No abstract

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of bovine mastitis, and to assess potential risk factors among lactating cows, both local and crossbreeds, in and around Eltarf town in northeast Algeria. A total of 324 lactating cows were included in the survey, examined for mastitis by clinical examination of the udder and teats and tested using the California Mastitis Test (CMT) to determine clinical and subclinical mastitis. Data was collected in a questionnaire during the farm visit. The overall prevalence was 41.66% (135/324), of which 9.80% (32/324) were clinical and 31.79% (103/324) subclinical cases. Out of 1296 quarters examined, the prevalence rate was 41.04% (532/1296), where 9.25% (120/1296) were clinical and 31.79% (412/1296) subclinical aspects of mastitis. Right Hind teats (RH) showed the highest rate of inflammation (51.54%), followed by the Left Hind (LH) teat in second place (44.44%), Right front quarter (RF; 36.11%) and lastly Left Front (LF; 32.09%). The relationships of risk factors with mastitis status were determined using Chi-square analysis, associations between mastitis and the independent variables, including parity and hygienic condition of the udder, teat and housing of cows were statistically significant (P<0.05) in the univariate analysis. Mastitis prevalence was significantly higher in cows having delivered four calves (87.50%) comparing to cows with less than four calves (28.16%), irrespective of lactation stage. Significantly higher mastitis prevalence was also observed in poor hygienic conditions (38.82%; P<0.05) than good hygienic condition (22.07%). Other risk factors such as breed, age, lactation stage, rearing system, housing system and tick control infestation did not differ significantly (P>0.05). This study indicated that mastitis is a prevalent disease and a serious problem across herds in and around the Eltarf district in Algeria. Further detailed epidemiological, microbiological, and economic analysis studies are required at the national level to tailor existing control and prevention strategies. Regular surveillance measures are recommended.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, affecting most warm-blooded animals. Assessing the seroprevalence of T. gondii in different animal species gives a good estimate of the global circulation of the parasite and the risk for human infections. However, the seroprevalence of T. gondii in dogs is not studied as much as other species, despite their close contact with wildlife and humans in rural or urban environments and evidence that dogs can also be a potential source for human contaminations. A commercial enzyme-inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies in sera of hunting dogs potentially naturally infected, was compared to the modified agglutination test (MAT), used as the reference method. The ELISA presented a sensitivity of 76.5% (CI 95%: 60.0–87.6) and a specificity of 87.7% (CI 95%: 76.7–93.9) and a substantial agreement with the MAT for the detection of canine anti-T. gondii antibodies. Both tests can therefore be used widely for epidemiology studies on T. gondii infections in dogs. With a mean seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in hunting dogs from northern Algeria of 36.8% (CI 95%: 34.9–38.7), this study also highlights the importance of T. gondii seroprevalence studies in companion animals to assess infectious risk for human populations.

No abstract

No abstract