Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a viral respiratory disease of poultry caused by Gallid herpesvirus 1 leading to severe economic losses. The aim of the current study was to isolate and identify ILT virus in suspected outbreaks of one broiler flock (farm 1) and three layer flocks (farms 2,3 and 4) located in Tripoli. Samples of trachea were collected and preserved in transport media for viral isolation and some were preserved in 10% neutral formalin for histopathology. Broiler and Layer flocks were serologically monitored and tested for the presence of antibodies by ELISA against ILTV at first days old and later at slaughter age for broilers and before the onset of production for layers in which total of 290 blood samples were collected from six poultry farms (3 broiler flocks and 3 layer flocks). Following isolation of the virus in fertile eggs, chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) samples were confirmed by PCR and histopathology. The lesions seen on the CAMs were congestion, hemorrhages and pocks after 5 days post inoculation. Samples from farm 1 and 3 were positive whereas other farms were negative. Histopathology of CAMs revealed edema, congestion, haemorrhages, infiltration of heterophils and mononuclear cells, and presence of syncytial cells containing intranuclear inclusion bodies. The trachea revealed severe destruction and sloughing of the mucosa due to necrosis. The results of this study confirmed the circulation of ILTV in commercial poultry flocks and highlighted the need for more epidemiologic investigation of the disease arabic 16 English 96
Abdulwahab Kammon, Jamaal Shabba, Yousef Abouzeed, Abdulatif Asheg (2-2020)

Abstract Background: Newcastle disease (ND) is a viral disease that affecting many avian species all over the world. Aim: ND has been successfully controlled by the vaccination of commercial poultry in Libya. However, there was a lack of information about the situation of ND in backyard chickens. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence of ND in backyard chickens in different locations of Tripoli. Methods: A total number of 280 cloacal swabs (190 in summer and 90 in winter) and 412 sera were collected from non-vaccinated backyard chicken flocks in different geographical locations within the area of Tripoli namely Qasr Ben Ghashier, Al-Sawani, Souq Al-Gomaa, Tajourah, Ein Zara, and Janzour. Cloacal swabs and sera were tested by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA, respectively. Results: The prevalence of ND virus (NDV) infection in backyard chickens in different locations of Tripoli during summer and winter was 45% using real-time reverse transcription-PCR. Except in Qasr Ben Ghashier, the prevalence in summer season was significantly higher than in winter (X2 = 46.13, p ≥ 0.00001). ELISA test revealed 218 positive out of 412 tested samples with total prevalence of 53% across the city of Tripoli in all regions. Obviously, Qasr Ben Ghashier had significantly (X2 = 74.09, p ≥ 0.00001) the highest prevalence (82%) of NDV specific antibodies followed by Tajourah (68%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the situation of ND in backyard chicken highlighting the necessity of a comprehensive vaccination plan for backyard chickens. arabic 14 English 90
ِAbdulwahab Kammon, Emhemed A. Gedara, Hesham A. Alseed, Abdunaser S. Dayhum, Mohamed A. Benothman, Soleman O. Al-Garib, Ibrahim M. Eldaghayes(3-2020)

Abstract The use of antibiotics as growth promotors to enhance animal production is banned in many countries around the world due to antimicrobial resistance. There is a need therefore, for new alternatives to antibiotics in medicine and veterinary medicine practices. The antibacterial activity of clove oil and some antibiotics were tested in vitro against three isolates of E. coli {1 avian pathogenic (E. coli 6.2) and 2 non-pathogenic (E. coli 6.1 and E. coli X)}, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella spp., by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. All bacteria tested showed intermediate susceptibility to clove oil using disk diffusion method except the non-pathogenic E.coli 6.1. The inhibition zones measured were 0mm, 12mm, 13mm, 15mm and 15mm for E. coli 6.1, E. coli 6.2, E. coli X, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella spp., respectively. E. coli 6.1 was resistant to Ampicillin, and Lincomycin with multi antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of 0.2. E. coli 6.2 was resistant to Ampicillin, Doxycyclin and Lincomycin with MAR index of 0.3. E. coli X was resistant to Ampicillin and Colistin with MAR index of 0.2. Salmonella enteritidis was resistant to Amoxycillin/Clavulinic acid, Ampicillin and Lincomycin with MAR index of 0.3. Salmonella spp was susceptible only to Neomycin but was resistant to 9 out of 10 antibiotics with very high MAR index of 0.9. The MICs of clove oil were 6.25mg/ml for the avian pathogenic E. coli and 3.12mg/ml for non-pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella spp. and 12.5mg/ml for Salmonella enteritidis. It is concluded that clove oil has promising antibacterial activity and more studies are needed to investigate its in vivo activity as alternative to antibiotics in poultry arabic 13 English 85
Abdulwahab Kammon, Ali Almaeyoufi , Abdulatif Asheg(7-2019)

Abstract Objective: The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of heat stress on body weight, immune response and cecal bacterial count in parent broiler chickens and to determine the ameliorating effects of some organic acids to overcome heat stress. Materials and Methods: Day-old, 1920 male broiler parent chicks were used in a 2×2 factorial completely randomized design. The experimental chicks were randomly and equally distributed into 2 major groups (960 chicks each) which further divided into 4 subgroups (480 chicks each) with 8 replicates. Two subgroups were exposed to heat (H) at 35EC from 22-42 days of age and the other two subgroups was lift normal. Four replicates in each subgroup were given organic acids (OA) in drinking water at the first week, days 19-27 and last week of age whereas the other 4 replicates in the same subgroup were given normal drinking water. Results: Heat stress caused significant decrease in body weight, coliforms count and serum lysozyme level at 5th week of age. The body weight has been significantly ameliorated by organic acids. Deleterious effects of heat stress on immunity has been confirmed by the significant decrease of bursa/body weight ratio and total leukocyte count (TLC) at 4th week of age. The bacterial count was significantly increased in the group exposed to heat at 5th week of age. Conclusion: It is concluded that heat stress has deleterious effects on chickens and organic acids has significantly ameliorated some of these effects. arabic 18 English 91
Abdulwahab Kammon, Samia Alzentani, Omar Tarhuni , Abdulatif Asheg(5-2019)

Abstract Avian paramyxovirus-1 (APMV-1) is the causative agent of Newcastle Disease which affects many species of birds leading to high mortality and heavy economic losses among poultry industry worldwide. Newcastle disease is endemic in Libya with frequent outbreaks occurring in commercial and backyard poultry. APMV-1 was isolated and characterised during the outbreak in 2013. In current study, we report another Newcastle disease outbreak that emerged in backyard chickens and pigeons in Alzintan city on March 2015. Two viruses were detected in cloacal swabs from backyard chickens, namely APMV-1/Libya/15VIR5368/2015 and APMV-1/Libya/15VIR5371/2015. Genetic sequencing of these viruses revealed the presence of velogenic APMV-1 belonging to genotype VIIi genetically similar to the viruses isolated on 2013. During the same period, neurologic signs and mortality were noticed in pigeons. Samples of brain tissue were tested by rRT-PCR which revealed presence of velogenic APMV-1 belonging to lineage 4A (GKKRKR*F Lin.4A) or genotype VIb. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection and molecular characterization of APMV-1 in a pigeon in Libya. The phylogenetic analysis of the F gene showed 86% identity to isolates from Iran and Egypt. This study may indicate the circulation of APMV-1 within backyard birds and pigeons which may present a threat to commercial poultry. Considering these findings, vaccination of backyard birds and pigeons and further epidemiological studies are strongly strongly recommended. arabic 19 English 111
Abdulwahab Kammon, Isabella Monne, Abdulatif Asheg , Giovanni Cattoli (1-2018)

Abstract In this study, antibacterial, antioxidant and phenolic compounds of raisin extracts was evaluated. Different solvent extraction methods were utilized to extract phenolic compounds from raisin. The phenolic compounds of raisin extracts was determined using HPLC and three compounds were found, catechin, quercetin and rutin. The antibacterial activity of the acetonic extract was tested against four bacterial pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli using both disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. The acetonic extract exhibited the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus with zone of inhibition of 14mm and the MIC of 25 mg/ml. However, there was a little activity against E. coli and S. typhimurium. The methanolic extract showed good antioxidant activity as indicated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical assay (DPPH). In conclusion, raisin contains potent phenolic compounds and their application might function as promising natural preservative and antimicrobial agents in food industry and also good antioxidant food that helps to minimize the risk of degenerative diseases. arabic 11 English 86
Abdulwahab Kammon, Yousef M. Abouzeed, Faraj Zgheel, Abdurrezagh Abdalla Elfahem, Mohammed Saad Almagarhe, Abdulgader Dhawi, Abdulkareem Elbaz, Murad A. Hiblu, Mohamed O. Ahmed (12-2018)

Editorial arabic 15 English 83
Abdulwahab Kammon(9-2017)

We conducted a cross-sectional study during 2013 to quantify the serological prevalence of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) infection and to investigate host factors associated with PPR infection in small ruminants in Libya. A two-stage sampling design was carried out. A total number of 148 flocks owning at least 100 heads each were randomly selected. Sixteen to forty-eight samples were collected from each selected flock. A total number of 3,508 serum samples from unvaccinated animals were collected and analysed at IZSLER Brescia, Italy, by using competitive ELISA, IDvet innovative diagnostics (IDvet 310, France). The overall serological prevalence among SR was 33% (95% CI: 31.4–34.5). Significant differences between the prevalence in the geographical branches were observed. The lowest prevalence level was observed in Zawiyah branch (16.1%), whereas the highest value was obtained for the Sabha branch (56.8%). Considering the age, a serological prevalence of 24.7%, 31.5% and 42.1% was observed in SR
Abdulwahab Kammon, A. Dayhum, M. Sharif, I. Eldaghayes, P. Calistri, M. L. Danzetta, D. Di Sabatino , A. Petrini, G. Ferrari, S. Grazioli, G. Pezzoni, E. Brocchi(3-2017)

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Newcastle Disease, Avian Influenza, Infectious Bronchitis, and Infectious laryngotracheitis in some regions of Tripoli-Libya. Serum samples were collected from Four broiler farms in Wadi Alrabea area, two layer farms and one backyard farm in Gaser Bin Gasher, two layer farms in Alswani and one backyard farm in Zliten City and screened for the presence of antibodies against LPAI-H9, HPIA-H5, HPIA-H7, ND, IB 4/91 strain using the HI test and antibodies against ILT virus by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of H9, H5, H7, ND, IB4/91 and ILT was 26.5%,0%,0%,, 29.5%,43% and 30% respectively. All sera tested for AI-H5 and AI-H7 were negative. In Wadi Alrabea flocks, seroprevalence of H9, H5, H7, ND, IB4/91 and ILT was 44%, 0%, 0%, 16.28%, 32.56% and 0% respectively. Where as in Gaser Bin Ghasher, was 24%,0%, 0%, 33.87, 36.29% and 39% respectively. In Alswani, the seroprevalence was 8.70%, 0%, 0%, 52.17%, 54.35% and 54.3%. The seroprevalence of H9, H5, H7 in Gaser Bin Ghasher backyard chickens was 23%, 0%, 0% respectively and the seroprevalence of H9, H5, H7, ND, IB4/91 of Zliten backyards was 12%, 0%, 0%, 12%, 96% respectively. Further investigations are recommended to identify the circulating virus genotypes and models of transmission for better understanding of these viruses epidemiology in backyard chickens in Libya. Vaccination of backyard chickens against ND using heat resistant strain is highly recommended.
Housen Ashareef Mohammed, Abdulatif Abdulaziz Asheg (10-2021)

Viruses; Riboviria; Orthornavirae; Negarnaviricota; Haploviricotina; Monjiviricetes; Mononegavirales; Paramyxoviridae; Avulavirinae; Orthoavulavirus.
Abdulatif Asheg, Abdulwahab Kammon(5-2015)

Viruses; Riboviria; Orthornavirae; Negarnaviricota; Polyploviricotina; Insthoviricetes; Articulavirales; Orthomyxoviridae; Alphainfluenzavirus.
Abdulatif Asheg, Abdulwahab Kammon(5-2015)

Detection of antibodies to avian influenza H9N2 in broiler flocks clinically expressing a respiratory disease syndrome
Abdulatif Asheg, OS Al-Garib,, ِAbdulwahab Kammon(7-2007)

On March 2013, the Libyan poultry industry faced severe outbreaks due to mixed infections of APMV-1 (Newcastle disease) and low pathogenic avian influenza (AI) of the H9N2 subtype which were causing high mortality and great economic losses. APMV-1 and H9N2 were isolated and characterized. Genetic sequencing of the APMV-1/chicken/Libya/13VIR/ 7225-1/2013 isolate revealed the presence of a velogenic APMV-1 belonging to lineage 5 (GRRRQKR*F Lin.5) or genotype VII in class II, according to the nomenclature in use. Three AI viruses of the H9N2 subtype, namely A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-2/2013, A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-3/2013, and A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-5/2013, were isolated and found to belong to the G1 lineage. Analysis of amino acid sequences showed that the analyzed H9N2 viruses contained the amino acid Leu at position 226 (H3 numbering) at the receptor binding site of the HA, responsible for human virus-like receptor specificity. On March 2014, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5N1 subtype was diagnosed in a backyard poultry farm in an eastern region of Libya. The H5N1 isolate (A/chicken/Libya/14VIR2749-16/2014) was detected by real time RT-PCR (rRTPCR). Genetic characterization of the HA gene revealed that the identified subtype was highly pathogenic, belonged to the 2.2.1 lineage, and clustered with recent Egyptian viruses. This study revealed the presence of a velogenic APMV-1 genotype and of two influenza subtypes, namely HPAI H5N1 and H9N2, which are of major interest for public and animal health. Considering these findings, more investigations must be undertaken to establish and implement adequate influenza surveillance programs; this would allow better study of the epidemiology of APMV-1 genotype VII in Libya and evaluation of the current vaccination strategies.
Abdulwahab Kammon(5-2015)

Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) was suspected in a herd of approximately 033 sheep after weight loss and scouring had increased in adult animals despite repeated treatment with anthelmintics, antibiotics, multivitamins and minerals. The herd is located near Tarhouna city. Herd history revealed that a total of 60 ewes showed clinical symptoms and deaths during the last two years. The last case that we attended was submitted to the National Center of Animal Health (NCAH) for a detailed laboratory examination. Gross pathological and histological examination of tissue samples revealed results that were highly comparable with Johne's disease. A definitive diagnosis was made only by histopathological identification of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in the intestines using Ziehl-Neelsen stain. This is the first documented case of M. paratuberculosis in sheep in Libya.
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2022)

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the immunological impacts of chronic imidacloprid insecticide toxicity in broiler chickens and the protective effects of vitamin E and selenium. Broiler chicks (n=90) aged day old were randomly segregated into three groups of 30 chicks each and were kept in separate pens. Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine was given on day 7 and 28 of age. On day 8, chicks in group I were administered 5 mg/kg bw (1/20 LD50) imidacloprid orally. Chicks in group II were given imidacloprid 5 mg/kg bw orally plus a mixture of vitamin E and selenium ≅ 200 mg/kg diet, while group III was given distilled water (DW) orally and served as a control. The treatments were given daily based on weekly body weight till day 45. Antibody titration, serum total immunoglobulins, circulating immune complexes, cell-mediated immunity and histopathology of bursa of Fabricius and spleen were examined. Imidacloprid produced significant decline in the titer of antibodies against ND vaccine, total immunoglobulins and circulating immune complexes in imidacloprid treated group on day 45 as compared to control group. There were no significant changes in the skin thickness between treated chickens and chickens of control group. Histopathology of the bursa of Fabricius revealed edema, lymphocytic depletion in the medulla and cortex and mild interfollicular fibrosis in imidacloprid treated group. The spleen showed mild haemorrhages and lymphocytic depletion. Supplementation of vitamin E and selenium resulted in marked improvements in humoral immunity and pathology of lymphoid organs. It is concluded that imidacloprid insecticide has immunological deleterious effects in chickens targeting the humoral immune responses and vitamin E and selenium supplementation decreased the ill effects of imidacloprid.
ِAbdulwahab Kammon(1-2022)

This study involved a herd consisting of 200 goats in Green Mountain area, suffering from decrease in weight gain, bloody diarrhoea and severe anaemia and in some cases death within few days. Generally, there was no response to the treatment with antibiotics, anthelmentics and multivitamins. The last animal that died was submitted for post-mortem examination. The disease affecting the herd was diagnosed as coccidiosis. This is the first report of caprine coccidiosis in the Green Mountain Area in Libya.
Abdulwahab Kammon(4-2015)

Geospatial database of farm locations and biosecurity measures are essential to control disease outbreaks. A study was conducted to establish geospatial database on poultry farms in Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi region of Libya, to evaluate the biosecurity level of each farm and to determine the seroprevalence of mycoplasma and its relation to biosecurity level. A field team of 7 Veterinarians belongs to the National Center of Animal Health was assigned for data recording and collection of blood samples. Personal information of the producers, geographical locations, biosecurity measures and description of the poultry farms were recorded. The total number of poultry farms in Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi Region is 461 farms distributed in 13 cities. Out of these, 102 broiler farms and one broiler breeder farm (10 houses) which were in operation during team visit were included in this study. Following collection of blood, sera were separated and tested by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of antibodies against Mycoplasma (General antigen for M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae). The seroprevalence of Mycoplasma in the region was 28% (29 poultry farms out of 103 were infected). About 50% (23 out of 47) of poultry farms located in Garian city were infected with Mycoplasma and one significant cluster of Mycoplasma infection in the city was identified. Low level of biosecurity was found in poultry farms of the region. Out of the 103 farms included, 63% of poultry houses has a ground of soil and 44% of them has uncoated walls which may influence the proper cleaning and disinfection. Almost 100% of the farms are at risk of exposure to diseases transmitted by wild birds such as avian influenza and Newcastle disease due to absence of wild birds control program. Although, 81% of the farms have entry restrictions, only 20% have disinfectants at entry which increase the risk of exposure to pathogens. The results of this study highlight the weakness points of biosecurity measures in poultry farms of Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi region and high seroprevalence of mycoplasma. Data collected in this study will assist the Veterinary authorities to apply effective disease control strategies.
Abdulwahab Kammon(3-2017)

Vibrio vulnificus, a zoonotic bacterial pathogen was isolated for the first time from kidneys of black scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus collected from the south Mediterranean basin (western coast of Tripoli, Libya) during the early summer of 2013. Fish exhibited typical signs of Vibriosis with furuncle like lesions, skin hemorrhages, fin rot and congested spleen. The abdominal cavity, liver, intestinal wall, and gonads were suffering from mild larval nematode infection. Interestingly, a huge portion of the kidney tissue was replaced with the anisakids nematode Anisakis pegreffi. This is considered the first report ofV. vulnificus / A. pegreffi in the Mediterranean black scorpionfish. The identities of the retrieved V. vulnificus isolates were confirmed using morpho-chemical and molecular tools. The research lead us to conclude that the deteriorated nature of the sewage polluted seawater at the western coast of Tripoli could have played a detrimental role in facilitating the invasion with the two diverse etiological agents (V. vulnificus and A.pegreffi) . We also hypothesize that V. vulnificus was lodged within nematode worms or at one of its life stages before invading fish intestine with consequent spread into other internal organs during its visceral larval migration stage.
Abdulwahab Kammon(5-2015)

Foot-and-mouth disease viruses are often restricted to specific geographical regions and spread to new areas may lead to significant epidemics. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the VP1 genome region of recent outbreak viruses from Libya and Saudi Arabia has revealed a lineage, O-Ind-2001, normally found in the Indian subcontinent. This paper describes the characterization of field viruses collected from these cases and provides information about a new real-time RT-PCR assay that can be used to detect viruses from this lineage and discriminate them from other endemic FMD viruses that are co-circulating in North Africa and western Eurasia.
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2014)

As attached
Abdulwahab Kammon(9-2010)

An experiment was conducted to study chlorpyrifos chronic toxicity in broilers and the protective effect of vitamin C. Oral administration of 0.8 mg/kg body weight (bw) (1/50 LD50) chlorpyrifos (Radar®), produced mild diarrhea and gross lesions comprised of paleness, flaccid consistency and slightly enlargement of liver. Histopathologically, chlorpyrifos produced degenerative changes in various organs. Oral administration of 100 mg/kg bw vitamin C partially ameliorated the degenerative changes in kidney and heart. There was insignificant alteration in biochemical and haematological profiles. It is concluded that supplementation of vitamin C reduced the severity of lesions induced by chronic chlorpyrifos toxicity in broilers.
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2022)

Introduction: A total of 32 young (1-3 months-old) lambs suffered from mortal neurological signs in a period of three months. The lambs were among the offspring of a herd of 300 sheep, in Tarhouna city, Libya. The affected lambs were initially treated with antibiotics, multivitamins and mineral supplements, however, none of these treatments attenuated the death toll among the small lambs. Methods: Three lamb carcasses were submitted to the National Center for Animal Health (NCAH) for post mortem examination. Gross pathological examination of the brains detected hydatid cysts and yellowish lesions within the cerebral cortex. Results: The histopathologic examination of the brain showed the presence of inflammatory lesions and necrotic features surrounded by granulomatous inflammatory patterns, which are accompanied by a few parasitic cysts. Ordinary and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stains for bacterial infection were performed, but the results did not strongly indicate bacterial infection. Toxoplasmosis, particularly T. gondii, and Neospora were first suspected. Immunohistochemistry testing for T. gondii did not show any conclusive indication for the presence of this pathogen. However, meticulous microscopic examination (100x) of the histopathologic features and the patterns of host-pathogen interaction of toxoplasmosis indicate that these lambs may have suffered from necrotic encephalitis associated with a different type of toxoplasmosis.
Abdulwahab Kammon(10-2021)

The hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and imidacloprid (IMC) insecticides were experimentally studied in layer chickens, taking into account the patho-biochemical alterations. The LD50 values estimated were 41 mg/kg bw and 104.1 mg/kg bw for CPF and IMC, respectively. The plasma cholineesterase enzyme was severely inhibited in chickens given a single dose of CPF at a rate of 55 mg/kg bw via oral gavage, while it remained unchanged in chickens given IMC at rate of 139 mg/kg bw via similar route. The activities of liver function enzymes viz. AKP, ALT and AST were significantly increased in chickens of CPF and IMC groups. Uric acid level was significantly increased and cholesterol level was only significantly reduced in the plasma of chickens administrated CPF. Plasma glucose values in chickens given CPF as well as in chickens given IMC were significantly increased at (P
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2010)

as attached
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2010)

as attached
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2010)

as attached
Abdulwahab Kammon(1-2022)