The effect of micronutrient supplementation on bioavailability, antioxidants activity, and weight gain in response to Infectious Bursal Disease vaccination in commercial broilers.

The effect of supplementing organic selenium and zinc on bioavailability, oxidative stress, weight gain in commercial broilers was studied. A total of 180-day-old chicks were divided into six groups: NSUV (Not supplemented, unvaccinated), NSV (Not supplemented, vaccinated), VS (vaccinated, supplemented selenium), VZ (vaccinated supplemented zinc), VSZ (vaccinated supplemented selenium and zinc), UVSZ (unvaccinated supplemented selenium and zinc). 1 mg/kg selenium and 60 mg/kg zinc were added to the feed of supplemented groups. The concentration of selenium (0.05 ± 0.00 mg/L) in VS and zinc (0.66 ± 0.13 mg/L) in VZ were lower on day 27 post-vaccination compared to day 10 (VS= 0.07 ± 0.01 mg/L; VZ= 1.46 ± 0.30 mg/L). Glutathione peroxidase and catalase concentrations were highest in the supplemented groups compared to unsupplemented groups on day 27 post vaccination, expressing a similar trend with the micronutrients. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.05) in the glutathione concentration between all groups except on day 27 post vaccination where SZV group was significantly higher (P=0.02) compared to the NSV group. Catalase concentration was significantly decreased in the NSV group compared to SZV (P=0.04) on day 27 post vaccination. The NSV group (1.64 ± 0.13 kg) weighed significantly lower (P=0.02) than the VSZ (2.00 ± 0.12 kg) in the fifth week, while on the sixth week, the SZV group gained the highest weight (2.04 ± 0.18 kg). The supplementation of organic selenium and zinc in broilers increased the serum micronutrients bioavailability, decreased oxidative stress, increased weight gain, thus, enhancing immunity in the broilers.

Waste management practices in developing countries: a socio-economic perspective.

Growing populations, expanding economies, industrialisation, and urbanisation pose a problem for waste management in developing countries. Their waste management methods, on the other hand, are not as efficient as they could be. Most developing countries' current waste management practices do not fully conform to developed countries' best practices for meeting socioeconomic goals. As a result, the importance of waste management in developing countries has grown in recent years. In order to highlight the socioeconomic perspectives of waste management practices, the present study examines the existing literature, policies, information, and records on waste management in developing nations. The findings indicate that essential socioeconomic factors such as finances, population density, per capita income, education level, policies, and technology have a significant impact on waste management, which encompasses waste generation, collection, composition, and disposal/treatment. Nonetheless, waste management has a number of economic benefits, including financial stability, job creation, and community cohesion. This study will inspire further research on the need for developing nations to consider the socioeconomic benefits of proper waste management and to develop a policy plan to achieve these benefits.

High prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Nigerian wild rats by molecular detection.

Toxoplasmosis has been reported in Nigeria using several diagnostic tools with high prevalence in humans and some food animals. Rodents have been recognised as vital intermediate hosts of Toxoplasma gondii. However, there is paucity of information on the occurrence of T. gondii in wild rats found in Nigeria. This study aimed at molecular detection of T. gondii in Zyzomys pedunculatus and to evaluate its involvement in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Nigeria. A total of 84 rats were sampled across three states of the North Central Nigeria, and DNA was extracted from the brain, lungs, kidney and intestine of the rats for the detection of T. gondii DNA by nested PCR to amplify the multicopy B1 gene. Sixty-four of the 84 samples (76.2%) were positive for T. gondii out of which 5 samples were sequenced and had an identity score of between 97.73% and 99.35% with the reference B1 gene of T. gondii in GenBank. This study suggests Nigerian wild rats may be an important intermediate hosts of T. gondii and may play a role in the epidemiology and maintenance of T. gondii circulation in Nigeria.

Immunohistochemical detection and pathology of toxoplasmosis in Nigerian wild rats.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease of economic importance found worldwide, and it is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which affects a wide range of hosts. High prevalence of toxoplasmosis has been reported in rodents, and they are considered very important in the circulation and maintenance of the disease. However, epidemiologic studies of the disease in rodents are generally scarce in the Tropics. This study utilized the immunohistochemical (IHC) technique to detect Toxoplasma gondii in wild rats sampled from across the North Central Nigeria. The brain, intestine, diaphragm, lungs and kidney tissue samples from 227 wild rats (Zyzomys pedunculatus) were routinely processed for histopathology, out of which 86 were further selected for IHC detection of T. gondii antigens using the streptavidin-peroxidase method. The histologic lesions observed were mild to moderate in severity, including meningitis, focal gliosis, neuronal degeneration and necrosis, villous atrophy and denudation, enteritis, diaphragmatic myositis, broncho-interstitial pneumonia and interstitial nephritis. Toxoplasma gondii was detected in 82.6% of the selected samples showing various degrees of immunoreaction intensity. We conclude that IHC is a useful tool in the detection of T. gondii in wild rats, and lungs and kidney may be the organ of choice for the detection of T. gondii.

Histochemical and immunohistochemical detection of pathogenic leptospires serovars in tissues of some captive wildlife from a University zoo in Nigeria.

The detection and documentation of pathogenic Leptospira serovars in wild captive and zoological garden animals are scarce in literature from Nigeria. The knowledge of the prevalence of prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira serovars in these animals as a zoonotic risk to workers, zoo visitors and the general public is essential. This investigation was carried out on archival kidney and liver samples of captive and Zoological Garden animals (66) of an institutional facility, submitted for necropsy to the Department of Veterinary Pathology between the periods of 2010-2015. The gross diagnosis reports were obtained from the necropsy records, detection of pathogenic Leptospira serovars was by Warthin Starry silver staining and immunohistochemistry techniques using standard methods. Six samples out of the sixty-six samples were positive for leptospira four samples were positive by silver stain method, while two samples were positive by immunohistochemistry. In this study, serovar Pomona and grippotyphosa were detected in the foxes while serovar Pomona was detected in the horse. This study has revealed the presence of pathogenic leptospires in some captive wild and zoological garden animals.

Hepatitis E Virus infection seroprevalence and the associated risk factors in animals raised in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Hepatitis E (HE) is an important viral hepatitis of global public and livestock health, and food security significance due to the ubiquitous distribution, multiple transmission route and zoonotic potentials. HE is also endemic in most developing countries including Nigeria. This study therefore investigates the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of HEV infection in pigs raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. Taking an analytical cross-sectional study design, 176 animals (comprising 120 pigs, 26 goats, and 30 cattle) were randomly sampled at the Bodija Municipal abattoir, Ibadan. Serum samples and demographic information were collected for HEV antibody detection (using a commercial recombinant genotype-3 antigen ELISA kit) and risk factors, respectively. A 57.5% (69/120) HEV seroprevalence was reported in the pigs while 0% prevalence was reported in the goats and cattle. In the pigs, a significant age-based HEV seropositivity difference (χ2 = 5.30; OR = 0.20-0.89; p = 0.02) with a higher seroprevalence in the < 6 months (68.42%; 39/57) compared to the > 6 months age group (47.62%; 20/63) was reported. No significant sex, breed and husbandry system effect on HEV seroprevalence was detected in the pigs. This study therefore underscores the high HEV seroprevalence and age-based odds of HEV-exposure in pigs in Ibadan, Nigeria.