Observations on the recent epizootic of bovine ephemeral fever in Saudi Arabia.

Observations of the epizootic of bovine ephemeral fever which occurred in Saudi Arabia during 1996 are presented. The investigations included the collection of epidemiological data from affected farms and the testing of sera for antibodies to the virus. The authors report a mean morbidity rate of 50% and a mean case fatality rate of 0.3%. Of the infected cattle, 4% were affected by recumbency, the majority of these recovered (89%). The clinical signs observed in affected cattle were uniform throughout the region concerned. The features of the outbreak, obtained through field investigations, were considered in relation to the ecological and meteorological conditions which were prevalent at the time. The outbreak occurred during the summer months (May to October) in the central and eastern regions of Saudi Arabia, with the initial infection reported at the Al-Ahsa oasis. Farms which were subsequently affected were all reported to possess areas of stagnant water suitable for the reproduction of the vectors of the disease (Culicoides spp. and mosquitoes). To conclude, the authors discuss precautions to prevent future outbreaks of bovine ephemeral fever in Saudi Arabia.

Oltipraz treatment in experimental schistosomiasis mansoni: IV. Histopathological changes in the intestines of infected mice induced by high dose oral therapy.

Marked improvement of the pathological lesions in the small intestines of mice experimentally infected with the Egyptian strain of S. mansoni was detected after oltipraz therapy. The drug was given in a single oral dose of 500 mg per kg body weight. The improvement of the intestinal lesions was apparent after 20, 30 and 60 days from treatment in comparison to the infected untreated controls. These findings were the basis of the present study, which still need investigations of the histopathological changes in livers of infected mice before and after oltipraz therapy.

Oltipraz treatment in experimental schistosomiasis mansoni: V. Histopathological changes in the livers of infected mice induced by high dose oral therapy.

Histopathological changes in the livers of mice infected with the Egyptian strain of S. mansoni before and after oltipraz therapy were studied. The drug was given in a single oral dose of 500 mg/kg. body weight. The results obtained revealed marked improvement of the pathological lesions after 20 and 30 days from oltipraz therapy in comparison to the infected untreated controls. That improvement was followed by a marked increase of hepatic lesions after 60 days from treatment in addition to new cellular granulomata surrounding fresh bilharzial ova. The drug was severely toxic to the liver as it caused severe liver cell injury, parenchymatous inflammation, fatty changes and areas of diffuse necrosis in livers of the drug control group of mice, the results were discussed in the light of the previous and present findings detected by the authors, with some recommendations.