Implementation of herd health program to improve survival of Boer goats in Malaysia

The impact of the herd health interventions in small ruminants in low input production systems in Ethiopia

Introduction

Diseases have a negative impact on production and profitability of small ruminants. A good herd health program can decrease the number of sick animals and improve herd performance.

Methods

In a longitudinal study, small ruminant herd health interventions such as community-based strategic gastrointestinal (GI) parasite control, prevention and control of major respiratory diseases and capacity development activities were implemented. In four districts of Ethiopia, where the Community Based Breeding Program (CBBP) is implemented, morbidity and mortality data were collected from January 2018 to July 2021 in 1047 smallholder farms with the objective of evaluating the impact of herd health interventions. A total of 2,643 sick animals and 516 deaths of small ruminants were recorded during the study period. The disease cases were categorized into eight groups: gastrointestinal, neurological, reproductive, respiratory, skin, systemic, other diseases (eye disease, foot disease etc) and unknown diseases. Chi-square and proportions were used to analyze morbidity and mortality by district, agro-ecological zone and age of the animal.

Results

The data showed that the general trend in the occurrence of cases and morbidity rate were decreasing from 2018 to 2021 in intervention villages. Overall, the morbidity rate in young animals (7.36%) was highier than in adults (3.49%) and the mortality rate difference between young and adult animals was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). The morbidity and mortality rates varied significantly (p < 0.001) among districts and among agro-ecologies. According to the data, treating and following up of infected animals reduced the mortality rate significantly. The relative risk of death in treated animals after the case reported was 0.135. Generally, the intervention impact analysis revealed that morbidity rate was significantly decreased (p = 0.009) in intervention years (6.31% in 2018 to 3.02% in 2021) and that herd health interventions provide an added value.

Conclusion

Generally, herd health intervention had significant impact in reducing the morbidity rates in years and treatment and follow up of sick animals due to early reporting reduced mortality rate significantly. It is recommended that the herd health management should be the core activity under small ruminant production programs.

Intranasal Vaccination Strategy to Control the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Veterinary Medicine Perspective

Simple Summary

Intranasal vaccination is one of the methods used to stimulate mucosal immunity. It has been widely practised to control many human and animal respiratory diseases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which resulted in a global pandemic. COVID-19 has reminded some veterinarians of various contagious veterinary diseases, including coronavirus infections in animals. This article discusses the control of highly contagious diseases of veterinary importance with emphasis on an intranasal vaccination approach, and the potential of implementing similar strategies in human medicine to control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The world is currently facing an ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The disease is a highly contagious respiratory disease which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Current control measures used by many countries include social distancing, wearing face masks, frequent hand washing, self-isolation, and vaccination. The current commercially available vaccines are injectable vaccines, although a few intranasal vaccines are in trial stages. The reported side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, perceptions towards the safety of the vaccines, and frequent mutation of the virus may lead to poor herd immunity. In veterinary medicine, attaining herd immunity is one of the main considerations in disease control, and herd immunity depends on the use of efficacious vaccines and the vaccination coverage in a population. Hence, many aerosol or intranasal vaccines have been developed to control veterinary respiratory diseases such as Newcastle disease, rinderpest, infectious bronchitis, and haemorrhagic septicaemia. Different vaccine technologies could be employed to improve vaccination coverage, including the usage of an intranasal live recombinant vaccine or live mutant vaccine. This paper discusses the potential use of intranasal vaccination strategies against human COVID-19, based on a veterinary intranasal vaccine strategy.

Biomarkers, immune responses and cellular changes in vaccinated and non-vaccinated goats during experimental infection of M. haemolytica A2 under tropical conditions

BACKGROUND

We investigated the biomarkers, immune responses and cellular changes in vaccinated and non-vaccinated goats experimentally challenged with M. haemolytica serotype A2 under rainy and hot tropical conditions. A total of twenty-four clinically healthy, non-pregnant, female goats randomly allocated to 2 groups of 12 goats each were used for the study. The 12 goats in each season were subdivided into three groups (n = 4), which served as the control (G-NEG), non-vaccinated (G-POS), and vaccinated (G-VACC). In week-1, the G-VACC received 2 mL of alum-precipitated pasteurellosis vaccine while G-POS and G-NEG received 2 ml of sterile PBS. In week 2, the G-POS and G-VACC received 1 mL intranasal spray containing 10⁵ CFU of M. haemolytica serotype A2. Inoculation was followed by daily monitoring and weekly bleeding for eight weeks to collect data and serum for biomarkers and immune responses using commercial ELISA test kits. The goats were humanely euthanised at the end of the experiments to collect lungs and the submandibular lymph nodes tissue samples for gross and histopathological examinations.

RESULTS

Regardless of the season, we have observed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum concentrations of acute-phase proteins (haptoglobin, serum amyloid A), proinflammatory cytokines (interleukine-1β, interleukin-6), antibodies (immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G), and stress markers (cortisol and heat shock protein 70) in the G-POS goats compared to G-VACC and G-NEG. With regards to seasons, there was a significantly (p < 0.05) higher serum concentration with 1.5, 2 and 1-folds increase in the serum interleukin (IL)-1β, cortisol, and heat shock protein (HSP)-70 in the G-POS during rainy compared to the hot season. Histopathology of the lungs in G-POS goats revealed inflammatory cell infiltration, degeneration, haemorrhage/congestion, and pulmonary oedema in the alveoli spaces; thickening of the interstitium, and desquamation of bronchiolar epithelium. Cellular changes in the lymph node were characterized by a marked hypercellularity in G-POS goats.

CONCLUSION

Host responses to pneumonic mannheimiosis based on increased serum levels of biomarkers (cortisol, HSP70, IL-1β and IL-6) and severe cellular changes seen in the lungs and lymph nodes of G-POS goats compared to vaccinated goats and control group are influenced by the high environmental humidity recorded in the rainy season. Increased relative humidity in the rainy season is a significant stress factor for the higher susceptibility and severity of pneumonic mannheimiosis of goats in the tropics. Vaccination of goats using the alum precipitated Pasteurella multocida vaccine before the onset of the rainy season is recommended to minimise mortality due to potential outbreaks of pneumonia during the rainy season.

Association between Mannheimia haemolytica infection with reproductive physiology and performance in small ruminants: A review

Mannheimiosis or pneumonic pasteurellosis commonly occurs in small ruminants. Mannheimiosis is caused by Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) a Gram-negative coccobacillus producing acute febrile and infectious condition resulting in death of animal if not diagnosed and treated promptly. M. haemolytica serotype A2 is a commensal of the nasopharynx, gaining access to the lungs when host defenses are compromised by stress or infection in small ruminants. Till date, there is a vast literature and research that has been conducted on the pathogenesis of M. haemolytica invariably on respiratory system and its related immune system and mechanisms. From the clinical point of view, infection or diseases involving vital organs will systemically affect the production and performance of the infected animal. Therefore, there is a huge gap of knowledge and research to answer the question whether there is any association between M. haemolytica infection with reproductive physiology and performance in small ruminants and how it affects the productivity level. This review will explore the possibilities of involvement and new potential research to be carried out to determine the involvement of male and female reproductive system with M. haemolytica infection among small ruminants.

Differences among four meat goat breeds for doe fitness indicator traits in the southeastern United States

Sustainable meat goat production begins with the identification and use of maternal breeds that demonstrate relatively enhanced levels of fitness under less-than-optimal conditions. The Myotonic goat is a heritage breed that is lacking in comparative assessment for female fitness. In this study, Boer ( = 73), Kiko ( = 115), Myotonic ( = 80), and Spanish ( = 114) meat goat does were compared for traits associated with health and reproduction. The herd was semi-intensively managed on humid subtropical pasture for 6 yr. The study included 838 doe-year matings and over 2,000 records for BW, fecal egg count (FEC), and packed cell volume (PCV). Body weights of Boer and Kiko does were heavier ( < 0.05) than for Spanish does, which, in turn, were heavier ( < 0.05) than for Myotonic does. In production does, FEC were lower ( < 0.05) for Myotonic does than for Boer does, whereas Kiko and Spanish does had intermediate FEC that differed ( < 0.05) from Myotonic and Boer does. Kiko, Myotonic, and Spanish does had greater ( < 0.05) PCV than Boer does. Doe age and physiological status also affected ( < 0.05) BW, FEC, and PCV. Annual kidding rates, weaning rates, doe retention rates, and kid crop weaned were greater ( < 0.05) for Kiko and Spanish does than for Boer does, whereas Myotonic does were intermediate and differed ( < 0.05) from the other 3 breeds. The results suggest that Kiko and Spanish does should be preferred over Boer and Myotonic does for sustainable meat goat doe performance under limited-input management conditions. Myotonic does maintained the lowest FEC among all doe breeds and warrant further evaluation as a genetic resource for controlling gastrointestinal parasitism.