Species composition and concentration of rumen ciliate protozoa were investigated in the rumen contents of 14 domestic sheep and 1 goat living in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This is the first report on rumen ciliates from ruminants living in Kyrgyzstan. In sheep 12 genera, 28 species and 12 morphotypes were detected, whereas in goat 8 genera, 12 species and 4 morphotypes were detected. The density of ciliates in sheep was (28.1 ± 20.0) × 10(4) cells mL(-1) and in goat was 37.0 × 10(4) cells mL(-1). Dasytricha ruminantium, Isotricha prostoma, Entodinium simulans and Ophryoscolex caudatus were major species (100%) in sheep, and for the first time, Diplodinium rangiferi was detected in a domestic goat.

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Species composition and distribution of intestinal ciliates were investigated in the feces from 15 domestic horses living in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Twenty-three species belonging to 14 genera were identified. This is the first study on intestinal ciliates in domestic horses living in Kyrgyzstan. The mean number of ciliates was 14.1 ± 6.8 x10(4) cells ml(-1) of feces and the mean number of ciliate species per host was 6.0 ± 3.2. No endemic or new species were detected. Blepharocorys was the major genus as these ciliates were detected in high proportions. In contrast Holophryoides, Allantosoma were only observed at low frequencies. Recorded ciliate species in this investigation had almost the same characteristics as those described in previous studies. There was no important geographic variation in the intestinal ciliate fauna of equids.

Aspergillosis is a severe fungal disease that affects all species and ages of poultry and leads to significant economic losses within the poultry industry. The economic significance of aspergillosis is associated with direct losses due to poultry mortality, a decline in the production of meat and eggs, feed conversion, and poor growth of recovering poultry. Although a decrease in the production of poultry meat and eggs in Kazakhstan due to this fungal disease has been widely reported, studies on the consequent financial losses on affected farms (households) have not been carried out. This study aimed to estimate the financial losses and epidemiological parameters of avian aspergillosis among households affected by the disease in the Almaty region. To achieve the objectives of the research, a survey was conducted involving affected households from February 2018 to July 2019. The affected poultry were diagnosed based on clinical, macroscopical, and microscopical procedures, and once the infection was confirmed, household owners were interviewed. Data were collected from 183 household owners. The median incidence risk and fatality rates were 39 and 26% in chickens, 42 and 22% in turkeys, and 37 and 33% in geese, respectively, with young poultry having a higher incidence risk and fatality rate than adults. Approximately 92.4% of the household owners treated the affected poultry using natural folk methods and 7.6% of household owners used antifungal drugs and antibiotics, spending a median of US $35.20 (min US $0; max US $400) per household throughout the course of the infection. Egg production was reduced by a median of 58.3% when households were affected. The price of poultry fell by a median of 48.6% immediately after recovery due to weight loss. The median of the overall financial losses of households was US $198.50 (min US $11; max US $1,269). The majority of household owners (65%) did not replace their poultry, 9.8% of household owners replaced all their poultry, and the remaining 25.1% replaced only a proportion of the poultry lost at the time of the study. Newly acquired poultry were purchased from neighbors (10.9%), fellow villagers (50%), and state poultry farms (39.1%). This study demonstrates that aspergillosis has an immediate impact on subsistence household owners' livelihoods in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan.

Background: Kuchala (Arum korolkowii Regel) is a medicinal plant often used in folk medicine in the Kyrgyz Republic. As a medicinal raw material, the tuber’s tincture is used in small doses to increase human sexual potency. However, there is no scientific evidence in support of the medicinal effects of kuchala. For these reasons, we decided to study the pharmacological effect of kuchala tuber tincture on the sexual potency of adult male guinea pigs. We analyzed the effect of kuchala at the age of ±48-months, in 12 male guinea pigs. A preparation of 10% tuber tincture of kuchala in 70% ethanol was administered perorally to the male guinea pigs in the form of a once-daily dose of 150 µl for 30 days. The study data were obtained by ethological, hematological and serum biochemistry, gross anatomical, histological and statistical methods.Results: The hematological and serum biochemistry parameters were significantly different between the control and the experimental group. The neutrophils’ percentage in the experimental group was significantly lower (dР < 0.001) than in the control group. On the other hand, the lymphocyte counts were significantly higher in the experimental group (dР < 0.001). The RBC counts, Hgb, Hct, MCH and MCHC were significantly higher in the experimental group (dР < 0.001; dР < 0.001; cР < 0.01; dР < 0.001; dР < 0.001 respectively) than in the control group. In contrast, the color indicator and the mean platelet volume were higher (bР < 0.05) and significantly higher (dР < 0.001) respectively in the control group than in the experimental group. The ALT and AST levels were lower in the experimental than in the control group (both dР < 0,001). The testosterone concentration in serum was much higher (dР < 0,001) in the experimental group. Microscopically, some structural damages were found in the liver of the experimental animals indicating a metabolic disorder. However, the testes showed an improvement in spermatogenesis in the experimental compared with the control group.Conclusions: The 10% kuchala tuber tincture in 70% ethanol has a positive effect in terms of improving the sexual potency of adult guinea pigs by increasing the production of testosterone and increasing spermatogenesis.