Antibiotic residues in livestock products are the burning issue in animal production as well as public health sector. Imprudent use of antibiotics in poultry production increases the risk of antibiotic resistance thus increasing risk in both animals and humans. To determine the trend of antibiotic residues presence in poultry meat, a study was conducted from June 2016 to May 2017 in Kathmandu, Kaski, and Chitwan districts of Nepal. A total of 92 breast samples of broilers ( Kathmandu-30, Kaski-40 and Chitwan-22) were collected randomly from different selling outlets of the study areas and tested for residues of commonly used antibiotic viz. Enrofloxacin (EX), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Streptomycin (STR) and Chloramphenicol (CHL) using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. Out of 92 samples, 57 (62%) samples were found positive for antibiotics residue of which 38% samples were positive for STR residue, 15.2% for CIP and 8.7% for EX. However, none of the samples showed positivity for CHL residue. The level of STR was determined to be higher in all districts in comparison to other antibiotics. The meat samples from Kaski were found to contain higher level of STR (56.1%) while highest percentage of CIP (16.1%) was detected in Kathmandu. Also, presence of EX was found highest in Kathmandu compared to other districts. The study concluded that antibiotics residues have been abundantly found in poultry meat which can have serious effect in human health. Hence, to mitigate this, routine antibiotics residues monitoring and surveillance programmes in food animal products should be conducted to ensure the consumer safety.

Music is an expression of moods and emotions, which has a history of physical and emotional healings. It is thought to have both analgesic and anxiolytic properties. Various effects of music therapy on the physiology and psychology of human have been documented. The effect of music on physiology and behavior have been studied in animals too. Many of these studies claim that even animals are affected by the music. The potential benefits of music in animals might be through auditory enrichment which modifies the behavior of animals. The milking behavior and milk yield of farm animals including cattle and buffalo are affected by music. The objective of this study was to review the influence of music in animal behavior and discuss its usefulness for stress relief. The available literatures indicated that there is a variation among animals for music preference and their behavior is affected depending upon the animal species.

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BackgroundBluetongue (BT) is an infectious, insect-borne viral disease primarily affecting sheep and occasionally cattle and goats. In Nepal, BT is an emerging disease of economic importance. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of BT virus (BTV) in small ruminants of two eco-zones of Nepal, Hills and Terai, and to identify the factors associated with virus exposure. We conducted a cross-sectional serosurvey from March 2012 through February 2013 by sampling 318 small ruminants (184 sheep and 134 goats) from seven clusters (villages) of selected vulnerable communities of Chitwan (Terai) and Lamjung (Hills) Districts of Nepal.ResultsOf the 318 serum sample tested, 27.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 23.1- 33.2] were positive for BTV antibodies (25.0% sheep and 31.3% goats). Bivariate analysis indicated a positive association between seroconversion to BTV and flock size, eco-zone, breed, and contact history with cattle. Additionally, in female sheep and goats, a history of abortion was positively associated with seropositivity to BTV. However, the final multivariable model, after controlling for clustering of animals within the villages, identified only history of abortion and breed as the factors significantly associated with BT seropositivity in female sheep and goats. Based on this model, female small ruminants having a history of abortion were more likely to be seropositive compared to those without such history [Odds Ratio (OR) = 46.14 (95% CI: 11.66- 182.5)]. Exotic breeds were more likely to be seropositive compared to indigenous breeds [OR = 9.04 (95% CI: 3.08- 24.46)] while the risk for BTV seropositivity was not significantly different between indigenous and cross breeds.ConclusionsOur results showed that nearly a quarter of small ruminants in two regions of Nepal were seropositive for BTV, indicating wide exposure of small ruminants to this pathogen. We identified history of abortion and breed as factors significantly associated with the seropositivity of BTV. We recommend that surveillance for BTV infection in Nepal be strengthened and that it would be valuable to enhance the education of farmers about the possible impacts of this disease.

A prevalence study was carried to isolate Salmonella typhimurium from blood (n= 50) and gut samples (n=100) of poultry in Kathmandu valley during early 2016. Salmonella typhimurium bacteria isolated in the selective media were biochemically confirmed based on Bergey’s Manual. Two sets of oligonucleotide primers-the genus specific 16S rRNA and the organism specific invA were employed for molecular level confirmation by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. The amplified fragments in 1% agarose gel observed at 406bp and 285bp, respectively confirmed the isolates to be Salmonella typhimurium. Of 150 samples tested, Salmonella typhimurium were isolated from 49 samples, among which nine were from blood (18%) and forty from the gut (40%). The present result indicated an alarmingly high level of Salmonella typhimurium, which can result inzoonotic infection in humans owing to increased contact with poultry and consumption of poultry products in the Kathmandu valley.

Present study was carried out for the accuracy of commercially available progesterone ELISA kit at NCRP farm in the fiscal year 2015/16. Twenty crossbred Jersey and Holstein dairy cows were selected at different time periods of post insemination. Blood serum was collected in those animals and progesterone was quantified with the commercially available progesterone ELISA kit. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by rectal palpation and Ultrasonography (USG) as a Gold standard and compared for the accuracy to ELISA kit. Results of the ELISA kit revealed the accuracy of the kit to be only 80 % with high sensitivity 92 % and very low specificity 57 % at 95 % confidence interval. Out of twenty artificially inseminated cows, thirteen were pregnant and seven were non-pregnant by the Gold standard test with their significantly different mean progesterone (at P < 0.05) 8.93±1.10 ng/ml and 4.36±1.21 ng/ml respectively. Hence, it can be used in the early pregnancy diagnosis at only after 24 days of the insemination, however, progesterone quantification by ELISA is not the confirmatory tests for the pregnancy diagnosis as this results accuracy of only 80 %.

Cattle play an important role in the epidemiology of bluetongue (BT) by acting as reservoir hosts. However, the status of BT virus (BTV) in dairy cattle in Nepal is unknown. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of BTV antibodies in dairy cattle in two eco-zones of Nepal, and to identify the factors associated with virus exposure. The authors conducted a cross-sectional serosurvey from March 2012 through February 2013 by sampling 131 dairy cattle from seven clusters (villages) in the Chitwan district in the Terai region (southern lowlands) and the Lamjung district in the Hills region (the middle part of Nepal). Of the 131 serum samples tested, 29.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.5-37.2) were positive for BTV antibodies. Herd-level seroprevalence was 45.7% (95% CI: 30.9-61.0). Bivariate analysis indicated a positive association between seroconversion to BTV and age, and an association with breed of cattle after controlling for clustering of animals within herds. Based on this model, cattle were more likely to become seropositive as they aged. Crossbred cattle were more likely to be seropositive than those of exotic breeds (odds ratio [OR] = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.5-14.1). The results indicate widespread exposure of dairy cattle to BTV in Nepal. The authors suggest that dairy cattle should be included in the surveillance plan for BTV infection in Nepal and that it is important to educate farmers about the possible impacts of this disease.