Control of Peste des Petits Ruminants and Poverty Alleviation?

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious and often fatal viral disease of sheep and goats and also wild small ruminants. The PPR virus is distinct from but closely related to rinderpest virus and both belong to the morbivillivirus genus within the family Paramyxoviridae. PPR is a contagious transboundary disease with a significant impact on rural poor farmers. Its control should therefore be considered in programs that aim at alleviating poverty in developing countries.     

Impact of organic fertilisation on lettuce biomass production according to the cultivation duration in tropical soils

ABSTRACT

The productivity levels of two arenosol (Ar40) and fluvisol (FL40) fields that had been cultivated for over 40 years were compared to that of fields with the same soils located nearby but never previously cultivated, i.e. Ar0 and FL0, respectively. Application of poultry manure (PM) and sewage sludge (SS) were compared to a mineral fertilizer (T100), corresponding to 100 kg/ha of nitrogen, over three lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) crop cycles. PM and SS were applied at 50 and 150 kg/ha nitrogen equivalent fertilizer doses. Biomass production levels in the organic and mineral treatments were similar, except for the SS-50 for FL0 and the PM-150 for Ar40, FL40 and FL0. Biomass production levels of Ar40 were higher than those of Ar0 for the first cycle. In the initial state, the soil P content in Ar40 was higher than that of the Ar0 soil. With the treatment repetition, Ar0 showed the same production level as Ar40. For the fluvisols, biomass production levels of FL40 were lower than those of FL0 for the first cycle. Indeed, the initial nitrate content in FL40 was lower than in FL0. The biomass production levels of FL40 were higher than those of FL0 for the following cycles.     

Studies on the properties of acid erythrocyte phosphatase in sheep and the isoenzymes of sheep and goat acid erythrocyte phosphatase]

Ovine erythrocytic acid phosphatase showed two peaks of activity at pH 5.0 and 5.7 in acetate buffer with p-nitrophenylphosphate as substrate. The enzyme was only slightly inhibited by fluoride and L-phenylalanine, but high concentrations of urea strongly inhibited it. Activity of the enzyme was greater in goat erythrocytes than in sheep. By means of starch electrophoresis, three isoenzymes belonging to nine types were separated from the ovine enzymes, while three isoenzymes of five types were present in goats. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel was suitable for detecting the rapidly migrating isoenzymes.     

Seroprevalence of leptospiral antibodies among dairy cattle kept in communal corrals in periurban areas of Bamako, Mali, West Africa

Sera obtained from dairy cattle in communal corral herds located near the city of Bamako in Mali, West Africa were sceeened using the microscopic agglutination test against 26 serovars representing 15 serogroups of Leptospira interrogans. Forty five percent (44.8%; 288/642) were positive to one or more serovars. This seroprevalence rate likely reflects infection since vaccination against leptospiral infection has not been practiced i Mali. The rate was higher among females. The most common titers were against antigens of serovars cynopteri (14.7%), hardjo (13.3%), pomona (9.2%), nona (8.1%), kambale (6.5%), grippotypyosa (6.4%), hebdomadis (6.2%), and pyrogenes (5.2%).     

Early detection of viral excretion from experimentally infected goats with peste-des-petits ruminants virus

We observed 15 goats for 9 days after subcutaneous infection with 10(3) TCID(50) with isolates of peste-des-petits ruminants virus from Africa and India and five concurrent, uninfected control goats. Typical clinical signs of the infection were present in all 15 infected goats by day 8 and in most by day 6 and some signs were present by day 4. However, 6 out of 15 goats already have detectable virus shedding by day 3 and four more were shedding by day 4 and every goat had virus shedding for at least 1 day before the recognition of clinical signs. This experiment indicates that incubatory carriers therefore might play a role in the transmission of PPRV among small ruminants.     

Multiplex real-time PCR for the detection and differentiation of equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4)

A multiplex real-time PCR was designed to detect and differentiate equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). The PCR targets the glycoprotein B gene of EHV-1 and EHV-4. Primers and probes were specific to each equine herpesvirus type and can be used in monoplex or multiplex PCRs, allowing the differentiation of these two closely related members of the Alphaherpesvirinae. The two probes were minor-groove binding probes (MGB) labelled with 6-carboxy-fluorescein (FAM) and VIC for detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4, respectively. Ten EHV-1 isolates, six EHV-1 positive clinical samples, one EHV-1 reference strain (EHV-1.438/77), three EHV-4 positive clinical samples, two EHV-4 isolates and one EHV-4 reference strain (EHV-4 405/76) were included in this study. EHV-1 isolates, clinical samples and the reference strain reacted in the EHV-1 real-time PCR but not in the EHV-4 real-time PCR and similarly EHV-4 clinical samples, isolates and the reference strain were positive in the EHV-4 real-time PCR but not in the EHV-1 real-time PCR. Other herpesviruses, such as EHV-2, EHV-3 and EHV-5 were all negative when tested using the multiplex real-time PCR. When bacterial pathogens and opportunistic pathogens were tested in the multiplex real-time PCR they did not react with either system. The multiplex PCR was shown to be sensitive and specific and is a useful tool for detection and differentiation of EHV-1 and EHV-4 in a single reaction. A comprehensive equine herpesvirus disease investigation procedure used in our laboratory is also outlined. This procedure describes the combination of alphaherpesvirus multiplex real-time PCR along with existing gel-based PCRs described by other authors.     

Mechanical transmission of Trypanosoma vivax in cattle by the African tabanid Atylotus fuscipes

An experiment was carried out in Burkina Faso to evaluate the potential for mechanical transmission of Trypanosoma vivax by the African tabanid Atylotus fuscipes. The experiment was carried out in a corral (10 m x 10 m) completely covered by a mosquito net (12 m x 12 m and 2.5m high). Eight heifers (cross-bred Zebu X Baoulé), free of trypanosome infection, were kept together with two heifers experimentally infected with a local stock of T. vivax. An average of 539 A. fuscipes per day, freshly captured with two Nzi traps, were introduced into the mosquito net from Day 1 to 20, to allow mechanical transmission of the parasites among cattle. Daily parasitological examinations (BCM) of cattle blood samples indicated that six of the eight receiver heifers were positive from days 9, 10, 15, 16, 19 and 29. Mechanical transmission of T. vivax by A. fuscipes was demonstrated unequivocally in close to natural conditions, at a high rate (75% incidence over a 20-day period) under a mean challenge of 54 insects per heifer per day. These results, in addition to previous demonstration of mechanical transmission of T. vivax by Atylotus agrestis, confirm that mechanical transmission can be a significant route of infection.     

Molecular and pathological investigations of EHV-1 and EHV-4 infections in horses in Turkey

The aim of the present study was to investigate abortion storms that occurred in the Marmara region of Turkey in 2008-2009 using a real-time PCR. Two aborted foetuses were necropsied and histo-pathological findings reported herein. Ten lungs, 3 brains and one nasal swab from 10 aborted foetuses, 6 nasal swabs and 3 vaginal swabs from aborting mares were included in this study. EHV-1 was isolated from the lung, liver and brain of 1 aborted foetus. EHV-1 DNA was detected in the lungs, livers and spleens of 2 necropsied foetuses and in 3 lungs from 10 foetuses submitted for diagnosis. A brain from one of the aborted foetuses was also positive for EHV-1 DNA. EHV-4 DNA was detected only in a nasal swab of one of the tested foetuses. Neither EHV-1 nor EHV-4 DNA was detected in the swabs of aborting mares. Sequence analysis of the glycoprotein B of the strains was performed and a phylogenetic tree was generated. The results indicated that 4 of the 5 Turkish EHV-1 strains (TR02, TR03, TR04 and TR05) clustered together; the fifth strain (TR01) was slightly removed from the group and clustered with other EHV-1 from various origins. Single nucleotide polyporphism (SNP in ORF30) associated with neuropathogenesis was not detected in any of the strains. At necropsy, sub-milier focal necrosis in the liver and spleen was observed. Microscopically, focal coagulation necrosis and marked eosinophilic intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in the hepatocytes localised around the necrotic areas in the liver. Severe coagulation necrosis in white pulp of the spleen was also observed.     

Field detection of resistance to isometamidium chloride and diminazene aceturate in Trypanosoma vivax from the region of the Boucle du Mouhoun in Burkina Faso

A longitudinal study assessed the chemoresistance to isometamidium chloride (ISM) and diminazene aceturate (DA) in the region of the Boucle du Mouhoun in Burkina Faso. A preliminary cross-sectional survey allowed the identification of the 10 villages with the highest parasitological prevalences (from 2.1% to 16.1%). In each of these 10 villages, two herds of approximately 50 bovines were selected, one being treated with ISM (1mg/kg b.w.) and the other remaining untreated as control group. All animals (treated and untreated herds) becoming infected were treated with DA (3.5mg/kg b.w.). In total, 978 head of cattle were followed up. Fortnightly controls of the parasitaemia and PCV were carried out during 8 weeks. The main trypanosome species was Trypanosoma vivax (83.6%) followed by Trypanosoma congolense (16.4%). In two villages, less than 25% of the control untreated cattle became positive indicating no need to use prophylactic treatment. These two villages were not further studied. Resistance to ISM was observed in 5 of the remaining 8 villages (Débé, Bendougou, Kangotenga, Mou and Laro) where the relative risk (control/treated hazard ratios) of becoming infected was lower than 2 i.e. between 0.89 (95% CI: 0.43-2.74) and 1.75 (95% CI: 0.57-5.37). In contrast, this study did not show evidence of resistance to DA in the surveyed villages with only 8.6% (n=93) of the cattle relapsing after treatment. Our results suggest that because of the low prevalence of multiple resistances in the area a meticulous use of the sanative pair system would constitute the best option to delay as much as possible the spread of chemoresistance till complete eradication of the disease by vector control operations.