Parthasarathi Behera

Effect of age and season on the thyroid hormone activity of Mizoram strain female mithun (Bos frontalis)

Aim: The aim of the present study was to generate baseline data on the normal values of the thyroidhormone (TH) activity as well as their correlation with age and season. Materials and Methods: Blood samples (10 ml) were collected from jugular vein of 30 female mithun’s of three different age groups viz. Calves (6 months to 1 year), heifer (1-3 years) and adult (above 3 years) during the three season’s viz. Monsoon, winter and spring of a year. The serum was analyzed for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) activity. Result: The result showed a significantly (p<0.05) a higher T3 level in heifers followed by adults and calves and higher T4 level in adults followed by heifers and calves in all the seasons. The TSH level was higher in heifers in all the seasons. The winter season recorded higher level of T3, T4, and TSH as compared to the other seasons of a year. Conclusion: The TSH and T3 level were the highest for aheifer, whereas T4 level was the highest for adults inall the season. Furthermore, the higher level of TH was observed in winter season. The increased level of the TH during the winter season signifies their calorigenic effect. Similarly in heifers, the increased T3 concentrations show its importance in reproductive physiology and its association with ovarian activity. This indicates that age and season have aprofound effect on TH activity of Mizoram strain female mithun.

Prevalence of hard tick infestations in cattle of Mizoram, India

Abstract The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hard tick infestations in cattle of Mizoram from April 2017 to March 2018. The prevalence of hard tick infestations was studied in relation to sex and age of animals and seasonal changes in a year. Cattle of selected places were examined carefully for the presence of ticks and in positive cases ticks were collected manually and identified on the basis of morphological characters. A total of 713 cattle were examined and out of which 452 (63.39%) cattle were found to be infested with hard ticks and the prevalent tick species was Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. A significantly (p < 0.01) higher infestation was observed in female cattle (66.43%) than males (48.83%). Age-wise highest prevalence of tick infestations was found in 1–5 years (73.41%) age group followed by >5 years age group (61.92%) and < 1 year (42.65%) age group, respectively. Seasonally, the prevalence of hard tick infestation was found highest (p < 0.01) in monsoon (77.91%) and lowest in winter (43.16%). The present study provides data on tick infestation in cattle of Mizoram, India.

Prevalence of haemoprotozoa in goat population of West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of haemoprotozoa in goat population of West Bengal from April 2017 to March 2018. The prevalence was studied in relation to age, sex breed of animals and seasonal changes in a year. Random blood samples were collected from both organized farms and unorganized goat farms. A total of 1053 goats were screened and out of which 340 (32.28%) animals were found to be positive for haemoprotozoa. Significantly, (p < 0.05) higher infection was observed in does (39.67%) than bucks (10.78%). Age-wise, highest prevalence of haemoprotozoa was found in 1–3 years (36.39%) age group followed by >3 years age group (27.95%) and <1 year (23.52%) age group, respectively. Seasonally, the prevalence of haemoprotozoa was found highest in monsoon (42.84%) and lowest in winter (15.10%). The present study describes an overview data on haemoprotozoa in goat population of West Bengal, India.

Prevalence of haemoprotozoa in cattle of Mizoram, India

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of haemoprotozoa in cattle of Mizoram from April 2017 to March 2018. The prevalence was studied in relation to age, sex breed of animals and seasonal changes in a year. Random blood samples were collected from both organized farms and unorganized cattle farms. A total of 1,153 cattle were screened and out of which 384 (33.30%) cattle were found to be positive for haemoprotozoa. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher infection was observed in female cattle (33.67%) than males (28.73%). Age-wise highest prevalence of haemoprotozoa was found in 1–5 years (44.33%) age group followed by > 5 years age group (25.06%) and < 1 year (22.92%) age group, respectively. Seasonally, the prevalence of haemoprotozoa was found highest in monsoon (51.29%) and lowest in winter (15.09%). The present study provides data on haemoprotozoa in cattle of Mizoram, India.

Prevalence of Plasmodium relictum in four common bird species in India

ABSTRACT The increasing emergence of wildlife diseases with the possibility to ecological threats as well as domestic animals and human health has prompted the importance of understanding disease dynamics and associated risks in biological conservation. The present study was undertaken from North Eastern part of India from January, 2017 to March, 2018 to identify Plasmodium relictum based on blood smear examination in various wild birds. The birds were captured by netting system. After blood was collected from wing veins, birds were released from the cages. Blood samples were examined after staining with Giemsa stain. Out of 350 birds examined, 73 (20.85%) were found positive for P. relictum based on morphological characteristics. It can be inferred from the study that P. relictum is fairly common in wild birds.

Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in domestic dogs in North-Eastern region of India

ABSTRACT In order to detect the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in dogs, a total of 525 dog blood samples were examined by peripheral blood examination during different seasons. The survey was carried out from July, 2017 to June, 2018 in different parts of North-Eastern (NE) regions of India. Dogs were also closely inspected on their body surface for presence of ticks, if any. Out of 525 dog blood samples examined, 12.19% (64/525) were found positive for at least one type of tick transmitted pathogens as revealed by microscopic examination of stained blood smears. Twenty-eight dogs (5.33%) screened positive for Ehrlichia canis, eleven (2.09%) for Anaplasma platys, nine (1.71%) for Babesia gibsoni, eight (1.52%) for Babesia canis and eight (1.52%) for Hepatozoon canis. Dogs above two years age group showed higher rate of infection than dogs either between 1 and 2 years or below 1 year age group. Infection was higher during rainy season. Male dogs showed a higher proportion of infection than females. The only tick found during the study period was Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The results clearly indicate that vector-borne haemoprotozoa and rickettsia are prevalent in the study area in apparently healthy dogs without showing any obvious symptoms.

Dynamics of cytokine gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of indigenous and exotic breeds of pigs in India

To incorporate immune competence traits in swine breeding programs, association between immune responsiveness and susceptibility to specific infectious diseases must be established. In order to understand the differences in immune competence between indigenous (Zovawk) and exotic (Large White Yorkshire: LWY) pigs reared in India, we carried out a time course expression analysis of immune-regulating key cytokine genes (interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-4 and IL-10) in the phytohemagglutinin-P stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The IL-2 transcript levels in PBMCs increased several thousand-fold when compared to unstimulated cells in both the breeds, albeit the response in that of Zovawk was remarkably higher. Higher and earlier IFN-γ and IL-4 expression levels in Zovawk pigs suggest that both TH 1 and TH 2 immune responsiveness of this indigenous breed affords better preparedness for danger signals. Moreover, the low expression levels of IL-10 depict a regulated adaptive immune responsiveness. Remarkable difference between the two breeds of the pigs is evident showing a clear advantage of the Zovawk over LWY in terms of a shorter lag period of adaptive immune response. These findings provide a lead for understanding the genetic differences with respect to immune competence levels of indigenous pigs compared to exotic counterparts.