Plasma leptin, glucose and non-esterified fatty acid variations in dromedary camels exposed to prolonged periods of underfeeding or dehydration.

The involvement of plasma leptin in the adaptation of dromedary camels to harsh conditions such as food or water shortages was studied through 2 experiments. In experiment 1, fourteen female camels were either fed at 68% of maintenance energy requirements (MER) during 112d (n=4) or overfed at 134% of MER during the first 56d and then underfed at 17% of MER the next 56d (OV-UN, n=5), or underfed and then overfed for the same durations and energy intake levels (UN-OV, n=5). Weekly plasma samples showed that leptin, glucose and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were significantly modulated by energy intake level. NEFA increased sharply but transiently in underfed camels of the UN-OV or OV-UN groups, whereas glucose and leptin concentrations decreased with underfeeding and increased with overfeeding with more significant effects in camels that were previously overfed or underfed, respectively. In experiment 2 twelve female camels were either normally watered (n=6) or dehydrated (n=6) during 23d and then rehydrated during 4d. Dehydration specifically increased blood hematocrit, plasma NEFA and glucose whereas leptin decreased slightly. For both experiments, leptinemia was positively related to hump adipocyte volume. Taken together these results provide new data for a better understanding of lipid and energy metabolism in camels.

Selenium and copper status of camels in Al-Jouf area (Saudi Arabia).

In order to understand the changes in copper and selenium status in camel dam and calf around the calving period, blood samples were collected in 26 she-camel before delivery and after as well as their calves after birth. The mean values for the mother and their newborn were respectively 70.3 ± 19.8 and 58.6 ± 13.9 µg/100 ml for copper, 5.3 ± 3.7 and 4.6 ± 1.7 µg/100 ml for selenium. No change was observed for copper, but selenium increased after parturition in 81% of the case. The selenium status of camel calf was correlated with those of its mother, but not the copper. As the whole the correlation between selenium and copper was significantly positive. The selenium status was improved in camel receiving diet enriched with barley. The maternal transfer to milk has to be investigated.

Unexpected Rift Valley fever outbreak, northern Mauritania.

During September-October 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of Rift Valley fever was reported in the northern Sahelian region of Mauritania after exceptionally heavy rainfall. Camels probably played a central role in the local amplification of the virus. We describe the main clinical signs (hemorrhagic fever, icterus, and nervous symptoms) observed during the outbreak.

Rabies in bovine: First case report of rabies in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Libya.

Background: Rabies is still one of the most neglected diseases in developing countries. It is endemic to North Africa, although rabies incidence in North Africa is certainly underestimated. Case Description: On 18 December 2018 in the region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, an 8-month-old calf died after a period of characteristic clinical symptoms of rabies.This is the first case of rabies in bovine which is confirmed through histopathological examination in the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Omar Al-Mukhtar University. Microscopic examination clearly revealed encephalitis with the pathognomonic Negri bodies in the cerebellar neurons. Conclusion: Since the characteristic lesions in the histopathological examination are sufficient to confirm the diagnosis and report infected cases, we recommend that the next version of the OIE Terrestrial Manual should add and clarify that the results of the use of histopathological techniques in the diagnosis of rabies are significant.

Using geostatistics to better understand the epidemiology of animal rabies in Morocco: what is the contribution of the predictive value?

This study aims to characterize the spatial distribution of animal rabies in Morocco in order to provide appropriate control approaches. Descriptive analyses of the epidemiological data show that the number of reported canine rabies cases greatly underestimates the true incidence of the disease. Underreporting subsequently affects the coherence of its spatial distribution. To perform accurate geographic distribution mapping of the disease based on interpolation methods, a data set was created using data between 2000 and 2018 to compare the derived disease cases with known true values in order to identify disease clusters. The subsequent interpolation was conducted using Ordinary Kriging regression methods and the semi variogram to focus on short distances and reduce uncertainty. The estimated clusters of rabies were evaluated using a cross validation step which revealed predicted cases close to the true values. To improve the precision of analysis, the authors displayed georeferenced dog and human rabies cases reported during the last three years, demonstrating reliable results that correspond to the estimated cluster areas similar to the true disease incidence on the field. This work highlights a strong correlation between infrastructure projects (i.e. railways, roads, facilities) and rabies epizootics for several specific locations. This study is the first attempt to use geostatistics to build upon the understanding of animal rabies in Morocco and shed light on the most appropriate strategies to sustainably reduce and mitigate the risk of rabies. There has been little literature on the use of kriging methods in animal health research. Thus, this study also aimed to explore a novel method in the veterinary sciences to establish kriging as a valid and coherent analysis tool to identify the extent to which the geostatistic area can objectively support understanding on animal rabies and saw it as being highly instrumental in coping with gaps in the data.

An epidemological study on Peste des petits ruminants in Tripoli Region, Lybia.

A cross­sectional study was conducted in Libya in 7 areas of Tripoli to determine the seroprevalence of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Virus (PPRV) in small ruminants (sheep and goats) between June and August 2013, and to identify the potential risk factors associated with the infection. The study involved 10% of small ruminant herds with ≥50 animals in the Tripoli region. They were selected randomly (15 herds), and 35 to 58 samples, depending on its size, were collected from each selected herd. Seven­hundred and twenty­one serum samples from unvaccinated animals (601 of sheep and 120 of goats) were collected and then tested using cELISA commercial kit in the National Center of Animal Health Laboratory in Tripoli, Libya. The overall seroprevalence was 46.7% [(sheep 44.3% (266/601) and goats 59.2% (71/120)]. Mean within­herd prevalence was 48.5% (95% CI: 32.1% ­ 64.8%), and the herd prevalence was 93.3% (14/15). Various risk factors at the animal and herd levels were analysed by multivariable logistic regression model (forward stepwise). The results identified breed, source of animal, and region as significant risk factors (p< 0.05). As for the source of new animal to the farm, PPRV seroprevalence was highest in illegally imported animals (90.9%), followed by the seroprevalence in animal legitimately acquired (55.8%), and by the seroprevalence in animals belonging to the same herd (4.7%). The seroprevalence among breeds was 69.5% (228÷328) in illegally imported animals, whereas 27.7% (109÷393) was found to be in local breed. Seroprevalence in the areas considered in this study was higher (66.2%) in Al­Mashroa area followed by Ein­zara (57.8%), Arada (50%), Ben­Own (47%), AL­Naem (37.5), Ber­Alalem (24.5) and in Tajora (0%). The results indicated that PPRV virus was actively circulating in Tripoli regions and that the illegal importing of animals was the main source of spreading PPR in Tripoli regions, showing that better efforts should be made to raise public awareness with respect to biosecurity.

The Value Chain Approach in One Health: Conceptual Framing and Focus on Present Applications and Challenges.

The value chain (VC) is a major operational concept for socioeconomic analysis at meso level. Widely mobilized in development practice, it is still undergoing conceptual and practical refining, e.g., to take account of environmental and social sustainability. Briefly, VC refers to a system of value creation through the full set of actors, links, technical and commercial activities and flows involved in the provision of a good or service on a market. In the past decade, this concept has been promoted in the management of animal health. In particular, the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has triggered an interdisciplinary dynamic including VC analysis as a central tool. These efforts promoted participatory investigation methods in the analysis of health systems. Using qualitative and quantitative data, these methods acknowledge the usefulness of actors' involvement and knowledge, hence facilitating the transdisciplinarity needed for effective action. They fit into adaptive and action-oriented strategies, fostering stakeholders' participation. Recent research on HPAI surveillance in South-East Asia merged VC and participatory approaches to develop innovative tools for analyzing constraints to information flow. On-going interventions for HPAI prevention and control as well as the prevention of other emerging zoonotic risks in Africa are presently building on this VC framework to develop strategies for its application at national and regional scales. Based on the latter experiences, this article proposes a field-based perspective on VC applications to animal and public health systems, within a One Health approach responding to the overall challenge of complexity.