A cross-sectional study was carried out from July 2011 to September 2013 to assess the seroprevalence and identify risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic ruminants of East Hararghe zone of Oromia region, Ethiopia. Sera of 1360 domestic ruminants were analyzed for the presence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Additionally, the owners were also interviewed using a structured questionnaire to identify the potential risk factors of T. gondii infection. Overall, the prevalence of T. gondii infection in domestic ruminants was 22.2% (302/1360). The seroprevalence in sheep, goats, cattle, and camels was 33.7%, 27.6%, 10.7%, and 14.4%, respectively. District, species, sex, age, and water source were identified as risk factors for T. gondii infection. Increased seropositivity was observed in females (OR = 2.63) and also with the use of pond (OR = 4.25) and pipe (OR = 9.57) water sources in sheep; age >1 year old (OR = 3.45) and with drinking from pond (OR = 6.03) and pipe (OR = 11.61) water sources in goats; with the use of pond (OR = 5.60) and pipe (OR = 10.68) water sources in cattle; and in >4-year-old camels (OR = 2.49). In conclusion, T. gondii infection is common and widespread among the domestic ruminants of the study area, indicating the potential transmission to humans from these animals when they are used as a source of food. Hence, it is crucial to raise awareness of the people about T. gondii infection and conduct further study to explore the impact of the disease on food animal production.

Background Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene may influence scrapie susceptibility in small ruminants through modified protein conformation. At least 47 amino acid substitutions and 19 silent polymorphisms have been described in goat PRNP reported from several countries. The objective of this study was to investigate PRNP polymorphisms of native Ethiopian goat breeds and compare the results with other goat breeds. Results The analysis of the prion protein gene PRNP in 229 goats belonging to three of the main Ethiopian native goat breeds showed a remarkably high frequency (> 34.6%) of p.(Asn146Ser) in these breeds, a variant involved in scrapie resistance in Cyprus. In addition, two novel amino-acid substitutions p.(Gly127Ala) and p.(Thr193Ile), with frequencies ranging from 1.5 to 7.3% were detected. Both amino acids are well conserved in prion proteins (PrP) of most species and these changes have never been reported before in goats worldwide. Residue 127 is within the N–terminal domain of PrP and is probably involved in the recruitment of neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM). Residue 193 is within the highly conserved string of 4 threonines that plays a role in determining the efficiency of prion protein conversion towards its pathological form. Conclusion Two novel coding polymorphisms and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant indicate a high level of genetic diversity in PRNP of Ethiopian goats. This finding increases the interest in exploring PRNP polymorphisms of native goat breeds in areas where cross breeding with foreign goats has rarely occurred. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1870-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2013 to September 2013 to determine the seroprevalence and possible risk factors for human Toxplasma gondii infection in East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. Serum samples were analysed using direct agglutination test, and immunosorbent agglutination assay for detecting IgG (n = 354) and IgM (n = 167) T. gondii antibodies. The T. gondii IgG and IgM seroprevalences were 65·8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 60·62-70·75] and 8·98% (95% CI 5·11-14·38), respectively. Gender difference in IgG seroprevalence was not significant (P > 0·05), but 69·5% of adults exhibited an IgG seroresponse to T. gondii. Pregnant women showed 76·4% and 9·3% seropositivity to IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the risk factors significantly associated with T. gondii seropositivity were district [odds ratio (OR) 2·24, 95% CI 1·25-4·01, P = 0·007], pipe water source (OR 6·70, 95% CI 2·70-16·64, P < 0·001), age, with adults (OR 4·32, 95% CI 1·91-9·75, P < 0·001), and keeping cats in the home (OR 2·01, 95% CI 1·11-3·65, P = 0·021). The high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in the human population in the study area and the corresponding level of IgM seropositivity may be indicative of reactivation or recent infection and further studies on the status of congenital toxoplasmosis in the study area merit consideration.

Gallbladder abnormalities occur rarely. The recognized abnormalities recorded so far comprised duplication, septation, abnormal position and total absence of the gallbladder. The bilobed gallbladder of the cross bred oxen slaughtered at Jimma municipality abattoir constituted two lobes separated by a deep cleft. However, the two lobes were joined at the neck and drained by one duct. Both the lobes were of equal size and filled with bile.

Infestation of small ruminants by ectoparasites such as ticks, mites, lice and fleas could lead to considerable economic loss due to morbidity, mortality and skin rejection. A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites of small ruminants and to identify different ectoparasite fauna in and around Kombolcha, northeastern Ethiopia. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate preliminary data. The study also employed clinical examination and laboratory identification of different ectoparasites into genera and species level. A total of 350 small ruminants (147 sheep and 203 goats) were sampled and examined for prevalence of ectoparasites. The result of the questionnaire survey indicated that sheep and goats were the main species of animals raised by the farmers. The overall prevalence of ectoparasites were 25.7% (90/350), in which 25.9% (38/147) and 25.6% (52/203) prevalence were recorded in sheep and goats, respectively. The proportion of ectoparasites include: lice (11.7%), ticks (7.4%), mites (4.0%) and fleas (2.6%) in descending order. A. variegatum, R. evertsi, S. caprae, D. caprae, L. africanus, D. caprae, S. ovis and C. canis were identified at species level. There was no statistically significant association (p>0.05) between the prevalence of ectoparasites and the species, sex, age and body condition except Rhipicephalus decoloratus which was significantly higher in sheep with poor body condition. The study revealed ectoparasites to be one of the main constraints to small ruminant production in the area and hence warrants further strategic intervention.

Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have long been considered in consequential pathogens, causing the-common cold‖ in otherwise healthy people. However, in the 21 st century, 2 highly pathogenic HCoVs-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)-emerged from animal reservoirs to cause global epidemics with alarming morbidity and mortality. In December 2019, yet another pathogenic HCoV, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), was recognized in Wuhan, China, and has caused serious illness and death. The ultimate cope and effect of this outbreak is unclear at present as the situation is rapidly evolving. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is zoonotic diseases causing severe respiratory illness emerged in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Phylogenetic studies and viral sequencing results strongly suggest that MERS-CoV originated from bat ancestors after evolutionary recombination process, primarily in dromedary camels in Africa. The prevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies, the identification of MERS-CoV RNA and viable virus from dromedary camels of Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are the suggestive evidence for inter-transmission of the virus, primarily from camels to humans and its public health risks. However, the infection in camel is mostly asymptomatic. In contrast to the camel case, the clinical signs and symptoms of MERS-CoV infection in humans ranges from an asymptomatic or mild respiratory illness to severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure with an overall mortality rate of about 35%. Though inter-human spread within health care settings is responsible for the majority of reported MERS-CoV human cases, the virus is currently incapable of causing sustained human-to-human transmission (pandemic occurrence). Currently, there is no specific drug or vaccine available for treatment and prevention of MERS-CoV. The important measures to control MERS-CoV spread are strict regulation of camel movement, regular herd screening and isolation of infected camels, use of personal protective equipment by camel handlers and awareness creation on the public where consumption of unpasteurized camel milk is common. Therefore, urgent global epidemiological studies are required, to understand the transmission patterns and the human cases of MERS-CoV and also for the proper implementation of the above-mentioned control measures.