Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is endemic in Nepal and causes substantial economic losses in the livestock industry. The goal of this study was to perform an epidemiological analysis of FMD outbreaks reported to the Veterinary Epidemiology Center, Tripureshwor, Nepal during 2010–2015, in order to strengthen the National FMD Control Program. These current data were considered in the context of historical data on FMD virus (FMDV) serotypes detected in the country between 1965 and 2015. During 2010–2015, a total of 1333 livestock holdings reported FMD outbreaks in Nepal. On average, 71.2 animals were affected in each outbreak, with a case fatality rate of 3.6%. FMD was reported throughout the country, and the proportion of affected holdings was not significantly among eco‐zones, regions, or species. The Hill eco‐zone had the highest number of holdings affected (782), followed by Mountain (304), and Terai (247). When analysed by the developmental region, the Western (381) and Central (368) Developmental Regions had the highest numbers of holdings affected. Cattle were the most frequently affected species (39%), followed by buffalo (33%), and goats (19%). FMD occurred throughout the year, with peaks in winter (December/January) and in the pre‐monsoon period (April/May). Between 1965 and 2015 FMDV serotype O had the highest prevalence (81%), followed by Asia‐1 (11%), A (6%), and C (2%). Serotype C was not detected after 1996, and only serotype O was reported after 2011. These descriptive analyses provide critical landmarks to establish baselines, and document early progress of the ongoing Progressive Control Pathway of FMD (PCP‐FMD) which could be useful in Nepal and other South Asian nations.

This is a cross-sectional study to detect presence of antibiotic residues in meat sample of Kailali and Kavre districts. Each sample out of 55 meat samples (muscles and liver) of poultry-41, goat-12, buffalo-9 and pig-4 from Kailali and Kavre was tested for different groups of antibiotic residues separately. The antibiotics tested were Penicillin, Tetracycline, Aminoglycosides, Macrolides and Sulfonamides. Samples were preserved at -84˚C in the deep freezer after collecting in sterile plastic pouch. Rapid test kit (78.9% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity) of G9 Co. Ltd., Thailand was used to detect residues in the samples. The protocol of kit was followed for the test. The overall prevalence of antibiotic residues in meat was around 22%. Meat samples exceeding the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) were 6. Liver was found with higher number of residues than muscles. The organ and location wise prevalence of residue was found statistically significant at p<0.05. The samples contained alarmingly high level of antibiotic residues which is because of neglecting the withdrawal period. The prescription of antibiotic is not prudent.

Pigs play a key role in inter-species transmission of influenza virus, because they have receptors to both avian and human influenza viral strains. A study was conducted in three different districts namely Bhaktapur, Kavre and Banke with face to face type of questionnaire survey and serum sample collection. Indirect Enzyme Linked Immunoassay was utilized for the collected 231 samples for serologic evidence of influenza A. Of the total 231 samples tested, 11 were positive for Influenza virus A with an overall sero-prevalence of (4.76%; Cl95%: 2.68-8.324) Kavre district had highest (5.88%; Cl95%: 2.539-13.04) sero-prevalence, followed by Bhaktapur (5.13%; Cl95%: 2.012-12.46) and Banke (2.94%; Cl95%; 0.8104-10.1) with no significant difference (p=0.685). Rearing swine along with poultry was the most significant risk factor (p=0.03); all positive cases were from the farms that adopted integrated farming system with little to no bio-security measures, especially poultry and swine. Present finding depicts that Influenza A is prevalent in pig farms of Kavre, Banke and Bhaktapur. Further research is needed to sub-type the influenza virus and also determine the effect of commercial poultry and migratory birds on the outbreak of influenza A in swine.  Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(2): 122-126

The research was done in cross sectional design to study about the prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in goats of Western Chitwan of Nepal. A total of 252 fecal samples were collected through purposive sampling. Fecal samples were examined through sedimentation and floatation method. Egg per gram (EPG) was calculated through Mac Master Counting Technique of positive samples. Total prevalence was found to be 13.89%. Infection of parasite was more prevalent in males (15.18%) than in female (12.86%) but was statistically non-significant (P>0.05). In non-dewormed goats (40.32%), the prevalence was significantly (P<0.05) higher than in dewormed goats (5.26%). The results regarding the relationship between different age groups of goats and H. contortus showed that highest prevalence (14.54%) of parasite was observed in age group of below 1 year and the lowest (12.96%) in age group of above 2 year, statistically non-significant (P>0.05). Maximum goats were found with medium level of infestation through EPG. This study shows higher prevalence of Haemonchus in non-dewormed than in dewormed goats which is statistically significant at (P<0.05). Thus, effective deworming programme and management must be maintained in order to upgrade the health status and maximize the benefits from the animal.

Repeat breeders cause substantial loss in dairy herds mainly affecting the reproductive efficiency and economy of milk production in cattle and buffaloes. A study was conducted in cattle farms of various farmers of three districts of Central Region of Nepal; Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur during March-August 2016. A total of 20 repeat breeder cows were selected for the trial. Repeat breeder cows were identified based on the history of at least three repeated breeding at an interval of around three weeks. We applied Ovsynch protocol where two reproductive hormones; Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and Prostaglandin (PGF2α) were injected. Pregnancy was initially diagnosed by Biopryn Test kit using serum samples. Rectal examination confirmed pregnancy after 2 months of artificial insemination (AI). 16 cows expressed clear estrus signs during fixed time AI. 5 (83.3%) out of 6 cows with cystic ovary expressed estrus at the time of fixed time AI. 4 (66.7%) of these cows became pregnant.This is an open access article & it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) herds with normal conception rates range between 65 and 70 percent for lactating cows in Nepal (Sankhi, 1993).

This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) in improved dairy cattle of Chitwan, Nawalpur and Rupandehi Districts of Nepal. Altogether 92 blood samples were aseptically collected from jugular vein of cattle and transferred to clot activator tube and transported to National Cattle Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan. This cross sectional study was carried out from Mangsir to Magh of 2075 B.S using purposive sampling Serum separation was done by centrifugation @3500 for 5 minutes. The serum was stored at -20°C till ELISA test was done. Serological analysis was done according to the protocol of ID.vet BVD Ab ELISA kit. Data were analyzed using Ms excel and SPSS version 20.0.The seroprevalence of BVD Virus was found to be 7.76%. Provided that no history of vaccination against BVD in cattle was done in the study area, seropositive was due to natural infection. Geographic location as well as sampling method might have contributed to this result. The result indicated lower prevalence along with no statistical significance to breed and age risk factors undertaken during the research. However significant association was observed between abortion history and seropositivity. Hence, there is a need of further research to identify the disease burden and its impact in the agricultural gross domestic products (AGDP).

In this study, we utilized a catch-vaccinate-release approach for dogs in a canine rabies vaccination program in Kotagiri municipality, India. Following vaccination, surveys on dog population and their vaccination status was undertaken. A bespoke smartphone ‘Mission Rabies’ application was developed to facilitate data entry and team management. This global positioning system (GPS) enabled application captured the location of all vaccinated dogs and dogs sighted on post-vaccination surveys. In areas where coverage was below 70%, catching teams were re-deployed to vaccinate additional dogs followed by repeat survey. Out of 248 dogs captured, only 210 dogs were vaccinated because of the previous vaccination history within a year, and refusal of owner due to their misconceptions. In survey, 147 dogs were sighted of which 77 were seen marked with paints indicating a vaccination coverage of 52.4%. The total estimated dog population was found to be 475. Our study demonstrated that mobile technology enabled efficient team management and real-time data entry and analysis. The vaccination approach outlined in this study can serve as a guideline for rapid vaccination of large numbers of dogs with a high coverage rate in free roaming dog populations in India in the future.