ten female lambs of 7-month-old were divided into two equal groups and raised under a helminth-free conditions. animals in group 1 were immunized two times by whole gut homogenate (wgh) of haemonchus contortus emulsified in freund’s adjuvant. in group 2 (control), animals were injected by phosphate buffered saline emulsified in the same adjuvant. animals were challenged by 10000 third-stage lar...

Little is known about tick-borne diseases in Saudi Arabia, particularly regarding the prevalence of theileriosis in small ruminants. This survey studied the potential vectors of malignant theileriosis in Saudi Arabian sheep. Blood, lymph node and tick samples were collected from animals being treated or necropsied at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Jeddah, Makkah (western region), and B...

Sheep and goat pox, peste des petits ruminants and Rift Valley fever are important diseases of small ruminant livestock. Sheep and goat pox, along with peste des petits ruminants, are endemic throughout most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Whereas Rift Valley fever is endemic in Africa, outbreaks in the Middle East have been reported over the past decade, including the Arabian Peninsula. S...

Four Saudi Arabian indigenous sheep populations including Najdi, Hbsi, Arb, and Naemi were genotyped for 16 microsatellite markers recommended by the food and agriculture organization (FAO). This study aims to provide information on the genetic structure of the breeds analyzed and give indications and proposals for the cross breeding program. All loci were polymorphic in all populations and loc...

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV, genus Morbillivirus), which causes a severe disease in sheep and goats, has only recently been officially declared to be present in Turkey. We carried out a study to determine the prevalence, distribution, and host range of PPRV in Turkey. A total of 1,607 animals, reared in 18 different locations, were monitored for the presence of antibodies to PPRV and...

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (M. ap) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis or Johne's disease (JD) in herbivores with potential involvement in cases of Crohn's disease in humans. JD is spread worldwide and is economically important for both beef and dairy industries. Generally, pathogenic ovine strains (M. ap-S) are mainly found in sheep while bovine strains (M. ap-C) in...

four saudi arabian indigenous sheep populations including najdi, hbsi, arb, and naemi were genotyped for 16 microsatellite markers recommended by the food and agriculture organization (fao). this study aims to provide information on the genetic structure of the breeds analyzed and give indications and proposals for the cross breeding program. all loci were polymorphic in all populations and loc...

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is endemic in most parts of Africa and has also been reported to occur in the Arabian Peninsula. It is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in livestock, but also in humans. During the last two decades several outbreaks of RVF have been reported in countries in Southern Africa. In contrast to other countries, no clinical disease has been repo...

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to characterize the DNA polymorphisms of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene in indigenous Saudi Arabian sheep breeds exhibiting different color coats, along with individuals of the Sawaknee breed, an exotic sheep imported from Sudan. METHODS The complete coding region of MC1R gene including parts of 3' and 5' untranslated regions was amplified and sequen...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella are significant foodborne pathogens that can be found in the feces and on the hides of meat animals. When hides are removed during the harvest process, the carcass and subsequent meat products can become contaminated. Camels, cattle, sheep, and goats are harvested for meat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella are unkno...