A review: Surveillance of lumpy skin disease (LSD) a growing problem in Asia.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), a member of Capripoxvirus, genus of Poxviridae family. It is a transboundary infection of monetary significance that primarily affects water buffaloes and cattle. LSD was known to be once endemic in Saharan regions of Africa but later on reported in central Asian and neighboring countries of Pakistan like, India, Iran and China. It is a vector borne disease and arthropods are believed to be the main perpetrators. It is discernible by its high morbidity and low mortality. Characteristic lumps on skin and high fever are considered as major signs while reduced milk production, infertility, early embryonic death and anorexia are some of the salient clinical manifestations of the disease. Additionally, nodules on mucosa of oro-pharynx, udder, genitalia and rectum are usually observed on examination. This article summarizes LSD outbreaks across Asia during last fifteen years. It is a general consensus amongst the veterinary community that disease is endemic in Pakistan as it shares borders with India, Iran and China where recent outbreaks are reported. Historically Pakistan is free of LSD, however it is at high risk of a LSDV outbreak as neighboring regions are becoming endemic. Vaccination, strict quarantine measures, limited movement of livestock along with vector control could be effective for preventing the spread of the disease. This review aims to summarize the latest developments in the epidemiology of LSD with the focus on transboundary spread, possible emergence and economic implications on Pakistan.

Molecular evidence of Ehrlichia canis, associated risk factors and hematobiochemical analysis in client owned and shelter cats of Pakistan.

Ehrlichiosis is an infectious disease caused by Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) genus and arthropod vectors. It is considered endemic in many parts of the world among dogs. But due to lack of research on cats, there isn't enough information available. The limited reports available on feline Ehrlichiosis relied on the detection of morulae in leukocytes. The current study was designed to detect the molecular prevalence of E. canis in cats along with associated risk factors and hematological analysis. A total of 384 blood samples from cats were collected from various veterinary hospitals and shelter homes and tested by microscopy and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to identify E. canis. The prevalence of E. canis has been reported at 5/384 (1.30%) and (14/384) 3.65% in cats through microscopy and PCR respectively. DNA sequences revealed significant resemblance with each other and variable resemblance with other Ehrlichia spp. sequences of different species from various countries already deposited on NCBI. Moreover, hematobiochemical and risk factor analysis were also carried out revealing significant results. This study reports first molecular detection of E. canis in client-owned and sheltered cats located in District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Further studies should be conducted to identify its occurrence in the feline population of Pakistan so that control and prevention strategies must be planned accordingly. Due to the zoonotic impact of this pathogen and in perspective of one health, endemic regions of the disease should be identified and possible control measures should be implemented in these regions to minimize the spread of disease to non-endemic regions of the world and from animals to humans.

Sero-epidemiology and hemato-biochemical study of bovine leptospirosis in flood affected zone of Pakistan.

The bovine leptospirosis is an economically important zoonotic disease of flood affected areas worldwide, but scarce information is available about its epidemiology in Pakistan. This is a first study on sero-epidemiology of bovine leptospirosis in Pakistan. The objectives of this study were to investigate the sero-prevalence and associated risk factors of bovine leptospirosis in flood affected zone of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 385 serum samples were randomly collected from four tehsils of district Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. The serum samples were subjected to indirect ELISA for the detection of anti-leptospira antibodies. The overall sero-prevalence of leptospirosis was 30.39%. The prevalence was significantly higher (p<0.001) in cattle (56.25%) than buffaloes (4.66%). The key risk factors identified based on multivariable logistic regression were; confined system of rearing, flooded area, and lesser to graduate level of education as risk factors for leptospirosis. The values of hematological parameters varied significantly (p<0.05) for Hb, TEC and PCV while there was no significant (p>0.05) difference among TLC values among sero-positive and sero-negative animals. The serum biochemical profile revealed significant differences (p<0.05) in values of ALT, AST and creatinine among the sero-positive and negative animals. Hence, it can be concluded that leptospirosis is an emerging and neglected disease in flood affected zone of Pakistan, and the disease needs to be explored comprehensively in other parts of the country to sort out solid strategies for its control and eradication.