Aim: A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2011 to April 2012 to determine the prevalence and species of gastrointestinal (GI) helminth parasites in pet and stray dogs as a potential risk for human health in Bahir Dar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Materials and Methods:A total of 384 and 46 faecal samples were collected from pet and stray dogs, respectively and examined by using standard coprologic techniques. Results:The overall prevalence of GI helminth infection in pet and stray dogs was 75.26 and 84.78%, respectively. The detected parasites with their frequencies in pet dogs were Ancylostoma caninum (78.89%), Toxocara canis (39.79%), Dipylidium caninum (29.75%), Strongyloides stercoralis (29.06%), Taeniidae (23.87%) and Trichuris vulpis (7.95%). Stray dogs were found more likely to be polyparasitized and presented higher prevalence of A. caninum, T. canis, S. stercoralis, Trichuris vulpis and Taeniidae (P < 0.05) than domiciled ones. Diphyllobothrium latum was detected only in 10.25% of stray dogs. Toxocara canis and A. caninum (P < 0.05) were detected more frequently in dogs with less than 6 months of age (P < 0.05) than old age dogs. The sex or breed groups didn't significantly affect the prevalence of parasites. A significant variation was recorded (P < 0.05) between different feeding systems where higher prevalence was observed in uncontrolled feeding group (82.18%) compared to controlled feeding (32.08%). Conclusion:Different gastrointestinal parasites in pet and stray dogs were identified in the study area that can potentially infect humans and cause serious public-health problems. Thus, concerted efforts should therefore be made to educate dog owners to embrace modern dog disease control programs and measures have to be taken on stray dogs.

A cross-sectional calf mortality study was conducted in urban and periurban dairy farms in Addis Ababa, special zones of Oromia and Amhara regions in July and August 2015. e objectives of the study were to estimate the annual mortality and to assess the major causes of calf mortality in the dairy farms. One-year retrospective data on calf mortality were collected from 330 farms by face-to-face interview using the pretested and structured questionnaire format and direct observation of farm practices. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify the predictor variables associated with early calf mortality. Data were analysed using Statistical Package, Stata SE for Windows, version 12.0. e annual mean calf mortality from birth-to-weaning was reported as 18.5% (95% CI: 12.6, 24.3%). e prenatal loss due to fetal death and stillbirth was 10.1% (95% CI: 6.7, 13.6%). e overall annual loss due to fetal death and calf preweaning mortality was 26.7% (95% CI: 21.2, 32.2%). Age-specific mortality declined with increased age, and the highest mortality was recorded during the first month of life extending up to the third month of age. Disease was the most important causes of calf mortality (73.2%). Among the diseases, diarrhea (63%) and respiratory disorders (17%) were the important causes of calf mortality. Malpractices in calf management were identified, including restricted colostrum and milk feeding, poor care and supplemental feeding, and poor health management. Interventions in dairy cattle health and farm husbandry are recommended to control calf mortality.

Background Parasitic diseases are the main challenge of livestock production in the world. They are mainly controlled by the use of anthelmintic drugs. To be effective, the drugs should contain the appropriate amount of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and have the required physical characteristics. In this study, qualitative and quantitative assessments were performed to evaluate the quality of different brands of albendazole tablets legally circulating in pharmaceutical markets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UVS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) were used for identification. Quantitative analysis was performed by HPLC. United States Pharmacopeia standard was used as a control to evaluate the identity and content of the API in the samples. A total of 10 batches of albendazole tablets from six different brands were collected and evaluated. Results All brands of albendazole tablets, except one, had acceptable physical characteristics. There was gross contamination in one batch, weight variation in 4 (40%) batches, and absence of package insert in 2 (20%) batches. All three methods of evaluation (UVS, FTIR and HPLC) confirmed that all batches passed the identity test. Quantitative analysis showed that no batch had API above the acceptable limit. However, 30% of batches from three different brands contained lower amount of API per tablet than the acceptable limit. Conclusions All batches of albendazole circulating in the market in Addis Ababa did not fulfil either physical or chemical quality standards. The most important finding of this research was the presence of drugs with lower level of API than the acceptable limit. This can lead to treatment failure and favour the emergence of parasites that are resistant to drugs. Therefore, there should be a thorough evaluation of drugs before approval. The study also revealed the importance of occasional assessment of drugs circulating even in the legal market. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40360-019-0299-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A cross sectional study was conducted from November 2008 to April 2009 in Hawassa town, southern Ethiopia to determine the overall mastitis prevalence and identify the role of potential risk factors in 183 randomly selected srnall holder lactating dairy cows of 53 high grade Holstein Friesian, 113 Holstein-indigenous zebu cross and 17 indigenous zebu breeds. Of the total 183 lactating smallholder dairy cows examined for bovine mastitis 9(4.9%) had clinical mastitis, while 56(30.6%) subclinical mastitis. Out of 9 (4.9%) clinical mastitis, 9.43 and 3.53% occurred in high grade Holstein and Holstein-indigenous zebu, respectively but indigenous zebu breeds was found not affected. Among the potential risk factors considered, breed (= 17.3, P< 0.05), presence of teat lesion and/or tick infestation (= 7.73, P< 0.05), stage of' lactation 2 2 (=l3.8, P< 0.05) and parity number (= l9.4, P< 0.05) had significant effect on the prevalence of subclinical 2 2 mastitis. Considering the possible significant economic losses that could be incurred by both clinical and subclinical mastitis, attention should be paid for further detailed investigation and control measures.

Trypanosomosis is a parasitic disease that causes serious economic losses in livestock, especially in sub-Saharan countries. This study was conducted from October 2010 to March 2011 in the Diga and Sasiga districts of the East Wollega zone in western Ethiopia to determine the prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis and its vectors. A total of 386 blood samples were collected from randomly selected animals. Packed cell volume (PCV) was determined and samples were examined for the presence of trypanosomes using the buffy coat technique. Out of 386 blood samples, 8.55% tested positive for trypanosomes. The majority of the infections were caused by Trypanosoma congolense (72.73%), followed by Trypanosoma vivax (27.27%). There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between districts, altitudes, sexes and ages, but the prevalence was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in cattle which were in poor body condition. The mean PCV value of infected animals (21.45 ± 3.62 s.d.) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of non-infected animals (26.60 ± 4.60 s.d.). A total of 1151 flies were caught by deploying 21 monoconical shaped traps. Of these flies, 822 (71.42%) were Glossina, whilst the remaining flies were either Stomoxys (17.20%) or Tabanus (11.38%). The overall apparent densities of tsetse and biting flies were 1.45 and 0.58 flies per trap per day, respectively. In conclusion, this study confirmed that trypanosomes and their vectors are prevalent and still pose a threat to cattle production in the area. Therefore, proper strategies have to be designed and implemented to minimise their effect on livestock production.