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The risk of parasitism in different groups of small ruminants depends on intrinsic, environmental, and management factors. Although there are different views regarding the sex-related risk of endoparasites in small ruminants, females are undoubtedly the most affected group in the flock. Moreover, whether the greater sex-specific risk of parasitic infection observed in female goats in field situations is associated with their production or other intrinsic factors is still under scrutiny. In this paper, cross-sectional epidemiological data collected from selected small ruminant flocks were analysed to determine the distribution, risk, and burden of endoparasites in young, nonpregnant, pregnant, and lactating female goats. There was a higher incidence of gastrointestinal parasites (88.4%, 95%CI= 83.01-92.19) than blood protozoa (54.0%, 95%CI= 46.85-60.92), with a significant difference among the groups. A higher risk of gastrointestinal parasites was observed in lactating (OR = 46.667, P = 0.001) and pregnant (OR = 9.167, P = 0.003) groups. A greater risk of blood protozoan infection was also observed in the pregnant (OR = 5.971, P = 0.0104) and lactating (OR = 3.600, P = 0.0528) groups. A significant increase in the mean faecal egg count of the lactating (2.72 ± 0.76) and pregnant (2.34 ± 0.97) groups (P < 0.05) was accompanied by a significantly lower mean PCV in the lactating group (23.48 ± 4.838) than the kids (29.44 ± 6.13), or nonpregnant (27.80 ± 5.525) groups (P < 0.05). Thus, the pregnant and lactating female goats may experience a greater exposure risk and burden of endoparasites. Therefore, female goats may be selectively targeted for implementing nutritional management, controlled grazing, and selective anthelmintic treatment during pregnancy and lactation to save cost and minimise excessive use of anthelmintic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This veterinary clinical and pathology case report describes a severe clinical case of theileriosis in adult cattle with prolonged recumbency and terminal wasting because of complications due to chronic theileriosis in two adult (2-year-old) Jersey-Friesian Cross. The case was referred to the large animal clinic of the University Veterinary Hospital (UVH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The animals were presented as recumbent, dull, depressed, hypothermic, dehydrated, and cachexic. There were poor responses of the patients to fluid therapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory treatments, and they both died within 24 hrs of clinical presentation. Haematology (complete blood count and serum biochemistry) results revealed haemoconcentration and faecal examinations were negative for liver fluke infestation and blood smear examination was positive for intraerythrocytic piroplasms of Theileria (0.01% parasitaemia). Post-mortem examination further revealed advanced cachexia, generalised serous atrophy of fat, hepatomegaly, hepatic congestion, pulmonary congestion, and pulmonary oedema. Histological findings revealed atrophy of the hepatic cord, hepatic congestion, splenic hemosiderosis, pulmonary oedema and congestion. The clinicopathological findings supported an aetiological diagnosis of a severe clinical case of Theileriosis with terminal wasting because of complications due to chronic Theileriosis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paratuberculosis, also known as Johne's disease, is a chronic wasting disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subs paratuberculosis (MAP) in ruminants. Paratuberculosis causes a significant reduction of milk production in the affected dairy sheep or goats and increase the cost of diagnosis, treatment, and culling of the infected animals. Paratuberculosis is currently recognised as a disease of major economic significance in cattle, sheep, goats, and wild ruminants globally. Recent reports also suggest that paratuberculosis affects wild ruminants and farmed deer. Despite the widespread occurrence of MAP, there are variations in the seroprevalence and global distribution patterns of disease among small ruminants and deer herds due to the influence of interacting epidemiological variables in different places. This systematic review aims to provide insights on the current global seroprevalence status and distribution pattern of paratuberculosis among small ruminants and deer herds. The review compiled, analyzed, and narratively synthesized 36 eligible research articles published between January 1, 2010, and January 31, 2024, from the SCOPUS and PubMed databases based on the 22-point Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. The average global seroprevalence of paratuberculosis in sheep was 14.02% (0.7-66.8), with the highest rate in Canada (66.8%) and the lowest in Austria (0.7%). Comparatively, the average global seroprevalence in goats was 18.44% (0.3-83), with the highest rate in Canada (83%) and the lowest in the West Indies (0.3%). The average global prevalence of paratuberculosis in deer was 14.76% (3.7-30.2), with the highest rate in Spain (30.2%) and the lowest rate in the Czech Republic (3.7%). This review revealed that Canada is a hot spot for both caprine and ovine paratuberculosis and there was a higher global seroprevalence rates in goats than sheep and deer. The lack of data on the seroepidemiology of paratuberculosis among small ruminant stock in Southeast Asia and other regions is a gap in our current knowledge of its distribution. Therefore, seroprevalence surveys of paratuberculosis among the small ruminant and deer livestock are required to furnish information for planning suitable interventions in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research is a comparative study on the prevalence of parasites in marine finfish among the two major marine zones; namely the pelagic zone and benthic zone. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the parasite prevalence in both zones, as well as to determine the effect of differing marine zones regarding the presence of parasites in fish. A total of 30 individual fish occurring in pelagic and benthic zones were randomly selected from three different fishmongers at a wet market in Bintulu, Sarawak. Both the gill and stomach content of the samples were examined to detect the presence of parasites. Nematodes and trematodes were observed in the intestinal tract of the fish, Cymothoa exigua was found attached to the fish tongue, and monogenean parasites were also detected on the gills. The prevalence of the parasite was roughly equal in Setipinna breviceps, Ilisha megaloptera, and Selaroides leptolepis. The highest prevalence of parasites (87.50%) from fish in the benthic zone based on fish size was for fish measuring between 20.1 - 30.00 cm in total length (P-value=0.3778), whereas for pelagic fish, the highest prevalence of parasites (100%) in fish measurements of 30.1 - 40.0 cm in total length (P-value=0.0044). A major factor for the diversity of marine fish parasites occurring in the different zones is the difference in feeding behavior of the hosts and depth distribution which resulted in low or high rates of parasite infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a disease of sheep and goats caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Members of Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia and Rhodococcus are the CMNR group of bacteria, which are so-called because they possess an outer cell membrane containing mycolic acids (MAs). This outer membrane presumably acts as a permeability barrier that imparts high drug resistance levels to some members of this group. The distinguishing feature of C. pseudotuberculosis is that MAs and phospholipase D (PLD) encoded by a β-corynephage in its genome are putative carriers of the toxins. Almost all members of the CMNR group possess a mycolic acid layer or mycomembrane around the cell wall, which is the main virulence determinant and plays a vital role in bacterial survival. Both PLD and MAss are virulence factors that play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of C. pseudotuberculosis. Phospholipases are glycophospholipid-hydrolyzing enzymes that facilitate bacterial dissemination in the host and assist the bacteria to evade phagocytosis by depletion of complement and impaired chemotaxis of neutrophils. MAs are waxy coat that protects the bacterium from hydrolytic enzymes within lysosomes and enables bacteria to skip phagocytosis and survive within the host cell. This review presents current research information on the mycolic acids of C. pseudotuberculosis and their role in the pathogenesis of the disease which includes host cell responses of acute-phase proteins, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and reproductive hormones changes and cellular tissue changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an emerging arthropod-borne pathogen of domestic and wild ruminants responsible for devasting economic losses in European countries with a potential for spreading across boundaries. Three hundred sixty-two (362) serum samples were randomly collected from 7 selected sheep and goat farms from January to October 2019 to investigate the seroprevalence of SBV among small ruminants in Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu states. Seroprevalence of SBV was determined using commercial ID vet® SBV multispecies cELISA test. The farmers completed a structured questionnaire to furnish farm management data to evaluate the risk factors associated with the seroprevalence of SBV among individual animals. A Chi-square test was performed to determine the association between seroprevalence of SBV and putative risk factors of individual animals. Based on the ELISA test, a total of 78 individual animals were seropositive with an overall prevalence of 21.5% and the true prevalence of 22.1% (95% CI:18.06-26.71). Multivariable logistic regression analysis further revealed that Negeri Sembilan state (p<0.001; OR=14.290; 95% CI=5.384-37.930), Breed: Malin sheep (p<0.001; OR=20.453; 95% CI=4.807-87.022), Barbados Black Belly sheep (p<0.01; OR=69.947; 95% CI=16.819-290.901), Boer goat (p<0.001; OR=9.108; 95% CI=3.191-25.997) and crossbred goat (p=0.001; OR=4.964; 95% CI=1.905-12.934) are risk factors of SBV among individual animals. This study highlights the prevalence of a new transboundary disease among small ruminants in Malaysia. The result obtained here provides preliminary data that could guide livestock producers and policy makers in designing suitable prevention and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the seroprevalence of Leptospira hardjo antibodies and their relationship to the burden of reproductive disorders associated with smallholder ruminant production systems in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria. We randomly collected 376 blood samples from 11 cattle (n=188) and 10 goats (n.=188) farms in Maiduguri from April to September 2019. The farmers completed structured questionnaires to furnish information regarding herd characteristics and reproductive histories of farm animals. A serum IgG/IgM antibody-capture ELISA test kit with a sensitivity of 96.91%, specificity of 90.40%, positive and negative predictive values of 88.68% and 97.41%, respectively, was used for the detection of Leptospira hardjo antibodies from blood serum. The overall seroprevalence of Leptospira hardjo was 4.26% (95% CI: 2.17-8.17) in cattle and 2.13% (95% CI: 0.83-5.34) in goats, respectively. Leptospira hardjo antibodies were detected in 4 (50%) out of the 8 cattle herds and 3 out of the 7 goat flocks with a history of reproductive disorders. At the present rate of detection of Leptospira hardjo antibodies in ruminants with histories of reproductive disorders, the current burden of the disease and its consequences on the reproductive efficiencies could be highly underestimated in the smallholder ruminant production system in the northeastern part of Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-mode hyperspectral imager using field of view scanning needs no moving macro parts. It could work in dual-mode (macro imaging and micro imaging) and is equipped with a conjugated camera for quick object-selection and focusing. By adjusting the imaging lens and achieving the image clarity on the conjugated camera, we could find the correct location and focusing of the ROIs simultaneously instead of inefficiently checking the hyperspectral image after the whole scanning process. The whole system was applied to the study of spectral characteristics of blood oxygen in human hands and the microscopic identification of algae, showing a great potential of clinical and marine applications of our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]