International Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics

International Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics Vol. 6 (8), pp. 001-007, August, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Egyptian sheep ewes conception and lambing rates as affected by dietary supplementation with selenium in winter and vitamin A

I. F. M. Marai¹, A. A. El- Darawany¹, E. I. Abou-Fandoud² and M. A. M. Abdel- Hafez²

¹Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.

²Department of Sheep and Goats, Institute of Animal Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Egypt.

Accepted 11 April, 2017

Abstract

Conception rate was affected significantly (P < 0.05) by progesterone + PMSG treatment in summer and insignificantly by supplementation with each of dietary selenium in winter and dietary vitamin A in autumn. When expressing the results in percentages, the highest increase in conception rate was by treatment with progesterone + PMSG in summer (46.91), followed by selenium treatment in winter (7.17) and treatment with vitamin A in autumn (3.01). Meanwhile, lambing rate was insignificantly affected by the three treatments in the three seasons. The highest increase (in lambing rate) obtained was 13.02% in autumn by vitamin A dietary supplementation, followed by selenium dietary supplementation in winter (6.76%) and treatment with progesterone + BMSG in summer (3.83%) respectively. Effects of mating with rams’ dietary supplemented with selenium during winter and summer and with vitamin A during autumn on the studied traits were not significant. The highest increase in conception rate (13.79%) was shown when mating with rams treated with selenium in summer, followed by those treated with vitamin A in autumn (3.63) and by selenium in winter, respectively. In lambing trait, the highest increase was obtained by mating with rams treated with selenium in winter (14.80%), followed by those treated with vitamin A in autumn (11.25%). Housing effects (the housing effect is the difference in perception of warmth or difference in Temperature-humidity index (THI) values between indoors and outdoors) on conception rate were significant (P<0.01 or 0.05) during winter and autumn and insignificantly during summer. In this respect, the conception rate was 32.29% higher in the south than in the north part of the farm in winter. In autumn and summer, the values were 15.38 and 14.02% respectively, higher in the north than in the south part of the same farm. Meanwhile, lambing rate was insignificantly affected by the same factor during the three seasons. Lambing rate was 9.52 and 9.31% higher in the south than in the north part of the farm in winter and autumn, respectively. There were no significant interactions between the factors studied on the traits studied. Therefore, the main factors are reported.

Key words: Ewes reproduction, treatment with selenium in winter, progesterone + BMSG in summer, vitamin A in autumn, housing effect.

International Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics Vol. 6 (7), pp. 001-004, July, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The effect of novel probiotic on blood parameters and performance in broiler chickens

Mehdi Ghaderi Jouybari*, Vahid Rezaei Pour, Mehdi Mohammad Zadeh Nagharchi, Mohammad Reza Taghizadeh, and Naser Dehpanah

Department of Animal Science, Islamic Azad University Ghaemshahr Branch, Iran.

Accepted 09 April, 2017

Abstract

In this experiment, effects of two phosphate solublizing bacteria as a novel probiotic on serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride and performance factors were investigated. The experiment included 320 Ross broilers from 1 to 49 days of age. Birds were randomly allocated to 4 treatments, with 4 replicates of 20 birds. Treatments include T1.Negative Control (basal diet, with no added probiotic); T2 – Negative Control + Probiotic (in starter, grower and finisher); T3 – Negative Control + Probiotic (in grower and finisher) and T4 – Negative Control + Probiotic (in finisher).The results obtained in this experiment showed that the probiotic significantly increased body weight gain (p<0.05). Probiotic significantly improved feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). However, the probiotic supplementation did not affect on feed intake between treatments (p<0.05). In addition, results showed that probiotic caused significantly decrease on the serum cholesterol and triglyceride (p<0.05). Mean total cholesterol was significantly lower in the T2 fed group (p < 0.05) when compared to treatment without probiotic.

Key words: Probiotic, phosphate solublizing bacteria, cholesterol, broiler.

Key words: Beam traversal test, 6-OHDA, dopamine.

International Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics Vol. 6 (6), pp. 001-022, June, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Global eradication of measles: A highly contagious and vaccine preventable disease -what went wrong in Africa?

I. O. Okonko^1*, A. O. Nkang¹, A. O. Udeze², A. O. Adedeji ³, J. Ejembi⁴, B. A. Onoja¹, A. A. Ogun⁵ and K. N. Garba¹

¹Department of Virology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, World Health Organization Collaborative Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research, World Health Organization Regional Reference Polio Laboratory, World Health Organization National Reference Centre for Influenza. National HIV Reference Laboratory.

²Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

³Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

⁴Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

⁵Department of Epidemiology, Medical Statistics and Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Accepted 09 January, 2017

Abstract

This review study reports on global eradication of measles: a highly contagious and vaccine preventable disease-what went wrong in its eradication in Africa. Measles is one of the most contagious human diseases which have continued to cause large outbreaks all over the world even in countries that have achieved high vaccination coverage with a single dose strategy. The disease can also lead to lifelong disabilities including brain damage, blindness, and deafness. These serious complications are rare in developed countries where measles vaccine is widely available, the highest mortality is however found in poor nations. The disease has remained the fifth leading cause of deaths among children less than five years of age, worldwide. It accounts for 44% of total deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases (VPD), among children less than 15 years, the highest mortality occurring in poor communities with malnutrition, overcrowding and low vaccination coverage. Indeed, measles transmission has been interrupted in several countries, reinforcing the view that measles eradication is technically feasible using existing vaccines and intervention strategies. However, measles still accounts for 10% of global mortality from all causes among children aged <5 years (that is, approximately 1 million deaths annually). Progress toward measles control varies substantially among countries and regions. In Nigeria where there is perennial, low routine vaccination coverage and where the quality of the mass immunization campaign is not high enough, large and persistent measles outbreaks continue to occur with high morbidity and mortality. Today, despite the availability of a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive vaccine for more than 40 years, measles still kills more than any other vaccines preventable disease among children. There is therefore, the urgent need to revisit the measles immunization and vaccination programme in Africa and in our country Nigeria with the sole aim of introducing a two-dose schedule to halt the endemic transmission. This is believed to bring about the successful eradication of measles in Africa. Intensified efforts will be necessary to implement appropriate control and elimination strategies, including supplementary vaccination campaigns, expansion of routine vaccination services, and surveillance. These strategies and estimates of the resources will also be required to implement them will require adjustment based on accumulating experience. Programmatic and financial obstacles must be overcome if the final goal of measles eradication is to be achieved.

Key words: Epidemiology, highly contagious disease, immunization, immunosuppression public health, vaccination, vaccine preventable disease, measles, measles virus, measles vaccine.