ABOUT JVMAH

Probiotics have been recently defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization/ World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. A good probiotic should be non-pathogenic, non-toxic and capable of exerting beneficial effect on the host animal. It should be present as viable cells and capable of surviving and metabolizing in the gut environment. It should also be stable and capable of remaining viable for periods under storage and field conditions. Probiotics have been shown to promote growth, improve efficiency of feed utilization, protect host from intestinal infection and stimulate immune responses in farm animals. In laying chicken, probiotics increased hen-gay egg production. Weight gain performance was significantly increased in broilers and turkeys. In ruminants, probiotics also improved growth rate. Increased weight gain and higher efficiency of feed utilization were the results of the trials in pigs. Mortalities especially due to diarrhoea were reduced in pigs. The beneficial effects of probiotics in animal production have been related to different modes of action. The improvements in productive performance of all animal species fed with probiotics were mostly due to the fact that probiotics promoted the metabolic processes of digestion and nutrient utilization. In view of severe restriction of total ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and therapeutic agents in poultry industry, the search for alternatives to replace antibiotics has gained increasing interest in animal nutrition. Gut micro flora appears to be the target for IFAs and alternatives to exert health benefits and some growth-promoting effects. Subsequent to banning of use of antibiotics as growth promoter sin poultry nutrition, numerous studies turned to finding of alternative solutions, that is, other natural substances, which would have positive effect on chicken growth and feed conversion. Today, several groups of these additives are in use and most often probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotic, acidifiers and phytobiotics additives. Considering that each of the stated groups has its own specificities, the objective of this work was to present main mechanism of their action and to present their effect on production results in fattening of broiler chickens through review of research published in this field. Participatory appraisal was applied to determine the major cattle diseases and investigate the epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in South Omo pastoral and agro-pastoral livestock production system. Furthermore, assessment of associated risk factors in particular concern to local production system was conducted by participatory appraisal. The participatory methods used were clinical observation, matrix ranking and scoring, proportional piling and seasonal calendar. The result of matrix ranking and scoring showed that hemorrhagic septicemia, contagious bovine pleuro pneumonia (CBPP), trypanosomosis, FMD, black leg and anthrax were the major diseases of cattle in South Omo zone. The finding of seasonal calendar indicated that incidence of FMD was found to be high during the dry season than cold dry season. The lowest incidence was reported during the rainy season. Similarly, contact of herds with wild animals increased during dry season than rainy season. Based on this finding participatory epidemiology was found to be an important approach in veterinary investigations and it can also be used besides to conventional approaches. A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2010 to August 2012 to determine the prevalence of camel hydatidosis and associated risk factors in camels slaughtered for human consumption at Akaki municipal abattoir. The results of this study revealed that out of 770 camels slaughtered, 474 (61.6 %) were harboring hydatid cysts with varying numbers and sizes in different organs (3850) in the following manner; liver (53.51%), lungs (40.39%), heart (0.13%), gastrointestinal track (GIT, 0.9%) and Kidneys (0.13%). The positive samples were put in plastic bags and taken to the laboratory for characterization of the cysts for fertility and viability. There was no significant variation between camels of different origins and the anatomo-morphological features of the cysts. The infection rates varied significantly among age groups (p<0.05), sex (p<0.005) and body condition score (p<0.05) of camels. The prevalence was found to be high (61.94%) in higher age group animals, that is, greater than 10 years as compared to 3 to 5 years (25%). The mean intensity of hydatid cyst among affected camels was found to be 3.1±5.8. Out of the examined cysts, 41.5% were found to be fertile and viable, while 18.3, 21.3 and 18.9% were non-viable, sterile and calcified cysts, respectively. The fertility of the cysts was 68.5 and 70.7% in liver and lungs, respectively.The high prevalence of camel hydatidosis affecting different organs indicates the seriousness of this disease particularly in the area of the origin of these animals that require an immediate control intervention.