Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly contagious, immunosuppressive disease that primarily affects young chickens. It causes substantial economic losses to the poultry industry due to mortality and reducing productivity, and it weakens chickens' immune systems, making them more susceptible to other infections. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Wag-Lasta districts of the Amhara region, Ethiopia, to determine the seroprevalence of IBD and coinfection with Newcastle disease (ND) and salmonellosis. Serological investigations were carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IBD, hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) for ND, and slide agglutination test (SAT) for salmonellosis. A total of 329 blood samples were collected from apparently healthy unvaccinated chickens. Serological testing found that 53.8

Goat production, which is largely managed by resource-poor farmers, is hindered by limited infrastructure, education, and low awareness of prevalent diseases, management, and cultural perceptions. Goat mastitis is often overlooked due to poor routine diagnostic culture, low farmer awareness, and management-related risk factors. The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) levels of herders on mastitis in goats. A cross-sectional study with simple random sampling was conducted in selected districts of northeastern Amhara region, Ethiopia, from September 2024 to May 2025. Data was collected from 275 participants using a semi-structured questionnaire. Among the 275 survey participants, 30.7% reported mastitis incidents. The average scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to mastitis were 47.8%, 69.4%, and 46.2%, respectively. The majority of the respondents did not attend school, and their knowledge about the causes of mastitis, zoonotic diseases, and subclinical mastitis was significantly associated with district and age demographics. In conclusion, herders lacked desirable knowledge and practices, and zoonotic risks related to mastitis. Tailored training on the causes, and the zoonotic risk, control and prevention mastitis was suggested for goat farmers. Furthermore, research on bacterial species and resistance factors identification are recommended.

Rabies can be prevented by vaccination of dogs and provision of post exposure vaccine (PEV) for exposed subjects. There are many post exposure rabies vaccines in the market with their efficacy extending to 100%; however, there are complaints on the effectiveness of the vaccine in the field level. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess PEV effectiveness and identify factors associated with rabies cases. A retrospective case-control study was conducted in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia from December 2020 to June 2021. Data were collected from a total of 138 subjects (92 controls and 46 cases). Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data, and logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors. The vaccine effectiveness (VE) was determined by computing the percentage reduction in risk of rabies among vaccinated humans relative to unvaccinated individuals. Majority of rabies exposure (56.5%) were due to bite of stray dogs or dogs owned by others. About 65.2% of the study subjects had taken PEV. Subjects with rabies PEV were less likely to have rabies than subjects who did not take rabies PEV (OR = 0.058, 95% CI = 0.001-0.21), and the rabies PEV reduced 94.2% of the rabies cases. Females, children <15 years of age, and increased number of days from bite to PEV had higher odds of deaths due to rabies. There was a considerable reduction in the odds of rabies case in vaccinated humans as compared to that of nonvaccinated subjects. By focusing on target populations such as females and children under the age of 15 and by capitalizing health education on early search of PEV following dog bite, the reduction level rabies-related death has the potential to be larger than the reported findings.

Mastitis is a multifactorial disease with major consequences for production, animal welfare, and public health, yet it remains less studied in goats than in cows. Moreover, reports of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria isolated from mastitic goats are scarce. In Ethiopia, treatment decisions for mastitis largely rely on empirical clinical experience rather than routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing. To address this gap, a cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2024 in Waghimra, Amhara, Ethiopia, to identify the major bacterial causes of mastitis and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Bacterial isolation, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing followed standard protocols, and statistical analyses were performed using Stata 17 and WHONET software. The overall goat-level mastitis prevalence was 24.69% (98/397), comprising 2.52% (10/397) clinical and 22.28% (88/395) subclinical mastitis. Staphylococcus spp. (47/129; 36.43%) was the predominant isolate, followed by E. coli (12/129; 9.30%) and Klebsiella spp. (3/129; 2.33%). All Staphylococcus isolates were resistant to ampicillin (37/37; 100%) and showed considerable resistance to tetracycline (16/37; 43.24%), but remained highly susceptible to kanamycin (36/37; 97.30%), chloramphenicol, and gentamicin (35/37; 94.59% each). E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were highly susceptible to most antimicrobials tested, except ampicillin. Multidrug resistance was detected in 13.46% (7 out of 52) of isolates, occurring exclusively among Staphylococcus spp. Subclinical mastitis, mainly caused by Staphylococcus spp., was highly prevalent in the study area, showing complete ampicillin resistance and considerable tetracycline resistance. These findings have important implications for milk production, animal welfare, and public health, given local raw milk consumption.

Ticks are blood-feeding ectoparasites that cause significant economic losses by reducing animal productivity and damaging hides and skins. Ticks control and prevention strategies primarily rely on the regular use of synthetic acaricides. However, the widespread misuse of these commercial acaricides has led to the emergence of acaricide-resistant ticks, compromising their sustainable effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate alternative plant-based acaricides and determine their effective dose levels. Crude ethanol extracts from six plant species, previously reported to possess acaricidal activity, were initially screened at a concentration of 100 mg/mL using the adult immersion test. Based on the prescreening results, Ricinus communis, Azadirachta indica, and Jatropha curcas, which showed promising acaricidal effects, were subsequently tested at concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL. Tick mortality and oviposition inhibition were monitored over seven days at 3-hour intervals. Ricinus communis produced the highest acaricide efficacy (70 ± 1.8%) at 100 mg/mL. In comparison, 100 mg/mL of Azadirachta indica and Jatropha curcas resulted in 56.7 ± 2.2% and 16.7 ± 3.02% acaricide activity, respectively. The minimum lethal doses required to kill 50% (LD₅₀) and 90% (LD₉₀) of the tested ticks were 18.47 mg/ml and 184.3 mg/ml for Ricinus communis and 83.4 mg/ml and 431.8 mg/ml for Azadirachta indica, respectively. Ricinus communis exhibited the highest mean oviposition inhibition (98.5%), followed closely by Azadirachta indica (96.57%), while Jatropha curcas demonstrated comparatively lower inhibition (68.05%). A statistically significant dose-dependent oviposition inhibition effect was observed for Ricinus communis and Azadirachta indica (p < 0.05).In conclusion, Ricinus communis and Azadirachta indica demonstrated strong potential as botanical acaricide alternatives and warrant further evaluation in clinical trials.

Mastitis poses a significant challenge in the dairy industry, carrying economic, legal, public health, and animal welfare implications. The disease is primarily caused by pathogens and exacerbated by environmental, management, and host-related factors. However, comprehensive evidence synthesis remains limited compared to other livestock. Therefore, this review aims to bridge this gap by updating the prevalence and associated pathogens of mastitis in goats. We conducted systematic searches following PRISMA guidelines and, through established eligibility criteria, retrieved records were filtered and screened. Quantitative data obtained from qualified studies were analyzed using a random effects model. The overall estimated prevalence of mastitis was 30.6 % (95 % CI: 28.1-34.3 %; I² = 97. 9 %). The prevalences of clinical mastitis and subclinical mastitis were estimated at 7.5 % (95 % CI: 5.4-10.2 %) and 31.6 % (29.34-33.3 %). Subgroup prevalence was 26.1 % at the udder half level and 36.1 % at the bulk tank level. Single summary pooled prevalence at the goat level was highest in Australia (35 %) and lowest in North America (11.6 %). A decreasing trend was observed for udder half-level and overall mastitis prevalence, while goat-level mastitis showed an increasing trend. Major identified pathogens associated with goat mastitis were Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, E. coli, Klebsiella, Corynebacterium, and Pseudomonas. Staphylococcus species account about 30 % of mastitis, with non-Staphylococcus aureus species at 20 % and Staphylococcus aureus at 11 %. This review highlights goat mastitis as a significant challenge in the increasing demand of the dairy goat industry. Addressing and mitigating risk factors for goat mastitis with a view to reducing the prevalence is vital for dairy goat productivity.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a contagious viral disease in young chickens that weakens immunity and causes significant economic losses. This review provides an update on IBD prevalence in Ethiopian chickens from 2000 to 2023. The review follows PRISMA guidelines and uses a random-effects model with the DerSimonian-Laird method. Of 245 retrieved studies, 22 studies (31 independent reports) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled IBD prevalence was 67% (95% CI 56-75%; I2 = 98.8%). Regionally, prevalence ranged from 85% in Addis Ababa (95% CI 81-89%) to 56% in southern NNP (95% CI 29-80%). Similarly, pooled prevalence was higher in serological studies (71%; 95% CI 60-80%) than in molecular (54%; 95% CI 20-85%) or postmortem studies (31%; 95% CI 29-33%). Pooled prevalence was also higher in exotic chickens (65%; 95% CI 50-77%) than in indigenous chickens (61%; 95% CI 46-74%) and higher in adults (70%; 95% CI 60-78%) than in younger birds (65%; 95% CI 51-76%). Female chickens had a higher pooled prevalence (68%; 95% CI 55-79%) than males (62%; 95% CI 48-74%). Both classical virulent (cvIBDV) and very virulent (vvIBDV) serotype I genotypes have been identified in Ethiopia. The review underscores the urgent need for ongoing surveillance and national interventions to reduce IBD prevalence, which threatens poultry production and reproductive performance.

Crossbreeding programs using either exotic or indigenous sires are an appropriate and rapid way to improve productivity within a shorter generation interval. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the growth performance traits of individual crossbreeding parameters of Sekota x Begait sheep crossbred under on-farm conditions in the lowland areas of Wag-himra, Northern Ethiopia. The cross-breeding program was conducted from 2018 to 2022 in Kasayred village of Abergele district on 699 animals. Least-squares means for weight at different ages and average daily weight gains were obtained by fitting the general linear model procedure in the SAS software. Crossbreeding parameters, including additive, heterosis, and recombination loss, were derived by fitting them as fixed covariates. The overall least square means for birth weight (BWt), three-month weight (TMWt), six-month weight (SMWt), nine-month weight (NMWt), and yearling weight (YWt) of evaluated progenies were 2.49±0.02, 11.61±0.09, 15.66±0.17, 19.27±0.18, and 23.46±0.23 kg, respectively. The overall least square means for average daily weight gain up to weaning (ADG1), six-month (ADG2), nine-month (ADG3), and yearling (ADG4) were 101.03±1.00, 45.30±1.38, 40.93±1.20, and 46.07±0.90 g/day. Only the additive effect of BWt for the Begait sheep breed was significant and it was found as 0.35±0.13 kg. Heterosis contributed 27-39 % live body weight improvement for Sekota sheep at yearling and six-month weights. In general, this pilot crossbreeding program resulted in 24% to 53% yearling weight improvement of pure Sekota breed (50%,75%, and 25% blood levels, respectively), and participating farmers in the program witnessed that it was important in terms of improvement in phenotypic traits, growth rates, and market values. Based on the result of this study, we recommend establishing a 50% crossbred ram multiplication center in the area for long-term operation and further evaluating other blood levels by incorporating carcass and reproductive performance traits.

Mastitis is a multifactorial disease of mammals that has substantial implications on production, welfare, and public health, but it is far less studied in goats. This study reviewed the causes, diagnostic tests, economic and public health impacts, and prevalence of mastitis in goats. The review revealed that mastitis in goats could be clinical (CM) or subclinical (SCM). Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, E. coli, and Mycoplasma, are the main cause of mastitis in goats. Mastitis in goats is influenced by intrinsic factors like breed, parity, age, and lactation stage, and extrinsic factors like pathogens, environment, and management. Somatic cell count and the California mastitis test are common diagnostic tests for SCM, but their reliability is questionable due to the broader range of somatic cells in goat milk. Dry period therapy and early interventions are the best options for mastitis treatment and control methods, while temporal milking stops can enhance immunity. Mastitis can affect animal welfare, milk yield, quality, marketability, and public health due to disease transmission and intoxication. The pooled prevalence of mastitis was found to be 36 % (95 % CI: 25-50). The prevalence of CM was often less than 5 % and occurred sporadically. In contrast, SCM was the most prevalent form (prevalence ranges from 30 % to 50 %). In conclusion, despite goats being the foundation of financial stability and food security in rural households, and with an estimated prevalence comparable to cows, mastitis research is frequently overlooked. Given goats' importance in rural households' economies, there is a need to shift research priorities and strengthen multidisciplinary collaborations to address zoonotic diseases associated with mastitis, at the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly contagious and immunosuppressive disease that primarily affects young chickens. This disease can lead to severe economic losses in the poultry industry due to high mortality rates and decreased productivity. In Ethiopia, IBD is believed to have been introduced in the early 21st century through the importation of exotic breeds. The disease exhibits a high prevalence, being reported in more than 95% of WOAH member countries, showcasing diverse strains. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of IBD in the Wag-Lasta area of the Amhara region, assess coinfection, and identify risk factors associated with disease occurrence. A total of 329 blood samples were collected from chickens in three agroclimatic zones of the Amhara region. Serological testing revealed that 53.8% of the samples were positive for infectious bursal disease. Compared with lowland areas, highland regions presented a greater prevalence (48.09%) of IBD (40.40%), whereas the prevalence was highest in midland areas (74.74%). The study revealed a strong association between the occurrence of IBD and the agroecological zones where the chickens were raised. Compared with local chickens, exotic chicken breeds presented greater odds of disease (OR = 34.57: 95% CI 16.44–72.72; P = 0.000), and highland areas (OR = 4.87; 95% CI 2.18–10.91; P = 0.000) presented greater odds of testing positive than lowlands did. IBD can cooccur with other diseases, notably salmonellosis and Newcastle disease. The high prevalence of IBD highlighted in the present study can lead to increased susceptibility to other infections, emphasizing the significant economic impact of the disease in the region. Understanding the epidemiology and risk factors associated with IBD is crucial for developing effective control strategies to reduce the burden of this economically significant poultry disease in the region.

A retrospective study was conducted in Abergele and Ziquala districts in Ethiopia to investigate the occurrence, impact, and potential risk factors for abortion in small ruminants linked to a regional abortion storm. Affected (case) and nonaffected (control) villages were compared to assess infectious and noninfectious risk factors causing abortions. A case village was defined as a village with abortion seen in all households enrolled in the study, while a control village is characterized by presence of abortion in two and fewer households. A questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, and serological examinations were used to assess the differences in the abortion rate between the case and control villages. The Rose Bengal Plate Test for Brucellosis, Toxoplasma gondii Antibody Test Kit for Toxoplasma gondii, and ELISA for Chlamydophila abortus and Coxiella burnetii were used to detect antibodies. Per village 15 household flocks were selected. In the case villages, all flocks were affected by abortion (a mean abortion of 13 animals in Abergele and 9 in Ziquala). In contrast, only three households reported abortions in the control villages. A total of 176 blood samples were collected from the case and control villages for further laboratory diagnosis of possible causes of abortion. Of the examined flocks, 17%, 10.2%, and 2.8% were positive for Coxiella burnetii, Toxoplasma gondii, and Chlamydophila abortus, respectively. However, antibodies against Brucella melitensis were not detected. While the seroprevalence was greater for some infectious agents of abortion, there was no significant difference between the case and control villages. It is clear that the abortion problem in the study villages is complex and likely due to a mix of poor husbandry practices and the presence of infectious diseases. To better understand the underlying causes of abortion, there is a need to conduct a longitudinal study involving testing for more pathogens at the household level combined with reliable data on husbandry practices.

AbstractFood safety encompasses the supply and assurance of safe, high‐quality food for consumers. It is a crucial aspect of food security, gaining greater global attention due to the increasing number of widespread foodborne incidents. International trade is expanding as countries increasingly rely on each other to secure a sufficient and diverse food supply. Beyond this, concerns about food safety have become more prevalent due to various factors. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the effects of food safety–associated risks on the international trade of food and related products. A total of 37 published studies retrieved using different search engines were included in this review. This review revealed that because of rapid population growth and rising food demand in developing nations, agricultural intensification is growing. It has been found that foodborne illnesses and associated discrepancies can impede the international trade of food commodities. Trade bans due to the fear of foodborne illnesses are growing. The consequences of foodborne diseases are multifaceted and include financial losses from trade restrictions, medical costs for prevention or control, resource depletion and a decline in food production. The overall effects are increased international trade tensions and livelihood vulnerability to poverty, notably for small‐scale livestock producers. Potential food contaminants include microbes, pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, heavy metals and fraudulent such as improper food processing, mislabelling, poor packaging, adulteration and substitution. Hence, countries are encouraged to harmonize the rights and duties set by the World Trade Organization under sanitary and phytosanitarys to maximize their advantages in global markets. Based on this evidence, we recommend that each country develop and integrate regulations that would ensure the safety of both domestic and international food production systems. Furthermore, the global community should either revise the current functioning food regulatory and monitoring body or establish a more genuine collaborative network.

Background and Objective: Aberegelle goat was small in body size and highly resistant to the harsh environment in the low land of Wag-himra.The objective of the study was to conserve the indigenous Abergelle goat and improve growth and milk production traits through selective breeding.Materials and Methods: The selection of bucks was done once a year using indexed estimated breeding value of yearling weight and their respective dam milk yield performances.A total of 469 for body weight and 345 for milk yield records were used for performance evaluation Top-ranked bucks selected from the flock were used as replacements at the nucleus while the surplus bucks were disseminated to nearby villages.The general linear model procedure of SAS software (version 9.0) was employed to evaluate the body weight and milk yield of the breed during the last five years (2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020).Results: The overall birth-, three-month-, six-month-, nine-month-and yearling weights were 1. 98, 6.5, 8.6, 11.4, and 13.8 kg, respectively.The overall lactation milk yield, average daily milk yield, and lactation length were 17.64 kg, 0.30 kg, and 8.45 weeks, respectively.Within the last five consecutive selections years' birth weight has increased from 1.64±0.04 to 2.3±0.02kg, weaning weight from 5.6±0.25 to 7.5±0.15kg,and yearling weight from 13±0.43 to 15.2±0.27kg.Conclusion: Wet season birth was important for increasing milk production and lactation length.Nucleus flocks in the station the growth traits and milk traits can be improved by selection and selection at the station once a year.The Selection of breeding bucks should be at the age of six months and nine months before the breeding bucks went market for sale.

Small ruminants, especially goat is very important in the economy and nutrition, and has the potential for using it as a tool for poverty reduction in developing countries. To date, only a very limited number of studies have been conducted on the effect of environmental or flock management factors on morbidity and mortality of kids of goats. To understand the epidemiology of kid mortality, we developed a longitudinal follow-up of kids born in the study area for three years in goat improving model villages of Abergelle (Saziba community goat improvement village) and Sekota (Ayibra site of Sekota Dryland Agricultural Research Center goat multiplication farm) districts. The objectives of the study were to assess the overall incidence of diseases and risk factors and to understand and characterize risk factors responsible for pre-weaning kid mortality of Abergelle goats in Waghemira zone. All newborn kids up to weaning age were followed from 2017-2019. Thus, about 1438 kids born in these villages were followed longitudinally in each site by assigning one enumerator to follow the newborn kids. Accordingly, from the total kids, 77.61% were weaned healthy, while the rest 21.5% had one or more of diseases. Among diseases, ectoparasites infestations (41%), diarrheal cases (30%), PPR (15%), and physical injury (5%) were diseases frequently encountered. The mortality rates for the total number of kids born were 7.5 percent. It was also found that the risk of being diseased and died was significantly higher among kids who did not receive colostrum within 30 minutes (P< 0.05) compared to those who did. Furthermore, the month of birth also played a role in disease occurrence, with higher incidences of diseases in certain months, such as in December, November, July and March than September, October and February. Additionally, the occurrence of kid mortality was more common in kids born to parities two, three, and five (P < 0.05). The occurrence of mentioned diseases need attention as higher incidence was noted. Diseases symptoms like diarrhea needs further detailed etiologic identification studies.

Reproductive technologies are applied to accelerate genetic progress and enhance the reproductive performance of various livestock species. The experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of pregnant mare serum gonadotropins (PMSGs) and prostaglandin (PGF2α) hormones on the oestrus response, conception rate, and kidding rate during the lower breeding season of the Abergele goat breed. A total of 77 Abergele does (25 for PMSG and 52 for PGF2α protocols) were used for the experiment. Experimental animals were allowed to graze (does) for approximately 8 hours and (bucks) for approximately 4 hours, followed by supplementation with a mixture of 300 to 350 g cowpea hay and wheat bran per day. For PMSG-treated does, a vaginal sponge impregnated with progesterone hormone was inserted and stayed for 12 days. After the removal of the vaginal sponge, 2 ml (400 IU) of PMSG hormone was injected for 25 does and allowed to be mated by selected bucks after 48 hours. While a single injection of PGF2α hormone was administered for 52 does and allowed for mating after 48 hours of hormone administration. The PMSG and PGF2α protocols resulted in estrus responses of 96% and 86.5%, respectively. The conception and kidding rates of does administered with the PGF2α protocol were better, with values of 57.7% and 55.8%, respectively. From the result, it was concluded that Abergele does were better responsive to both prostaglandins and gonadotropin-based protocols in inducing estrus, which can be used as an alternative approach for the improvement of the reproductive performance of goats. However, for the reason of better conception efficiency, kidding rate, and ease of application, the PGF2α protocol was found to be better responsive and effective for synchronizing Abergele does during the lower breeding season.

BackgroundRabies is an important viral zoonotic disease with high fatality rate and economic losses. The impact of rabies is considerably high in Asia and Africa. The study was designed to assess the community’s rabies knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and their determinants in Amhara region, Ethiopia.MethodsThe study was done based on a questionnaire survey of 899 participants in towns and rural districts of Amhara region. Multistage cluster sampling procedure was used to select participants. Quantitative score was generated for KAP and the scores were dichotomized as adequate and inadequate knowledge, desirable and undesirable attitude, and good and poor practice. Descriptive statics and mixed effect logistic regression considering kebele and villages as a random effect was used to see the association of predictor variables towards adequate knowledge, desirable attitude and good practice.ResultsAbout 61%, 72% and 45% of the respondents have adequate knowledge, desirable attitude and good practice scores, respectively. Almost all (99%) of the respondents rightly claimed that rabies is transmitted through bite of dogs. Majority of the participants (76.8%) strongly agree that rabies is an important zoonotic disease that can threaten the lives of humans and animals. Only 8% of the respondents had a practice of washing and rinsing dog bite wounds for the prevention of rabies. Female participants were less likely to have adequate knowledge than males (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.35–0.96). Respondents in urban areas were more likely to have desirable attitude than rural residents (OR = 12.4, CI = 1.38–11.67).ConclusionThe study showed that participants have good knowledge and attitude towards rabies but poor rabies prevention and control practices. The community public health education should focus on translation of these good knowledge and favorable attitude into practices that effectively reduces rabies burden.

Ethiopia's livestock resource is one of the largest in the world. However, it has been downgraded due to animal mortalities associated with higher prevalence of infectious diseases. These constraints are worse in Lalibela, Sekota and Ziquala districts where this study was carried out. Despite the availability of scanty animal health services in these areas, information on animal health, especially cattle, was never a significant research focus. Many transboundary infectious diseases are prevalent in Ethiopia, and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is among the country's primary animal health challenges. Hence, to understand the epidemiology of FMD in these areas, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 to estimate its seroprevalence of the disease and understand associated risk factors. Three hundred eighty-three randomly selected cattle from the three districts were included for the seroepidemiological analysis. The overall seroprevalence of FMD with a 3ABC ELISA test was estimated 3.4%, with no significant association with risk factors like study districts (agroecology), age, sex, and body condition score. The level of occurrence of FMD in the study areas may seem low. However, it needs attention from responsible bodies because of its transmission speed and economic impact. Besides, further studies involving serotyping with advanced diagnostic techniques are needed to understand the circulating serotypes in the study area.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of small ruminant abortion and identify its major causes and potential risk factors in goat and sheep flocks in three agroecology and production systems of Ethiopia. Information on pregnancy outcomes and management risk factors were collected for 299 goat and 242 sheep flocks. Blood samples were collected from 133 sheep and 90 goat flocks and tested for Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp., Chlamydia abortus, and Toxoplasma gondii. A causal diagram outlined relationships between potential predictor variables and abortion in the flock. The effect of management and exposure to infectious causes on the number of abortions in the flock across agroecology was tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results showed that 142 (58.68%) goats and 53 (17.73%) sheep flocks reported abortions in the 12 months before the survey. The mean annual flock abortion percentages were 16.1% (±26.23) for does and 12.6% (±23.5) for ewes. Farmers perceived infectious diseases, extreme weather conditions, feed shortage, physical traumas, and plant poisoning as the most important causes of abortion. A higher proportion of abortion was recorded during the short rainy season (March to May) and start of the short dry and cold season (June to August) in the lowland mixed crop-livestock and pastoral agroecology and production system, respectively. Overall, 65.41% sheep and 92.22% goat flocks tested positive for one or more abortion causing agents, namely, C. burnetti, C. abortus, Brucella spp., and T. gondii; mixed infection was found in 31.58% sheep and 63.33% goat flocks. Spending the night in a traditional house and providing supplementary feed for pregnant dams were important management factors which significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the risk of abortion by 2.63 and 4.55 times, respectively. However, the presence of other livestock species and dogs in the household and exposure of the flock to Brucella spp. or anyone of the four tested infectious agents significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the risk of abortion in sheep and goat flocks. In general, abortion is a challenge for small ruminant production in the study area especially in lowland agroecology and calls for improvement in husbandry practices, health care and biosecurity practices.

Ethiopia's livestock resource is one of the largest globally. It is estimated at around 59.5 million cattle, about 30.5 million sheep, and 30.2 million goats. The sector is irreplaceable in the means of livelihood of the population as a source of meat, milk, drought power, and income. Yet, the country is unable to exploit the sector entirely because of highly prevalent infectious diseases and lack of appropriate disease control policy. These constraints are worse in districts of Lalibela, Sekota, and Ziquala, where this specific study was carried out. Despite the availability of scanty animal health services in these areas, information on animal health, especially cattle, was never a significant focus of research. This study was conducted with the objectives of identifying and prioritizing primary cattle disease with the aid of participatory epidemiology tools. Focus group discussions (FGD) and questionnaires were used in prioritizing the top economically important cattle diseases of the selected areas. Accordingly, the result of FGD indicated that ectoparasites, CBPP, FMD, blackleg, bloody diarrhea, and pasteurellosis were the major diseases affecting cattle production in the area. These areas can be representative of most of the countries where a mixed farming system is practiced. Therefore, this result can be used as a basis for broader planning of prevention and control strategies for these kinds of diseases. However, a laboratory-supported extensive investigation of these diseases is highly recommended to validate findings of such types of prioritization of diseases.