Molecular epidemiology of bovine anaplasmosis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

Bovine anaplasmosis is endemic in Pakistan where it reduces livestock productivity and leads to high mortality, especially in young animals. This study was aimed to identify the potential risk factors responsible for the occurrence and spread of anaplasmosis in cattle and buffaloes for the first time in Pakistan. A total of 900 (cattle?=?479, buffalo?=?421) blood samples were collected irrespective of age and sex from three distinct zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used for the molecular detection of anaplasmosis. Data collected on a piloted questionnaire including 11 predicting variables which were analyzed using R-statistical software, and association between the dependent and independent variables was assessed using univariable analysis. Automated and manual approaches were exercised, producing comparable models. Key risk factors identified in all the approaches included species of the animal, breed of animal, sex of animal, tick infestation status, previous tick history, tick control status, and acaricides used (odds ratio?>?1). The 611 bp DNA fragment specific for 16S rRNA gene of Anaplasma spp. was produced from 165 samples. The samples were confirmed for anaplasmosis through sequencing and BLAST queries. The findings of the current study conclude that by enhancing the protective measures to control the identified risk factors can reduce the spread of anaplasmosis in Pakistan.

     

Prevalence, molecular diagnosis and treatment of Mycoplasma conjunctivae isolated from infectious keratoconjunctivitis affected Lohi sheep maintained at Livestock Experiment Station, Bahadurnagar, Okara, Pakistan

Mycoplasma conjunctivae are etiological agents of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC), commonly known as pink-eye in domestic sheep, goats and other wild animals in many parts of the world. A few young Lohi lambs maintained at Livestock Experiment Station (LES), Bahadurnagar, Okara, Pakistan showed clinical signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis, keratitis, severe lacrimation and varying degree of blindness. During January to March, 2011, a total of 36 ocular swabs were collected from IKC affected animals and were processed for isolation, identification, and characterization of M. conjunctivae. Sixteen (44.44 %) out of 36 samples showed turbidity in PPLO broth. Twelve (75 %) out of 16 broth samples showed colony growth on PPLO agar. All 16 (44.44 %) out of 36 turbid broth samples, 12 (75 %) out of 16 cultured on agar plate samples, and 21 (59 %) out of 36 sheep ocular direct swab samples were found positive for M. conjunctivae through polymerase chain reaction test by using M. conjunctivae-specific primer pair McoF1 and McoR1 and detecting a 750 base pair fragment on agarose gel. Topical application of 0.5 % sterile solution of gentamycin (100 mg/ml) (Gentafar 10 %, FARVET, Netherlands) proved suitable for the treatment of IKC in Lohi lambs as all clinical signs of IKC disappeared after 5 days of treatment with this antibiotic. This is the first report about the prevalence, molecular diagnosis, and treatment of M. conjunctivae in Lohi sheep affected with infectious keratoconjunctivitis at LES, Bahadurnagar, Okara, Pakistan.     

Effect of collection frequency on the semen quality of broiler breeder

1. Seven 35-week-old Hubbard broiler breeder males were subjected to three semen collection frequencies either once every 2 d (48 h), daily (24 h) or twice daily (12 h). 2. Semen characteristics including motility, volume, concentration and sperm numbers per ejaculate were determined for each ejaculate. 3. Sperm motility was unaffected by collection interval, but semen volume was lower at 12 than 24h intervals. Sperm concentration was lower at 12 than 48h intervals. 4. At 24 and 48 h number of sperm per collection (1.7+/-0.2, 1.8+/-0.2 x 10(9)) were higher than at 12 h (1.2+/-0.1 x 10(9)). 5. The number of semen doses over a 6-d period increased linearly as the frequency of collection increased from once every 2 d to twice daily. 6. It is concluded that output was theoretically maximal at twice daily collection, but in practice not all cockerels may be able to maintain full performance with such a demanding regime.     

Optimizing the NPK application in white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) under an arid climate in Punjab,Pakistan

The production of oil from the conventional oilseed seed crops (viz. mustard, rapeseed) is not sufficient to meet the demands of Pakistani people. Due to this reason, a surplus quantity of oil is imported every year from different countries to fulfill the domestic demands of the cooking oil. This 2-year study was aimed to optimize the dose of NPK for profitable production of white mustard. Nitrogen (0, 60, 90?kg ha^?1), phosphorous (0, 30, 60?kg ha^?1) and potassium (0, 75, 100?kg ha^?1) were applied in various combinations. The results indicated that highest seed yield and profitability was recorded with NPK at 90–60–100?kg ha^?1, which was attributed to improvement in crop growth. In crux, application of NPK at pre-optimized rate might be a viable option to improve the growth, yield, oil quality, and economics of white mustard production under arid climates in Pakistan. According to the results, a balanced use of NPK fertilization is a key management strategy for white mustard growing farmers of arid region.     

Cytology of infection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium mangiferae</Emphasis> Britz in different malformed reproductive parts of mango

Aetiology of mango malformation (MM) has intrigued the scientists since its inception. The objective of the study was to glean an insight into association of the fungus, Fusarium mangiferae, with different malformed regions, viz. panicle-shoot juncture, apical buds, primary and secondary peduncles, in five exotic mango cultivars. Tissue assays revealed an infection of 88.5, 84.75 and 82.5% in cvs Zill, Sensation and Tommy Atkins, respectively. Least infection of 69.75% was found in cv. Keitt. No exotic cultivar was found to be free of fungal infection. Apical buds proved to be the potential infection site of the fungus amongst the four malformed regions, hosting maximum within-tissue infection of 86.2%. Determination of F. mangiferae at proximal and distant sites of the malformed panicles exhibited maximum recovery of 82.0% at 0 cm and only 3% at >30 cm distance beneath the panicle. In the case of non-malformed panicles, an infection of 14.0% was recorded at 0 cm distance while no detection could be made from non-malformed branches. Moreover, examination of ultra-thin bud sections under Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed inter- and intra-cellular ramification of fungal hyphae, indicating fungal ingress in malformed bud tissues of local cv. Malda. The present studies explored the sites hosting the causal fungus in mango and provide convincing evidence that F. mangiferae is responsible for turning healthy tissues into the malformed condition. These findings suggest that inoculum specific management strategies are needed in future to curb malformation disease in mango orchards.     

MINERAL COMPOSITION OF STRAWBERRY,MULBERRY AND CHERRY FRUITS AT DIFFERENT RIPENING STAGES AS ANALYZED BY INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY

Mineral contents of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), mulberry (Morus alba, M. nigra, M. macroura, and M. laevigata) and cherry (Prunus avium) fruits at un-ripened, semi-ripened and fully-ripened stages were investigated. The concentrations (mg kg^?1) of potassium (K), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) in the fruits (DW), at fully-ripened stage, varied from 2600 (mulberry) to 3300 (strawberry), 1854 (cherry) to 2954 (mulberry), 1855 (cherry) to 4375 (mulberry) and 1025 (cherry) to 2225 (mulberry), respectively. Sizeable amounts (mg kg^?1) of Zn 408 (strawberry) to 1110 (mulberry) and Fe 236 (cherry) to 1080 (mulberry) were also determined. Moreover, the tested fruits contained considerable amounts of sodium (Na), manganese (Mn), aluminum (Al), and copper (Cu). Overall, the concentrations of these minerals except K were found to decrease as fruit maturity progressed. The tested fruits, especially Morus species, can be explored as a rich source of Zn and Fe, the two essential elements that are in short supply in human diet.     

Recent advances in immunocastration in sheep and goat and its animal welfare benefits: A review

Castration of male animals is a common practice in the meat industry aimed at reducing aggressive behavior, preventing unpleasant flavor, and controlling undesirable breeding. For many years, mechanical castration and surgical castration have been practiced to sterilize the animals. However, these castration methods are not humane because of the associated risk of death, pain, and stress. Recently, immunocastration targeting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) axis has been reported as an animal-friendly approach that circumvents many of the concerns with conventional castration, and suggested by researches as an alternative to surgical castration. However, there is no compilation of updated information on the use of immunocastration in sheep and goats. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the developmental process from traditional surgical castration to immunocastration and to screen the process of immune targets. It also compares the respective advantages and disadvantages of traditional castration technologies and immunocastration, in particular including analyses in the characteristics, features application and welfare benefits of immunocastration in sheep and goats were also analyzed.     

Nutrients intake,digestibility, nitrogen balance and growth performance of sheep fed different silages with or without concentrate

The experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and millet (Pennisetum americannum) silages with or without concentrate on nutrients intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and weight gain in Sipli sheep. Six experimental diets were formulated having 100% maize silage (MS), maize silage and concentrate as 50:50 (MSC), 100% sorghum silage (SS), sorghum silage and concentrate as 50:50 (SSC), 100% millet silage (MiS) and millet silage and concentrate as 50:50 (MiSC), respectively. For this purpose, 24 Sipli lambs were randomly allotted to six experimental diets in a completely randomized design for 90 days, four lambs per diet. The results indicated that among various silage diets, lambs fed MS diet consumed higher dry matter (DM) than those fed SS and MiS diets. Likewise, lambs offered MSC had higher dry matter intake than those fed SSC and MiSC diets. Crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) consumed by the lambs also followed the similar trend. Higher DM, CP and NDF digestibilities were also observed in lambs fed MS and MSC diets than those fed SS, SSC, MiS and MiSC diets. Overall digestibilities of DM, CP and NDF were higher in experimental diets containing silage with concentrate. Lambs fed MS diet had 2.79 g/day and 4.45 g/day higher N retention than those fed SS and MiS, respectively. Similarly, lambs fed MSC diet had 2.24 g/day and 5.12 g/day higher N retention than those fed SSC and MiSC diets, respectively. The results showed that lambs fed MSC gained more daily weight gain had better feed conversion ratio than those fed MS, SS, SSC, MiS and MiSC diets. The findings of the present study indicated that lambs fed MSC diet had higher nutrients intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and weight gain.