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An examination of raw milk for the isolation of coliforms as members of mastitis-causing organisms was conducted on 300 cows from four Local Government Areas in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. A 10.3% prevalence was recorded for coliform organisms using the Microgen GN-ID A+B Kit (MedicaTec TM ), these were; Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Serratia marcescens, Proteus spp. and Pantoea agglomerans (similar to Enterobacter aerogenes). Antibiotic sensitivity test using commonly available antibiotics showed that all isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin, but resistant to tetracycline and erythromycin. Age, parity number, stage of lactation, management system, hygiene of milking process, and presence of lesion on udder/teat were found to be significantly associated (p<0.05) with the prevalence of mastitis in cows. The lowest prevalence (24%; 48 of 200) was recorded in cows within 3 to 4 years of age while, the highest (60.6%; 20 of 33) was in cows aged above 5 years. Stage of lactation was significant with the prevalence of mastitis being the highest (45.5%; 30 of 66) during the initial stage of lactation (0 to 5 month). It was concluded that, the relatively high prevalence of coliforms in bovine mastitis in dairy herds could significantly reduce milk production and cause economic losses. Good hygiene in milking process, milking clinically infected cows last, culling chronic mastitis cases, treating clinically infected cows and dry period therapy could reduce the prevalence of coliform mastitis in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

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Zoonotic diseases accounts for about 75% of emerging infectious disease and can be devastating to both human and animal health globally. A subset of zoonotic diseases is referred to as “neglected zoonotic diseases - NZDs” as they mainly affect poor populations who live in close proximity to domestic or wild animals often in areas where access to health and adequate sanitary facilities are not available. Furthermore, underestimation of the burden of NZD has continually led to its further neglect in least developed countries such as Nigeria. Controlling zoonotic infections including NZDs in animals is crucial in reducing human infections. Veterinarians provides an understanding of the epidemiology of infectious diseases in animal population and are therefore integral for the overall reduction in global burden of NZDs worldwide. Due to the current lack of and in some cases weak involvement of Veterinarians in policy issues related to zoonotic diseases, there is need to elucidate their importance in NZDs control in Nigeria. This review therefore summarises the neglected zoonotic diseases so far documented in Nigeria and also highlight the important role of the Veterinarian in their prevention and control within both human and animal population. Important recommendations to strengthen the role of the public health Veterinarian for sustainable control of NZDs were made.