Three-day fever

Three-day fever is a viral disease caused by an Ephemerovirus of the family Rhabdoviridae, transmitted by arthropod vectors. It is common in tropical and sub-tropical regions, where it affects mainly domestic cattle and buffaloes, especially in intensive dairy or fattening production systems. It is of economic importance because it reduces milk production and fertility and causes abortion. The disease is generally benign. It manifests in several susceptible subjects simultaneously, with a sudden episode of fever accompanied by muscle involvement with arthritis, stiffness of the limbs, and lameness, followed by rapid recovery. The presence of a serofibrinous exudate in the joints is indicative of the disease. Clinical diagnosis is often difficult in the absence of pathognomonic signs. Epidemiological factors (proliferation of arthropod vectors), associated with a short-lived fever and the presence of many immature neutrophils, point strongly to three-day fever. In the absence of any specific treatment, the symptoms are treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Medical prophylaxis currently uses live attenuated vaccines, pending the development of recombinant vaccines, which are giving promising results.

[Antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli strains isolated from raw chicken meat in Senegal]

INTRODUCTION

Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli and others pathogens bacteria can be transferred from animals to humans through consumption of contaminated food and foods products and thus present a public health risk. The increase in E. coli resistance to commonly used antimicrobials both in the public health and veterinary sectors is one of the major threats of health care worldwide. The present study was undertaken to estimate the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolates from raw chicken meat in Dakar.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Levying of skin and muscle have been carried out on 120 chicken carcasses bought from 13 sale points and 23 flocks beetween November 2003 and April 2004. 102 Escherichia coli strains have been isolated, among which, 90 were tested for their susceptibilities to 16 selected antibiotics by agar diffusion method.

RESULTS

All Escherichia coli strains (100%), were resistant to one or more antibiotic; 60 strains (66.66%) being resistant to more than five antibiotics. Those frequently encountererd are: ampicillin, trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulfametoxazole, tetracycline, sulfonamides, streptomycin, nalidixic acid. Multiple resistances to 12 antibiotics were also observed. The lowest resistances were noted with gentamicin (3.33%) and neomycin (5.56%).

CONCLUSION

This study showed the significance of chicken meat as source of Escherichia coli strains with a simple or multiple resistance to various antibiotics tested. Further studies are necessary in order to determine bacterium mechanisms of resistance.

[Antibioresistance of Escherichia coli strains isolated from raw chicken meat in Senegal]

INTRODUCTION

Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli and others pathogens bacteria can be transferred from animals to humans through consumption of contaminated food and foods products and thus present a public health risk. The increase in E. coli resistance to commonly used antimicrobials both in the public health and veterinary sectors is one of the major threats of health care worldwide. The present study was undertaken to estimate the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolates from raw chicken meat in Dakar.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Levying of skin and muscle have been carried out on 120 chicken carcasses bought from 13 sale points and 23 flocks beetween November 2003 and April 2004. 102 Escherichia coli strains have been isolated, among which, 90 were tested for their susceptibilities to 16 selected antibiotics by agar diffusion method.

RESULTS

All Escherichia coli strains (100%), were resistant to one or more antibiotic; 60 strains (66.66%) being resistant to more than five antibiotics. Those frequently encountererd are: ampicillin, trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulfametoxazole, tetracycline, sulfonamides, streptomycin, nalidixic acid. Multiple resistances to 12 antibiotics were also observed. The lowest resistances were noted with gentamicin (3.33%) and neomycin (5.56%).

CONCLUSION

This study showed the significance of chicken meat as source of Escherichia coli strains with a simple or multiple resistance to various antibiotics tested. Further studies are necessary in order to determine bacterium mechanisms of resistance.

Animals, public health and the example of cowpox

Public attitudes towards animals are often contradictory. In developed countries where the problem of food security has been solved to a large degree, public concern is concentrated on food safety and animal welfare, along with a debate on the social status of both domestic and wild animals. Zoonoses are often the focal point of these concerns. In developing countries (which often have the greatest biodiversity), wildlife constitutes an uncontrollable source of often unknown zoonoses. The authors attempt to analyse the link between animals and public health. Special attention is given to the example of cowpox, a disease which has been recognised as a zoonosis for more than two centuries but the epidemiology of which has recently been rediscovered.

[Cost analysis of an official campaign for animal disease control: the example of Senegal in 1996]

A realistic estimation of the cost of government campaigns to control rinderpest and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia is essential in order to determine profitable fees for private veterinarians with a health mandate in Senegal. A cost analysis of a vaccination campaign, organised by the Veterinary Services in Senegal between 1995 and 1996, involving 547,735 cattle, was conducted. Revenue and total costs were 50 CFA francs and 110 +/- 37 CFA francs per head, respectively. Staff-related costs accounted for 39.41% +/- 7.62% of the total cost. The gross and net margins corresponded to the average subsidies of 42 +/- 27 CFA francs and 60 +/- 37 CFA francs, respectively. Simulations showed better relative efficiency for private veterinarians who vaccinate at a price of between 97 and 84 CFA francs per head. Economies of scale varied from 8 to 13 CFA francs per head when the vaccination team increased the number of animals initially vaccinated (16,000 head) by 25% and 44%, respectively. This indicates that a fee of 125 CFA francs per head should guarantee the profitability of compulsory vaccination for private veterinarians.

Rift Valley fever epizootic in small ruminants in southern Mauritania (October 1993): risk of extensive outbreaks

Following the 1987 Rift Valley fever (RVF) epizootic/epidemic in southern Mauritania, RVF antibody prevalence in small ruminants decreased significantly from 1988 to 1992. In October 1993, at the end of the rainy season, an active RVF virus transmission was detected in several locations of southern Mauritania in small ruminants, in association with an increase of abortions. RVF IgM and IgG antibodies were recorded respectively in 65/390 (16.67%) and 73/390 (18.72%) animals. RVF IgM antibody prevalence was significantly higher in the > or = 2 years old group (26.02%) than in the 0.5- < 2 year old group (7.20%) (p = 0.01). The enzootic maintenance of RVF virus is discussed, as well as the risks of extension by traditional nomadic movements of herds.

[Epidemiology of bovine brucellosis in Mali: serologic investigation and initial isolation of strains of Brucella abortus]

The authors report the results of an epidemiological survey of bovine brucellosis in Mali, based on a relatively representative sample of 1,000 serum samples from 236 herds. The prevalence of infection in the herds, established by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was 53% +/- 6.4. The proportion of animals infected was 23.3% +/- 2.5, falling to 22% when compared with the basic serum pool of 9,466 samples. This rate was relatively high in stationary herds in the semi-arid, sub-humid and arid zones. Four strains of Brucella abortus were isolated from cattle bearing hygromas.

[Bacteria associated with diarrheic episodes in young camels in Niger]

During diarrhoeic episodes of young camels in Niger, bacteria such as Salmonella enteritidis, E. Coli, Staphylococcus sp., Clostridium perfringens and other bacteria were isolated from stool samples. Bacteria roll in this pathology is discussed, and a treatment is proposed, compared with antibiogram results.