The increasing public health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been linked to the extensive antimicrobial use (AMU) in food animals. We conducted a survey among ruminant farmers in Selangor, Malaysia to assess their level of awareness on AMR, attitudes towards AMU, and determinants that influence their practices. The survey was developed in English and Malay, validated, and administered to ruminant farmers in Selangor. A total of 84 farmers (response rate of 55%) completed the structured questionnaire. They appeared to be little aware of AMR and the impact on animals and public health. Indications of inappropriate AMU include their misconception on conditions requiring antibiotic therapy and easy accessibility to antibiotics. More than 70% (60/84) of the respondents believed that all sick animals need to be given antimicrobials. Half of the farmers especially those involved in the production of small and large ruminants; namely mixed ruminant farmers (MRF) (63%, 31/49) indicated that antimicrobials do not have any side effects in animals. Sixty-four percent (54/84) of the farmers have stored antimicrobials in their farms of which the practice was more common (P = 0.02) among the MRF compared to the single ruminant farmers (SRF). Although most of the farmers felt good farm biosecurity will help reduce AMU, they were indifferent regarding using antimicrobials only when prescribed by a veterinarian and non-storage of antimicrobials for later uses. Farmers with larger herd size (>100 animals/herd) and few years of farming experience agreed more to the suggestions about their role and that of veterinarians respectively in reducing the drivers of AMR. These areas might need to be considered by advisors to inform ruminant farmers on AMR and to encourage them for prudent AMU in food-producing animals.

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Aim:There is very little information regarding blood changes during the challenge of phospholipase D (PLD) in goats. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to study the changes in blood after the challenge with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and its exotoxin, PLD to fill in the gap of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) research.Materials and Methods:Twenty-six crossbred Boer goats aged 12-14 months were divided into 3 groups; the first group n=6 was inoculated with 1 ml phosphate buffered solution s.c. as the control. The second group n=10 was inoculated with C. pseudotuberculosis 1 × 109 cfu s.c. The third group n=10 was intravenous injected with PLD 1 ml/20 kg body weight. Serial blood collections were done at 1 h, 3 h, 5 h, 8 h, and 12 h then every 24 h post-inoculation for the first 30 days of the experiment. Subsequently, the blood collection continued twice a week till the end of the experiment (90 days post-challenge).Results:Both C. pseudotuberculosis and PLD treated groups showed significant changes (p<0.05) in red blood cell count, hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular Hb concentration, white blood cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, globulin, and total plasma proteins. Similarly, both treated groups showed significant changes (p<0.05) in alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate transaminase, total bilirubin, calcium concentration, creatine phosphokinase, creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, urea concentration, lactate dehydrogenase, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time.Conclusion:It concluded that C. pseudotuberculosis and PLD have a negative impact on the goat’s health in general reflected by all those changes recorded in the hemogram, leukogram, and the blood chemistry.

Oral infections of mice as animal model with Pasteurella multocida type B: 2 and its lipopolysaccharides is liable to cause detrimental alterations in the pituitary glands, which results in disruption of reproductive hormonal levels as well as organ functions in the male and female animals; thereby impeding the fertility of at risk animal population. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the histopathological modifications in the pituitary glands, reproductive organs and the associated hormonal levels in male and female mice inoculated orally with P. multocida type B: 2 and its lipopolysaccharides. Forty eight mice were divided into three groups consisting of sixteen mice each (8 male and 8 female in separate cages). Group 1 served as the control group and were inoculated orally with 0.4 mL Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS), group 2 were inoculated orally with 0.4 mL of 10 9 Colony Forming Unit (CFU) of P. multocida type B: 2 while group 3 were inoculated orally with 0.4 mL of LPS from 10 9 of colony P. multocida type B: 2. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the lesions (oedema, haemorrhage, degeneration and necrosis) observed in the testes, ovaries and the pituitary glands amongst the three groups. Similarly, there were significant differences in the levels of testosterone, progesterone and estrogen (p<0.05) in the male and female mice inoculated orally with P. multocida type B: 2 and its lipopolysaccharide. There is paucity of information on changes related to reproductive hormones, pituitary glands and reproductive organs of male and female mice following oral inoculation with P. multocida type B: 2 and its endotoxin. Hence, the sex hormonal levels could be used to assess the immune statuses of at risk animal population and proffer amenable Veterinary medical care to afflicted animal population.

Gonado-hypophyseal lesions and reproductive hormonal changes in Brucella melitensis-infected mice and its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were investigated. Forty-eight mice (24 males and 24 females) were used as infection models in this study, and they were divided into three equal separate groups of eight mice based on their sex: M1, M2, and M3 and F1, F2, and F3 (M=Male, F=Female). Groups M1 and F1 were orally inoculated with sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and served as the negative control. Groups M2 and F2 were orally inoculated with 0.4 ml of 10 9 colony-forming units (cfu) of B. melitensis, while groups M3 and F3 were orally inoculated with 0.4 ml of LPSs from 10 9 cfu of B. melitensis. All the groups were observed for 10 days for changes in clinical signs or signs of mortality and then euthanized. Whole blood was collected via cardiac puncture, while tissues were fixed in 10 % formalin for histopathological processing. Histopathological lesions in the male and female reproductive tracts ranged from mild to moderate degenerative, inflammatory, and necrotic lesions. These changes were moderate in M2 than in M3 in males and in F3 than in F2 groups in females. Lesions in the pituitary gland ranged from mild to moderate inflammation and necrosis with astrogliosis. F2 and M2 groups had more lesion distribution in the pituitary gland than F3 and M3 groups. There was a 13 % decline in progesterone concentration in F2 and a 44 % decline in F3. Estradiol level declined by 33 % in F2 and slightly increased by 4.2 % in F3. Progesterone-estrogen ratio (P/E) increased by 31 % in F2 and declined by 46 % in F3. Testosterone concentration increased by 74 % in M2 and decreased by 56 % in M3. The study showed that oral administration of B. melitensis affects the pituitary gland and may alter the hypothalamicpituitary-gonadal axis.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic disease caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. However, there is a paucity of data about the C. pseudotuberculosis exotoxin, phospholipase D (PLD) response during the course of CLA. Therefore, this study was conducted to observe the clinical signs and the cellular changes after an experimental infection of the C. pseudotuberculosis and phospholipase D challenge. Twenty six crossbred Boer goats aged 12-14 months were divided into 3 groups; the first group n=6 was inoculated with 1ml sterile PBS s.c. as the control. The second group n=10 was inoculated with live C. pseudotuberculosis 1×10 9 cfu s.c. The third group n=10 was i.v. inoculated with PLD 1mL/20 kg, BW. Both the C. pseudotuberculosis and the PLD treated groups showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and body score. Pathologically, the C. pseudotuberculosis and the PLD treated groups showed a significant cellular changes (p<0.05) manifested as edema, congestion, infiltration of inflammatory cells mainly lymphocytes and macrophages, hemorrhage, degeneration and necrosis in the visceral organs including the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and lymph nodes. C. pseudotuberculosis infected group showed abscessation of the lymph nodes and some of the visceral organs. In contrast, PLD inoculation did not lead to any abscess formation in the lymph nodes neither in the visceral organs. It concluded that the C. pseudotuberculosis caused typical CLA disease with short incubation period of two weeks. The PLD inoculation showed little clinical signs and it did not lead to abscesses formation externally neither internally, however, it caused obvious cellular changes in the visceral organs as well as in the lymph nodes. PLD play a key role in CLA development, yet it is impossible to trigger granulomatous lesion without the C. pseudotuberculosis being present.