Brucellosis and Coxiella burnetii Infection in Householders and Their Animals in Secure Villages in Herat Province, Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Brucellosis and coxiellosis are known to be endemic in ruminant populations throughout Afghanistan, but information about their prevalence and factors that affect prevalence in householders and livestock under diverse husbandry systems and pastoral settings is sparse.

Methods/principal Findings: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to investigate the seroprevalence of brucellosis and Coxiella burnetii in humans and livestock in six secure districts in Herat from 26th December 2012-17th January 2013. A total of 204 households with livestock were surveyed in six Kuchi and five sedentary type villages.

Canine Trypanosoma evansi infection in Afghanistan.

In 2012, a dog in Afghanistan was diagnosed with trypanosomosis. We here describe the clinical picture of the animal and how the parasite was identified as Trypanosoma evansi by DNA extraction from a blood smear and molecular analysis with taxon-specific PCR assays.

Environmental and demographic risk factors for poor welfare in working horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries.

Over 85% of equids live in developing countries, where they are usually used for work. We aimed to identify environmental factors associated with potential welfare problems in working equids, helping target welfare interventions towards the most vulnerable animals. Over 5 years, non-invasive behavioural and physical data were collected from 5481 donkeys, 4504 horses, and 858 mules across nine developing countries.