In the present study, the humoral immune response developed following vaccination with the live-attenuated (Smithburn) Rift Valley fever (RVF) vaccine in sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes and camels was investigated.Results showed that, serum neutralizing antibody titers of RVF virus started to appear in the sera of all vaccinated animals with live-attenuated Rift valley fever vaccine after the first week post-vaccination and reached its peak after the third month of vaccination. It persisted to be higher than the acceptable limit of protection (>40) in the sera of sheep and goats in more than 6 months post-vaccination while it declined in the sera of cattle, buffaloes and camels to become lower than the acceptable limit of protection (<40) after the sixth month post-vaccination. On the other hand, the serum neutralizing antibody titers remained negative in the sera of non-vaccinated (control) animals throughout the study.It could be concluded that, the neutralizing antibodies following vaccination of cattle, buffaloes and camels with live attenuated RVF (Smithburn) vaccine was low and of a short duration compared with those in sheep and goats. Hence, it is important to prepare a new vaccine which is safe and gives a high immune response for long period in cattle, buffaloes and camels instead of live attenuated (Smithburn) RVF vaccine to protect these animals species against this disease.

To investigate the effect of different serum storage methods on reactivity of bovine Brucella antibodies in serodiagnostic tests, sera were collected from Brucella infected cattle and stored either in a refrigerator at 4 • C or in a deep freezer at-20 • C mean while reference serum samples were stored at 4 • C,-20 • C and-80 • C.

During summer 2004, an outbreak of bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) had been spread among cattle as well as buffaloes in Egypt. The most striking clinical signs in cattle were fever of short duration, depression, stiffness, lameness and sometime recumbency. Young calves, unfattened bulls and dry, lean non-pregnant cows showed only mild signs while fattened calves, mature heavy bulls and high-producing dairy cows and cows at the late stages of pregnancy were severely affected and signs persisted longer. Deaths and other complications accompanied the disease such as subcutaneous emphysema was not recorded in these outbreaks. In buffaloes, the clinical signs were mild and less severe compared with that of cattle. Serological examination of paired serum samples collected from the diseased animals using serum neutralization test revealed rising of the neutralizing antibody titers for BEF virus after 3 weeks from the onset of clinical signs. Blood picture and biochemical analysis of sera of 6 diseased animals, showed anemia represented by significant decrease in RBCS, PCV% and Hb content. The leukogram showed neutrophihia and lymphopenia with normal leukocytic count. There was rise in plasma fibrinogen with drop in calcium and phosphorus values. All of these parameters were more or less improved three weeks post-recovery. Good nursing care with early treatment with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (Phenylbutazone) or administration of calcium borogluconate of lame or recumbent animals lead to rapid and prompt recovery.