OBJECTIVETo establish and estimate incidence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), using abattoir survey as a diagnostic tool in slaughtered cattle in Northern Tanzania.

METHODSA total of 4 460 cattle were slaughtered in five abattoirs in 3 northern zone regions (Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga) during the period of January to May 2004. They were examined ante-mortem for 'pneumonia signs', and 'characteristic contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) lung lesions'.

RESULTSForty-one (0.91%) of the slaughtered cattle, the majority of which were Tanzania short horn zebu, had gross lung lesions suggestive of CBPP. The prevalence of lesions was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Karatu abattoir compared to others. No animal was detected to have lesion in Bomang' ombe abattoir. The most observed pneumonic signs included labored breathing (90%), dry cough (57%) and mucopurulent nasal discharge (47%). The gross characteristic CBPP pathological lesion, frequently encountered was left lung lesion (47%), pinkish lung (71%) and pleural adhesion (98%). Epidemiological reports show that the CBPP reported outbreaks increased from 19 in 2002, 65 in 2003 and 18 in 2004 (January-March). The corresponding number of reported deaths increased from 137 in 2002, 269 in 2003 and 77 in 2004 (January-March).

CONCLUSIONSIt's concluded from this study that CBPP is a problem in spite of the extensive awareness and vaccination campaigns. Nevertheless, a continued surveillance programme including routine checks of all cattle carcasses at the abattoir and subsequent epidemiological investigation of suspected cases are recommended.

Abattoirs ; Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases ; epidemiology ; Incidence ; Pleuropneumonia, Contagious ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Public Health Surveillance ; Tanzania ; epidemiology

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an important primary pathogen in pigs, in which it causes a highly contagious pleuropneumoniae. In our previous study, apxIA gene amplified from A. pleuropneumoniae Korean isolate by PCR with primer designed based on the N- and C-terminal of the toxin was cloned in TA cloning vector and sequenced. The nucleotide sequences of apxIA gene was reported to GeneBank with the accession numbers of AF363361. Identity of the Apx IA from the cloned gene in E. coli was proved by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Yeast has been demonstrated to be an excellent host for the expression of recombinant proteins with uses in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccine productions. Therefore, to use the yeast as a delivery system in new oral subunit vaccine, apxIA gene was subcloned into Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and ientified the expression of Apx IA protein. First, apxIA gene was amplified by PCR with the primers containing BamHI and SalI site at each end. Second, the DNA digested with BamHI and SalI was ligated into YEpGPD-TER vector, and transformed into S. cerevisiae 2805. Third, after identification of the correctly oriented clone, the 120-kDa of Apx IA protein expressed in S. cerevisiae 2805 was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae/*genetics/isolation & purification/metabolism ; Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/*biosynthesis/genetics ; Blotting, Western/veterinary ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/veterinary ; Hemolysin Proteins ; Pleuropneumonia, Contagious/microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics/*metabolism ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/microbiology