A. K. B. Sackey

Erythrocyte osmotic fragility of pigs administered ascorbic acid and transported by road for short-term duration during the harmattan season

The experiment was carried out with the aim of investigating the effect of an antioxidant ascorbic acid on erythrocyte osmotic fragility of pigs transported by road for 4 h during the harmattan season. 16 pigs administered with ascorbic acid at the dose of 250 mg/kg per os and individually served as experimental animals and 13 others administered orally with sterile water were used as control animals. The animals were then transported for 4 h at a speed of 40 - 50 km/h covering a distance of 140 km. Blood samples for erythrocyte osmotic fragility determination which was done using standard procedure, were taken early in the morning a day before transportation, immediately after and a week after transportation. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility decreased significantly (P < 0.05) at NaCl concentration of 0.85, 0.80 and 0.70% in both experimental and control pigs following road transportation and the difference in the post-transportation values was higher (P < 0.05) in experimental compared to control pigs. The results indicated that ascorbic acid protected the integrity of the erythrocyte membrane in experimental pigs administered ascorbic acid following road transportation as demonstrated by lower percentage haemolysis immediately after road transportation and thus may alleviate the risk of increase in haemolysis due to road transportation stress in pigs during the harmattan season.

A review on diagnostic techniques for brucellosis

Brucellosis presents with many clinical manifestation that make its diagnosis a difficult task. Ever since the report of the first serologic test for brucellosis, a definitive diagnostic technique has been actively pursued. The most widely used methods of diagnosis are based on serology, which measures the ability of the serum (antibody) to agglutinate a standardised amount of killed Brucella abortus (antigen) containing O-side chain. These tests are most commonly used because they are safe. However, they are prone to false-positive results due to other cross-reacting bacteria, and also, they are not useful in the detection of Brucella canis and Brucella ovis which lack the O-side chain. Other useful tests include the direct smear examination which is a presumptive method that involves making smears from vaginal swabs, placentas or aborted foetuses, stained with the stamp modification of the Ziehl-Neelsen method. Morphologically related micro-organisms such as Chlamydia psittasi, Chlamydophila abortus or Coxiella burnetti can mislead the diagnosis, therefore, confirmation on appropriate culture and selective media is recommended. Culture and isolation of the organism from blood or tissue samples has remained the only “unequivocal” method but lacks sensitivity, and its outcome depends on individual laboratory practices, and how actively the obtaining of cultures is pursued. Laboratory animal inoculation has also been a useful tool, but is also subject to interference with gastric acids. More recently, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been found to be a useful and more sensitive test, but has not been validated for standard laboratory use. This paper highlights useful samples and, especially the different conventional to more sophisticated molecular techniques for the diagnosis of brucellosis. Keywords: Brucellosis, diagnosis, techniques African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol. 13(1), pp. 1-10, 1 January, 2014

Sero-prevalence of brucellosis in sheep in North Senatorial District of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract Objective To determine the current status of Brucella antibodies in sheep in Kaduna North Senatorial District of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Methods A total of 579 serum samples were collected (114 rams and 465 ewes) and analysed using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), serum agglutination test with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (SAT-EDTA) and lateral flow assay (LFA). Results The prevalence of Brucella antibodies was found to be 26.5%, 11.1% and 2.4% using RBPT, SAT-EDTA and LFA respectively. The prevalence was 22.8%, 7.9%, 1.8% and 27.5%, 12.7% and 3.0% for the males and females using RBPT, SAT-EDTA and LFA, respectively. The prevalence rate for animals of less than 1 year of age was 23.8%, 14.3% and 9.5% for RBPT, SAT-EDTA and LFA, respectively, the corresponding prevalence rate for animals within the age bracket of 1 to 3 years was 26.7%, 11.2% and 1.4%, using RBPT, SAT-EDTA and LFA, respectively. Seroprevalence for animals above 3 years old were 24.7%, 12.4% and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusions It is evident that sheep in the study area are infected with Brucella spp., including Brucella melitensis in view of the LFA positivity. This is of public health significance.

Antibiotic resistance and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from backyard-raised pigs and pig workers

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogenic bacterium with impact on public health and livestock industry. The study investigated nasal carriage, antibiotic resistance, and molecular characterization of S. aureus in pigs and pig workers. Nasal swabs from 300 backyard-raised pigs and 101 pig workers were used for the study. Resulting isolates were confirmed using MALDI-TOF MS, tested for antibiotic resistance, and three different multiplex PCRs were used to detect enterotoxin, mecA, spaA, scn, and pvl genes. spa typing was used to annotate the isolates into MLST clonal complexes (CC). Structured questionnaire was used to access possible risk factors for S. aureus carriage. The prevalence of S. aureus in pigs and pig workers were 5.3 and 12.9%, respectively. The isolates were resistant to beta-lactams (97%), tetracycline (62%), sulfonamide (52%), aminoglycoside (20.6%), fluoroquinolone (24%), and mupirocin (3.4%). Twenty seven (93%) of the isolates carried scn, 7(24%) pvl, and 12 (41%) enterotoxin genes, respectively. Questionnaire survey showed medical-related occupation of household members was associated (p < 0.5) with S. aureus carriage. This study suggests the presence of human multidrug resistant strains of S. aureus, high carriage of pvl, and enterotoxin genes, and CC5, CC15, and CC152 were the CC-groups shared among pigs and pig workers.

Effects of a joint supplement whose main components are resveratrol and hyaluronic acid on some biochemical parameters in aged lame horses

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a supplement that contains resveratrol and hyaluronic acid (RH supplement) in aged lame horses. A total of 16 horses of both sexes, aged between 15 and 22 years, weighing between 350–450 kg and showing lameness due to arthritis of the knee, hock, stifle, and fetlock joints and stiffness owing to ageing were used for the study. They comprised eight horses that were administered the RH supplement for three weeks and eight others that served as controls and were given only a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain used as carrier in the supplement. Blood samples were collected from each horse before supplementation (week 0) and at weekly intervals for the three weeks of the experiment. Biochemical parameters including creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, glucose, total cholesterol, sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium were measured by standard methods. There was a significant (P˂0.05) reduction in values of creatine kinase and glucose in the horses administered the RH supplement. It was concluded that the RH supplement may reduce the level of these biochemical parameters and their deleterious effects especially during ageing in horses.