Study on abattoir and clinical investigations on small ruminant reproductive disorders in Jigjiga, Ethiopia

Across-sectional study was conducted from December, 2016 up to April, 2017 in and around Jigjiga town, Ethiopia to determine female small ruminant reproductive disorders on ewes 183 (56.8 %) and does 139 (43.2 %) at abattoir and clinic. Many factors contribute for low small ruminant productivity including; feed shortage, poor feed quality, ineffective husbandry, health constraints and poor services. Abattoir post-mortem examination revealed that 65 of the female small ruminants examined including 36.3% of ewes and 27.6% of doe’s were pregnant. A total of 26 (13%) and 12 (9.8%) female small ruminant reproductive disorders were observed in the abattoir/ postmortem and clinical investigations, respectively. Abortion/terminated pregnancy was observed in 19.4 % of the pregnant females including 2 clinical and 11 postmortem abattoir cases. Prevalence of abortion/terminated pregnancy was relatively higher (p> 0.050) in doe’s, in younger (< 2 years) animals, and in middle gestation period. The reproductive disorders observed in non-pregnant females include clinical and post-mortem uterine infection 18 (7.1%); clinical retention of placenta 6 (2.4%) and post-mortem pyometra 1 (0.4%). Frequency of uterine infection and retained placental was similar in different species and age-groups. However, both conditions were higher in better body conditioned (p > 0.050) and recently parturient (p < 0.050) non-pregnant female small ruminants. A total of 40 specimens were taken in the clinical and abattoir investigations. This comprised of fetal fl uid aspirates 16 (40 %), vaginal swabs 12 (30 %), endometrial swabs 10 (25 %) and aborted fetal skin swabs 2 (5 %). A total of 46 bacteria representing 8 different groups were isolated from the genital specimens. Short Gram Positive Bacilli (23.9%), Streptococcus species (19.6%) and S. aureus (17.4%) were the major genital bacteria isolates. Generally 20 (43.5%), 12 (26.1%) and 14 (30.4%) of the bacterial isolates were found from fetal fl uid aspirate/skin swab, endometrial swabs and vaginal swabs, respectively. The majority of bacterial isolates (73.9%) came from healthy genital specimens whereas 17.4 % and 8.7 % were isolated from abortion and uterine infection cases. In conclusion, Abattoir investigation showed that ewes and does in the study area showed seasonal breeding tendency. Research Article Study on abattoir and clinical investigations on small ruminant reproductive disorders in Jigjiga, Ethiopia Yikeber Walle1* and Mullusew Gashaw2 1Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Jigjiga University, Dawunt District Livestock Resource Development Offi ce, North Wollo, Amhara, Ethiopia 2Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Dawunt District Livestock Resource Development Offi ce, North Wollo, Amhara, Ethiopia= Received: 16 January, 2021 Accepted: 10 February, 2021 Published: 11 February, 2021 *Corresponding author: Yikeber Walle, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Jigjiga University, Dawunt District Livestock Resource Development Offi ce, North Wollo, Amhara, Ethiopia, Tel: +251933441498,+251941626272; E-mail:


Introduction
Small ruminants play vital economic role as source of dietary proteins as well as skin and fur products for human use worldwide [1]. Ethiopia with its variable agro-ecological conditions is home to some 25.5 million sheep and 24.06 million goats [2]. Small ruminants account to 35 % and 14 % of the annual domestic meat and milk consumption [3] as well as to a considerable share of foreign exchange gained from export of live animals, hide and skin in Ethiopia [4]. However, the existing productivity and contribution of small ruminants is much lower than expected, given the size of national shoat populations [5].
Several factors contribute for low small ruminant productivity including; feed shortage, poor feed quality, ineffective husbandry, health constraints and poor services [6][7][8]. Shortage of grazing/browsing resources is a common challenge during the long dry season [9,10]. Recurrent droughts and short rains pose particularly sever feed shortages in most low-land goat producing areas of the country [11]. Various infectious and parasitic diseases have been associated with substantial small ruminant mortality (particularly young) and morbidity in Ethiopia [6]. Annual disease losses were estimated at 14-16 % in sheep and 11 -13 % in goats whereas helmenthic parasites alone imposed morbidity losses of up to 700 million Citation: Walle  birr. Prevalence of multiple trans-boundary diseases prevents Ethiopia from international markets [12].
Small ruminants are generally appreciated for higher fertility and faster reproductive rates compared to other farm animals. However, the reproductive performance of sheep and goat fl ocks in Ethiopia is low. In particular, pregnancy loss (abortion and still birth) associated to specifi c genital infections and post-natal offspring mortality represent major constraints for effi cient small ruminant reproduction [13]. In Ethiopia, the magnitude of small ruminant pregnancy losses was estimated at 14% [14]. Reproductive output is further reduced by neonatal losses of up to 50% of all lambs and kids born/year [15]. Among major specifi c abortive genital pathogens, substantial seroprevalence of Brucellosis [16], T. gonidi [17] and C. burnetii [18] has been reported from different parts of Ethiopia. Despite mounting evidence of potentially signifi cant physiological and/ or pathological implications in other mammalian species [19], the potential role of non-specifi c female genital tract microfl ora in small ruminant pregnancy and fertility complications is poorly understood.
Widespread practice of pregnant female slaughter has been reported as another serious shoat production constraint in poorer regions of the world [6,19]. This could be driven either by economic forces [21] or result from ineffi cient antemortem pregnancy screening systems [22,23]. The practice threatens sustainable supply of animal protein in developing countries [24][25][26][27]. Effective pregnancy detection system are lacking in most Ethiopian abattoirs [22], which opens room for substantial pregnancy wastage. In line with this, small ruminant abattoir pregnancy wastage of 72.2% has been reported in Asella leading to an estimated gross annual loss of 120,000 -200,000 US $ [28].
The Ethiopian Somali Regional State (ESRS) is home to around 11.5 million shoats which play vital household nutrition and income generating functions particularly for vulnerable groups [29,30]. Informal Jigjiga University student and staff observations indicate common prevalence of abortion, neonatal mortality, placental retention and genital infections in Fafem zone small ruminant fl ocks. However, research evidence on prevalence, nature, causes and impacts of major reproductive disorders affecting ewes and doe's in the region is scarce. Therefore, abattoir and clinic investigation was conducted in Jigjiga town of ESRS with an aim of helping to fi ll this gap. The specifi c objectives of this study were • To estimate the prevalence of major gross reproductive disorders affecting ewes and does fl ocks in the study area.
• To roughly describe the aerobic bacteria associated with female genital tracts exhibiting different physiological states and/or gross pathological conditions.

Study area
The study was conducted based in Jigjiga town of the Ethiopian Somali Regional State (ESRS). ESRS covers a land area of more than 350,000 km 2

Sampling and sample size
Taking logistic convenience and absence of prior research in the study area, a systematic purposive, sampling procedure was used. Accordingly, busy abattoir (2) and clinical (2)  (substantial and off smelling) luminal fl uid, color, smell, mucous membrane lesion, etc. were examined and recorded.
Clinical examination: History was taken by asking animal owners about those small ruminants with reproductive disorders .Any presence of disorder (pus/ blood, bad smelling, large volume) discharge around vulva, abortion/terminated pregnancy were observed and examined.
Sample collection: skin swab on aborted fetus, vaginal/ uterine swab, and fetal fl uid aspirates were aseptically collected for laboratory analysis. Samples were labeled (animal #, place, date and case) and transported to the laboratory under cold chain condition. Analyses of samples were conducted based in college of veterinary medicine -Jigjiga university microbiology laboratory.
Bacteriological study: Culture media used for isolation and purifi cation of bacteria included: Nutrient broth, Blood agar, Nutrient agar, Mannitol salt agar and Eosin methylin blue. Media were prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. Inoculated media were incubated aerobically at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The combination of colonial morphology, growth conditions, bacterial morphology and reaction to gram stain were used to reach a presumptive identifi cation. Gram and Giemsa stained smears were prepared and microscopically examined to identify abortion pathogens [13]. Bacteriological culture, Biochemical tests (catalase, oxidase, coagulase, IMVIC), isolations and identifi cations were conducted as per the microbiological protocols recommended for small ruminant infectious abortion pathogens [33].

Data analysis
Data collected from the surveys and laboratory investigations was entered on Microsoft (Ms) Excel spread sheet for coding, cleaning and validation. Data was analyzed using SPSS package version 20. Mean (SE) and ranges were used to summarize numerical variables and categorical were summarized by giving frequencies (n and %). Descriptive summary of study variables was presented using tables and bar graphs. Chi -square were used for analysis of variation and association. Statistical signifi cance was determined at P < 0.05.

Results
Abattoir and clinical investigation of female small ruminant reproductive disorders was conducted in Jigjiga town between December 2016 and April 2017.

Description of study animals
Slightly more ewes (56.8 %) than doe (43.2 %) were included in this study. A higher proportion of study animals (62.1%) were found in abattoir investigation and 37.9 % represented clinical cases. Majority of study animals were aged 2 year or older 272 (84.5 %), and 50 (15.5 %) were younger than 2 years. The trend was similar in ewes and does. Proportion of younger (< 2 years) and more mature (> 2 years) animals observed in the abattoir (19 % and 81%) and clinical (9.8% and 90.2%) investigations showed signifi cant variation (X 2 = 4.85, p=0.038) ( Table 1).
Higher number of study animals 139 (43.2 %) had a subjective body condition score of medium compared to poor 91 (28.1 %) or good 92 (28.6 %) scores. This trend was similar across species ( Figure 1a) and places of work ( Figure  1b). The monthly distribution (number and percentage) of study animals was variable with higher frequency observed in December and lower levels seen in April (Figure 1a,b). The trend was consistent relative to species (Figures 2a,3a) and work setting (Figures 2b,3b).
Body condition of study animals varied relative to working month (X 2 = 15, p=0.059). A higher proportion of the animals investigated during April 2017 had poor body condition as compared to all other months ( Table 2).

Body conditions coring system
Poor: When there is little evidence of fat deposition but some muscling in the hindquarters and the spinous processes feel sharp to the touch and are easily seen with space between them.    Moderate: When the spinous process can be felt with very fi rm pressure and they were round rather than sharp and there is evidence of moderate fat cover.
Good: When the Tail head had fat cover overwhole area and skin smooth but pelvis can be felt and end of horizontal process can only be felt with pressure; only slight depression in loin [34].

Physiological status
Majority of the study animals were non-pregnant 229     and recently parturient (p < 0.050) non-pregnant female small ruminants (  Figure 8).

Discussion
According to results of the present study majority of the study animals (84.5 %) were aged 2 years or older. This is because as animals get older their reproduction performance and productivity decrease favoring more slaughter. Incidence of female reproductive disorders also increases in older age leading to more clinical presentation. In this study, 19 % of female small ruminants were slaughtered at immature age of less than 2 years. This has negative implications on fl ock expansion and fi nancial return. Substantial proportion of the female small ruminants examined had a poor body condition.
The trend was higher in April. This could refl ect seasonal defi ciency of local rainfall and plant growth trends which was exacerbated by the recent drought.
The monthly frequency of pregnant and parturient female small ruminants was higher in December. This could refl ect seasonal tendency of breeding practices as suggested by Smith, et al. [35]. In Ethiopia, most sheep and goat conceptions occur during or after the period of short rains [15]. In fafem zone,  [25] 60.0%. However, the current level was higher than the 10 % reported by Alosta, et al. [38].
The difference may be caused by variation of sample size and study periods. When applied on a nationwide basis, this rate of slaughter of the pregnant sheep and goat population represents a moderate loss in terms of production and income.
One of the reasons could mostly be assumed is that owners have been sent animals for slaughtering because they were thought as barren. Gestation length estimated from CRL ranged from 38.85 to 88.2 days. Studies confi rm that lamb/ kid fetuses less than one month of age (< 0.5cm) were too small to measure and detect postmortem [21].    cause reproductive failure in ewes and doe other domestic ruminants. Vaginal bacteria get access into the uterus during the peripartum period leading to metritis and endometritis and subsequent reduction in the reproductive capacities of these animals [39]. It is therefore important to identify these bacteria with the view of providing remedial interventions that will restore fertility.
In the present study frequencies of bacterial isolation differ based on sample type and genital health status. Fetal fl uid swab comprised relatively higher short gram positive bacilli, Streptococci, and gram negative bacilli. Uterine swabs had higher short gram positive bacilli and long gram positive bacilli while vaginal swab samples have higher streptococcus, E, coli and S. aurous. This is comparable with fi ndings by Sokkar, et al. [40] who found E coli, Coryne bacterium pyogenes and Staphylococcus aurous as the most common uterine fl ora in some ewes, associated with endometritis and Mshelia, et al. [41,42] who observed Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella species were the most common genital bacterial isolates observed in ewes. On genital health basis, abortion cases contained higher short gram positive bacilli, streptococci and gram negative bacilli. Uterine infection comprised higher E. coli, S. aurous and gram negative bacilli while normal/ apparently healthy animals had short gram positive bacilli, streptococci and S. aurous.

Conclusion and recomendation
Abattoir investigation showed that ewes and does in the study area showed seasonal breeding tendency. Pregnant slaughter and fetal wastage, particularly during middle gestation, were common fi ndings at Jigjiga abattoir. Meanwhile, abortion in pregnant females and uterine infection and retention of placenta were observed in non-pregnant females particularly in animals that recently gave birth. Bacteria were isolated from both pregnant and non-pregnant genital tracts.
Therefore, based on these fi ndings the following recommendations are forwarded • Abattoir pregnancy screening system must be strengthened to avoid economic loss due to fetal wastage.
• Deeper investigation is required to identify and control the pathological agents associated with small ruminant genital infections and abortion.
• Improved fl ock management and vaccination systems need to be introduced to improve reproductive effi ciency of small ruminant fl ocks.