A Participatory Investigation of Bovine Health and Production Issues in Pakistan

Abstract

Systems to record the frequency of animal health events in Pakistan are limited. A participatory approach was used to address gaps in farmers' knowledge and understanding of bovine health and production issues in five agroecological zones (AEZs) of Pakistan. Participatory tools, including simple ranking, pairwise ranking, constraint impact scoring, and constraint profiling were used in group discussions with farmers and animal health professionals (AHPs) in six districts of two provinces, Punjab and Sindh. The results of the ranking activities showed that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), clinical mastitis, ticks, hemorrhagic septicemia, reproductive disorders, blackleg, and endoparasites were the most important bovine health and production constraints for small-scale dairy farmers. Constraint impact scoring showed that the participants perceived that: (1) milk production was severely affected by FMD and mastitis; (2) blackleg and parasitism led to poor growth rates and reduced meat production; (3) reproductive disorders and mastitis caused major economic losses (due to the high cost of treatment); and (4) blackleg and hemorrhagic septicemia were the leading causes of mortality in cattle and buffaloes. Although there was strong agreement in responses and constraint impact scores between farmers and AHPs, farmers were more concerned about health issues that cause high mortalities, whereas AHPs emphasized the importance of disorders with a high economic impact. Despite socioeconomic differences among AEZs, farmers' knowledge about bovine health and production constraints was similar. The findings from this study revealed that farmers had limited understanding of the risk factors and routes of transmission of various infectious diseases of bovines, which emphasizes the need to develop and implement tailored extension programs in Pakistan to control contagious diseases of animals and to improve the profitability of small-scale dairy farmers.

Systematic Review of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens of Small Ruminants in Pakistan

“…in ticks of small ruminants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which reported a higher occurrence of the bacteria in ticks from sheep (39.1%) than those collected from goats (35.5%) [ 22 ]. Despite a widespread occurrence and the reported higher prevalence of A. ovis , the epidemiology of anaplasmosis in Pakistani small ruminants is poorly-understood, probably due to mild and/or asymptomatic infections in sheep and goats as well as the lack of record keeping by small-holder farmers [ 113 , 114 ]. Given the recently identified zoonotic potential of A. ovis and its ability to cause severe clinical disease particularly when present as a co-infection [ 113 , 115 ], future research should focus on understanding the disease epidemiology and vector competence of potential ticks known to infest small ruminants in different AEZs of the country.…”

“…In Pakistan, microscopy is the most commonly used method for the detection of TBPs in scientific studies. However, field diagnosis is usually made based on clinical signs and the history of tick exposure, mainly due to the unavailability of well-equipped veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the country [ 14 , 114 , 151 ]. To date, a few studies have used serological (ELISA, indirect fluorescence assay (IFA) and CFT) and molecular methods (cPCR, qPCR, nPCR and microfluidic real-time PCR); however, the sequencing of PCR amplicons has rarely been performed, thereby no detailed information is available on the genetic diversity of TBPs in small ruminants from Pakistan.…”

“…Farmer awareness campaigns should also be launched about the rational use of acaricides and risks associated with TTBPs, particularly in case of zoonotic TBPs. Participatory epidemiology (PE) could be very useful for such campaigns as well as for large-scale epidemiological investigations as it has been recently utilised for investigation of bovine health and production constraints in Pakistan [ 114 ]. Mobile phone-based applications to process images [ 170 ] could also be used for investigations on incidence, prevalence, risk factors and control practices for TTBDis of small ruminants as well as assessing related knowledge within communities in Pakistan and other parts of the world.…”

Ethnoveterinary Knowledge and Practice Applied to Domestic Animals Raised in the Ukraine Colonization Community of Palmital, Paraná State, South Brazil.

“…Ethnoveterinary knowledge has grown over centuries in different communities all over the world, and as commercial drugs are penetrating the most remote rural areas [28], this knowledge could disappear before fully understood. In rural areas the use of medicinal plants for animal health purposes is often the only option, since conventional treatments are expensive or require monitoring by a veterinarian [29][30]. Local knowledge does not stay unaltered under the arrival of another culture or technology [31].…”

Economic and Social Impacts of COVID-19 on Animal Welfare and Dairy Husbandry in Central Punjab, Pakistan

“…Almost 23.2 billion liters are sold untreated on markets through a supply chain that lacks suitable storage and proper temperature control conditions. The remainder is mostly used in the preparation of traditional products such as ghee, butter, sweets, and yogurts (17).…”