Animal Research International

2249 – 2259

Authors: IKHUORIAH, Suleman Ovuehor, ORONSAYE, Charity G. and ADEBANJO, Isaac Adeniyi

Zooplankton communities of the River Ossiomo at Ologbo, Niger Delta, Nigeria were investigated from April 2012 to December 2012. Three stations were studied from upstream to downstream with a distance of about 2 kilometres between each station. A total of 42 taxa were identified; 11 species of cladocerans, 6 copepods and 5 rotifers in the following order of dominance: copepoda > cladocera > rotifera. A total zooplankton population of 1330 individuals was recorded during the study period. Copepods and cladocera represented the predominant species (51.1% and 43.6% of the total zooplankton community respectively) followed by rofiters (5.3%). Copepods and cladocerans were dominated by both cyclopoid (51.1%) and chydorids (27.8%), respectively. The dominant copepod and cladocera species were Thermocyclops neglectus and Alona eximia representing 33.1% and 15.8% of the total zooplankton, respectively. The calculated diversity indices indicated that station 1 was more diverse followed by station 3, while zooplankton species in station 2 were least diverse. Community composition was similar at both stations 2 and 3 but varies seasonally across the three stations. Higher species number and density were found during the wet season with a trend of declining proportion towards the dry months.

2268 – 2273

Authors: FALOHUN, Olufarati Oludunsin, OBEBE, Oluwasola Olaiya, ONYICHE, Emmanuel ThankGod, OKE, Philip Oladele, OMOTAINSE, Oluwadamilola Samuel and ADELABU, David Babatunde

Fasciola gigantica is the parasitic fluke causing tropical fasciolosis leading to great economic losses in cattle production in Nigeria. One hundred and five (105) flukes were collected and identified after careful examination of the bile ducts from twenty-one (21) infected slaughtered cattle out of a total of two hundred (200) cattle examined from Bodija Municipal Abattoir. Semichon’s Acetic-Carmine staining technique and histological examination were carried out for parasitic identification while simple faecal floatation and sedimentation techniques were done for parasite egg examination. Postmortem examination showed enlarged and friable liver covered with fibrin tags while bile ducts were thickened, distended and packed with adult flukes when sliced open. Microscopic and histological examination revealed greyish-brown leaf-shaped adult Fasciola gigantica flukes, bearing a cone-shaped projection and a pair of broad shoulders with the intestinal ceca branched as well as the testes and the ovary. The vitelline follicles fill the lateral fields of the worm and the common genital pore just anterior to the acetabulum. Large Fasciola gigantica eggs are oval, yellowish to greenish and bear a polar operculum. Public enlightenment especially among the butchers and abattoir workers should be periodical on the public health importance of the parasite and how unwholesome abattoir practices can lead to accidental human infection. This will greatly reduce the practice of selling infected organs that have been deemed unfit for human consumption.

2284 – 2291

Authors: JOSIAH, Gana James, OMALU, Innocent Chukwuemeka James, MAKUN, Hussaina Jumai, CHIEZEY, Ngozi P. and ABAH, Onuche-Ojo Isaiah

Small ruminants (goats and sheep) production systems worldwide are significantly constrained by haemo and gastrointestinal parasites. The study was carried out in Northwestern Nigeria from November 2011 to October 2012 to identify the common haemoparasites and haemonchosis in small ruminants. Three hundred abomasum samples with corresponding blood samples were collected from 200 goats and 100 sheep, respectively at necropsy. The abomasa were examined by Hansen and Perry method for the presence of Haemonchus contortus while blood samples were examined using the thin blood smear and Haematocrit Centrifugation Techniques (HCT). The prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants was 80.3% with goats and sheep having a prevalence of 78% and 85%, respectively. The prevalence of H. contortus in small ruminants during late dry, early dry, late rain and early rain were 64.9%, 84.1%, 89.9% and 81.1%, respectively. The prevalence was statistically significant among the seasons (p<0.05) with the highest prevalence in the late rainy season. The total number of adult worms collected was 21862. The highest adult worm burdens were obtained during the late rainy season (August to October) when a mean worm burden of 180.2 ± 51.45 and PCV of 26.63 ± 0.63 were recorded. The mean worm burdens for early dry, late dry and early rain were 42.60 ± 6.93, 31.67 ± 5.56 and 61.10 ± 11.33, respectively. The PCV values for the season were 27.73 ± 0.79, 26.60 ± 0.87 and 28.40 ± 0.65, respectively. The values of PCV for the four sub-seasons were not significant from one another but the value of PCV obtained during early rain was different from those of other sub-seasons. The PCV had a weak negative correlation with worm burdens with a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.2632 which was highly significant (p<0.001). Out of 200 goats and 100 sheep examined for haemoparasites, only one goat had a heavy infection with Trypanosoma vivax and a sheep had mixed infection with Theileria ovis and Anaplasma ovis. The prevalence of three protozoans encountered was 0.33% each in small ruminants. The PCV of infected goats and sheep with protozoan parasites was 25% and 20%, respectively. The results suggest that Haemonchus contortus may be the major cause of anaemia in the study area. It is therefore recommended that further research be embarked upon to determine the effect of nutrition in ameliorating the effects of helminth infections and anaemia in small ruminants.

2298 – 2304

Authors: ABA, Patrick Emeka, JOSHUA, Parker Elijah, ONWUDINJO, Rex Chibuikem, OMOJA, Valentine Uneojo and EZEASOR, Chukwunonso Kenechukwu

This study investigated the possible hepatoprotective effect of quail egg solution on acetaminophen intoxicated rats. Thirty adult rats of mixed sexes were assigned into five groups of six per group. The rats in groups 2, 3, and 4 were pretreated with 30, 15, 7.5 mg/ml ad-lib respectively of quail egg solution for 7 days before intoxication with 2000 mg/kg acetaminophen. Rats in group 5 were not pretreated but intoxicated with 2000 mg/kg acetaminophen (negative control) while the group 1 rats were neither pretreated nor intoxicated and served as a positive control. Fourty eight hours post-induction, blood for some biochemical and haematological analysis was collected and the remaining rats treated until the 14th day when the rats were humanely sacrificed and vital organs (liver and kidney) collected for histopathology. The results showed that the ALT activity of 30 mg/ml pretreated rats were significantly (p<0.05) lower than those of the negative control rats. Significant (p<0.05) increases were seen in the RBC, WBC, PCV and Hb levels of quail egg pretreated rats when compared with the negative control. However, no significant (p>0.05) changes were seen in AST activity, MCHC and MCH levels of both the test groups and the controls. Histomorphometry examination revealed less severe vacuolar degenerative changes in the liver of 30 mg/ml pretreated rats when compared to the rats of other intoxicated groups. It was concluded that quail egg at the concentration of 30 mg/ml ameliorated hepatotoxicity and improved haematologic indices of acetaminophen-induced toxicity in rats.

2311 – 2315

Authors: OKEKE, Obiageli Panthe, IMAKWU, Cyril Ali, EYO, Joseph Effiong and OKAFOR, Fabian Chukwuemenam

This study examined the trends of malaria infection among children in the paediatric unit of some tertiary and secondary health outlets in Anambra State, Nigeria over a six-year period. A retrospective study of malaria prevalence in children aged 0 – 14.9 years between January 2005 and December 2010 was conducted to establish the trends. There was an increase in the number of children with malaria infection from 2005 to 2010. Seasonal prevalence occurred with 52.3% malaria parasite infection during the rainy season and 47.7% during the dry season. Children between the ages of 0 – 3 years had the highest malaria prevalence between 2005 – 2010. There was an overall yearly increase in the number of malaria cases which may be as a result of influx of mothers/caregivers to the hospitals for further treatment after initial home management of malaria in their children.