Background. In early 2010, outbreaks of lead poisoning due to artisanal gold mining in villages in the northwest Nigerian state of Zamfara have resulted in the death of hundreds of children < 5 yea...

To investigate Eschericiacoli infections in poultry flocks, 291 tissue samples from 237 necropsied carcasses submitted from ninety-nine (99) poultry flocks in north central Nigeria were analysed. These flocks comprised layer chicken, broiler, pullet, cockerel, turkey, quail, guinea fowl and ducks. Tissue samples were pre-enriched in 10 mL buffered peptone water media and aliquots were inoculated into selective enrichment broth, sub-cultured onEosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar and MacConkey agar (MCA) and colonies of E. coli was examined based on cultural morphological characteristics. Layer poultry and laying quails exhibited reproductive lesions which correlates with history of disruption and reduction in egg production. Antibiotics resistance rate was significant (p <0.01) with macrolide and penicillin classes been the most resistant antibiotics in layers and broiler, while quinolones and aminoglycoside were most significantly susceptible (p <0.01). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was found in 56% of the E. coli isolates, with high prevalence in younger birds.

Newcastle disease (ND) is an infectious viral poultry disease with great economic consequences. In developing countries, outbreaks of ND caused by virulent NDV have been identified as limiting factor to the growth of the poultry industry. Limited reports exist on the pathology of natural field infection caused by NDV genotype XVII in chickens. Here, we present clinical, pathological and molecular investigation of confirmed ND in a 24 week-old layer-type, semi-intensive poultry flock with recorded mortality of over 50%. During PM examination, tissues were harvested for virus isolation, histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Virus isolation was performed in 10-day-old embryonated chicken eggs and haemagglutinating agent thereof identified by one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). For the genotyping of the isolate, the full fusion gene was sequenced. Clinical signs observed included general body lethargy, inappetence and greenish diarrheic faeces from the cloaca before death with daily mortality exceeding 100 chickens. The pathology is characteristic of a viral hemorrhagic infection, with serosal haemorrhages, mucosal surface erosion and ulceration. In most of the carcasses, the main lesions seen include airsacculitis, meningeal congestion, haemorrhagic oophoritis, pancreatic necrosis, enteritis and faecal matting of the vent. Virus isolation and RT-PCR made a confirmatory diagnosis of ND. Based on the cleavage site motif sequence (¹¹²RRQKR/F¹¹⁷), the isolate was identified as a virulent strain with phylogenetic analysis showing clustering in genotype XVII viruses. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report describing the pathological findings of a natural outbreak caused by ND involving viruses of genotype XVII. Research Highlights

H5 and H7 subtypes are associated with the highly pathogenic form of AI (HPAI), which are extremely virulent, causing up to 100% mortality in domestic poultry. This virulence and ability to cause systemic infection have been attributed to the multibasic cleavage motif in their hemagglutinin molecule, which are recognized by subtilisin-like endoproteases that are virtually present in every tissue, making them capable of replicating in multiple tissue; hence, lesions are multisystemic (i.e., nervous, circulatory, respiratory, integumentary, musculoskeletal, hemopoietic, gastrointestinal, reproductive systems). The myriads of lesion that accompanied outbreaks of HPAI in domestic poultry as seen in Nigeria from 2006 to 2016 are as a result of the above findings. A critical look at the Nigerian HPAI situation not only revealed the general clinic-pathologic features in domestic poultry and factors that support the persistence of the virus in the environment but also gave insight to the flow of the virus in the country. A situation whereby poultry are kept in free-range, multispecies, multiage holdings with low biosecurity supports the spread of HPAI. Also, the live bird markets (LBMs) that have been fed by this unorganized poultry structure have consistently been the nidus for HPAI detection, be it in 2008 after the virus was thought to have been eradicated or in 2015, when the virus resurfaced in Lagos. It is proposed that all factors enhancing the propensity of the virus to remain in poultry should be giving the attention required. Therefore, it is important that the strict biosecurity measures that ensure prevention of HPAI incursion into poultry premises after 2008 are revamped while improving on the organization of the poultry and product supply chain in the country.

Thirty dogs (< 1 year) which reported to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, State Veterinary Hospital and City Veterinary clinic, Ibadan between October 2023 and February 2024 and had clinical signs of depression, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and fever were tested for canine parvovirus-2 by rapid antigen test and confirmed by PCR. Clinical signs (CS) presumptively diagnosed and CPV positive antigen tested dogs were recruited. A 13.33% infectivity rate was recorded in 4-weekolds and 20% in adult dogs between 7 and 12 months of age contrary to belief of parvoviral enteritis in dogs above 6 weeks. A combination of clinical signs in 28 of 30 dogs, 93.3% (95% CI: 77.9-98.2%, p ≤ 0.9918), were positive for CPV-2, and laboratory markers (LM) including leukopenia seen in 90% of CPV infected and thrombocytopenia observed in 100% of CPV infected dogs (95% CI: 88.4 - 100.0%, p ≤ 1.000) were confirmed positive for CPE, against 100.0% antigen detection (95% CI: 88.4 - 100.0%, p ≤ 1.000) in CPV infected. Therefore, the Clinical Signs and Laboratory Markers (CSLM) method for diagnosing CPE competes favorably with rapid antigen detection of Canine Parvovirus-2. The CSLM method can be explored as an alternate diagnostic tool in resource limited environments.