Animal Research International

3137 – 3143

Authors: IKPEGBU, Ekele, IBE, Chikera Samuel, NLEBEDUM, Uchenna Calistus and NNADOZIE, Okechukwu

The oesophageal micromorphology of the rodent, African Palm Squirrel was investigated to fill the dearth of information on the histology of this organ from available literature and help in understanding its digestive tract biology. The organ after harvesting was subjected to routine histological procedure for light microscopy. The organ microanatomy was typical of the histology of mammalian tubular organ. The well-developed epithelium was of stratified squamous cells. The laminar propria containing elastic tissue fibres was apparently smaller than the large epithelium and muscularis mucosae. The muscularis mucosae striated muscle was arranged longitudinally. The small submucosa contained thin regular connective tissue. The tunica muscularis was made up of skeletal muscle cells which were arranged in an inner circular and outer oblique orientation, with the myenteric plexus located between these two muscle layers. The adventitia contained blood vessels. The well-developed epithelium is an adaptation to rough and coarse feed it consumes in the wild especially the fibrous coat of the oil palm fruit and other hard nuts.

3151 – 3161

Authors: EKAYE, Sese-Owei, UWAGIE-ERO, Edwin Aihanuwa, ODIGIE, Eugene Amienwanlen and AGHAYEDO, Cosmos Oghogho

This study reports the possible ameliorative effect of Shea oil on the testes of Norwegian rats intoxicated with untreated refinery effluent. 3 groups of 10 animals each were treated with Effluent only, Effluent with Shea oil and an untreated control daily for 9 weeks. Rats were euthanised at 3, 6 and 9 weeks interval. After 9 week, rats were left for 21 days postexposure to recuperate. Body weight, testicular weight and morphology, heavy metal concentration in testes and histopathology of testes were estimated across the groups. There was a significant increase (p>0.05) in body and organ weights of treated rats compared to control. Gross organ morphology also varied widely between treated and control but this was not statistically significant. Lead and chromium concentrations in the testes were high in rats treated with effluent only. Histopathology of gonads also showed evidence of pathological effects in rats treated with effluent only as compared with control and ameliorated group. Rats treated and ameliorated with Shea oil showed normal histological architecture in their organs. The study concluded that Shea oil was effective in ameliorating the effects of untreated refinery effluent toxicity on the gonads of male rats.

3174 – 3185

Authors: ABDULKAREEM, Saratu Iyabode and OWOLABI, Olufemi David

This study investigated the toxicity effect of lethal concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on the blood morphology, haematology and histopathology of Heterobranchus longifilis. The fish were assessed in a semi-static bioassay for 96 hours in five different concentrations (0.00, 60.00, 80.00, 100.00, 120.00 and 140.00 mg/l) of ZnO-NPs. The 96-hour LC50 was estimated as 100 mg/l. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for morphological and haematological assays, while the fish was sacrificed to remove the gill and liver for histological bioassay. Results showed that the levels of haematological parameters such as red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin (HB) and packed cell volume (PCV) decreased significantly (p<0.05) compared to the control. The levels of white blood cell (WBC) and platelets increased significantly(p<0.05) compared to the control. Various pathological alterations such as oedema, epithelial lifting, necrosis, hyperplasia, lamellar disorganization and lamellar fusion were apparent in the gill of ZnO-NPs-exposed fish, while fatty degeneration, increased sinusoidal space, cytoplasmic degeneration, necrosis, and focal fibrosis were observed in the liver compared to the control. Different morphological alterations such as abnormal elliptical shape, irregular boundary with more than one lobopodial projections, shrinkage of erythrocytes, hole-like depression and spherocyte with double projections occurred in the erythrocytes of ZnO-NPs-exposed fish compared to the control. The results of this study revealed that lethal concentration of ZnO-NPs is harmful to Heterobranchus longifilis. Hence, the discharge of ZnO-NPs into water bodies should be regulated to guide against environmental hazards that may arise.

3198 – 3206

Authors: AKPAN, Akaninyene Udoh, EGWALI, Edwin Chuks, ESENOWO, Imeh Kokoette and AKPABIO, Eno Kinsley

The study, Preliminary Study on the Composition and Abundance of Shellfish: Decapoda: Crustacea, in Uta Ewa Estuary was carried out between January and May 2012. The physico-chemical parameters of the water were measured in situ using standard methods according to APHA, AWWA and WEF (1998). Shellfish specimens were sampled monthly. Air- and water-temperature ranged from 27.9 – 31.6 oc and 28.2 – 28.9 oc respectively, while DO, pH and salinity were between 3.28 – 4.09 mg/L, 6.40 – 7.7 ppm and 0.00 – 12.9 ppm respectively. The mean values of the physico-chemical parameters measured were not significant at r = 0.456. Pandalus sp. was the most abundant in station 1 accounting for 50.29 %, followed by Nematopalaemon hastatus which accounted for 29.21 % , while in station 2, N. hastatus was the most abundant, accounting for 39.78 %, followed by Pandalus sp. accounting for 31.40 % of the relative abundance. Panopeus africanus was the least collected shellfish species, it accounted for 0.14 % in station 1 and 0.45 % for station 2. Station 2 had shellfish Shannon diversity of 1.54 while station 1 had 1.31. The physico-chemical parameters showed significant relationship with the abundance of the shellfish species (p<0.05). The results of air- and water-temperature and pH were within limits of stipulated minimum values of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agencies (NESREA) for aquatic life. Uta Ewa estuary is rich with a wide variety of shellfish species of ecological and economical importance; hence the coastal area should be monitored and protected from pollution.

3213 – 3220

Authors: LAMIDI, Tajudeen Babatunde, IREEBANIJE, Francis James and DAMBURAM, Hussaina

The principal malaria vector in Africa south of the Sahara is Anopheles gambiae. This study aimed at determining the parity rates, survival rates and vector potentials of An. gambiae in Bali district Taraba State, Nigeria. Indoor mosquito collections were carried out between June and December 2018 using Pyrethrum Spray Catch in Daniya Bali, Fundalara and Gazabubarkeji communities. The number of people that slept overnight in the room was noted. Collected and freshly preserved mosquitoes were morphologically identified and female An. gambiae was counted. The ovaries of fed and unfed An. gambiae were extracted and quickly transferred to drop of distilled water on the slide and examined under high magnification for tracheal skein and classified as parous or nulliparous. The blood meal source of blood fed samples was determined using CSPELISA. A total number of 485 adult An. gambiae species were identified. The probabilities of daily survival of individuals of the mosquito, 0.75 and 0.688 during wet and dry seasons were not significantly different (p>0.05). The life expectancy of adult mosquitoes was 8.0 and 5.9 days during wet and dry seasons and was significantly different (p<0.05). During wet season the mosquitoes survive long enough to become infectious than during dry season. The vectorial capacities was higher significantly in wet season 1.98 than that of the dry season 0.09 (p<0.05). The An. gambiae population in Bali district was dominantly old ones due to high rates of daily survival. The longevity of the mosquito makes for high vectorial potential.

3226 – 3237

Authors: OLADIMEJI, Yusuf Usman, GALADIMA, Sidi Ali, HASSAN, Abubakar Abdullahi, SANNI, Abdullahi Abubakar, ABDULRAHMAN, Sani, EGWUMA, Henry, OJELEYE, Adebayo Oluwaseun and YAKUBU, Ado

The aim of this paper is to analyze risks in fish farming systems in Oyo and Kwara States, Nigeria. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaire with personal interview method by trained enumerators. The data collected belonged to the 2015/2016 production year. The total respondents (277) in the two states were separated to concrete pond fish farmers (123) and earthen pond fish farmers (154). Descriptive statistics, safety model and multinomial logit model were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that concrete system was more hired labour driven, relatively had higher formal education, and higher total investment and credit utilized compared to earthen system. The results of the risk preference revealed that of 123 respondents in concrete pond system, 52 % are risk preferring, 34 % are risk neutral and 16 % are risk averse, indicating better risk seeking compared with 154 respondents in earthen pond system with 21.4 % being risk preferring, 59.7 % being risk neutral and 18.8 % risk averse. The results of the estimates of the explanatory variables revealed that that the set of significant explanatory variables and their signs vary across the concrete and earthen pond systems. It would be concluded that the determinants of fish farmers’risk status differ considerably between concrete and earthen pond systems. Fish farmers needs to be sensitized through seminars, workshops and trainings in seeking risk by extension personnel in collaboration with agricultural insurance firms, this will go a long way in improving fish production among respondents.

3247 – 3254

Authors: NWANKWO, Ogonna Daniel and EWUIM, Sylvanus Chima

The first inventory of Nigeria spiders was a combination of a field study carried out in Awka, south-east zone and collation of data on Nigeria spiders from experts across the globe. The sampling work in Awka was the second spider study in south-east and was done once a month for twelve months. A total of 238 species, 140 genera in 34 families were recorded from Nigeria in the present study. This is 2.4 % of the world spiders from 19 locations. No spider related research has ever taken place in the whole of north-west zone, while just a single species, Hersilia caudata recorded from the north-east zone. Salticidae was the most dominant family representing 35.0 % of the total species in Nigeria. It is also the most distributed alongside Araneidae and Sparassidae. They were found in four of the six zones of the country. Out of the 15 families that were exclusive to different zones, Nesticidae, Oxyopidae and Gnaphosidae were from Awka. Only eight out of the 34 families in Nigeria were not found in the south-west zone making south-west the most diverse in terms of population and diversity. Also, with six different locations, South-west stood as the most studied zone in Nigeria. It could be concluded from the result that very little is known of Nigeria spiders due to very little work done so far. Finally, the findings of this study provide a comprehensive data on Nigeria spiders.

3265 – 3272

Authors: OPEYEMI, Olufunke Adenike, BABAMALE, Olarewaju Abdulkareem, SHITTU, Olalere, MOHAMMAD, Mosleh Uddin and UGBOMOIKO, Uade Samuel

In spite of their zoonotic potentials, ectoparasites of domestic animals are less studied in many part of Nigeria. This study therefore investigated the seasonal distribution and common management practices of dogs’ ectoparasites in Ilorin, North-Central Nigeria. Information on dog’s bio-data, activities and control measures adopted by owners were obtained using structured questionnaire. Dogs were examined for ectoparasites using standard parasitological method. Out of the 164(48.9 %) male and 170(51.1 %) female dogs examined, a total of 52.0 % harbored at least one of five species of ectoparasites identified in the study: ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 70.3 %, Haemaphysalis leachii, 29.4 % and Amblyomma variegatum, 4.5 %), Flea (Ctenocephalides canis, 63.7 %) and lice (Heterodoxus spiniger, 30.0 %). Infestation was higher in males (60.7 %) than females (43.5 %). Multiple infestation particularly combination of tick and flea (34.7 %) were more frequent. Puppies of ≤ 6 months and dogs with short hair (86.5 %) were significantly infested (p<0.05). Analysis of seasonal distribution showed that ectoparasites were more abundant during the rainy season than the dry. The practice of allowing dogs to associate with other dogs; defecate and roam around the premises was significantly associated with increased infestation (p<0.05). Bathing of dogs with locally formulated chemicals significantly reduced infestation; however, they were not recommended acaricides. Some dog owners still employ handpicking, removal by brush or application of kerosene as best practices for controlling ectoparasites; hence, adequate knowledge on safe and reliable methods of control is exigent.