Recent Advancements on the Application of Biotechnology towards Diagnosis and Treatment in Veterinary Medicine in Africa: Potentials and Future Developments

Biotechnology is an already established technique in several areas of medicine, but its application in
the field of veterinary medicine has only started to emerge with the potential to revolutionize veterinary
practice. This paper therefore reviews current applications of biotechnology in veterinary medicine
towards diagnosis and treatment in Africa which includes; molecular gene cloning, production of
recombinant biotechnology derived vaccines, application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Real
time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length
polymorphism (PCR- RFLP) and bioinformatics to diagnosis of infectious and parasitic diseases ,
gene therapy, disease diagnosis and treatment delivery systems and many more. These components
occur in other parts of the world and are therefore presumed to be consolidated into the African
delivery framework as a private enterprise in a foreseeable future. Whilst it is sensible to postulate
that biotechnology application and its peculiar evolution will imminently transform veterinary medicine,
there is immense treat, amidst stakeholders in the industry, about food health and safety and other
civil and ethical concerns which can hinder this novel scientific breakthrough. The ethical concerns
which include; theory of the Three Rs (Reduction of animal population, Refinement of enactments and
farm managements to curtail affliction and despair, Replacement of animals with non-animal
surrogate wherever necessary. Limitations regarding the application to veterinary practices are
extensively discussed. This review has implication on the future of revolutionalisation of veterinary
practice and increase in protein source for human consumption. Finally, it is hoped that biotechnology
will in the nearest future vigorously accord to the advancement in the field of diagnosis in veterinary
medicine. This will therefore provide tools and biomarkers that allow an exceptional understanding of
the mechanisms in the propagation of livestock epidemics.