Effects of Morinda lucida leaf extract on Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection in mice.

The dried leaves of Morinda lucida were extracted with 50% methanol and the extract was recovered in a 9.7% w/w yield. Acute toxicity tests were performed in mice and the intraperitoneal LD50 of the extract was 2000 mg/kg. The extract induced purgation in mice from the first hour after oral administration and reached its peak between the third and fourth hour. The purgation was not dose-dependent. M. lucida leaf extract i.p. significantly suppressed the level of parasitemia after Trypanosoma brucei infection in mice. Suppression of existing parasitemia appeared dose-dependent with 1000 mg/kg i.p. producing the maximum effect. The best trypanocidal activity was obtained when treatment with M. lucida extract commenced simultaneously with trypanosome inoculation.

The leucocytic and parasitaemic profiles and immune response of rats treated with retinyl palmitate before infection with Trypanosoma brucei.

The effects of oral administration of retinyl palmitate (30,000 IU/kg bodyweight) for 3 days to rats before infection with Trypanosoma brucei were investigated by examining the leucocytic and parasitaemic profiles, and the antibody response to sheep red blood cells. The pretreatment significantly (P<0.01) improved the leucocytic profile (especially the absolute lymphocyte count) from day 7 post-infection to the time of death. It also significantly delayed the onset of parasitaemia (i.e., lengthened the pre-patent period) and led to reduced levels of parasitaemia throughout the period of infection. Pretreatment significantly increased the antibody response to sheep red blood cells (P<0.01) throughout the infection, even after treatment with diminazene aceturate, to levels that more than compensated for the immunosuppressive effect of the T. brucei. Further studies are warranted on the possible use of retinyl palmitate in overcoming immunosuppression associated with trypanosome infections in man and animals in endemic areas.

Investigations into the toxicity of the leaves of Erythrophleum guineense Don. in sheep.

An investigation was carried out on the toxicity of the leaves of Erythrophleum guineense Don. in sheep. Four groups of two animals each were fed 8, 2, 0.5 and 0.25 g/kg/day, respectively, of dried ground leaves of E guineense through a stomach tube. Two animals served as controls and received 8 g/kg/day of ground grass hay through a stomach tube. Animals which received 8 g/kg of E guineense died within 3 h; those which received 2 g/kg died within 18 h, while those which received 0.5 and 0.25 g/kg developed clinical signs after being fed for two to four days and died between two and 14 days. Clinical signs observed were coma and convulsions in animals which died within 18 h. Animals which died after several days of sickness had signs of depression, dyspnoea, groaning, trembling of hind limbs, strong heart beat and severe dysentery. Pathological changes observed post mortem were varied and occurred in a number of organs.

Ovine nasal adenopapilloma: incidence and clinicopathologic studies.

Nasal adenopapillomas were observed in 9 Y'anKasa and 1 Y'anKasa-Suffolk crossbred sheep (8 females and 2 males) over a 20-month period. The neoplasms originated from the epithelium of the lateral mass of the ethmoid bone. Gross and histologic features and clinical signs were similar in all cases. Influence of sex, age, or genetics was not established.

A case report of coccidiosis caused by Eimeria cameli in a camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Nigeria.

The gross and histopathologic lesions caused by Eimeria cameli in the intestinal tract of a camel (Camelus dromedarius) are described. Post mortem examination showed lesions in the small intestine which had swollen mucosa on which were numerous whitish-grey foci. Histologically, giant schizonts in various developmental stages were seen in the lamina propria of the jejunum. The associated inflammatory cellular response in these areas was predominantly mononuclear and eosinophilic in character.

Pathologic changes in lizards (Agama agama) experimentally infected with Dermatophilus congolensis.

Captive laboratory-held lizards (Agama agama) experimentally inoculated with Dermatophilus congolensis by subcutaneous, intramuscular and intraperitoneal routes developed pyogranulomatous and necrotic lesions at and around the sites of inoculation. D. congolensis was consistently cultured from the lesions even at 75 days post inoculation. Histopathologic examination of selected organs and tissues showed granulomatous caseous abscesses in the dermis, subcutaneous tissue and liver, edema of the dermis and widespread muscular degeneration and necrosis. D. congolensis organisms were associated with these lesions. No lesions or organisms were seen in the epidermis of the skin.

Degenerative cardiomyopathy in a captive kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

Myocardial degeneration and necrosis in an adult female Australian kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) are described. The animal was housed in a zoo at Kano, Nigeria for approximately five years before death. This is believed to be the first reported case of degenerative cardiomyopathy in a captive marsupial in Nigeria.

Gastrointestinal globidiosis of Yankasa sheep in Nigeria.

The first report of globidial gastroenteritis of sheep in Nigeria is presented. Clinical symptoms, gross and histopathological lesions associated with the disease in nine adult rams are described. The importance of differentiating the disease from intestinal coccidiosis in Yankasa sheep is stressed.

Intestinal leiomyoma in a cow.

A 10-year-old white Fulani Bunaji cow with clinical signs of ruminal stasis and melaena, was euthanised following discovery of a neoplasm in the spiral colon. Histopathological examination revealed a leiomyoma.

Effect of varied fermentation periods on the diabetogenic potential of toasted cassava granules.

The effects of exclusive gari diets prepared using varied fermentation periods on the fasting blood glucose levels (FBGL) and glucose tolerance (GT) of rats were studied. Thirty growing male albino rats divided randomly into 5 groups of 6 rats each were used. The 5 groups were each fed gari diets fermented for 0, 24, 48, 72 hours; and a standard rat diet, respectively, for 8 weeks. Data on the total cyanogen content and % crude protein of the diets; FBGL, GT, body weight, water:feed consumption ratio and clinical observations of the rats were collected. Results showed that the total cyanogen content and % crude protein of the diets were depleted as fermentation periods increased. The FBGL of all the gari-fed rats were significantly elevated and their GT significantly impaired with a significant variation between the groups. The elevated FBGL and impaired GT which were found to increase with increase in fermentation period were strongly inversely correlated to the % crude protein content of the diets (r = -0.92 and -0.96 respectively) suggesting that the diabetogenic potential of gari diets strongly depended on its % crude protein content. Shortened fermentation periods leading to production of gari with high total cyanogen content did not induce higher diabetogenicity.

Bone pathology in hypervitaminosis D an experimental study in young pigs.

Five groups of 4 weanling pigs were fed a diet with 1.2% calcium and 1.0% phosphorus for 8 weeks with vitamin D3 at 1, 5, 25, 125 and 625 times the recommended levels, respectively. Hypercalcemia and hypophosphatasemia developed rapidly and persisted in Group 5 and developed more slowly but steadily in Group 4. Increasing levels of vitamin D3 influenced progressively and negatively the activity of resorbing osteocytes with osteopetrosis in Groups 2 and 3 and with osteonecrosis in Group 5. Atrophy of osteoblasts further contributed to the osteopenia in Group 5. Cartilage growth activity was arrested in Group 5. The negative effect on the resorbing osteocytes, which finally lead to death of the cells, was ascribed directly to vitamin D3 toxicosis since hypoparathyroidism and hypercalcitonism, both resulting from hypercalcemia, are not known to induce osteonecrosis. Since hypercalemia was finally as severe in Group 4 as in Group 5 and since there was soft tissue calcinosis only in Group 5, the calcinosis was always considered dystrophic, an interpretation supported by the observation that degenerative histologic changes preceded soft tissue calcinosis.