Ethiopian Veterinary Journal

Hemoglobin polymorphism and its association with some morphometric traits of Sheko cattle in south-western Ethiopia

Simret Betsha — 2025-04-01

The present study investigated the biochemical polymorphism of hemoglobin and its association with some morphometric traits in Sheko cattle. For this, a total of 155 Sheko cattle of both sexes were evaluated, and distinguishing phenotypic characteristics of the breed, horn length, and hump size measurements were taken. To study the polymorphic activities of hemoglobin, blood samples from the same animals were collected by jugular vein puncture, and the samples were subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis (pH range 8.4-8.5). Three Hb genotypes, Hb^AA, Hb^AB, and Hb^BB were observed. The most frequent genotype was Hb^AB (0.62). The frequency of Hb^A and Hb^B alleles were 0.66 and 0.34, respectively. The chi-square (χ²) test revealed that the observed genotype frequency of the population is not under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In addition, the typical phenotypic features of Sheko cattle, polled and no or a small hump size, correspond to the Hb^AB genotype. The present study identified possible associations between hemoglobin variants and some visible traits, suggesting its potential significance as a marker for selecting Sheko cattle.

Effects of supplementation of different levels of coarse fenugreek seeds in the diet of White Leghorn hens on egg production and quality

Mengie Ahmed — 2025-04-01

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing coarsely ground fenugreek seed (CGFS) on dry matter intake, body weight gain, hen day egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion efficiency, and egg quality of White Leghorn (WL) chickens at Haramaya University poultry farm. The experiment was conducted for 12 weeks with five supplementation levels, 0 % (T1), 0.5 % (T2), 1 % (T3), 1.5 % (T4), and 2 % (T5), of coarsely ground fenugreek seed. A total of 180 layers with the age of 42 weeks were randomly distributed to five treatments each replicated three times with twelve layers and two cockerels per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD) and kept on a deep litter system. Dry matter intake and egg production of T1 were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than other inclusion levels. Feed conversion efficiencies of birds fed ration T3, T4, and T5 were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than T2 and T1. The yolk color score was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in T5, T4 and T3 indicating that fenugreek increased the intensity of yellow color. Therefore, supplementation of fenugreek seed leads to lower feed intake of layers and as a result the egg production performance of chickens is decreased.

Effects of neem (Azadirachta indica) and bitter (Vernonia amygdalina) leaves infusion on intake, muscle chemical composition, sensory quality of meat and hematology of broilers

Meseret Girma — 2025-04-01

The effects of offering neem and bitter leaf extract orally to broiler chicks as a natural feed additive were investigated in terms of the hematological serum biochemical parameters, the percentage of chick mortality and chemical composition of the meat of the broiler chicks. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used to randomly assign 192-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks to four treatments, each with three replications. Daily records of feed offered and refused were made, and the difference between the two on a dry matter (DM) basis was used to compute dry matter intake (DMI). The water used for the treatment contained a mixture of neem and bitter leaves at a rate of 0 ml, 2 ml, 4 ml, and 6 ml per liter of water for T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Commercial broilers diet that contained 22 and 18 % CP and 3050 and 3250 kcal/kg ME for starter and finisher phases. At the end of the trial, four broilers were chosen at random from each replication and slaughtered in order to assess the hematology and meat eating quality. The addition of extract to the broiler chicks’ drink water improved their blood parameters. The daily dry matter intake of broiler chicks in T4 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the other treatment groups, and T4’s total protein (TP) of blood was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the other treatment groups. Additionally, there was a decrease in cholesterol (p < 0.0001) with an increased level of neem and bitter leaf extract mixture offered with drink water. It was concluded that 6 ml of a combination of neem and bitter leaf extract in a liter of drink water can be recommended as a good natural feed additive for commercial broiler production.

Smallholder dairy farmers’ knowledge, attitude and practices on aflatoxin contamination in feeds and milk: The case of Addis Ababa and Hawassa milk-sheds in Ethiopia

Sintayehu Yigrem — 2025-04-01

Following an alarming high aflatoxin contamination levels reported for animal feeds and milk in the greater Addis Ababa milk-shed of Ethiopia, livestock professionals, the regulatory bodies and public/consumers were alerted about the problem. However, whether farmers were also on the same level of concern was the main research question for this study. Therefore, this study was initiated to understand smallholder farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the causes, effects, and mitigation strategies of aflatoxins. The study applied a standard knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) measurement tool on market oriented smallholder dairy farmers from two milk sheds in Ethiopia. A total of 180 dairy producer households from the Addis Ababa milk shed (Sululta, Bishoftu and Adama) and Hawassa milk shed (Arsi-Negelle, DoreBafana and Kofele), Ethiopia, were interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The results indicated that the average dairy cattle herd size in the study areas were 9.23 (±0.45). Sale of milk and dairy products is the major source of occupation/income to the large majority (78.3%), which shows that the selected dairy farmers were market oriented. Additionally, the majority of farmers (79.16%) owned higher cross dairy cattle (with >62.5% exotic blood/ inheritance) while others have lower crosses (with <62.5% exotic blood/inheritance) and local cattle breed with 13.18% and 8.67%, respectively (p < 0.05). Overall, about 50% of the households have not received any training related to feed and milk safety/quality management as well as on how to handle and store it. From the total farmers, only 9.44% farmers know about the term aflatoxins, from this 90% do not know the causes/sources of aflatoxin and 96.6% do not know if it has any effect/impact on human/animal health. Most farmers (61.1 %) consume milk in its raw form. The study area is characterized by improved and market oriented dairy systems; however, farmers were less sensitized on the safety and quality requirements, notably related to aflatoxin contamination in feeds and milk. Although aflatoxin contamination has been a major concern in the dairy sector, particularly after the recent report on the Addis Ababa milk shed, the majorities of farmers remain unaware of its root causes and effects. Quite large proportion of farmers (93.3%) perceived that animal feeds are spoiled when molds are visibly observed and hence discard such feeds; it is highly probable that the non-observably contaminated feeds might go to dairy animals. Awareness creation campaigns and training programs on how to combat aflatoxins on farms needs to be developed before any other interventions.

Sero-prevalence of camel brucellosis and the associated public health risks in Kereyu pastoral area of Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Dagnachew Demissie — 2025-04-01

Camel brucellosis has been reported in almost all camel-rearing countries in Africa and Asia. A cross sectional study was carried out with the objective of estimating sero-prevalence of brucellosis among camels and identify risk factors associated with sero-positivity to Brucella infection in Kereyu pastoral area of Oromia Region of Ethiopia. A total of 324 sera were collected randomly from apparently healthy camels in Fentale district, East Shewa zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Data related to risk factors such as sex, age, herd size, and herd composition were collected and camel herders were interviewed to assess their awareness about brucellosis on the sampling day. The Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) was used as a screening test and those RBPT-positive serum samples were further confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). Out of the collected sera, 21.0% (68/324, 95% CI: 16.4 - 26.2) were positive by the RBPT and of the RBPT-positive samples, 29 (9.0%, 95% CI: 5.9-12.3) and 31 (9.6%, 95% CI: 6.5- 13.0) sera samples were positive by CFT and c-ELISA, respectively. Based on c-ELISA, the animal-and herd-level prevalence in the study area were 9.6% (95% CI: 6.5-13.0) and 35.4% (95% CI: 23.1-43.5), respectively. While sex, age and livestock composition had no significant effect on the prevalence of camel brucellosis (p > 0.05), herd size was the major risk factor for the presence of the disease. Accordingly, camels kept in large herds were 4 times higher at risk for Brucella infection than camels kept under small herd size (OR = 4.024; 95% CI: 1.667-9.716; p < 0.005). Out of 65 camel herders interviewed, 64 had no awareness about the zoonotic importance of brucellosis. This study demonstrated that brucellosis has a moderate occurrence in the study area and may pose health risks to the public. Therefore, there is a need for implementation of better management practices such as regular testing of all animals, typing of infecting strains, culling of positive animals and increasing public awareness on brucellosis.

Assessment of the occurrence of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) poisoning in cattle and management practices in Cheliya, Jibat, and Dire Inchini districts of West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Bizunesh Mideksa Borena — 2025-04-01

Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) poisoning in cattle can cause a variety of clinical signs including bloody urine, anemia, tumor in the urinary bladder, weakness, wight loss and death. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2016 to June 2017 to assess the occurrence, causes, and management practices of bloody urine in cattle of three affected districts (Cheliya, Dire Inchini, and Jibat districts) of West Showa zone of Oromia, Ethiopia. A total of 215 cattle-owning households were randomly selected for the questionnaire survey. Field observation was performed on the grazing land and affected populations. Six animals with symptoms of bloody urine were examined clinically, followed by postmortem and histopathological examinations. The questionnaire survey showed that 72.1% of the households had at least one bloody urine case in their cattle herd and most cases were from Cheliya districts. In 33.0% of the households, at least one cow or ox died after showing bloody urine. The occurrence of bloody urine cases was related to the dry season, feed shortage, access to bracken fern-infested pasture, and a known history of eating bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). All six suspected cattle exhibited chronic wasting and hematuria. Postmortem examination revealed petechial hemorrhage, papillomatous formations, thickened areas of mucosa, and white/red nodules on the urinary bladder and hemorrhage, inflammation resulting from mononuclear cells infiltration and hemangiosarcoma during the histopathological examination. Severe bracken fern infestation, chronic hematuria, and wasting and postmortem/histopathological findings in the bladder were all suggestive of bracken fern poisoning. Bracken fern poisoning is a prevalent cattle health problem with a significant economic effect in the study areas. Therefore, an integrated approach that includes limiting access to cattle, reducing the infestation, cultivating improved forage and creating community awareness should be implemented to minimize the effect of bracken fern infested areas.

Gastrointestinal nematodes of goats and their anthelmintic resistance around Hawassa, Ethiopia

Begidu Tesfaye — 2025-04-01

Gastrointestinal nematodes are seriously affecting the health of goats and negatively impacting their productivity and welfare. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to September 2024 to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infection in goats. A field experiment was also conducted to assess the anthelmintic drug resistance status of goat GI nematodes in Hawassa. Fecal samples were collected from 750 goats selected using systematic random sampling. The fecal samples were examined using the flotation and McMaster egg counting techniques. The overall prevalence of GI nematode infection in goats was 46.5% (95% CI: 43.0-50.1). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age and flock size affected (p < 0.05) infection of goats by GI nematodes. The number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) ranged from 50 to 2300, and the overall mean EPG was 850 (95% CI: 778.1-991.9). Four hundred and fifty-eight third stage larvae were recovered from the culture of fecal samples, pooled from 349 goats positive for strongyle type eggs, for species identification. The nematode genera identified were Trichostrongylus (32.3%), Haemonchus (26.9%), Oesophagostomum (16.6%), Teladorsagia (12.5%), Strongyloides (6.8%) and Bunostomum (5.0%). The post-treatment fecal egg count reduction of the field anthelmintic resistance test for albendazole, tetramisole, and ivermectin were 69.7% (95% CL: 39.4- 84.8), 95.7% (95% CL: 90.2-98.1) and 80.3% (95% CL: 72.8-85.7), respectively revealing the presence of resistance for albendazole and ivermectin. Culture of pooled post-treatment fecal samples from each treatment group resulted in the recovery of Trichostrongylus spp. and Haemonchus spp. from albendazoletreated goats, and Trichostrongylus spp. and Teladorsagia spp. from ivermectin treated goats, suggesting the respective genera of GI nematodes that developed resistance to these commonly used anthelmintics. The results of the study indicated that it is time to think about developing effective strategies to slow and manage anthelmintic resistance development in Ethiopia and implement methods such as rotation of anthelmintic classes in large farms and village flocks to delay the development of resistance.