Animal Research International

2475 – 2482

Authors: SAM, Idorenyin Meme, AKPA, Grald Nwachi, ALPHONSUS, Cyprian, NWAGU, Bartholomew Ifeanyi and ADEYINKA, Isaac

This study was conducted to determine the haemoglobin (Hb) and potassium (K) polymorphism and its distribution in agro-pastoral goats herd of Sudan savanna zone of Nigeria. Five (5l) ml of blood samples were collected each from 250 smallholder agropastoral goats and used for this study. The blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture, using a needle and syringe into a test tube containing ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an anticoagulant and samples were properly labelled. The electrophoretic analysis showed three haemoglobin genotypes HbAA, HbAB and HbBB. These genotypes were produced by 2 co-dominant alleles HbA and HbB. The genotypic frequencies were 0.47, 0.43 and 0.099 for HbAA, HbAB and HbBB, respectively. The preponderance of HbA alleles (0.683) was twice its co-dominant allele HbB (0.316). The Chi-square test revealed that the population of goats in the study area was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The gene frequencies of potassium polymorphism were 0.844 and 0.156 for high (HK) and low potassium (LK) types, respectively. The genotypic frequencies were 0.91 for HK and 0.01 for LK in the overall population. The observed frequencies of potassium types were also in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both locations and the overall population. thus suggesting that random mating occurred for the system under study and artificial selection has not much been practised by the smallholder agro-pastoral goats farmers in the study area.

2492 – 2503

Authors: IGHODARO, Osasenaga Macdonald, AKINLOYE, Oluseyi Adeboye, UGBAJA, Regina Ngozi and OMOTAINSE, Samuel Olatunbosun

In view of antidiabetic and antioxidant properties observed in a previous study, the crude ethanol leaf extract of Sapium ellipticum (SE) was fractionated using Silica gel F254 column chromatography to yield 164 fractions. Pooling together of fractions with similar thin layer chromatographic (TLC) mobility profile afforded five major fractions with masses ranging from 0.06 to 2.09 g, and retention factor (RF) ranging from 0.59 to 0.87. Bioactivity of the fractions obtained was evaluated against streptozotocin-induced oxidative stress and diabetes in adult Wistar rats. HPLC-MS analysis of active fractions in dynamic MRM mode using compound-specific parameters revealed the presence of lupeol, luteolin-7-O-glucosides, amentoflavone and α-tocopherol in S. ellipticum leaf extract. This array of phytochemicals present in the plant extract is arguably responsible for its pharmacological and medicinal properties.

2510 – 2517

Authors: UYI, Osariyekemwen Osa and IGBINOBA, Osarieme Georgina

Although several studies have demonstrated the repellent and insecticidal activities of the leaf extracts or powder of the invasive alien plant, Chromolaena odorata against stored product pests, studies focusing on the activities of the roots are scarce. The present study investigated the repellent and insecticidal activity of C. odorata root powder against the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus. Beetle infested cowpea grains were exposed to two concentrations (2.43 and 3.98 g) of C. odorata root powder for 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours after which percentage repellence and mortality were calculated. The root powder of C. odorata significantly repelled C. maculatus, and the repellent activity was a function of both concentration and exposure time. Following a 48-hour exposure period, 3.98 g of C. odorata root powder exhibited the highest (91%) repellent activity against C. maculatus. Mortality of C. maculatus caused by the root powder of C. odorata plants was high and also observed to be concentration and exposure time-dependent. At a low concentration of 2.43 g, C. odorata root powder accounted for 100 % mortality of C. maculatus after a 72-hour exposure period. This study demonstrates the potential of C. odorata root powder in the control of C. maculatus in Nigeria and portends an avenue for the utilization of an invasive alien weed in Nigeria.

2526 – 2539

Authors: AMAECHI, Miracle Ngozika, UGOCHUKWU, Chukwuebuka Iniobong Ikenna, EZE, Ikenna Onyema and UGOCHUKWU, Emmanuel Ikenna

The comparative efficacy of diaminazine aceturate (DA) and isomethamedium chloride (IC) was investigated in Trypanosoma brucei brucei infected domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cunisculus). A total of eighteen rabbits were used for the study. The rabbits were divided into six groups of three each. All the rabbits in groups B – F were infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei, while those in group A served as the negative control (uninfected and untreated group). Group B contained the infected and untreated (positive control group), Group C rabbits were infected and treated with DA at 3.5 mg/kg, Group D was infected and treated with DA 7 mg/kg, Group E contained the infected and treated with 3.5 mg/kg of DA combined with 1.0 mg/kg of IC and Group F contained the infected and treated with 7 mg/kg of DA combined with 1.0 mg/kg of IC. The weekly rectal temperature, body weight gain, packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count, haemoglobin concentration (HbC), total leucocyte count (TLC), differential leucocyte count (DLC), clinical signs and survivability and rate of parasite clearance were used to assess the efficacy of the drugs and drug combinations. The parasites cleared from groups E and F 24 hours post-treatment, while in group D, it was 48 hours post-treatment. The rabbits in group C and group B died within 13 – 19 and 50 – 52 days post-infection (PI), respectively. Relapse was recorded in all the rabbits treated only wit DA. There was significant (p<0.05) reductions in weight, PCV, erythrocyte count, HbC and TLC. The significant (p<0.05) increase in temperature following infection were reversed by the treatments, this reversal, however, was faster and lasted longer in the combined treatment groups (E and especially F) than in the single treatment group. The results of this study suggest that the combined treatments of DA and IC produced a better therapeutic effect than DA only.

2544 – 2547

Authors: HASSAN, Husain Fadhil, FADHIL, Marwan Hussein and FADHIL, Zeynab Hussein

A total of fifty-eight isolates of Echinococcus granulosus was collected from human, sheep, goat and cattle origins and characterized using PCR-RFLP methods. The results indicated that the cosmopolitan sheep strain of E. granulosus is the most prevalent strain in Kirkuk, Iraq. The study furthermore demonstrated that the form of Echinococcus that infect humans in Kirkuk, Iraq is a sheep strain.

2554 – 2561

Authors: OLANREWAJU, Adewale Nurudeen, KAREEM, Oladeji Kazeem and SHOBOWALE, Joel Oyebola

The nutrient composition of fish has been established to vary with species and growing environment. Hence, the proximate composition and mineral contents of Schilbe mystus and Heterotis niloticus in Lake Alau were investigated to determine their nutritive value. A total of 10 fresh samples of each species were obtained from fishermen catch (weight: 315.20 – 436.10 g) were separately stunted, de-gutted, washed, grounded and analyzed for moisture, crude protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium and magnesium following standard procedures. Mean moisture (62.95 ± 1.97 %) and ash (2.40 ± 0.21 %) contents were higher in H. niloticus, while crude protein content (35.20 ± 1.48 %) was significantly higher (p<0.05) in S. mystus. Also, the fat content was significantly higher in H. niloticus (12.20 ± 1.08 %) than in S. mystus (3.97 ± 0.39 %). Carbohydrate value was higher (p>0.05) in S. mystus (2.20 ± 0.33 %) than in H. niloticus (1.85 ± 1.01 %). Values of iron (1.16 ± 0.35 %) and potassium (5.50 ± 0.50 %) were marginally higher in S. mystus, while sodium (85.10 ± 12.81 %) was significantly higher (p<0.05) in S. mystus. This study thus provides baseline information on the present nutritive status of the two freshwater finfish species in Lake Alau.