Research
A Study on the Prevalence of Bovine Mastitis and Associated Risk Factors in and the Surrounding areas of Sodo Town, Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia
Ethiopia is believed to have the largest livestock population in Africa. This livestock sector has been contributing considerable portion to the economy of the country, and still promising to rally round the economic development of the country. It is eminent that livestock products and by-products in the form of meat, milk, honey, eggs, cheese, and butter supply provide mainly the needed animal protein that contributes to the improvement of the nutritional status of the people (CSA, 2009). Even though Ethiopia is the most populous country in cattle than any African country; the per capita milk consumption was 16 kg, which was lower than other countries in the region (Asfaw, 1997). This is partly due to the low genetic milk production potential of the indigenous zebu cattle. To increase milk production cross breeding of indigenous zebu with exotic breeds particularly with Holstein Friesian is widely practiced which resulted in a larger portion of the dairy cattle population especially in urban areas to be with a high level of exotic blood. However, this market oriented dairy production, a rapidly growing system in many African countries, is subjected to diseases of intensification including mastitis and reproductive disorders (Lemma et al., 2001).
Invivo and Invitro Acaricide Efficacy Evaluation on Cattle Ticks in Selected Areas of Wolaita and Dawuro Zones, Ethiopia
This study was conducted from June, 2013 to May, 2014 in selected areas of Wolaita and Dawuro zones, with the core intentions of to assess the type and efficacy of the most frequently used acaricides in the areas, to identify the most prevalent cattle tick species and recommend the effective acaricide for cattle tick control. To achieve these objectives preliminary survey; invitro and invivo acaricide efficacy evaluation techniques have been conducted. The major tick species identified in order of their importance were Rhip(Boophilus) decoloratus (60.92%), Amblyomma variegatum (28.26%), A. cohaerens (7.82%) and A. gemma (3.0%). Diazinon 60%EC, Amitraz 12.5%, Ivermectin and Deltamethrin, according to their importance, was the acaricides frequently used in the areas. For the invitro technique, a total of 320 Rhip(Booph) decoloratus and 320 A. variegatum engorged adult female ticks were collected from each study sites and the standard modified adult immersion test (AIT) was employed for two successive round. On the other side of study, the efficacies of all the four acaricides at dose of concentration recommended by the manufacturer were assessed all the way through purposively selecting a total of 255 naturally tick infested cattle aged between 1 to 5 years.
