The purpose of this study was to determine the species spectrum of ticks infesting goats owned by resource-limited farmers in the state-owned communal land areas of Zimbabwe. Ticks were collected from goats at a single locality within each of 5 communal land areas, and a total of 14 ixodid tick species was recovered. The most numerous tick was Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, which was present in...

The small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) include the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) and the Maedi-Visna virus (MVV). Both of these viruses limit production and can be a major source of economic loss to producers. Little is known about how the immune system recognizes and responds to SRLVs, but due to similarities with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HIV research can shed ligh...

Disease is a major constraint in small ruminant production systems in lesser-developed countries throughout the world. Animal health projects have been an integral part of the Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program (SR-CRSP) from its inception. At the onset, these projects were oriented toward herd health care and veterinary extension activities. Later, all the projects developed...

Through natural development the ruminant stomach has achieved an efficient microbial digestion of plant fibre and also of almost all other plant constituents; synthesis of microbial polysaccharide and protein and of certain vitamins also occurs. The products of microbial digestion are utilized by ruminants, but they are not identical with the products of digestion in non-ruminants. I n this Sym...

Sixteen species of ixodid ticks were collected over varying periods of time from 6 species of ground-frequenting birds and 15 species of small and large mammals in the Mountain Zebra National Park, Karoo, Cape Province. Margaropus winthemi followed by Rhipicephalus glabroscutatum and Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi were the most abundant species. The host preferences of 14 tick species and the se...

Phenotypic biotyping has traditionally been used to differentiate bacteria occupying distinct ecological niches such as host species. For example, the capacity of Staphylococcus aureus from sheep to coagulate ruminant plasma, reported over 60 years ago, led to the description of small ruminant and bovine S. aureus ecovars. The great majority of small ruminant isolates are represented by a singl...

Importance Caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE) is an economically important viral disease of goats. The caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), a lentivirus; infects its hosts for life. Although most infections are subclinical, a minority of animals develops progressive, untreatable disease syndromes including polyarthritis in adults and encephalomyelitis in kids. This virus also caus...

BACKGROUND Adequate feeding is essential to realizing the potential of small ruminants to alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers. This study was conducted in two villages in the Ejura-Sekyedumase District of Ghana and was motivated by farmers' non-adoption of modern feed technologies, but more importantly by the need to understand the small ruminant feed system considering farmers' differe...

J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 88, E-Suppl. 2/J. Dairy Sci. Vol. 93, E-Suppl. 1/Poult. Sci. Vol. 89, E-Suppl. 1 751 Live and carcass leg characteristics in terminally sired lambs. M. R. Mousel*1, T. D. Leeds2, D. R. Notter3, H. N. Zerby4, S. J. Moeller4, and G. S. Lewis1, 1USDA, ARS, U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, ID, 2USDA, ARS, National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, Leetown, WV, 3Vi...