Gebrerufael Girmay

The reproductive problem is an animal health-related bottleneck that constrains livestock genetic improvement efforts in tropical countries such as Ethiopia. The infectious causes of reproductive disorders are one cause of decreased reproductive efficiency. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence to Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV1), Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), Neospora caninum (N. caninum) and C. burnetii (C. burnetii) exposures in dairy cows with reproductive disorders in selected areas of Ethiopia. Overall, 164 serum samples were collected from October 2018 to May 2019 from animals with a history of reproductive disorders. The collected sera were tested for antibody titers to Brucella species, N. caninum, BVDV, BHV1, C. burnetii and Chlamydophila abortus (C. abortus) using Rose Bengal and ELISA. The apparent seroprevalence of BHV1, BVDV, N. caninum and C. burnetii were 61%, 33.5%, 4.9% and 0.6%, respectively. Among the selected study areas, the mean apparent seroprevalence was significantly greater in Bishoftu (35.9%), Holeta (34.2%) and Adaberga (28.6%) than in Mekelle (9.9%) and Ambo (16.2%). Among the specific seroprevalence in specific areas, BHV1 was the most common in Adaberga, with an apparent seroprevalence of 92.9%. Similarly, the seroprevalence of BVDV was the highest in Holeta, with an apparent seroprevalence of 73.3%. On the other hand, no seropositive animal to Brucella spp. or C. abortus was found in these study areas. BVDV and BHV1 seroprevalence was higher in dairy cattle with a history of reproductive disorder in Ethiopia as compared to the seroprevalence of N. caninum and C. burnetii.

Animal sourced foods, such as dairy products, are common sources of Salmonella enterica, a foodborne pathogen of increasing global concern, particularly in developing countries. In Ethiopia, most data on the prevalence of Salmonella in dairy products is highly varied and limited to a specific region or district. Furthermore, there is no data available on the risk factors for Salmonella contamination of cow milk and cottage cheese in Ethiopia. This study was therefore conducted to determine the presence of Salmonella throughout the Ethiopian dairy value chain and to identify risk factors for contamination with Salmonella. The study was carried out in three regions of Ethiopia, including Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, and Amhara during a dry season. A total 912 samples were collected from milk producers, collectors, processors, and retailers. Samples were tested for Salmonella using the ISO 6579-1: 2008 method, followed by PCR confirmation. Concurrent with sample collection, a survey was administered to study participants to identify risk factors associated with Salmonella contamination. Salmonella contamination was highest in raw milk samples at the production (19.7%) and at milk collection (21.3%) levels. No significant difference in the prevalence of Salmonella contamination among regions was detected (p > 0.05). Regional differences were apparent for cottage cheese, with the highest prevalence being in Oromia (6.3%). Identified risk factors included the temperature of water used for cow udder washing, the practice of mixing milk lots, the type of milk container, use of refrigeration, and milk filtration. These identified factors can be leveraged to develop targeted intervention strategies aimed at reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in milk and cottage cheese in Ethiopia.

Background. In Ethiopia, livestock contributes 45 of agricultural GDP. Despite the economic role played by the sector, there have been little efforts to genetically improve the indigenous cattle. Morphological characterization of selected Ethiopian indigenous cattle has been made for (Bonga, Jimma, and Kerayu) cattle types. But, the selected indigenous cattle were not characterized at molecular level (genetic diversity information). Hence, this work was initiated to detect and determine the genetic diversity and population structure of selected Ethiopian indigenous cattle ecotypes using microsatellite markers. Results. Different alleles were identified (131) and thirty-three of these alleles were unique to specific ecotypes. All loci used were informative with PIC values ranging from 0.5 (TGLA126) to 0.84 (ETH10) with a mean of 0.70 per locus. The Shannon information index ranged from (I=1.02) ILST006 to (I=1.63) ETH10 with an average of 1.28 revealing there is genetic diversity. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 84 genetic variation within a population and 13 variation among populations. The value of F-statistics (Fst) (0.129=13) indicated that there was moderate genetic differentiation among ecotypes. The (UPGMA) revealed, Bonga and Jimma clustered together while Kerayu cattle were relatively distinct, Principal coordinates analysis (PCOA) and structure analysis grouped the individual into different clusters confirming the presence of ecotype admixture due to geographical origins and uncontrolled mating. Conclusion. In general, this study has successfully characterized the genetic diversity and population structure of Bonga, Jimma, and Kerayu cattle ecotypes using high polymorphic/informative microsatellite markers. According to this study, Kerayu cattle have high AR and PA when compared to Bonga and Jimma cattle populations. So, the Kerayu population is more diverse than others and it is the hotspot for genetic diversity study. The generated information is very relevant for breeder and genetic conservation.

Background Reproductive problem is one of the main constraints of livestock genetic improvement efforts in tropical countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of major infectious causes of reproductive problems of dairy cattle in selected dairy farms in central Ethiopia. Overall 86 serum samples were collected from October 2018 to February 2019 from animals with history of reproductive problems. The collected serum was tested for antibody titer against Brucella species, Neospora caninum, Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and Q-fever using rose-bengal and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Result Among the animals with the history of reproductive disordered; abortion, still birth and repeat breeding cases were found in 61.6%, 19.8% and 18.6%, respectively. The prevalence of IBR, BVD, Neospora caninum and Coxiella brunetti was found to be 79.1%, 38.4%, 3.5% and 1.2%, respectively. The combined infection of both BVD and IBR were detected in 21% of animals. Out of the total animals examined in this study, 95.9% of Jersey breeds were found seropositive to IBR than Boran-Friesian crosses (57.7%). The incidence of BVD was significantly higher in Boran-Friesian crossbred cattle than in Jersey which was found to be 69.3% and 14.3, respectively. The prevalence of IBR and BVD was directly proportional with age of the animal and parity. Conclusion Vaccination against IBR and BVD is not practiced in Ethiopia, the rising level of those diseases in dairy sector needs regular surveillance and control program.

Tsetse-related trypanosomosis threatens integrated crop-livestock production system in Ethiopia. Metekel zone is among the tsetse-infested areas in Ethiopia. Community-based tsetse fly and trypanosomosis control using targets was conducted from June 2011 to May 2012 in the zone. In coordination with the control project, a questionnaire survey was administered to assess the economic importance of the tsetse fly and trypanosomosis control conducted in the Zone. On average, there were 3 livestock deaths/household before control and this was decreased to 0.07 after control. This death was contributed from all possible livestock diseases. A household loss 4380 (95% CI = 4223.98–4541.79) EB (1 US$ = 17.9 EB) only due to the deaths of his/her livestock was reduced to 90.78 (95% CI = 89.15–92.42) EB after control. Morbidity of oxen in the study areas was significantly decreased by 70.7%. As a result, the monetary loss to rent for healthy draught oxen was decreased by 96.4%. When a household with one cattle harvest 10.9 quintals (1090 kg), his neighbor’s household with ten cattle maximize his/her yield to about 50.5 quintals (5050 kg) of crops indicating that trypanosomosis has great economic impact in crop-livestock production system. As the community-based tsetse fly control approach is simple, cost effective, and appropriate for riverine tsetse species, we conclude that farmers can minimize the negative impact of tsetse flies and trypanosomosis in the tsetse-infested areas of African countries.

Salmonella infections originating from poultry are one of the major causes of food-borne diseases. To control Salmonella in poultry multifactorial approach is likely to be effective, and genetic resistance of poultry breeds to Salmonella infections may have valuable contribution. Experimental research was conducted to evaluate relative resistance of poultry breeds: Local, Fayoumi and Koekoek to Salmonella Typhimurium from November 2012 to May 2013. Total of 48 chicks were taken and half from each was randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. Treatment groups were orally infected with 107-9 S. Typhimurium at two week’s age. Samples were taken from week one post infection and continued every week till week four. Liver, spleen and lung were considered to determine relative bacterial loads and feces were added to identify S. Typhimurium. Highest bacterial load was found in Koekoek (1.95 log CFU/ gram) breeds than Local (0.71 log CFU/ gram) and Fayoumi (1.00 log CFU/ gram) breeds (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference of bacterial load between Local and Fayoumi was found. There was significant bacterial load difference among liver (2.01 log CFU/ gram), lung (0.95 log CFU/ gram) and spleen (0.69 log CFU/ gram). According to bacterial growth on XLD, Koekoek was found to be 4.26 times more susceptible to Local breed. There was no statistically significant difference between Local and Fayoumi breeds. In conclusion, local breeds were relatively found to be the most resistant among the three poultry breeds to S. Typhimurium. Key words: Bacterial load, breed, Ethiopia, isolation, organs, Salmonella Typhimurium.