Journal of Veterinary Research
Year:2008 | Volume:63 | Issue:2|Papers Count:12

Seventy cattle suspected to dermatophytosis were examined between March and April 2003. The samples were taken from different lesions by scraping method. Direct microscopic examination and culture were carried out. The mean of infection duration was 2 weeks. Forty-three cases were appeared with positive clinical signs of dermatophytosis and 27 cases were asymptomatic. The etiologic agent of the infection was only Trichophyton verrucosum. A significant relation was observed between the frequency of head and neck lesions and other sites. There was a significant difference between the frequency of head lesions and other sites. Since human dermatophyte infections due to Trichophyton verrucosum have been reported repeatedly in Iran, it is necessary to design a preventive program such as developing an effective vaccine against dermatophytosis into the future.

INOS is inducible by a variety of factors related to inflammation and referred to as inducible NOS (iNOS). It is regulated at the level of gene expression; once expressed, it produces NO at a high rate. iNOS gene-expression profiling is an important tool in understanding molecular markers of the responses of cells and tissues to external factors. In this article a semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol was optimized to extract RNA (ribonucleic acid) from chicken spleen and to measure the expression levels of iNOS mRNAs from each sample. Detailed procedure was described for the analysis of iNOS levels. b-actin was used as an internal control to normalize for sample to sample variations in total RNA amounts and for reaction efficiency. Co-amplification of the iNOS gene with housekeeping gene (b-actin) provides a quantitative result. Changes in gene expression level may be monitored, while avoiding sample-to-sample loading variation.

This study was conducted to characterize infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) isolates collected from different parts of Iran during 2005-2006. Pooled bursal samples from 49 broiler and layer pullet flocks suspected to IBD infection were collected and processed. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) procedure was used to amplify a VP2 gene fragment (743 bp) from IBDV field isolates. Amplified VP2 fragments were further characterized by two restriction enzymes, BspMI and SacI. From 49 field samples, 37 (75.5%) samples were IBDV positive by RT PCR. Digestion with two restriction enzymes, BspMI and SacI, showed patterns compatible with very virulent IBDV and classical IBDV strains in 34 (91.9%) and 3 (8.1%) IBDV-positive samples, respectively. The restriction enzyme analysis of this study was comparable to that of other isolates and reference strains with available nucleotide sequence data in the GenBank. The procedure followed in this study is a useful method to rapidly differentiate the very virulent IBDV and classical IBDV isolates.

A research was conducted to evaluate the effects of combined usage of garlic powder (GP) and cupric sulfate pent hydrate (CS) as two different cholesterol-lowering supplements on blood serum and egg yolk cholesterol concentration in laying hens. A total of one-hundred ninety two 40-wks-old Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) laying hens were selected in a completely randomized designed to four diets that included unsupplemental basal diet as control diet (CO), the basal diet supplemented with either 15 g/kg GP, 200 mg/kg CS, or both 15 g/kg GP and 200 mg/kg Cs for a period of 6 weeks. During the experimental period hens performance traits included body weight gain, egg production, egg and yolk weights, egg mass, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio were recorded. For statistical analysis, data were averaged by replicate for 6 wks period. At the end of the experimental period blood sernm and egg yolk samples were collected for cholesterol analysis. Supplementation of GP or CS to the basal diet had no significant (p>0.05) effect on overall performance in laying hens. A decrease in blood serum and egg yolk cholesterol concentration was found (p<0.01) in birds fed GP, CS, and GP/CS diets in comparison with the unsupplemented diet birds (CO diet).Serum cholesterol levels were reduced by feeding GP, CS, or both by about 14, 20, and 28% respectively (p<0.01).Feeding GP or CS decreased egg yolk cholesterol about 6 and 12.5%, respectively (p<0.01), but feeding both GP and CS dell supplements had no further beneficial effect on egg yolk cholesterol.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in 52 samples of UHT milk that were produced by different plants in province of Tehran were analyzed by competitive ELIZA. AFM1 was found in 100 percent of 52 of the UHT milk samples that were analyzed in this study. The range of contamination levels varied in two seasons of summer and autumn. AFM1 in summer and autumn samples ranged from 22.40 to 84.80 and 19.40 to 93.60 ng/kg respectively, while the mean values were 69.22 and 65.50 ng/kg respectively. Statistical evaluation showed that there were not significant differences (p>0.05) between the concentrations of AFM1 of UHT milk samples produced in summer and autumn. In other words, AFM 1contents of UHT milk samples produced in summer were not lower than UHT milk samples produced in autumn. Almost 79.92% of the contaminated samples exceeded the maximum acceptable levels (50 ng/kg) that accepted by some of the European countries. It was, therefore, concluded that, high occurrence of AFM 1in UHT milk samples was considered possible hazard for human health.

Seven healthy and sexually adult bulls were slaughtered and their reproductive system was isolated. Different tissues including: testes, epididymis, vas deferan, ampulla, accessory sex glands (seminal vesicle, prostate and bulb urethra), muscular and mucosal layer of pelvic and penile urethra were carefully dissected. Total soluble protein and arginase specific activity (ASA) were measured by Lowry and modified paranitrophenylglyoxal (PNPG) method, respectively. The results indicate that the highest arginase specific activity (51.28±8.79 x10-3 IU/mg of protein) is present in muscle of pelvic part of urethra. Based on ASA, bulls reproductive system was categorized in three tissue groups: high, medium and low. Muscular layer of penile urethra with the highest ASA level (> 50 X10-3IU/mg tissue protein) is in the 1st group, Testes, bulbourethral gland and mucosal layer of penile urethra (30-40 X10-3 IU/mg tissue protein) are in the2nd group and the rest parts (<25 X10-3IU/mg protein) arein3rd group. Significant differences observed between classified tissues (p<0.05). The present study indicates that ASA is present at different levels in all parts of bull reproductive system. This condition may be related to different rate of cell proliferation and differentiation or some other unknown physiological and biochemical activities of the enzyme in this system.

Twenty-five bacterial samples were isolated from buffalo faeces. Twenty strains out of twenty -five strains were identified as Escherichia coli. Antibiotic susceptibility tests and plasmid analysis carried on the E.coli isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility tests of the isolated strains of E. coli were done by antibiotic disc diffusiou method. The antibacterial agents were ampicillin, amoxicillin, neomycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, flumequine, erythromycin and enrofloxacin. Plasmid DNAs were extracted from each of the drug resistant E.coli strains. All of the collected E.coli strains were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, neomyciu, kanamycin, streptomycin, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, flumequine, erythromycin and enrofloxacin at 90, 80, 100, 50, 100, 75, 75, 60,1 00 and 35% respectively. From the results it was revealed that molecular size of the plasmid DNAs extracted from twenty different drug resistant E.coli varied from 9.162 to 13.000 Kb. In this investigation it was revealed that each of the twenty drug resistant E.coli harbored a single plasmid. It can be said that increasing incidence of drug resistauce in E.coli to different antibiotics including the broad spectrum antibiotics tetracycline, nalidixic acid and... heralds the coming therapeutic problem in the treatment of infectious cause by this micro-organism.

This study was carried out on 250 slaughtered cattle at Ahvaz abattoir in Khouzestan province of Iran to investigate the occurrence of Pasteurella multocida carriers and relationship with their immunity status. Nasopharyngeal swabs and 10 ml blood samples were taken immediately after slaughter. The swabs were streaked on 5% sheep blood agar plates. Cnltures were incubated at 37° C for 24h and the plates were examined for colonies resembling P. multocida. Suspicious colonies were further subcultivated and examined microscopically and biochemically. The isolates were serotyped serologically and their pathogenicity in mice was carried out. Sera samples were tested for the presence of antibody against P. multocida by indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test and sera with a titer of ³1:16 were considered as positive. P. multocida was isolated from the nasopharynx of 6 (2.4%) out of 247 healthy cattle examined. There was no relation between infection and sex or age. All of 6 isolates belonged to type B. They were pathogenic for mice and caused death in injected mice within less than 24h after injection. Indirect haemagglutination test revealed the titers of ³1:16 of P. multocida antibody in 212 (84.8 %) cattle. Among 6 cattle recognized as the carriers of P. multocida, 5 were positive serologically and 2, 2, and one of them had titers 1: 128, 1: 64, and 1: 32, respectively.

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is a major viral disease in wild and captive psittaciformes all around the world. The disease was suspected in a 7 years old lesser sulphurcrested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) with a minor feather loss at the back of neck and head. The bird was comprehensively examined by macroscopic pathology, histopathology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Marked intracellular edema of the keratinocytes and necrosis were evident in bistopathological observation of dystrophic feather follicles. Numerous macrophages with cytoplasmic inclusions "botryoid" and Prevasculitis were also present in the dermis. Histopathologically, the feather lesions and inclusions were typical of PBFD. The presence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) DNA was confirmed by PCR. This is the first documented report of the occurrence of the PBFD in Iran.

Leptin, known as a potential satiety factor, plays an important role in both metabolism and reproduction. The presence of leptin in human seminal plasma and human spermatozoa has been shown; recently, leptin receptors (Ob-R) have been localized in human spermatozoa, thus suggesting a possible action of this hormone even on these cells. Our aim was to detect leptin receptor mRNA in bull ejaculated spermatozoa by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT -PCR). Total RNA was isolated from bull ejaculated spermatozoa and purified by different methods. Our results have revealed that sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and SDS/citric acid extraction methods are superior to guanidinium isothiocyanate in terms of yield and reproducibility of RNA recovery. The mRNA for Ob-Rb was detected in all samples examined. We conclude that Ob-R mRNA is present in bull spermatozoa where seminal plasma leptin can exert its effects.

Several species of the family Vespertilionidae store spermatozoa for prolonged periods prior to ovulation, but the reproductive strategy used by Myotis capaccinii remains unknown. Reproductive cycle of Myotis capaccinii has been determined using macroscopic and microscopic examinations on two captured bats in spring and one male and one female reared in a flight cage during winter. Microscopic slides prepared from one male collected in late July showed spermatids indicating that spermatogenesis develops in summer. Estimation of the volume of testes and epididymis based on photographs taken on weekly intervals during late summer untillate winter in male, M. capaccinii shows that the rate of epididymis to testes volume increases by more than one order of magnitude from late summer until late winter. Microscopic slides prepared from this bat indicate that decapacitated spermatozoa are packed in the tubules in the epididymis in late winter.