A cross‑sectional study was conducted in Libya in 7 areas of Tripoli to determine the seroprevalence of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Virus (PPRV) in small ruminants (sheep and goats) between June and August 2013, and to identify the potential risk factors associated with the infection. The study involved 10% of small ruminant herds with ≥ 50 animals in the Tripoli region. They were selected randomly (15 herds), and 35 to 58 samples, depending on its size, were collected from each selected herd. Seven‑hundred and twenty‑one serum samples from unvaccinated animals (601 of sheep and 120 of goats) were collected and then tested using cELISA commercial kit in the National Center of Animal Health Laboratory in Tripoli, Libya. The overall seroprevalence was 46.7% [(sheep 44.3% (266/601) and goats 59.2% (71/120)]. Mean within‑herd prevalence was 48.5% (95% CI: 32.1% ‑ 64.8%), and the herd prevalence was 93.3% (14/15). Various risk factors at the animal and herd levels were analysed by multivariable logistic regression model (forward stepwise). The results identified breed, source of animal, and region as significant risk factors (p < 0.05). As for the source of new animal to the farm, PPRV seroprevalence was highest in illegally imported animals (90.9%), followed by the seroprevalence in animal legitimately acquired (55.8%), and by the seroprevalence in animals belonging to the same herd (4.7%). The seroprevalence among breeds was 69.5% (228/328) in illegally imported animals, whereas 27.7% (109/393) was found to be in local breed. Seroprevalence in the areas considered in this study was higher (66.2%) in Al‑Mashroa area followed by Ein‑zara (57.8%), Arada (50%), Ben‑Own (47%), AL‑Naem (37.5), Ber‑Alalem (24.5) and in Tajora (0%). The results indicated that PPRV virus was actively circulating in Tripoli regions and that the illegal importing of animals was the main source of spreading PPR in Tripoli regions, showing that better efforts should be made to raise public awareness with respect to biosecurity.
Ibrahim Eldaghayes(7-2017)

Abstract As little is known about the blood profile of camels in libya, this article is the second of a 4-part series describing the biochemical and haematological blood profile in Libyan camels. In Part 1 of these manuscripts, the overall blood biochemical and haematological mean values of camels in Libya were determined, parts 2-4 evaluates the effects of breed, gender and age respectively on these values. Blood samples were collected from three camel breeds, namely, Fakhreya, Sirtaweya and Mahari, and the levels of enzymes, metabolites, electrolytes and haematological indices were measured. The blood of the Sirtaweya breed showed (i) higher levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin and Phosphorus (Ph), than the other two breeds, (ii) higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), amylase (AMS) and total proteins than the Fakhreya breed and (iii) higher levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Calcium (Ca), Packed Cell volume (PCV), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) and Albumin/Globulin (A/G) ratio than the Mahari breed. The Fakhreya breed had (i) higher levels of urea, Iron (Fe), Haemoglobin (Hb), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and neutrophils number than the other two breeds, (ii) higher levels of glucose, A/G, LDL, Ca, PCV, MCV and monocytes number than the Mahari breed and (iii) higher levels of erythrocyte osmotic fragility, MCH and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) than the Sirtaweya breed. The Mahari breed had (i) higher levels of globulin than the other two breeds, (ii) higher levels of AMS than the Fakhreya breed and (iii) higher levels of erythrocyte osmotic fragility, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), MCHC than the Sirtaweya breed. The tested blood parameters in the three Libyan breeds in this study were affected by breed variations. arabic 28 English 143
Anwar Mustafa Abdalhadi Abdalmula, F. A. Alnagar, Amal Omar Elarif Buker, Fathia mahmoud Mohammad Ashour, I. M. Abograra , Mansur Ennuri Moftah Shmela(10-2018)

Background Disruption of 11p15 imprinting results in two fetal growth disorders with opposite phenotypes: the Beckwith–Wiedemann (BWS; MIM 130650) and the Silver–Russell (SRS; MIM 180860) syndromes. DNA methylation defects account for 60% of BWS and SRS cases and, in most cases, occur without any identified mutation in a cis-acting regulatory sequence or a trans-acting factor. Methods We investigated whether 11p15 cis-acting sequence variants account for primary DNA methylation defects in patients with SRS and BWS with loss of DNA methylation at ICR1 and ICR2, respectively. Results We identified a 4.5 kb haplotype that, upon maternal transmission, is associated with a risk of ICR2 loss of DNA methylation in patients with BWS. This novel region is located within the second intron of the KCNQ1 gene, 170 kb upstream of the ICR2 imprinting centre and encompasses two CTCF binding sites. We showed that, within the 4.5 kb region, two SNPs (rs11823023 and rs179436) affect CTCF occupancy at DNA motifs flanking the CTCF 20 bp core motif. Conclusions This study shows that genetic variants confer a risk of DNA methylation defect with a parent-of-origin effect and highlights the crucial role of CTCF for the regulation of genomic imprinting of the CDKN1C/KCNQ1 domain. arabic 26 English 132
Julie Demars, Mansur Ennuri Moftah Shmela, Abdul Waheed Khan , Kai Syin Lee, Salah Azzi, Patrice Dehais, Irène Netchine, Sylvie Rossignol, Yves Le Bouc, Assam El-Osta, Christine Gicquel(7-2014)