Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Grenada is considered high. Little is known of the epidemiology of T. gondii infection in Caribbean Islands. Serum samples of 750 food animals in Grenada and Carriacou were tested for antibodies to T. gondii by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii (MAT, 1∶25 or higher) were found in 23.1% of 247 pigs, 44.1%...

Calpastatin (CAST) is a specific inhibiter of calpains, playing a role in meat tenderization and myogenesis. In the present study, the polymorphism of the CAST gene of Makoei sheep was investigated by polymerase chain reaction and single strand conformation polymorphism technique (PCR–SSCP). Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples collected from 100 sheep. A 622 bp CAST exon 1 segmen...

The paper reports a 5 year old male sheep-goat interspecific hybrid born under natural conditions. The hybrid was castrated at 10 months of age. Karyotype analysis confirmed that the animal was a male and a hybrid with 57 chromosomes, an intermediate number between sheep (2n=54) and goat (2n=60). Morphological characteristics of the animal were compared with those of castrated male Tswana goats...

Sheep are important to the economy of many countries because they are a source of food for humans. Sheep are commonly infected with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Infection with the parasite may cause early embryonic death and resorption, fetal death and mummification, abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Severity of infection is associated with the stage of pregnancy at which ...

The present survey was carried out in order to determine seasonal dynamics of Fasciola hpatica burdens in sheep at a diagnostic laboratory in Abbottabad, Pakistan using microscopic technique. In this study, 106711 fecal samples were examined during 01.06.2010-31.05.2011. The overall prevalence of Fasciola hepatica was 0.9%. Based on results, Fasciola hepatica prevalence was significantly (p<0.0...

For the consumer, tenderness, juiciness and flavour are often described as the most important factors for meat eating quality, all of which have a close association with intramuscular fat (IMF). X-ray computed tomography (CT) can measure fat, muscle and bone volumes and weights, in vivo in sheep and CT predictions of carcass composition have been used in UK sheep breeding programmes over the la...

Some of the metacestodes are not only zoonotic but are also responsible for severe tissue damage, reduction in milk and meat production, and considerable economic loss due to condemnation of the infected organs of the herbivorous animals. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Cysticercus ovis, Cysticercus tenuicollis, hydatid cyst and Coenurus gaigeri in sheep and goat...

The article presents the dynamics of changes in live weight for a year, measurements, body build indices and productivity one-year-old pure-bred Kazakh fine-wool female lambs crossbreeds different bloods with German meat merino, when creating sheep breed south-east Kazakhstan - “Etti merino”. resulting crossbred offspring are characterized as large animals, high good forms.

The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of toxic metals (Cd, Hg, Cr, Pb, As) in meat at the Kumasi Central Abattoir, Ghana by using a Varian 220 Atom Absorption Spectrophotometer. The levels of toxic metals in meat (cow, pig, sheep, goat, grass cutter, deer) varied in concentration. The concentration of lead was above the tolerance level in all the meat samples with the hi...

BACKGROUND Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) is now recognized as a major cause of diarrhoea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome worldwide. Consumption of raw or undercooked meat of bovine origin has been the most common means of transmitting this organism. METHODOLOGY Over a period of 7 months (October 2006 to April 2007), a total of 738 raw meat samples were collecte...