproductive protocols for animals with unique reproductive mechanisms.

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.)