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Avian haemoparasites are known to exert negative pressures on their hosts causing considerable pathology and mortalities. The present study reports on the prevalence of haemoprotozoa and microfilaria in various species of wild birds and domestic poultry in Selangor, Malaysia, and contributes to the database on the occurrence of these pathogens among avifauna in the country. Giemsa-stained thin blood smears were screened from 728 birds representing five avian orders, namely Galliformes, Anseriformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Pelecaniformes and Gruiformes. The most common haemoparasite was Plasmodium, with a prevalence of 8.0%. The aquatic/ wetland species of birds (Anseriformes and Gruiformes) were the most common hosts for this pathogen with high infection rates (31.8% – 50.0%). The prevalence of Plasmodium in domestic poultry was moderate (2.7%). Leucocytozoon sabrazesi and L. caulleryi were confined to the Galliformes with relatively low average infection rates of 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. Haemoproteus was detected for the first time in domestic poultry and Red Jungle fowls in the country, with an average prevalence of 0.8%. Trypanosomes and microfilaria were only present in the village chickens and Red Jungle fowls, with high microfilaraemia rates (19.0%) in the latter. The current compilation will contribute to our understanding on avian haemoparasite transmission in the country.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bacterial inoculants on fermentation rate and quality of corn silage. There are five lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from corn silage; Lactobacillus buchneri, L. hilgardii, L. kefiri, L. oris and L. rhamnosus which were applied at ~107-108 cfu/g of fresh corn forage. The inoculated chopped corn forage was stored in approximately 12 kg-capacity polyester containers for 14, 21 and 28 days. The temperature, pH, nutrient composition and aerobic stability was determined. Inoculation LAB improved the fermentation characteristics, increased nutrient digestibility and improved aerobic stability of corn silages. The bacterial inoculants did not significantly (P>0.05) decreased pH values of the corn silages. Addition of bacterial inoculants to corn silages increased its crude protein content significantly (P<0.05) with time. However, adding bacterial inoculants also significantly (P<0.05) decreased the neutral detergent fiber content with time. After 21 days, the process of fermentation appeared to be complete for all treatments. Among the five lactic acid bacteria used, L. buchneri was identified as the best inoculants for ensiling of corn forage.

Silage, a fermented and high-moisture fodder is an important fodder for large ruminants. Chopped fresh grass, sorghum or whole corn plants were kept under anaerobic conditions to allow the bacteria to convert water-soluble carbohydrates into organic acids. The first objective was to isolate and identify bacteria from corn silage. Taking into consideration the probability and similarity index in the determination of the identification process, five isolates bacteria were isolated and identified by Total Plate Count Technique and Biology Identification System, respectively. Five isolates are Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Lactobacillus kefiri, Lactobacillus oris and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The second objective was to determine the effect of potential bacterial inoculants on fermentation rate and quality of silages. The silage temperature, pH, nutrient digestibility and aerobic stability test for 4 days were determined at 14, 21 and 28 days of ensiling process of the corn plant. Inoculation of lactic acid bacteria significantly improved the fermentation, increased nutrient digestibility and improved aerobic stability of corn silages. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among the bacterial inoculants in decreasing the pH value of the silages. Addition of bacterial inoculants significantly increased the crude protein (P<0.05) but significantly decreased (p<0.05) the neutral detergent fiber contents with time. The process of fermentation was completed on day twenty-one in all treatment and control (P>0.05). The third objective of this study was to evaluate the digestibility of corn silages treated with bacterial inoculants using in-vitro gas production technique. There were no significant differences in total gas production of 24 hours for 21 and 28 day old corn silages (P>0.05). It was expected that cellulose and hemicelluloses of corn silages crop could be decreased by the enzymes present in the original crop, bacterial action and hydrolysi