The productivity of smallholder sheep and goat flocks is constrained by high morbidity and mortality of young stock due to helminthosis and coccidiosis. We hypothesized that gastrointestinal parasites are prevalent and may cause severe infections amongst small ruminants in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and December 2019 to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and levels of infection with gastrointestinal strongyle and coccidia in selected smallholder goat flocks in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. A total of 257 blood and fecal samples and management data were collected from four farms in Negeri Sembilan. Gastrointestinal parasites were detected by routine sodium chloride floatation, and the McMaster technique was used to quantify the fecal eggs/oocysts per gram outputs (EPG/OPG). The severity of infection was classified as mild (50-799), moderate (800-1200), or severe (>1200). The packed cell volume (PCV) was determined by microhematocrit centrifugation and classified as anemic or non-anemic. Coprological examination revealed an overall prevalence of 78.6% (CI = 72.74-83.44) and 100% flock level prevalence of strongyle and coccidia infection among goats from Negeri Sembilan with a higher infection in flock A-Lenggeng (95.6%) than B-Senawang (87.3%), D-Mendom (80.6%), or C-Seremban (60.0%). The co-infections of strongyle + Eimeria (50.6; CI = 44.50 to 56.64) were more common than single infections of either strongyle (16.7%; CI = 12.66 to 21.78) or Eimeria (4.3%; CI = 2.41 to 7.50). Quantitative analysis has revealed different (p < 0.05) patterns of EPG/OPG in various categories of goats. In total, there were 49.8% mild, 8.6% moderate, and 13.6% severe infections of strongyle and 40.1% mild, 6.6% moderate, and 19.8% severe infections of coccidia among goats. The mean PCV of goats with severe strongyle infection (24.60 ± 0.85) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the moderate (26.90 ± 1.15), or mild (28.23 ± 0.50) infections and the uninfected (30.4 ± 0.71). There were increased odds of infection with strongyle and coccidia among female (OR = 3.2) and adult (OR = 11.0) goats from smallholder flocks in Negeri Sembilan. In conclusion, gastrointestinal strongyles and coccidia occur at high frequency among smallholder goats, and there is a higher risk of infection amongst the adult and female stock.
We assessed the suitability of targeted removal as a means for tuberculosis (TB) control on an intensely managed Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunting estate. The 60km(2) large study area included one capture (treatment) site, one control site, and one release site. Each site was fenced. In the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014, 929 wild boar were live-captured on the treatment site. All wild boar were micro-chipped and tested using an animal side lateral flow test immediately after capture in order to detect antibodies to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). The wild boar were released according to their TB status: Seropositive individuals onto the release site (hunted after summer), and seronegative individuals back onto the treatment site. The annual summer seroprevalence of antibodies to the MTC declined significantly in live-captured wild boar piglets from the treatment site, from 44% in 2012 to 27% in 2013 (a reduction of 39%). However, no significant further reduction was recorded in 2014, during the third capture season. Fall-winter MTC infection prevalence was calculated on the basis of the culture results obtained for hunter-harvested wild boar. No significant changes between hunting seasons were recorded on either the treatment site or the control site, and prevalence trends over time were similar on both sites. The fall-winter MTC infection prevalence on the release site increased significantly from 40% in 2011-2012 to 64% in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 (60% increase). Recaptures indicated a persistently high infection pressure. This experiment, the first attempt to control TB in wild boar through targeted removal, failed to reduce TB prevalence when compared to the control site. However, it generated valuable knowledge on infection pressure and on the consequences of translocating TB-infected wild boar.
The contraception-based approach to wildlife management is a humane and effective alternative to population control methods. Wildlife management only has a few conventional ways to control overpopulation, such as culling, translocation, poisoning, and allowing natural death. Nevertheless, these methods usually have short-term, lethal, and unethical effects. The present systematic review aims to review the knowledge on contraception reported in long-tailed macaques as an alternative to population control. We obtained 719 records from searching CABI, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus electronic databases. After the screening and selection process, according to PRISMA guidelines, 19 articles that met the eligibility criteria were chosen. Of the 19 articles, 15 were studies on female long-tailed macaque contraception methods (six (6) hormonal and nine (9) non-hormonal). We analyzed four (4) selected articles on male Cynomolgus monkey contraception methods (two (2) hormonal and two (2) non-hormonal). One of the nine (9) articles on female long-tailed macaque contraception reports negative results. Furthermore, only two (2) studies used free-ranging long-tailed macaques as test subjects, while seventeen (17) tested on captive ones. The challenges of long-tailed macaque contraception identified in this review were the effectiveness of the contraceptive, the administration route, the economic feasibility, the distinction between captive and free-ranging Cynomolgus macaques, the choice of permanent or reversible contraception, the capability of contraceptive use for population control, and the lack of studies on the free-ranging long-tailed macaque. Notwithstanding the literature gap on long-tailed macaque contraception for population control, long-tailed macaque contraception exhibits potential as an alternative method to culling long-tailed macaque. Future research should address these obstacles to support the long-tailed macaque contraception as an alternative population control method.
Hormonal contraception has been advocated as an alternative population control method for the long-tailed macaque population, which has increased exponentially due to anthropogenic changes and incidental food subsidies from human food waste. Risks of increased zoonosis and conflict are imminent if the population growth of long-tailed macaques is unchecked. However, there's a gap in the literature about the effect of hormonal contraceptives on long-tailed macaque reproductive tissues cell line. The present study aims to investigate the effect of oral contraceptives (Nordette, Noriday, and Ella) on long-tailed macaque ovarian cells. We determine the cell viability and cytotoxicity as well as the morphological changes of the drugs on long-tailed macaque ovarian cells using the MTT assay, Acridine orange/propidium iodide double staining method, morphological examination, and the 4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining method. For the MTT assay, The drugs were dissolved in culture media before use to have a concentration ranging from 0.5 μg/mL, 2.5 μg/mL, 0.125 μg/mL, 0.0625 μg/mL, and 0.0315 μg/mL to have three replicates for each treatment. In contrast, the concentration of 0.0315 μg/mL was used for the morphological and histopathological analysis. The result of the study indicates that human oral contraceptives (Nordette, Noriday, and Ella) inhibit the growth of long-tailed macaque ovarian cells and induce apoptosis in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (at a concentration of 0.0315 μg/mL and an IC50 lower than 10 μg/mL), With a statistically significant value of ****P