Genital disorders, linear and testicular characteristics in Menz rams.

Clinical examination, bodily condition score (BCS), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), wither height (WH), and scrotal circumference (SC) were assessed on 486 mature Ethiopian Menz rams, on small farms, in local markets, and at the main abattoir in Addis Ababa from December 1994 to April 1995. Almost 27% of the rams were found to be unfit for breeding. Poor general condition, mainly in the form of respiratory disorders, was seen in 1.2% of the rams. Balanoposthitis, epididymitis and orchitis were the most common pathological conditions, affecting the external reproductive organs in 14.6%, 4.5% and 4.1% of the rams, respectively. Testicular calcification, cysts and testicular haemorrhagic lesions were detected in 4, 6 and 8, respectively, of the 60 rams examined at necropsy. The BCS, HG, BL and WH averaged 2.1 +/- 0.5, 67.7 +/- 5.0 cm, 60.1 +/- 4.5 cm and 60.1 +/- 4.3 cm, respectively. The mean SC was 25.5 +/- 3.9 cm and did not vary significantly with age (p > 0.05). Among the linear body measurements, the highest correlation was between BL and WH (r = 0.66). SC was found to be most closely correlated to HG (r = 0.46). More investigations into the relationship between the present findings and actual fertility, and on their practical application in the selection of rams for breeding is recommended.

Coenurus cerebralis infection in Ethiopian highland sheep: incidence and observations on pathogenesis and clinical signs.

An investigation was carried out at Debre Berhan, Ethiopia, between 1996 and 1997, into the epidemiology of coenurosis in Menz and Horro breeds of sheep. A total of 37 heads from clinically sick and 183 heads from apparently healthy sheep were examined post mortem for the presence of the cystic larvae of Taenia multiceps, of which 37 and 5 heads, respectively, contained 1 to 8 coenurus cysts (diameter 0.8 to 6.5 cm). The bladder worms were located in the cerebral hemisphere in 96% of the cases (43% and 57% for left and right, respectively), 4% being in the cerebellum. Prediction of cyst locations based on the direction of circling and head deviation had a 62% success rate. A retrospective study generated from the health record book at the ILRI Debre Berhan Station in 1992-1996 (199 Horro and 174 Menz) revealed that the incidence of coenurosis ranged from 2.3% to 4.5%. There was no significant breed difference in the incidence. The age of the affected sheep ranged from 4 to 96 months, with a mean of 19.3 months, and 72% of the cases were within the range of 6 to 24 months. In a complementary survey on necropsied stray dogs, 8 out of 17 were positive for Taenia spp. Both studies confirm the endemicity of coenurosis at the ILRI Debre Berhan Research Station. Appropriate strategies for the control of coenurosis are suggested.