The productivity of smallholder sheep and goat flocks is constrained by high morbidity and mortality of young stock due to helminthosis and coccidiosis. We hypothesized that gastrointestinal parasites are prevalent and may cause severe infections amongst small ruminants in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and December 2019 to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and levels of infection with gastrointestinal strongyle and coccidia in selected smallholder goat flocks in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. A total of 257 blood and fecal samples and management data were collected from four farms in Negeri Sembilan. Gastrointestinal parasites were detected by routine sodium chloride floatation, and the McMaster technique was used to quantify the fecal eggs/oocysts per gram outputs (EPG/OPG). The severity of infection was classified as mild (50–799), moderate (800–1200), or severe (>1200). The packed cell volume (PCV) was determined by microhematocrit centrifugation and classified as anemic or non-anemic. Coprological examination revealed an overall prevalence of 78.6% (CI = 72.74–83.44) and 100% flock level prevalence of strongyle and coccidia infection among goats from Negeri Sembilan with a higher infection in flock A-Lenggeng (95.6%) than B-Senawang (87.3%), D-Mendom (80.6%), or C-Seremban (60.0%). The co-infections of strongyle + Eimeria (50.6; CI = 44.50 to 56.64) were more common than single infections of either strongyle (16.7%; CI = 12.66 to 21.78) or Eimeria (4.3%; CI = 2.41 to 7.50). Quantitative analysis has revealed different (p < 0.05) patterns of EPG/OPG in various categories of goats. In total, there were 49.8% mild, 8.6% moderate, and 13.6% severe infections of strongyle and 40.1% mild, 6.6% moderate, and 19.8% severe infections of coccidia among goats. The mean PCV of goats with severe strongyle infection (24.60 ± 0.85) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the moderate (26.90 ± 1.15), or mild (28.23 ± 0.50) infections and the uninfected (30.4 ± 0.71). There were increased odds of infection with strongyle and coccidia among female (OR = 3.2) and adult (OR = 11.0) goats from smallholder flocks in Negeri Sembilan. In conclusion, gastrointestinal strongyles and coccidia occur at high frequency among smallholder goats, and there is a higher risk of infection amongst the adult and female stock.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic inflammatory and zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) members, which affects various domestic animals, wildlife, and humans. Some wild animals serve as reservoir hosts in the transmission and epidemiology of the disease. Therefore, the monitoring and surveillance of both wild and domestic hosts are critical for prevention and control strategies. For TB diagnosis, the single intradermal tuberculin test or the single comparative intradermal tuberculin test, and the gamma-interferon test, which is regarded as an ancillary test, are used. Postmortem examination can identify granulomatous lesions compatible with a diagnosis of TB . In contrast, smears of the lesions can be stained for acid-fast bacilli, and samples of the affected organs can be subjected to histopathological analyses. Culture is the gold standard test for isolating mycobacterial bacilli because it has high sensitivity and specificity compared with other methods. Serology for antibody detection allows the testing of many samples simply, rapidly, and inexpensively, and the protocol can be standardized in different laboratories. Molecular biological analyses are also applicable to trace the epidemiology of the disease. In conclusion, reviewing the various techniques used in MTBC diagnosis can help establish guidelines for researchers when choosing a particular diagnostic method depending on the situation at hand, be it disease outbreaks in wildlife or for epidemiological studies. This is because a good understanding of various diagnostic techniques will aid in monitoring and managing emerging pandemic threats of infectious diseases from wildlife and also preventing the potential spread of zoonotic TB to livestock and humans. This review aimed to provide up-to-date information on different techniques used for diagnosing TB at the interfaces between wildlife, livestock, and humans.

Wild animals are considered reservoirs, contributing to the transmission of emerging zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis (TB). A cross-sectional study was conducted by opportunistic sampling from fresh carcasses of free-ranging wild boar (n = 30), and free-ranging wild macaques (n = 42). Stained smears from these tissues were tested for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) with Ziehl–Neelsen staining. Mycobacterial culture was conducted using Lowenstein–Jensen media and Middlebrook 7H11 agar media. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed through the detection of the 16S rRNA gene, with multiple sets of primers for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). In wild boars, 30% (9/30; 95% Confidence Interval: 16.7–47.9%) of examined samples showed gross tuberculosis-like lesions (TBLLs). Multiple nodular lesions that were necrotic/miliary with cavitation were found in the submandibular lymph nodes, tonsils, lungs, kidney and liver, while single nodular lesions were found in the mediastinal lymph nodes, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. Conventional PCR on the submandibular lymphoid tissues of wild boar (nine samples with TBLLs and three non-TBLL samples) showed that 75% (9/12) were positive for Mycobacterium bovis (95% CI: 46.8–91.1), and 91% (CI: 64.6–98.5) were positive for Mycobacterium avium. For macaques, 33.3% (10/30) were positive for M. avium (95% CI: 19.2–51.2) but negative for MTBC.

The contraception-based approach to wildlife management is a humane and effective alternative to population control methods. Wildlife management only has a few conventional ways to control overpopulation, such as culling, translocation, poisoning, and allowing natural death. Nevertheless, these methods usually have short-term, lethal, and unethical effects. The present systematic review aims to review the knowledge on contraception reported in long-tailed macaques as an alternative to population control. We obtained 719 records from searching CABI, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus electronic databases. After the screening and selection process, according to PRISMA guidelines, 19 articles that met the eligibility criteria were chosen. Of the 19 articles, 15 were studies on female long-tailed macaque contraception methods (six (6) hormonal and nine (9) non-hormonal). We analyzed four (4) selected articles on male Cynomolgus monkey contraception methods (two (2) hormonal and two (2) non-hormonal). One of the nine (9) articles on female long-tailed macaque contraception reports negative results. Furthermore, only two (2) studies used free-ranging long-tailed macaques as test subjects, while seventeen (17) tested on captive ones. The challenges of long-tailed macaque contraception identified in this review were the effectiveness of the contraceptive, the administration route, the economic feasibility, the distinction between captive and free-ranging Cynomolgus macaques, the choice of permanent or reversible contraception, the capability of contraceptive use for population control, and the lack of studies on the free-ranging long-tailed macaque. Notwithstanding the literature gap on long-tailed macaque contraception for population control, long-tailed macaque contraception exhibits potential as an alternative method to culling long-tailed macaque. Future research should address these obstacles to support the long-tailed macaque contraception as an alternative population control method.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic inflammatory and zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) members, affecting several domestic animals, wildlife species and humans. The preliminary investigation was aimed to detect antibody against MTBC among indigenous wildlife which are free-ranged wild boar, free-ranged wild macaques and captive Asian elephants in selected areas of Selangor and elephant conservation centre in Pahang, respectively. The results indicate that MTBC serodetection rate in wild boar was 16.7% (7.3–33.5 at 95% Confidence Interval) using an in-house ELISA bPPD IgG and 10% (3.5–25.6 at 95% CI) by DPP^®VetTB assay, while the wild macaques and Asian elephant were seronegative. The univariate analysis indicates no statistically significant difference in risk factors for sex and age of wild boar but there was a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) between bovine TB in dairy cattle and wild boar seropositivity in the Sepang district.