Aim: To know the prevalence of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli among dead and/or diarrhoic pigeons in and around greater Guwahati. Materials and Methods:Samples were cultured from dead and/or diarrhoic pigeons and identification was done by standard methods. The sensitivity of the isolated E.coli strains to 15 antibiotics of human and veterinary use was also determined. Organs from those dead birds from which E.coli were recovered were processed according to the routine procedure for histopathological studies.Results: Out of 150 pigeons subjected to microbiological investigation, 91(60.67 %) samples were found positive for E. coli. The most frequently occurring serotypes were O157 (9.89%), followed by O68, O121 (7.69%), O9, O75, O131 (5.49%), O2, O13, O22 (3.30%). Antibiogram investigation of the isolates revealed that 91isolates (100%) exhibited resistance against Ampicillin followed by Nitro-furantoin (73.62%), Tetracycline (65.93 %), Oxytetracycline (62.63 %) and Streptomycin (61.54). Gross changes of some birds showed fibrinous pericarditis and perihepatitis and coligranuloma in different organs like liver and serosal surface of intestine. Microscopically, severe congestion and haemorrhages in different organs such as liver, kidney, lung and intestine. In some cases thick layer of fibrinous exudates with large number of heterophills over the surface of liver and heart with early degenerative changes as well as focal necrosis. Conclusion:The result of this study suggests that antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic E.coli is present in pigeons in and around greater Guwahati. Surveillance programs may be introduced to monitor antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic E.coli in pigeons in and around greater guwahati.

On the Indian sub continent, dromedarian camel -'the ship of the desert' is an important constituent of the socio economic life style of nomadic owners in the semi arid to arid ecosystems. The animal suffers from a few parasitic diseases viz. surra, coccidiosis, sarcocystis, gastro intestinal concurrent metazoan infections, mange, nasal bots and ticks infestations. However, anaplasmosis in camel has not been reported so far from the Indian subcontinent. Systematic investigations of a 7 year male Jaisalmeri camel, with a clinical history of dullness, progressive loss of condition and stamina revealed subclinical Anaplasma marginale infection. The animal had depressed haematological indices, dry and constipated bowels, pale and icteric conjunctiva suggestive of anaemia. The animal positively responded to the specific integrated therapy. Reexamination of the animal on day 21 post-therapy revealed depressed haematological indices restored to normal levels and the erythrocytes were free from the pathogen. Neglected attention, poor and/or underreporting of camel diseases vis-a-vis economic significance of the versatile animal has been discussed. This appears to be the pioneer documentation of anaplasmosis in camels from Indian subcontinent.

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The prevalence of dicrocoeliosis was estimated by the examination of liver of slaughtered goats (n = 228) brought from two major goat rearing regions (Kandi and R.S. Pura) of Jammu province of India. Dicrocoelium dendriticum was found in 18.9 % of the goats, with mean fluke count (±SEM) of 24.9 ± 4.4 (ranged from 0 to 478). A significant seasonal variation (p \ 0.01) was recorded with maximum prevalence in winter (28.9 %), followed by post-rainy (22.2 %) and minimum in rainy season (9.4 %). The highest fluke count was observed in January (47.8 ± 24.6) while none of the examined animals was found positive in May and June. The origin of the goats had a significant association (p \ 0.0001) with prevalence rates and the goats from Kandi region (27.3 %) showed higher prevalence rates as compare to R.S. Pura (8.0 %). However, the age and sex had no significant effect on the prevalence of dicrocoeliosis in goats. The histopathological examination of infected livers revealed excessive thickening and proliferation of bile duct glandular epithelium with inflammatory exudates. Also, intense mononuclear cells infiltration with young fibroblasts was observed in the surroundings of bile ducts in portal areas along with atrophy of hepatocytes.