Mortality in sahelian goats in Nigeria

The cause of mortality in sahelian goats was investigated in three local government areas of Borno State (Kukawa, Maiduguri and Mongonu) that are known for high goat production. A total of 150 selected flocks (50 flocks from each of the local government areas) were administered questionnaires through spot visits and interviews of the flock owners. On the whole, 644 (21.8%) goats died between May 1996 and April 1997 out of the 2956 goats in the 150 flocks. Mortality (41.4%) was higher in kids (<6-month old) than in adults (14.4%). Gastrointestinal disorders (dyspepsia), and respiratory diseases were the most-common causes of mortality. Cause-specific mortality risks did not differ between kids and adults.     

Serological Prevalence of Brucellosis among Donkeys (Equus asinus) in Some Local Government Areas of Yobe State,Nigeria

A cross-sectional study of prevalence of antibody against Brucella organisms was conducted among donkeys in three local government areas of Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria. Three hundred adult donkeys of both sexes were sampled, with 100 samples each from local government areas Bursari, Gaidam, and Machina. The overall serological prevalence of brucellosis among donkeys in the three local government areas by both rose bengal plate test (RBPT) and microtiter serum agglutination test (MSAT) was 15 (5.0%), of which five (1.7%) were male and 10 (3.3%) were female donkeys. The overall prevalence by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was 10 (3.3%), of which four (1.33%) were male and six (2.0%) were female donkeys. There was a significant association between the female sex of the donkeys and the serological reaction to RBPT, MSAT, and cELISA (P < .05). Of the 100 sera sampled from Bursari, five (5%) were positive by RBPT/MSAT, which comprised two (2%) male and three (3.0%) female donkeys. There was no significant association between the sex of the donkeys and the serological reaction (P > .05). Of the 100 samples from Gaidam, four (4.0%) tested positive by RBPT/MSAT, of which one (1.0%) was male and three (3.0%) were female donkeys (P < .05). Six (6.0%) of the 100 donkey sera samples from Machina tested positive by both RBPT and MSAT, which comprised two (2.0%) male and four (4.0%) female donkeys. There was no significant association between the male sex of the donkeys and the serological reaction (P > .05); however, there was a significant association between the female sex of the donkeys and the serological reaction to both RBPT and MSAT (P < .05). Of the 100 samples from Bursari and the 100 samples from Gaidam, three (3%) from each were positive by cELISA, which comprised one (1%) male and two (2%) female donkeys. There was no statistically significant association between the sex of donkeys and the serological reaction (P > .05). Of the 100 samples tested from Machina, two (2%) male and two (2%) female donkeys were positive for Brucella antibodies by cELISA. No statistically significant association was demonstrated between the sex of the donkeys and the serological reaction to cELISA (P > .05). Because of the importance of donkeys to humans as a source of draft power, infected donkeys could be a source of Brucella infection to humans through close contact, through the respiratory system via contaminated dust or droplets, and through aborted fetuses and discharges from the genitalia.     

Serological survey for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella</Emphasis> antibodies in donkeys of north-eastern Nigeria

A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and risk factors influencing the presence of Brucella antibodies in donkeys of Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria. The study aimed at providing baseline information that may be used in planning a control policy against equine brucellosis. Blood samples were collected from 601 donkeys, comprised of 374 males and 227 females from the six agricultural zones of the state between March 2013 and September 2014. The sera obtained were tested for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Of the 601 donkeys tested, 43 (7.2%) and 40 (6.7%) were seropositive by RBPT and cELISA, respectively. A seroprevalence of 8.6% was obtained in male and 3.5% in female donkeys. According to age, the highest seroprevalence of 9.6% was obtained from donkeys of age group 4–6 years. With respect to pregnancy status, a higher seroprevalence (6.8%) was obtained from pregnant donkeys compared to 3.8% obtained from the non-pregnant ones. There were statistically significant associations between the presence of antibodies and sex (p < 0.05) and the presence of antibodies and age (p < 0.05) of the studied donkeys. However, no statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was observed between the pregnancy status and presence of antibodies. The study concludes that Brucella infection is present in donkeys in all the agricultural zones of the state. The relatively high seroprevalence (7.2%) obtained is of public health concern because of the close interaction between donkeys, ruminants, and humans in the study area.