Peste des petits ruminants virus causes a highly infectious disease of small ruminants that is endemic across Africa, the Middle East and large regions of Asia. The virus is considered to be a major obstacle to the development of sustainable agriculture across the developing world and has recently been targeted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organ...

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Small ruminants infected with peste des petits ruminants virus exhibit lesions typical of epithelial infection and necrosis. However, the only established host receptor for this virus is the immune cell marker signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). We have confirmed that the ovine Nectin-4 protein, when overexpressed in epithelial cells, permits efficient replication of PPRV. Furtherm...

Rickettsial organisms resembling Ehrlichia ruminantium (the causative organism of heartwater) were demonstrated in brain smears and formalin-fixed brain sections derived from a buffalo calf that died on a private game reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The possibility that the tick-free environment of a quarantine boma may have affected the calf's immunity, is discussed. These findings suggest ...

Ruminal impaction is considered an important internal disease in ruminants, such as dairy cows, sheep, and goats. It has been reported that its occurrence is associated with many different causes. This study describes a novel case of ruminal impaction caused by a plant, Ficus esquiroliana Levl., in Boer goats. This case suggests that Ficus esquiroliana should be taken into consideration when pr...

Ticks may transmit pathogens to ruminants worldwide, creating diseases such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and theileriosis. In Europe, the most important tick vector is Ixodes ricinus and the most widespread tick-borne infection in animals is Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This infection causes tick-borne fever (TBF) in ruminants, a disease which may not only cause suboptimal growth, bu...