Participatory epidemiology on major camel calf health and management problems in pastoral and semi-pastoral zones of Somali region, Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2017 to March 2019. A participatory epidemiological appraisal was used to gain a rapid overview of the range of camel calf health problems and traditional management, a measure of the importance that people place on each of them, and to identify and prioritize economically important diseases in target zones. The most important constraints to camel production were identified to be the widespread prevalence of diseases such as camelpox, contagious ecthyma, calf scour, ticks, and nonspecific pneumonia; poor management and husbandry practices such as restrictive colostrum feeding, lack of concentrate and salt supplementation and inappropriate housing; shortage of feed; and scarce seasonal variation in water. Additionally, the livestock herders not only showed their knowledge of common camel calf diseases for affected organs and symptoms but also indicated the seasonality of disease occurrences with strong agreement (W = 0.899, P< 0.003) among the informants of all focus group discussions. The overall prevalence of mange, tick infestation, and bacteria-induced diarrhea in the study area was found to be 36.3%, 36%, and 74%, respectively. Sarcoptes scabie var. cameli was the only identified mite species from mange-infested calves, while Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, and Amblyoma were the most commonly identified tick species. Similarly, the overall prevalence of diarrhea was 74% among this about 34.6% was caused by E. coli while 38.9% was affected by Salmonella and E. coli. Therefore, based on these findings, five diseases have been prioritized as the most significant calf diseases in the area (Camelpox, contagious ecthyma, and causes of pneumonia among camel calves). Improving veterinary health infrastructure and capacity, and increasing community awareness on camel health constraints are also recommended to enhance optimal camel calf rearing.

Gastrointestinal nematodiasis of goats in Somali pastoral areas, Ethiopia.

Livestock, mainly goats, are crucial for animal protein, household income, economic security, and wealth creation in the pastoral areas of eastern Ethiopia. However, gastrointestinal parasitosis poses a substantial challenge in this sector. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Gursum district of the Somali region, Ethiopia, to investigate the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal nematodes in goats and their associated risk factors. A total of 384 goat fecal samples were collected and examined using flotation and McMaster egg counting techniques for GIT nematodes. Coprological cultures have also been conducted for nematode identification. Fecal samples showed an overall parasite prevalence of 54.17%, with identified nematodes including Haemonchus (24%), Strongyloides (10.4%), Trichostrongles (6.5%), Nematodirus (6%), Oesophagostomum (5.5%) and Trichuris (1.87%). Older and poor body condition animals had higher chances of hosting nematodes than younger (OR = 0.245; CI = 0.144-0.417) and good body condition animals (OR = 0.069; CI = 0.030-0.157), according to multivariate logistic regression analysis. Quantitative examination of eggs revealed light 75(36.06%), moderate 99(47.60%), and heavy infection (n = 34, 16.35%). Analysis of the different study variables indicated that the age and body condition of the animals and the season of the year had a statistically significant association with the prevalence of GIT nematode infections (P-value <0.05). The high prevalence and intensity of GIT nematodiasis in goats from the study area warrants immediate attention and the implementation of strategic control and prevention measures.

Prevalence, seasonal dynamics and associated variables of ixodid tick cattle infestation in Gondar, northwestern Ethiopia.

Ticks are ectoparasites that impact the health and productivity in farm animals. They are also important vectors for pathogens transmitted to animals and humans. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019 with the objectives of determining the prevalence, identifying genera and seasonal dynamics of adult ixodid ticks infesting cattle in and around Gondar, northwestern Ethiopia. Pearson Chi-square Test was used to evaluate the association of tick prevalence with explanatory variables. One way analysis of variance was used to compare mean tick density of cattle with the explanatory variables. The overall prevalence of cattle ixodid tick infestation was found to be 65.8% (95% CI = 60.0-71.2%). The effect of breed, sex, age and body condition score on tick prevalence was investigated. However, only the body condition score of study animals was found to have statistically significant effect on the prevalence of tick infestation. Monthly analysis of tick infestation showed statistically significant variation (χ2 = 36.17, p = 0.00) during the study period (November 2018 - April 2019). The highest monthly prevalence was recorded in March (85.0%), and the least in February (42.0%). A comparison of the tick prevalence across seasons showed statistically significant differences (χ = 34.10, p = 0.00), being highest (82.5%) during the short rainy season. During the study period, a total of 3796 adult ixodid ticks were collected from different body regions of the study animals. Three ixodid tick genera were identified, with the genus Rhipicephalus being the most prevalent (n = 2122 (55.9%) of the total adult ticks (3796). The overall mean tick density per host for all genera was 12.78 ticks, with a marked difference in tick density during the three study seasons. The highest MTD was recorded during the short rainy season (MTD = 18.58), (F = 19.71, p < 0.05). The present study has shown that ticks are highly prevalent in the study area. Therefore, an appropriate tick control program should be designed and implemented.

Prevalence of Taenia saginata cysticerci in Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise, Ethiopia.

An abattoir-based survey was conducted in Addis Ababa from December 2018 to April 2019 with the objectives of determining the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis and the viability of Taenia saginata cysticerci. Routine meat inspection was performed on the study animals. Palpation followed by incision of the heart, tongue, triceps muscle, masseter muscle and diaphragm were made to detect the presence of T. saginata cysts. From the detected cysts, 41 were randomly selected and subjected to viability test. From the total 500 study animals, 14(2.8%) had varying number of T. saginata cysts. The highest proportion of T. saginata cyst was observed in the triceps muscle 6(42.8%), followed by heart 3(21.4%), tongue 2(14.3%) and masseter muscle 2(14.3%). There was no cyst observed in the liver or diaphragm. Of the total randomly selected 41 cysticerci, 20(48.8%) were found to be viable while the rest 21(51.2%) cysticerci were found to be non-viable. Sex, breed, age, and body condition of the study animals were found to have no significant association with the occurrence of cysticerci (P > 0.05). Even though routine meat inspection has low sensitivity and usually under-estimates the prevalence of the disease, bovine cysticercosis was found to be prevalent in the study area. Therefore, an appropriate control program involving enforcement of meat inspection, promoting public awareness and improving personal and environmental hygiene should be designed and implemented.

Bovine tuberculosis at the human-livestock-wildlife interface and its control through one health approach in the Ethiopian Somali Pastoralists: A review.

Pastoralism is a way of life in which food supply is produced from animals by using a variety of herding practices based on constant or partial herd mobility in the low land areas of Ethiopia. It covers 12% of the total livestock population and 61% of the total area of land in the country. As a result of their mobile lifestyle, pastoralists are almost completely excluded from the available health services. This review article focuses on bovine tuberculosis in the Ethiopian Somali Pastoralist. It describes Mycobacterium bovis in humans, livestock, and wildlife, and how the disease can be controlled by using One Health approach. Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis. A study done from 2006 to 2008 on the prevalence of BTB in Ethiopian wildlife showed that sera from 20 of 87 animals (23%) were positive for BTB. In Ethiopia there is no comprehensive report about the status of M. bovis in wildlife populations that often share habitat with livestock. A study done on bovine tuberculosis in Somali pastoral livestock showed low prevalence of the disease. An individual animal prevalence of 2.0%, 0.4%, and 0.2% was reported in cattle, camels, and goats, respectively. In a simultaneous human and cattle study in a pastoralist areas of south-eastern Ethiopia, out of 163 human Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates three were M. bovis. Due to the moderate resistance of the etiological agent to the environmental conditions in one hand and the capacity of its survival in acid milk for not less than 15 days on the other and the habitual consumption of unpasteurized milk by humans make this disease a vital zoonosis in Somali pastoralists in Ethiopia. M. bovis is a pathogen at the human-livestock-wildlife interface. Diseases transmitted between humans, livestock, and wildlife are increasingly challenging public and veterinary health systems. Therefore, studies concerning the burden of the diseases in wildlife, livestock and human beings in Somali Pastoralists should be undertaken. A One Health approach that takes the wellbeing of the pastoralists, the health of their livestock and environment into consideration is also necessary for the control of BTB.