NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Theileria uilenbergi and Theileria luwenshuni in goats (Caprine Theileriosis) based on thin and thick Giemsa-stained blood smears and PCR techniques, with a total number of 150 goats (n=150) (in Mosul and Erbil province, between Oct. 2023, and March 2024). The total infection rates were 21.3 % (32 / 150) and 52.6 % (79 /150) for Theileria uilenbergi and Theileria luwenshuni, respectively. Clinical signs in infected goats includes enlarged of superficial prescapular lymph node, loss appetite, pyrexia, lameness, salivation, nasal discharge and lacrimation, dullness, pale yellowish and congested mucus membrane, loss of wight, cough, increased respiratory rate, abortion and rough hairy skin with tick infestations. There was no significant difference in infection rates between female (14%) and male (7.3%) goats, indicating that gender was not a major risk factor. Goats aged 1 to 5 years had a higher infection rate (11.3%) compared to other age groups. Imported goats exhibited the highest infection rate (10.6%), followed by imported Black goats (6%) and Merzi goats (4.7%). PCR analysis using \'catch-all\' primers detected a 1098 bp band, confirming Theileria spp. infection. Specific primers for T. uilenbergi and T. luwenshuni detected bands at 878 bp and 812 bp, respectively, confirming the presence of both T. uilenbergi and T. luwenshuni. All goats that tested positive through microscopic examination were also confirmed positive by PCR. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of Theileria uilenbergi and Theileria luwenshuni in goats from the Mosul and Erbil provinces, utilizing both Giemsa-stained blood smears and PCR techniques. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and further research to manage and control caprine theileriosis in the region.

This work aims to prepare the skulls of Iraqi sheep fetuses during restricted periods of embryonic development for prenatal morphological study using different techniques.

The skull consists of two parts: the calvarium, which contains the brain, that also called the neurocranium, and the facial part of the skull, that also called the visceral cranium. Thirty five samples of local Iraqi sheep fetuses were taken over regular visits to the slaughterhouses, aged between 72 to 155 days of pregnancy. Maceration, radiography, and fly larvae were the different methods to prepare the fetuses’ skull bones for prenatal morphological study.

The method of maceration with sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) and radiography of embryos heads’ showed that the frontal, parietal, inter-parietal, and squamous part of the temporal bone appeared fully ossified at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy, while the occipital, sphenoid, the vertical plate of the ethmoid bone, and the petrous part of the temporal bone appeared fully ossified in the third trimester of pregnancy. While the fly larvae maceration method showed that the bones seemed fully ossified at the end of the second trimester and in the third trimester of pregnancy, but were separated from each other.

In conclusion, the best methods for the prenatal study of fetuses’ skulls are the maceration by NaOH and the radiography which allows us to achieve the anatomical measurements of fetuses’ skulls. In contrast, the maceration by fly larvae allows us to study the surface area of each bone.

The research was conducted on the Animal Production field of the College of Agriculture and Forestry / University of Mosul. Twenty-four Awassi lambs were used in study, randomly divided into four treatments. The lambs of the first treatment (control), were fed the standard diet only, while the lambs of the second, third, and fourth treatments, were fed the standard diet with the addition of 25, 50, and 75 g/kg olive leaves powder, respectively. The study lasted for 90 days, preceded by an introductory period that lasted for 10 days. At the end of the study, three lambs from each treatment, were slaughtered to study carcass characteristics. The results of the statistical analysis of live body weight showed that there was a significant superiority (P?0.05) for all three olive leaves treatments, and the significant superiority was reflected in the hot carcass weight, and all treatments did not differ significantly in the dressing percentage relative to the hot carcass weight. The results of the physical dissection of the three ribs (9, 10, and 11), showed that there was a significant increase (P?0.05) in ribs weight, rib eye area and ribs fat for all olive leaves treatments. While the bone weight of the three ribs decreased significantly in the second and third olive leaves treatments, lean weight increased significantly in 2nd and 4th treatments. Wide tail fat and kidney fat increased significantly in all olive leaves treatments, also recorded a significant increase in Omental and Mesenteric fat in 3rd and 4th treatments. The addition of olive leaves to the ration of Awassi lambs cased an improvement in body and carcass weight and some carcass traits.

The production of functional foods has increased in recent decades due to their health benefits. The yogurt represents most popular functional food from ancient times until the present. This study was conducted to evaluate the synbiotic effects of Agraicus bisporus fungi dried powder on Lactobacillus acidophilus growth rate and viability and physiochemical yogurt properties after storage periods (0-7-14-21-28 days) at 6 Cº. The study showed an increase in total proteins, ash, fat, and titratable acidity of fortified yogurt the highest values were obtained in treatment Lb4 after 28 storage days (5.35%,0.71%,3.66%,1.72g respectively) The titratable acidity increased as a result of the addition of dried powder of fungi, while the moisture, carbohydrate, and pH were reduced with progress of storage time, the lowest value of moisture and pH obtained after 28 days in Lb4 (84.29%,3.51 respectively). The study also showed Lb. acidophilus count is dependent on the additive amount and total acidity, the highest count number obtained in treatment Lb4 after 21 days of storage was (177x 109 cfu/gr). while the highest viable count obtained after 28 days of storage in treatment Lb3 was (165x 109 cfu/gr). The rheological properties of yogurt were also affected by the additives, with a notable development in the hardness and retreat in whey separation, the highest value of hardness obtained in treatment Lb4 after 28 storage days was (111.1 g).

This study was an attempt to investigate the prevalence of the greater wax worm, Galleria ?mellonella L., in some provinces of central and southern Iraq Study period from 23\11\2023 to 22\11\2024( Babylon, Karbala, ?Wasit, Qadisiyah, Maysan and Basra). The survey results showed that The pest prevalence was varied in the ?provinces, as the highest infection percentage in Basra province was reached 73.33%, and ?the lowest in Maysan province reached 10.67%. It is significant to mention that Maysan ?province was also distinguished by having strong hives at a percentage of 81.7%, while ?Basra had the lowest level of strong hives ? at 30.3%. The methods of controlling the insect ?also was differed in the provinces that were subject to the study. The effective methods of ?controlling the pest that proved their worth in reducing the numbers of the pest and ?eliminating it were burning frames and dusting frames , and also ?dusting warehouses with dusting discs every two weeks. Besides, the method of freezing ?frames for two days is a very successful method for eliminating the different insect roles of ?the pest. Daily follow-up is also one of the crucial practices for early detection of the pest, ?whether in the apiary or the storehouse, to take appropriate measures at the beginning of ?the insect’s activity and before it spreads in the apiary and storehouse.?

This study investigated the presence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and contagious caprine pneumonia (CCPP) in ruminants to confirm and identify the mycoplasma species present. A comprehensive approach was employed, involving serological and molecular assays. A total of 342 cattle and 319 goats were tested, with 42 cattle and 23 goats showing positive serum samples, along with six stored cultures. These samples were analyzed using various serological assays, including IDEXX CBPP and CCPP cELISAs, Immunoblot, CapriLAT, BoviLAT, and the Complement Fixation Test (CFT). Molecular techniques such as PCR-DGGE, species-specific PCRs, and real-time PCR kits were also utilized. The results indicated serological evidence of CCPP and CBPP infections, with some samples positive for M. agalactiae and M. ovipneumoniae. Due to culture contamination, the real-time PCR results were often borderline. However, the study suggests mixed infections in goats and highlights the importance of storing purified colony isolates and expanding sampling regions to identify diagnostic biomarkers and potential vaccine traits for mycoplasmas in Nigerian isolates.

The study aimed to evaluate epidemiological data risk factors such as seasons, sex, age, breed, area of study and feeding system. This study was applied during the months from January-2022 until December-2022. The Total numbers for examined buffaloes 1060 of buffaloes. The total infestation rate was 54.06%.

Clinical gross examination results of skin of buffaloes revealed the presence of lice and eggs with damaged hair and hair fall spots due to heavy infestation. Microscopical examination with dissecting microscope the local Iraqi buffaloes raised indoor are infested with sucking lice species Haematopinus tuberculatus, morphological identification of lice identify the species of lice in buffaloes is the sucking lice Haematopinus tuberculatus according to the following morphological features; adults are black to brown in colours, 3.8mm in long and 1.9mm wide without eyes. The paratergal plates were very prominent, antennae containing five segments and pointed head with one large claw in each leg.

A total infestation rate (573/1060) 54.06%. Highest infestation rate was 79% in January, February March at p? 0.05. As for age risk factor the study results recorded 64.09% in animals more than three years compared with 37.5% for animals less than three years at p? 0.05 differences were significant. The highest infestation rate was 61.09% in female group compared with 43.09% in male. Location of study in revealed that infestation rate was the highest inside Hawy Al-Maslagh (right side) with 80% while the lowest was in Hammam Al-Alil (Tomb of the slave) with 36%.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of induced diabetes on the severity of experimental toxoplasmosis in mice. 10 placenta samples were collected from Al-Salam Hospital in the city of Mosul. The parasite isolated and identified. Eighty mice were experimental diabetes were induced with Alloxan, and divided into three groups; two groups 40 mice of both sexes (20 males and 20 females) infected in Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), and 20 mice consider as a control group. Mice were sacrificed at one, two, three and six weeks post infection (p.i.), blood serum was collected and evaluated for the severity of T. gondii infection using an ELISA kit, and glucose and insulin levels were measured. Tissue cysts in brain casts were also assessed. The results showed a significant difference at P < 0.01. in the glucose level in all groups, the highest glucose level was recorded at six week i.p in females which recorded 274.13±74.13. It was also observed that there is an increase in the rate of insulin level, the highest rate was showed in the second and sixth weeks p.i in male group which recorded16.15±4.14. furthermore, it was found that the highest concentration level forIGg was recorded at third week p.i females which recorded 0.52±0.06., Furthermore, a statistical relationship was found between males and females according to number of cysts.

The study was conducted at an apiary in Nineveh Province during the summer of 2023-2024. The results indicated that all liquid and dry alternatives and supplements of honey and pollen had an attractive effect on worker bees, with varying degrees of attraction to all the liquid materials and supplements. The super protein treatment, the mixture, and whey showed the highest attraction rates, especially on the third day of feeding during the evening, with averages of 4355, 3127, and 2525 workers/two hours, respectively. In contrast, the whey treatment recorded an average attraction of 369 workers/two hours, compared to the sugar solution treatment, which recorded the lowest attraction rate with an average of 115 workers/two hours. The results also confirmed that all dry food materials and supplements attracted worker bees to varying degrees, with treatments of palm pollen, the mixture, soybeans, and reishi mushrooms recording the highest averages of 451.7, 376.7, 246.3, and 128 workers/two hours, respectively, compared to the commercial pollen treatment, which attracted fewer bees with an average of 95.3 workers/two hours. The results indicated that evening feeding times recorded higher attraction rates than morning times, with averages of 184.8 and 159.3 workers/two hours, respectively.

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of selenium nanoscale in improving the utilization of high wheat bran diet using 15 Awassi ewes weighing 51.58 ± 1.71 kg and their ages ranged between 3-4 years, the ewes were divided into three groups, each group included five ewes, the ewes were fed during the study period, which amounted to 72 days, and the amount of feed provided to ewes was equivalent to 1.5 kg of dry matter per ewe per day. The first group (control) was fed a diet high in barley grains with an ideal percentage of wheat bran, in the second group the ewes were fed a diet that contained less barley with a bran percentage raised to 35% of the components of the diet, while the third group was fed a diet similar to the second diet with daily doses of ewes with 0.3 mg / ewe of nano-selenium. The results indicated that there were no significant differences (P?0.05) for the biochemical blood traits, in Blood standards for a blood picture, there was no significant difference in the number of white blood cells, the percentage of lymphocytes, the mean corpuscular volume, the number of red blood cells, and blood hemoglobin. At the same time, the ratio of granulocytes increased for each of the second and third treatments, the platelet Counts decreased for each of the second and third treatments, and the number of somatic cells was much less in the second period of the study in Bran and selenium groups compared to control.

Two studies were conducted to examine the impact of in-ovo injection and dietary addition of L-carnitine (LC) on the growth and egg laying traits of three lines of local quails: desert, brown, and white. The first experiment involved 480 fertile quail eggs were utilized, on the 14th day of incubation, live embryos inside the eggs were injected in the amniotic fluid with varying doses of L-carnitine (0, 4, 8, and 12 mg dissolved in 100 L of a commercial diluent). In the second experiment, 480 one-day-old, unsexed quail chicks were divided into four experimental treatments included: The first group was given the basal diet (control), while the other groups were provided with the basal diet supplemented with different levels of L-carnitine (150, 350, and 500 mg/kg). The evaluation of statistics indicated that quail lines, in-ovo injection, and dietary supplementation with L-carnitine significantly (p?0.01) influenced all the studied traits, except for the first egg weight. The interaction between quail line and in-ovo injection treatments was only significant at age of maturity. Conversely, the interaction between the quail line and the dietary supplementation had a significant impact on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and age at maturity. According to the present results, it can be established that both in ovo injection and dietary supplementation of L-carnitine significantly influenced the productive characteristics traits of quails. In particular, the study revealed that a high in- ovo injection dose of 4 mg/100 µL of diluent and a feed supplement at 350 mg/kg feed resulted in improved production efficiency for quail chicks, except for the initial egg weight, there was no statistically significant association between the feed addition and in-ovo injection treatments.

Wheat straws were pyrolyzed at 200°C, 400°C, and 600°C to create biochar. Experiments on biochar incubation with calcareous soil were carried out at 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 g kg?1 for a maximum of 60 and 90 days at rates to silty loam. The soil's pH, EC, and CEC values were measured, in addition to its accessible N, P, and K. The availability of pH, EC, CEC, N, P, and K increased with the usage of biochar. The pH values ranged from 7.35 at 200°C for 60 days to 7.94 at 600°C for 90 days, while the electrical conductivity increased from 2.42(dS.m-1) at 200°C for 60 days to 4.65(dS.m-1) at 600°C for 90 days, and the cation exchange capacity values increased from 14.35 (Cmol. Kg -1)at 200°C for 60 days to 22.37 (Cmol. Kg -1)at 600°C for 90 days. Moreover, a significant increase in the availability of nutrients (N, P, and K) was observed, reaching 83(mg.Kg-1) at 200°C for 60 days to 107 (mg.Kg-1) at 600°C for 90 days, 34 (mg.Kg-1) at 200°C for 60 days to 54 (mg.Kg-1)at 600°C for 90 days,113 (mg.Kg-1) at 200°C for 60 days to 135 (mg.Kg-1)at 600°C for 90 day respectively. It was found that the correlation coefficient between soil properties with biochar levels ,temperature and Incubation period time for all soils was high and positive.

CBPP is a highly contagious and economically significant respiratory disease of cattle. A systematic search of databases from 1987 to 2024 was conducted. This review assesses the history of CBPP in Africa. CBPP is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides. The disease’s spread across the African continent has been facilitated by factors such as colonial trade routes, cattle movements, nomadic pastoralism, and environmental conditions. The introduction of CBPP into Nigeria marked a pivotal moment in the country’s agricultural history. This review traces the early documentation of CBPP outbreaks, highlighting the disease’s influence on traditional cattle-rearing practices and the subsequent social and economic consequences. It further examines the role of vaccination efforts, disease monitoring, and government policies in controlling the disease. In Nigeria, CBPP has disrupted cattle herd compositions and cattle movement patterns, with financial costs incurred. This review underscores the importance of continued research as a way out of CBPP.

The Newcastle disease is an important disease problem that affects the Poultry industry because it causes large economic losses, many types of vaccines against Newcastle are widely used to provide protection. additives were used including flax seed and fish oils as food supplements and improved the immune system. This study aimed to estimate the effect of adding some essential oils (1% flax and fish oils) to the broiler diet on the white blood cell number and function after vaccination with the newcastle disease vaccine. A total and differential white blood count was done by using an automatic blood analyzer, while the phagocytic index and respiratory burst were used to detect its function. Our results show that there was an increase in total and differential white blood count in all treated groups but remained in their normal ranges in broiler, the heterophilia decreased, while lymphocytes increased with the processing of experiment time; the monocyte, eosinophilic, and basophilic percentages showed little response and reached up to 0.7, 4.1, and 0.2 %. phagocytic index and respiratory burst reveal a significant increase in all treated groups compared with the control. From our study, we conclude that the use of oils can improve total white blood counts as well as increase their ability to phagocytic and kill activity

The current analysis was conducted to quantify the incidence of reproductive disorders in different animals examined and treated at the University Veterinary Hospital, University of Mosul. Such analysis is important in evaluating the hands-on experiences that the local veterinary students obtain in this hospital. For this analysis, data related to the animals examined and treated between January 2018 and December 2022 was retrieved from the records of the Theriogenology section and compiled in Microsoft Excel 2010. A total of 385 Pregnancy diagnosis cases were received, which represented about 50% of all cases received at the hospital. Cows represented 64% of animals received for pregnancy diagnosis. Dystocia in ewes, metritis/endometritis, retained fetal membranes, and inactive ovaries in cows, constituted the most frequent obstetrical cases received at the hospital. In general, all practical reproductive disorders in different she-animals like mare, cow, ewe, nanny goat, buffalo, cat, and bitches were recorded in this analysis which in our point of view add many information in way to improve undergraduate student’s skills. In conclusion, improving skills in pregnancy diagnosis, treatment of dystocia and retained fetal membranes, and diagnosis of metritis/endometritis and inactive ovaries should be considered in the training of local students and it's important to direct and focus practical training and treatment to in the way to deal with reproductive disorders which may related to new situations and conditions like global warming and using best equipment for teaching.