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Chicken astroviruses (CAstVs) infect young chicks and are associated with gastroenteritis, stunted growth or visceral gout (gout). True incidence and distribution of CAstVs as well as virus variants circulating in India is not well understood. In this study, 80 gout-affected broiler chicken flocks from Haryana, a north-western state of India, were tested for the presence of astroviruses by targeting the polymerase gene of both CAstV and avian nephritis virus (ANV) and capsid gene of CAstV. Of these, 22 (27.5%) flocks were found positive for CAstV, 7(8.75%) for ANV and 2 (2.5%) for both CAstV and ANV genome by reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction. CAstV was isolated by inoculating tissue (kidney) homogenate from gout-affected birds into specific-pathogen free embryonated chicken eggs where the infected embryos showed stunted growth with necrosis of liver and enlarged kidney with urate deposits. Capsid gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed the clustering of CAstV strains from this study with Indian strains of serogroup Biii suggesting their antigenic relatedness. Thus the present study reveals the presence of chicken astroviruses in broiler chickens affected with gout.

A sum total of 402 faecal samples from buffalo calves belonging to the age group of three months were collected randomly without any clinical symptom from various livestock farms and small holdings in four districts of Haryana. The presence or absence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in faecal samples was confirmed by the standard microscopic examination of the modified Ziehl-Neelsen (MZN) stained faecal smears. The overall prevalence in buffalo calves was found to be 8.7%. The seasonal prevalence study revealed a maximum occurrence of Cryptosporidium infection during rainy followed by autumn, winters and minimum in summer season. Age related prevalence showed highest infection in calves between 16-30 days age which gradually decreased with increase in age. The DNA of representative positive faecal samples was extracted using standard phenol-chloroform-isoamylalcohol (PCI) method and then was subjected to nested PCR. All the extracted DNA were amplified for a 1325 bp primary fragment followed by a 834 bp nested fragment in a nested PCR of 18S rRNA gene, thereby confirming the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. The restricted enzyme digestion pattern (restricted fragment length polymorphism) of the 834 bp nested fragment using the restriction enzymes SspI and VspI confirmed the presence of C. parvum. Sequencing of Cryptosporidium DNA samples were carried out which also proved all samples to be of C. parvum. This is the first report of molecular identification of C. parvum in buffalo calves of Haryana and these Haryana isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum isolated from diarrhoeic buffalo calves are divergently related to rest of the part of the country isolates and indicates the zoonotic potential.

Lantana camara Linn. (Family: Verbenaceae), an ornamental shrub, a noxious weed grows in many tropical and subtropical parts of world. The common name of this ornamental shrub is lantana, wild/red sage, bunch berry, locally known as “Barophulnoo”. The genus Lantana (Verbenaceae) as described by Linnaeus in 1753 contained seven species, six from South America and one from Ethiopia.

Nippostrongylus brasiliensis is a natural parasite of rat, closely related to human hookworm. Experimental host in which the parasite will attain sexual maturity include mouse, hamster, rabbit, chinchilla and to lesser extend in a cotton rat. The parasite does not occur naturally in laboratory rodents and its primary importance is as a model of immunology, host parasite interaction and anthelmintic testing.