Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine
Year:2010 | Volume:4 | Issue:2|Papers Count:18

Giardiasis is an important human parasitic disease. Giardia is a genus composed of binuclear flagellate protozoa. Giardia duodenalis is a parasitic species for a wide range of vertebrates, including humans. Heterogeneity in G. duodenalis has been shown by serological, biochemical, and molecular analysis. In the present study, the possible genetic similarity between Giardia in sheep and humansand their probable zoonosis was investigated. Direct examination and formalin ether concentration technique were performed on the contents and tissues of sheep intestines. The gradient sucrose method was applied to collect and purify cysts, and DNA extraction was performed by the phenol-chloroform method. Only very small amounts of DNA could be extracted after repeated freezing, thawing and suspension with lysis buffer, after which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for DNA amplification by primers that were designed for Giardia of human origin. The gene, "triose phosphate isomerase" (tim or tpi), was selected as the molecular marker and two sets of primers (PM290, PM924) were used. We examined 308 sheep stool samples in our study, including 21 positive samples. Cultures for Giardia were negative. Three sheep isolates were determined by a 290 base pair (bp) amplicon that were similar to certain human types. The similarity of the sheep and human genomic characters of Giardia implies the possibility that there is transmission of these protozoa between humans and sheep.

Mastitis is one of the most important diseases of dairy cattle in the world. The identification and characterization of the constituent proteins in milk can be useful for studying the biochemistry and pathogenesis of mastitis. In this study, the electrophoretic patterns of milk from 10 healthy and 30 mastitic cows were studied. All of the latter milk samples were California Mastitis Test (CMT) positive, and these were cultured to isolate the infective agents. The electrophoretic patterns of these samples and those of healthy cows (negative CMT and cultures) were studied with the SDS-PAGE technique. The approximate molecular weight of protein bands were categorized by their different flow rates (Rf), and these ranged between 18.5-220 KDa in mastitis samples of milk. The electrophoretogram showed that higher molecular weight bands appeared in the milk of mastitic cows60-220 KDa and many were in the range of 176-208 kDa. The major band for the healthy samples was 220 KDa. In this respect, the mastitis samples had a minimum of two bands and a maximum of five bands, while milks from healthy cows did not show any bands in this range. On the basis of the different result between the electrophoretic patterns of milk from healthy and mastitic cows, it can be concluded that SDS-PAGE is a suitable method for the diagnosis of cow’s withsub sub clincal mastitis.

The effects of three Ficus carica leaf extracts on the total cholesterol levels (TC) of serum and liver were investigated in experimentally-induced nutritional hyperlipidemic rats. In nine treatment groups (n=5 each group), hyperlipidemic rats were treated daily with hydromethanolic (total) extract (2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [ip]) and its aqueous fractions, namely fraction A (10, 50, 250 mg/kg, ip) and fraction B (10, 50, 250 mg/kg, ip) for eight days. In negative and positive control groups, animals received normal and hyperlipidemic diets with ip injections of normal saline, respectively. The lipid-lowering effect of total extract on liver cholesterol was more pronounced than that of serum. Fraction A caused a significant dose-dependent decrease in cholesterol levels in both the serum and the liver (p<0.05). Fraction A at dosages of 10, 50 and 250 mg/kg lowered the TC in serum from 1.40±0.26 mmol/L (mean±standard deviation, untreated hyperlipidemic group) to 1.06±0.14, 1.04±0.07 and 0.90±0.08 mmol/L, respectively. At 50 and 250 mg/kg, it lowered the TC in liver significantly from 59.86±10.35 mg/g (untreated) to 42.61±12.08 and 37.16±5.59 mg/g, respectively. Fraction B lowered the level of TC in the serum and liver, but the results of this treatment were conflicting. Phytochemical screening showed that total extract had moderate levels of flavonoids and a large amount of tannins, which may account for the observed effects on decreasing TC levels. In conclusion, Ficus carica leaf extracts have been shown to decrease liver and serum TC levels in hyperlipidemic rats.

An eleven month old filly was referred to the Research and Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tehran. The animal presented a three-week history of diarrhea and previous treatments had failed to effect a recovery. Based on the history, clinical findings and results of laboratory investigations, it was assumed that a gastrointestinal disorder was affecting the filly. After the exclusion of other possible etiologies, Brachyspira spp. became the most likely causative agent. Despite supportive therapy in hospital, the clinical condition of the filly deteriorated over the course of eleven days and the animal died of inanition and consequent multiple organ dysfunctions. Subsequent pathological investigation confirmed a Brachyspira spp. infection of the gastrointestinal tract. This report is believed to be the first equine case of Brachyspira-associated gastroenteritis.

Rectovaginal fistula with atresia ani is a congenital condition that affects the anal opening and rectum by the formation of an abnormal connection between the rectum and vagina. This was diagnosed in a domestic short hair kitten. The presenting physical abnormalities included depression, dehydration, partial tail agenesis, anal atresia and a discharge of watery feces from the vaginal opening. The kitten died before surgery because of her poor general condition. Necropsy confirmed the diagnosis that was proposed after the clinical and radiographic findings.

This study aimed to identify the causative of the mass mortality observed in zoeal to post-larval shrimp raised in hatcheries in south Iran. For three consecutive months, samples of nauplii and zoea of Litopenaeus vannamei were collected from an affected hatchery located in the province of Bushehr. Upon culture on marine agar, bacterial colonies that produced white, orange, yellow and red pigments were identified. In the hatcheries in which mass mortality was observed, the water columns of the affected tanks exhibited a red-pink color. Therefore, the bacteria that produced red pigment were selected for further phenotypic characterization using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and virulence bioassays. Our results indicate that this bacterium belonged the genus Pseudomonas and that it was identical to P. mesophilica and P. anguilliseptica. PCR analysis of this bacterium revealed the production of a 150-bp band that was consistent with the Pseudomonas genus. To determine the pathogenicity of the isolated bacteria in nauplii and post-larvae of L. vannamei, we performed bioassay experiments by bath immersion at 27-28oC. Our results showed that culture of nauplii and post-larvae of L. vannamei with the bacteria at a concentration of 1.5-2.0x105 CFU/mL in marine broth resulted in a 100% mortality rate 24-48 h post-challenge. In contrast, there was no mortality in the nauplii and post-larvae that were cultured in the absence of bacteria. Upon pathological examination, we found that the color of the larvae was abnormal and pink, with acute necrosis of the entire body 48 h post-challenge.

The prevalence of the latent form of sheep abomasal phytobezoariasis and the effect of husbandry management on this condition were determined in a survey in and industrial abattoir in Urmia from June 2005 to July 2006. The effect of different age groups and seasons on the prevalence of sheep abomasal phytobezoariasis was also determined. Furthermore, the histological changes in the affected abomasal tissue were also verified. The breeds and ages of the sheep were identified prior to slaughter. In the post-mortem, the abomasum was examined for foreign bodies, including bezoars. Tissue specimens were taken from the abomasal body in the affected cases. The annual prevalence of sheep abomasal phytobezoariasis was 1.95%. The prevalence was highest in the Makuei breed and the lowest in Ghezel sheep. The prevalence was higher in winter compared to other seasons. The number of phytobezoars per abomasums ranged from one to four. The histopathological changes in the affected cases included leukocytic infiltration in the mucosal layer, edema, glandular hyperplasia and cystic spaces.

Three-dimensional color Doppler ultrasonography is a new technique to evaluate the pattern of blood vessels. This study was performed to assess the feasibility of this method in evaluation of kidney vasculature pattern in dogs. In this paper, visualization of the Renal, Interlobar, Arcuate, and interlobular arteries and veins using 3D color Doppler ultrasonography in dogs is shown and the technique is described. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical protocol in which 3D color Doppler ultrasonography was used for kidney in veterinary practice and seems to have the potential to provide greater detail of the vascularity associated with abnormal lesion.

In order to assess the influence of breed on the vertebral heart scale (VHS) of dogs, the VHS was measured and compared in left to right (LL) and right to left lateral (RL) views. For all dogs (n=56), the mean VHS on the RL radiographs [9.7 vertebra (v)] was significantly larger than the mean VHS on the LL radiographs (9.6 v) (p=0.047). Doberman dogs had higher mean values of the VHS in LL (9.9 v) and RL (10.1 v) views than all the other breeds, except in RL radiographs VHS of native dogs, although these differences were not significant. Native dogs had the lowest VHS in LL (9.4 v) and RL (9.4 v) radiographs than all of the other breeds. The mean VHS values for German shepherd dogs were 9.6 and 9.8 v and for mixed breeds of German shepherd and Doberman were 9.6 and 9.7 v in LL and RL radiographs, respectively. The mean VHS values in LL views were significantly smaller than in the RL view in Doberman and German shepherd dogs. No significant differences could be found between the VHS of LL and RL radiographs in mixed breed and native dogs.

Seven hundred and sixty-eight blood samples of pregnant cattle from four Holstein dairy herds that are farmed in the vicinity of Tehran were used to evaluate the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Two hundred and ninety-eight of the 768 blood samples (38.8%) were positive for this infection. The prevalence of infection in the herds varied from 18.7% to 65.1%. The abortion rate in seropositive and seronegative animals was 20.67% and 10.11%, respectively. Thus, the risk of abortion was approximately double the rate in seropositive cows (p<0.0005). There was a high correlation between the infection rate and the age in one herd. In other three herds, no significant correlation was found between infection rate and age. This is the first extended study with regards to the rate of Neospora caninum infection in pregnant cattle in the vicinity of Tehran.

The increasing susceptibility of broiler chickens to ascites syndrome has coincided with a continuing genetic and nutritional improvement in their feed efficiency and growth rate. Ascites is multifactorial and interactions between environmental and endogenous factors play a particularly important role. The selection of fast growing broilers for high feed efficiency, which is characterized by hypothyroidism, can consequently lead to a mismatch between oxygen (O2) delivery and O2 demands. This results in anoxia, hypoxemia and hypoxia. Such selection processes have also resulted in the development of birds with changed anatomical, physiological, metabolic and hematological parameters, including thyroid hormone activity, partial pressure of O2 and carbon dioxide in venous blood, cardiac b-adrenergic receptors, and hematocrit levels that coincide with susceptibility to ascites in broiler chickens. Observations to date indicate that the structural or endocrine changes that are often linked with ascites susceptibility may be influenced during the early stages of development, embryogenesis and incubation. In this review, particular attention will be paid to the interactions between endogenous and exogenous factors as predisposing factors for the development of ascites syndrome. Additionally, preventive management procedures will be highlighted, such as different lighting schedules, feed restriction protocols and the supplementation of feed with antioxidants, which reduce the incidence of ascites by altering the metabolic load of broiler chickens amongst other factors.

In the present study, the effects of the acute and chronic oral administrations (po) of curcumin in the absence and presence of morphine and naloxone was investigated on the sensation of acute corneal pain in rats. Acute corneal pain was induced by the local application of hypertonic saline (5 M NaCl) on the corneal surface, and the number of eye wipes was then counted for 30 s. Subcutaneous (sc) injections of morphine (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg) significantly suppressed corneal pain (p<0.05). Naloxone (2 mg/kg, sc) did not change the intensity of pain when used alone, but pretreatment of the rates with naloxone (2 mg/kg, sc) significantly prevented the antinociceptive effect induced by morphine (2 mg/kg, sc, p<0.05). The short-term and long-term oral administration of curcumin (either a single dose of 200 mg/kg or dosages of 6.25, 12.5 of 25 mg/kg for 15 days each, respectively) both significantly decreased the number of eye wipes (p<0.05). The antinociceptive effect induced by morphine was significantly (p<0.05) enhanced by both the acute (200 mg/kg, once, po) and chronic (25 mg/kg, 15 days, po) curcumin treatments. Naloxone (2 mg/kg, sc) did not change the antinociception that was induced by acute (200 mg/kg, once, po) and chronic (25 mg/kg, 15 days, po) treatments of curcumin. The present findings suggest that morphine produced an analgesic effect through a naloxone-sensitive mechanism in acute corneal pain. Both high-dose acute and lower-dose chronic oral administrations of curcumin suppressed corneal pain. Moreover, curcumin enhanced morphine-induced antinociception.