<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Seroprevalence rates of <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> anti-antibodies in adult goats and sheep from different parts of Zimbabwe were determined. A total of 225 (67.9 %) of the 335 serum samples tested were positive for anti<em>-T. gondii</em> IgG antibodies with the indirect fluorescent antibody test. There were differences in antibody seroprevalences among communal land goats from the different agro-ecological zones (Natural regions IIb and III: 80 and 96.7 %, respectively; Natural region IV: 65.9 %; Natural region V: 45 %; and Natural region III had a significantly higher seroprevalence than IV and V. The highest seroprevalences found in Natural regions II b and III are likely to be linked to the existence of more households and hence the possibility of a higher concentration of domestic cats that increases the chances of environmental contamination with their faeces harbouring <em>T. gondii</em> oocysts. The seroprevalence rate in sheep from a large commercial farm (10 %) was significantly lower than that of sheep reared under the communal grazing system (80 %). Overall, significantly higher proportions of seropositive animals had antibody titres of 1:50 (34.2 % of 225) and 1:100 (44 % of 225) as compared to the 9.8 % and 12 % with antibody titres of 1:200 and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">&gt;</span> 1:400, respectively.</span>

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Dairy cattle reared in western Kenya are exposed to medium to high levels of trypanosomosis risk. The social background, farm characteristics and dairy cattle productivity of 90 and 30 randomly selected farmers from medium- and high-risk trypanosomosis areas, respectively, were compared. All the 120 farmers were visited between July and August 2002. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. The results showed that increased trypanosomosis risk represented by an increase in disease prevalence in cattle of 1% to 20 % decreased the density of dairy cattle by 53 % and increased the calving interval from 14 to 25 months. The increased risk was also associated with a significant increase in cattle mortalities and in a lactation period of 257 to 300 days. It was concluded that removal of the trypanosomosis constraint on dairy production would lead to expansion of dairying since the domestic demand for dairy products is expected to increase.</span>

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Two hundred and seventy-three elephant shrews, consisting of 193 <em>Elephantulus myurus</em>, 67 <em>Elephantulus edwardii</em> and 13 animals belonging to other species, were examined for ixodid ticks at 18 localities in South Africa and Namibia. The immature stages of <em>Ixodes rubicundus, Rhipicentor nuttalli, Rhipicephalus warburtoni</em> and a <em>Rhipicephalus pravus</em>-like tick were the most numerous of the 18 tick species recovered. Substantial numbers of immature <em>Rhipicephalus arnoldi, Rhipicephalus distinctus</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus exophthalmos</em> were also collected from elephant shrews at particular localities. <br />Larvae of <em>I. rubicundus</em> were most numerous on <em>E. myurus</em> in Free State Province from April to July and nymphs from June to October. Larvae of <em>R. nuttalli</em> were most numerous on these animals during April, May, August and September, and nymphs in February and from April to August. The immature stages of <em>R. warburton</em> were collected from <em>E. myurus</em> only in Free State Province, and larvae were generally most numerous from December to August and nymphs from April to October.</span>

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">The efficacy of an amitraz / cypermethrin pour-on preparation (1 % w/v each) was tested against natural tick infestations of buffaloes, eland and blesbok in three separate trials. The eland were also treated with a 0.02 % abamectin (w/v) acaricidal pour-on preparation. The amitraz / cypermethrin pour-on was effective against <em>Amblyomma hebraeum, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus</em> and <em>Hyalomma marginatum rufipes</em> on the buffaloes. Both acaricides were effective against <em>R. appendiculatus</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus</em> in the eland. The amitraz / cypermethrin acaricide was effective against <em>R. (Boophilus) decoloratus</em> in the blesbok. <br />Ticks can cause damage to the skins, secondary infections, abscesses, anaemia, loss of condition, tick toxicosis and act as vectors of infectious diseases. Introduction of hosts and / or ticks from endemic to non-endemic areas because of translocation of game, may lead to severe losses. The pouron acaricides tested were effective against natural tick infestations and should always be used according to the manufacturer's instructions and efficacy claims.</span>

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Twelve Tuli weaner steers aged 1 year were randomly subdivided into three groups of four animals and infected with different doses of <em>Calicophoron microbothrium</em> metacercariae. Each animal in Group I received a low dose (LD) of 5 000 metacercariae, Group II a medium dose (MD) of 15 000 metacercariae, Group III a high dose (HD) of 25 000 metacercariae and one additional animal was kept as an uninfected control (C). After infection, one animal from each group was slaughtered on Day 28, 42, 56 and 84 post infection (pi) and samples from the ileum, jejunum, duodenum, abomasum and the rumen were collected for histopathological and cytological examination. <br />On Day 28 pi, the gross pathological lesions observed in the duodenum of the LD and the MD animals were similar and comprised duodenal thickening, corrugation, hyperaemia, petechiation and ulceration. In the HD animal the duodenal lesions were similar but more severe. The abomasal folds were severely oedematous in the MD group and nearly occluded the abomasal lumen. Moderate oedema of the abomasal folds was also present in the LD and HD animals. The gross pathological lesions regressed in all the infected groups with increasing age of infection and had disappeared completely by Day 56 pi. <br />On Day 28 pi the histopathological lesions in the duodenum and jejunum of the LD and MD groups were similar, comprising subtotal villous atrophy, hyperplasia of Brunner's glands and Peyer's patches and moderate infiltration of eosinophils, mast cells and a few globule leukocytes, basophils and lymphocytes in the lamina propria. The HD group had total villous atrophy, severe hyperplasia and cystic dilatation of Brunner's glands, which had expanded to cover the entire submucosa. On Day 42 pi the histopathological lesions were still present in the MD and the HD groups comprising subtotal villous atrophy and hyperplasia of Brunner's glands. Heavy infiltrations of eosinophils, moderate amounts of mast cells and a few basophils, globule leukocytes and lymphocytes were still present in the lamina propria of all three groups. On Day 56 pi, a few glands were still cystic in the MD and the HD groups. Moderate cell infiltrations were still present in the lamina propria of all the three groups and by Day 84 pi complete regeneration had occurred in all animals.</span>

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Ticks were collected at approximately bi-monthly intervals between June 1996 and June 1997 from crested francolins, <em>Francolinus sephaena</em>, and from the vegetation on a mixed cattle and wildlife farm in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The birds were infested with the immature stages of 13 tick species, of which <em>Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma marmoreum</em> and <em>Hyalomma marginatumrufipes</em> were the most numerous and prevalent. Ten ixodid tick species were collected from the vegetation, of which the immature stages of <em>Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi</em> were the most numerous. No adult ticks were collected from the birds and only two from the vegetation. The restricted home range of crested francolins implies that they could serve as a source of tick infestation only for other animals within the same habitat as the birds.</span>