Animal Research International

938 – 941

Authors: IKPEZE, Obiora Osegboka

A West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep with typical symptoms of nasal myiasis was procured on 9th December, 2008 by the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) in Abia State, south-eastern Nigeria for the purpose of teaching the subject, ‘nasal myiasis’, to para-clinical students of veterinary entomology. A sagittal section of the head of the suspected sheep was carried out for post mortem examination, whereupon two mature maggots, identified as the third stage larvae of the sheep nostril fly Oestrus ovis, were observed in the ventral meatus. The preserved specimens will help to expand the students’ knowledge of the key identification features of the larva of Oestrus ovis, as well as the relative positions of the anatomical organs that may be affected by the developing larvae leading to pathological conditions which manifest as clinical symptoms of nasal myiasis in the sheep.

946 – 948

Authors: UMARU, Mohammed Aminu, ADEYEYE, Adewale Ayodeji, ABUBAKAR, Aminu and GARBA, Hamidu Sharubutu

A fifteen-year (1991 – 2005) study of reproductive cases in animals presented to the Usmanu Danfodio University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, were analyzed based on species, disease condition and sex using clinical case files of Sheep, goat and cattle. Within the study period a total of 88 reproductive cases were handled out of which 53 (57.95 %) occurred in sheep, 32(36.36 %) goat and 5(5.68 %) cattle. Dystocia 23(26.13 %), Pregnancy toxaemia 11(12.50 %), mastitis 9(10.23 %), castration 5(5.68 %) and orchitis 3(3.41 %) were the diseases recorded. Reproductive cases were higher in females 77(87.5 %) than in males 11(12.5 %). From the study, reproductive cases were most prevalent in sheep than in goats and cattle.

953 – 957

Authors: NWAOGU, Innocent Chima and FRANCIS, Blessing

Gross and histomorphological features of fetal and adult adrenals obtained from slaughtered Kano brown goats at Obollo Afor and Nsukka abattoirs were studied. The specimens were divided into groups A – D for gestation day (GD) 86-102, 103-124, 125 – 146 and adults respectively. The mass of the adrenals increased significantly with age. Microscopically, GD 86 – 102 adrenals comprised outer capsule, definitive zone (DZ), fetal zone (FZ) and medulla. By GD 103 – 124 they exhibited transitional zone with less dense packed cells when compared with outer definitive zone. Full term adrenals had definitive cortex with zona granulosa at the early formative stage. The adult adrenals exhibited structures with typical zonation of the cortex. The width of DC increased while that of FZ decreased significantly (P < 0.01) with increasing age of the fetuses. These results suggest that the adrenals of Kano brown goats undergo morphological developmental changes similar to those of other animals.

962 – 965

Authors: ONYECHI, Uchenna Agatha and UGWUNNADI, Ginikachi

A comparative study of the breakfast intake of school children between the ages of 10-12yeras in Nsukka urban and rural areas was investigated. Sixty urban and thirty rural school children were randomly selected from three primary schools. Data was collected using a structured; pre tested and validated questionnaire which was analysed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) and descriptive statistics (frequency distribution and percentages). Chi-square analysis was also used to compare the breakfast intake of these school children in the urban and rural areas. The result of the study showed a higher breakfast consumption of children in the rural than the urban areas though the result was not statistically significant. The percentage distribution showed that 90% of the rural children took breakfast compared to the 78.3% of the urban school children while 10% and 21.7% of the rural and urban children respectively did not consume breakfast. The factors that contributed to the rural children not taking breakfast include unavailability of food, and not being hungry. In the urban area the factors that affect breakfast intake include lack of time, not being hungry and unavailability of food. However, there was a significant difference (P<0.05) in the availability of food in rural homes and the quantity of food purchased in the market compared to the urban dwellers. The rural dwellers had more food in their homes and purchased less food in the market. Poverty was implicated as the major cause of low breakfast intake. Other factors that affected breakfast intake were family size, occupation of the head of the house hold and educational level.