Abortive diseases and their various associated risk factors in small ruminants in Algeria: a systematic review.

Abortive infections are a major health challenge affecting productive and reproductive performance of sheep and goats. However, there is no comprehensive summary on the occurrence and distribution of these infections in Algeria. This systematic review provides a comprehensive summary on the prevalence of different abortive diseases and assesses potential risk factors in small ruminants in Algeria. Five databases were used to search epidemiological data on the prevalence of different abortive diseases (bacterial, parasitic, and viral). Data were collected from 25 papers published between 2003 and 2020. The total mean sample size was 53,080 small ruminants. The majority of the diseases/infections were diagnosed by serological and molecular tests. The overall prevalence of brucellosis was 0.39% in sheep and 5.31% in goats. Chlamydia and Q fever were observed in 32.72% and 20.62% of small ruminants, respectively. The prevalence of peste des petits ruminants was 15.76% and the overall prevalence of bluetongue in sheep and goats was, respectively, 13.41% and 44.50%. Border disease and bovine viral diarrhea were detected in 22.68% and 1.01% of sheep examined, respectively. Toxoplasma gondii infection prevalence among sheep and goats was 21.43% and 32.31% respectively. This study is a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of abortion diseases in small ruminants in Algeria and will therefore be a useful tool for researchers. Larger and more robust prevalence studies are needed to adequately support risk assessment and management of animal and public health threats.

Investigation of internal and external parasites of the camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Algeria.

Parasitic diseases are one of the dominant pathological entities with significant consequences on camel productivity. This survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of camel infection with internal and external parasites in two regions in southern Algeria, between January and December 2015. The investigation of external parasites was carried out in Oued Souf and concerned 406 camels. For internal parasites, two studies were conducted; the first was realized at the slaughterhouse in the Ouargla and concerned 273 camels and the second study was realized in Oued Souf region which aimed to search for digestive parasites; therefore, 64 samples of camel faeces were taken. The results showed that 232/406 (57.14%), 114/406 (28%) and 67/406 (16.5%) camels were infested with ticks, scabies and ringworms, respectively. Camels were significantly more infested with ticks than scabies and ringworms (p<0.001). The identification of ticks revealed Hyalomma dromedarii (83.98%), Hyalomma impeltatum (10.58%), Amblyomma variegatum (5.12%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (0.32%). Camels were more infested with H. dromedarii (p<0.001). For internal parasites, 22/64 (34.37%) camels were found infected with digestive strongyles of which 8/64 (12.5%) were infected with Nematodirus sp. At the Ouargla slaughterhouse, 23/273 (8.42%) camels were revealed infected with hydatid cyst. Camels appear to be highly parasitized in Algeria and its cohabitation with other animal species increases the risk of its contamination. Therefore, it is important to take into consideration the parasitism of the camel in Algeria and appropriate control measures are recommended in order to improve camel productivity.