Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics

Prevalence and Economic Losses of Mastitis in and Around Injibara Town Dairy Farms, North West Ethiopia

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Prevalence and Economic Losses of Mastitis in and Around Injibara Town Dairy Farms, North West Ethiopia Bitew, Abera Mastitis is a major prevalent and costly disease among dairy industries worldwide, causing a reduction in milk yield and quality, increased milk wastage. A cross-sectional study was carried out from April to August 2024, to estimate prevalence of mastitis, identify potential risk factors, to isolate common mastitis causing pathogens and to assess awareness of disease among participants in and around Injibara dairy farms. One stage cluster sampling method was used to select representative sample of a population. Besides, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 47 dairy farm attendants to quantify economic losses. Out of interviewed attendants 48.94%, 53.19% and 42.55% had knowledge, positive attitude and good preventive practice towards mastitis disease respectively. A total of 47 dairy farms, 282 lactating cows and 1,128 quarters were tested using California Mastitis Test kit and physical examination. The present study revealed that the overall prevalence of bovine mastitis at herd, cow and quarter level was 55.32%, 17.38% and 6.59% respectively. Out of 282 cows tested 4.26% clinical and 13.12% was sub-clinical mastitis. Multivariable logistic regression showed that cross breed (AOR: 10.67; 95% CI: 2.524 – 45.091, P = 0.001), poor body condition (AOR: 5.95, 95% Cl: 1.282 – 27.586, P = 0.023), and previous history of mastitis (AOR: 35.14; 95% CI: 9.834 – 125.6, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with mastitis. The common mastitis causing pathogens isolated in this study were Staphylococci (56.52%), Streptococci (21.74%), E.coli (13.04%) and mixed growth (8.70%). The overall economic loss in the current study was 4,354.90 USD comprising 910.65 USD due to sub-clinical mastitis, 636.56 USD from clinical mastitis, and 2,807.69 USD results from decreased cow value of affected cows. On average, the economic losses per farm were 145.16 USD, while 67 USD were lost per infected dairy cow in one lactation period. In conclusion, this result revealed that the prevalence of mastitis was found to be moderate, with a considerable economic loss in and around Injibara town. This prevalence had a significantly impact on the productivity of dairy herds in the study area. The objective of study was to estimate the economic losses associated with mastitis. This necessitates an evidence based integrated prevention and control strategic measures to minimize prevalence and economic loss in the study area.

Incidence of Calf Diarrhea and Cryptosporidiosis in Bovine Calves in Urban and Peri Urban Areas of Bahirdar, North-Western Ethiopia

2023-06-01T00:00:00Z

Incidence of Calf Diarrhea and Cryptosporidiosis in Bovine Calves in Urban and Peri Urban Areas of Bahirdar, North-Western Ethiopia Bitew, Biniyam A longitudinal prospective study design was conducted from February 2021 to September 2021 on calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis in urban and peri urban areas of Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. The specific objectives were: to quantify the incidence of calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis in bovine calves and also examining the association between calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis in bovine calves. Simple random sampling technique was employed to sample dairy farms, whereas one stage cluster sampling was used to sample dairy calves. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the effect of predictor variables on calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis from birth to 90 days of calf age. Sheather’s sugar solution flotation techniques followed by Modified Ziehl–Neelsen staining technique was used to identify Cryptosporidium Oocysts. A total of 384 calves were considered for this study. Accordingly, of total calves examined 28.9% calves were diagnosed with diarrhea. Among diarrheic calves 52.25% of calves were diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis. The overall incidences rate of calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis found in this study were 41.2 cases per 100 calf three months at risk (risk rate of 33.76%) and 25.2 cases per 100 calf three months at risk (risk rate of 22.2%),respectively. Age of calf (<2months) (HR = 3.41, 95% CI; 2.153 - 7.117; P=0 .000), body condition (HR = 1.60, 95% CI; 0.541-3.685; P=0.000), season (HR = 2.167,95% CI; 1.044-3.716; P<0.022) were found significantly (P < 0.05) associated with diarrhea. Whereas, calf age (<2month) (HR = 5.997, 95% CI;3.190-11.273; P< 0.001), sex of calves (HR = 1.753, 95% CI; 1.121-2.742 P< 0.016), calf body condition (HR=2.358 , 95% CI; 1.08 - 4.48; P<0.026); and season (HR=0.57, 95% CI; 0.338- 0.963; P<0.036) were found significantly (P < 0.05) associated with cryptosporidiosis. Besides, this study revealed that the association between calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis was statistically significant (X 2 =125.35, P<0.001). Environmental hygiene, nutrition and health care can help to reduce the incidence of calf diarrhea and cryptosporidiosis in the study area. Moreover, the high prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in the study area might pose a significant public health concern which necessitates further in-depth investigation.

Comparative Evaluation of Humoral antibody Responses to various Newcastle disease Vaccines in Chickens at Andassa Livestock Research Center, Northwest Ethiopia

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Comparative Evaluation of Humoral antibody Responses to various Newcastle disease Vaccines in Chickens at Andassa Livestock Research Center, Northwest Ethiopia Belayneh Lulie on their comparative efficacy across different vaccine types and chicken breeds. Therefore, this experimental study was conducted from October 2024 to January 2025 at the Andassa Livestock Research Center poultry farm to evaluate the humoral antibody response of NCD vaccines in Tillili and Koekoek chicken breeds.The study comapared three vaccines (I2 thermostable, LaSota, and HB1) along with a positive control. The specific objectives of the study were to evaluate the antibody responses to the three vaccines and the positive control in both breeds, to identify risk factors associated with variations in antibody responses,to determine the magnitude of mortality and survival of chickens and to assess differences in maternally-derived antibody levels between the Tillili and Koekoek breeds. A Completely Randomized Design with a 2x4 factorial arrangement was employed. A total of 480 day-old chicks (DOCs), comprising 240 indigenous Tillili and 240 exotic Koekoek, were randomly assigned to 24 pens (20 birds/pen). A total of 1,092 blood samples were collected one day before and 14 days after each vaccination, with 964 samples successfully processed. Antibody titers against NCD were quantified using an indirect ELISA. Independent and paired t-tests were used to compare mean antibody titers between the treatment and control groups before and after vaccination, respectively. Additionally, multiple linear regression, and Cox regression were used to evaluate and quantify the effect of covariates on mean antibody titer and chicken mortality rates, respectively. The overall chick mortality percentage across all treatment groups was 4.6%. During the study period, 76% of chickens developed protective antibody levels against NCD across the four treatments. Koekoek chickens exhibited significantly higher maternal antibody levels (mean titer 4,460.3) compared to Tillili chickens (mean titer 202.3) during the first week of life. A relatively higher antibody response (5475.4 ± 2821.1) was also detected in Koekoek compared to Tillili (4200.9 ± 2092.8. Overall, antibody responses were higher at 42days postvaccination with thermosatble vaccines (6031.2±420.2), Comparison of vaccine types revealed significant differences in antibody levels before and after vaccination among bleeding dates (P = 0.0274) and between treatment groups (P = 0.0002). However, an independent t-test comparing the positive control and treatment groups revealed no significant difference (P=0.1954) in antibody responses. The Multiple linear regression revealed that sex (P = 0.0172), bleeding time (P = 0.001), and age (P = 0.000) were statistically significant with mean antibody titer. In conclusion, all three vaccines elicited protective immunity, with the positive control achieving relatively the highest efficacy, followed by the thermostable vaccine. This suggests that the thermostable vaccine demonstrates comparable practical advantages for field use, especially in areas where cold chains are limited.

Epidemiological investigation of Goat Mastitis,associated risk Factors and antimicrobial resistance Patterns of its Causative Bacteria In Waghimra Zone, Northeastern Ethiopia

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Epidemiological investigation of Goat Mastitis,associated risk Factors and antimicrobial resistance Patterns of its Causative Bacteria In Waghimra Zone, Northeastern Ethiopia Abebe Tibebu Mastitis is a multifactorial disease of mammals that has substantial implications on production, welfare, and public health, but it is far less studied in goats than in cows. A cross-sectional study with simple random sampling at the lowest unit was conducted in selected districts of Northeastern Amhara, Ethiopia, from September 2024 to May 2025. The objectives of the study were to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) levels of herders on mastitis in goats, estimate its prevalence, assess associated risk factors, identify bacteria, and evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility. A semi-structured questionnaire survey was utilized to evaluate KAP levels, while a physical examination and the California mastitis test were employed to examine mastitis in goats. Laboratory tests for bacterial identification and antimicrobial resistance were conducted following standard protocols. Stata17 and WHONET software were used for statistical analyses. Out of the 275 survey participants, 30.68% reported mastitis incidents in goats during the study period. The average scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice related to mastitis were 47.78%, 69.39%, and 46.18%, respectively. The majority of respondents did not attend school, and their knowledge of causes of goat‟s mastitis, zoonotic diseases, and subclinical mastitis was significantly associated with district and age demographics. Out of the 397 lactating goats examined, mastitis prevalence was 24.74% at goat level (CM: 2.52%, SCM: 22.22%) and 16.60% in udder halves (CM: 1.39%, SCM: 15.21%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that lactation stage (OR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.89-6.30), districts (OR=3.47; 95% CI: 1.01-3.65), parity (OR=2.73; 95% CI: 1.11-6.67), and mastitis history (OR = 13.6; 95% CI: 4.64-40.15) (p<0.05) were statistically associated with the occurrence of goat mastitis. Upon bacterial isolation and identification, the most common bacterial isolate was Staphylococcus (39.83%), followed by E. coli (10.17%), Enterococcus, Micrococcus, and Klebsiella (all < 5%). Staphylococcus was resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, with a multidrug-resistant (MDR) prevalence of 21.16%, whereas E. coli was resistant to ampicillin, with an MDR prevalence of 8.3%. The overall MDR prevalence was found to be 17.31%. In conclusion, herders lacked good knowledge and practices about mastitis and zoonotic risks, which most likely contributed to the high prevalence of mastitis and antimicrobials -resistant bacteria. As a result, tailored training on the causes of mastitis and zoonotic risks, control and prevention for goat farmers, and further research on bacterial species and resistance factor identification are recommended. Furthermore, kanamycin and gentamycin were found to be effective against staphylococci and thus recommended for use, while tetracycline and streptomycin were found to be effective against E. coli and thus recommended.