IRANIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY RESEARCH (IJVR)
Year:2014 | Volume:15 | Issue:3 (48)|Papers Count:22

Summary: Cladribine acts as an antineoplastic, immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agent. The aim of this study was to examine the possible impact of this drug on the epidermis of Wistar rats. The control group received standard feed and water. The experimental group I was treated with cladribine in a schema corresponding to the treatment of multiple sclerosis in humans. The material for microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation was obtained 24 h after administration of the last dose of the drug. The drug in experimental group II was administered in the same way as experimental group I, but test material was downloaded following a 4 week break after the administration of the last dose of the drug. After the completion of the experiment, skin samples were taken from all rats for histomorphological and immunohistochemical studies. An analysis of experimental group I H&E samples showed visible changes in epidermis patterns, and the. tissue layer was found to be much thinner compared to the analogous structures in the control group. The difference in p53 expressions between the control and both experimental groups was found to be statistically significant (P<0.0001). Cladribine administration induces changes in the images of the epidermis of experimental animals. Based on morphological analysis and p53 protein expression, it can be concluded that the 4-week break in drug administration contributed to the regeneration of the rats’ skin epithelial tissue.

Summary: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of addition of soymilk on physicochemical, microbial, and sensory characteristics of milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus. Soybeans were blended 1:5 w/v with distilled water. The prepared soymilk was added to milk in combinations of 20%, 40%, and 60%. Milk was used as the control. All the samples were sterilized and fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 as probiotics. Then, they were kept at 5ºC for 14 days. Microbial count, titratable acidity, pH, syneresis, color parameters and sensory evaluation were performed during the storage time. Results showed that all the samples possessed minimum effective dose of LA-5 on day 14, although a significant decrease in LA-5 was observed in the sample with 60% soymilk. In each experimental day, there was a noticeable decrease in the pH of the samples. Addition of soymilk to milk also significantly increased syneresis, particularly in samples with 60% soymilk. Sensory evaluations showed that scores of texture, mouth sense, aroma, and flavor of the samples with 40% and 60% soymilk were significantly lower than other samples. With respect to color, “L” value decreased significantly in the fermented product with 60% soymilk and the decrease was more pronounced with longer storage times. In conclusion, addition of 20% soymilk did not substantially alter physicochemical and sensory characteristics of milk while providing an appropriate growth culture for LA-5. The mixture of milk-20% soymilk can be introduced as a good probiotic product with lower lactose content and additional nutritional benefits.

Summary: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the use of polypropylene mesh and glycerol preserved bovine pericardium (GBP) to repaire abdominal wall defects in 24 clinically healthy mongrel dogs using inlay and underlay techniques. Twenty four healthy mongrel dogs were used in this study. The animals were divided into two main groups according to the type of the prosthetic material used. Each group was further divided into two subgroups according to the implantation technique. The prosthetic materials used were polypropylene mesh (Prolene, Ethicon, Johnson and Johnson, Belgium) and GBP. The two implantation techniques were the inlay and underlay techniques. Based on postmortem findings, biomechanical analyses and histopathological examinations, GBP patches were found to be successful alternatives for the reinforcement and repair of large abdominal wall defects as compared to prolene mesh.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly contagious disease of chickens caused by the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). This study was conducted to characterize three IBDV strains from Iran. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) procedure was used to amplify a 715-bp fragment of the VP1 gene from IBDV strains. Amplified VP1 fragments of the three Iranian IBDV strains were sequenced and compared with published sequences of IBDV strains from around the world, and their phylogenetic relationships were analyzed. Alignment of IBDV strains revealed 23 nucleotide differences between vvIBDV (except for IL and PT) and other non-vvIBDV strains. Two nucleotide positions, 863G and 1023A, were specific as JRMP07IR and JRMP14IR strains. All vvIBDVs differed (except for IL and PT strains) from non-vvIBDVs at aa (amino acids) positions 242E and 287A. In the three Iranian IBDV strains, aa positions 251R in both JRMP07IR and JRMP14IR, and 360L in JRMP14IR differed from those of other vvIBDVs. In phylogenetic analyses, all three Iranian strains clustered together with vvIBDVs. One Iranian strain, JRMP30IR, was more closely related to two European strains (HOL and UK661) and two south-east Asian strains (OKYM and ZJ2000). However, the other two Iranian strains, JRMP07IR and JRMP14IR, were closer to two Turkish strains (OA/G1 and OE/G2) and a Malaysian strain (UPM94). Further comprehensive investigations will provide researchers a better knowledge on the distribution, variability, and phylogenetic relationships of different IBDVs isolated in Iran and other parts of the world.

Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplements with lead acetate and aluminosilicates (ATN) on antioxidative enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation of the heart and skeletal muscle tissues of broiler chickens. Broilers were allotted to four diets including the control group, the Pb group, the aluminosilicate-ATN (antitoxic nutrient) group and the Pb+ATN group, in a 3-week feeding experiment. Dietary intake of lead acetate induces oxidative stress and promotes lipid peroxidation in the heart muscle tissue. The combined data showed that chickens fed with ATN received significant protection against the effects of lead acetate for most of the measured parameters.

Summary: To study the anticoccidial and antioxidant effects of garlic powder (GP) and total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) on growth performance, faecal oocyst output, oxidative stress indicators and antioxidant status markers in broiler chickens, a 2×2×2 splitplot- factorial arrangement of treatments was used. A total of 480-day-old male broiler chickens were equally assigned to two plots. Two hundred forty chickens were challenged with Eimeria oocysts species mix by oral inoculation at day 34 (infected plot) and the other half was left unchallenged. In each plot, chickens were randomly assigned to four treatments with 5 replicates of 12 birds each, and fed one of the following diets: basal diet, basal diet plus 0.5% GP, basal diet plus 50% more TSAA, basal diet plus 0.5% GP and 50% more TSAA. The results showed that inoculation with 7.5×102 oocysts of Eimeria mixed species significantly reduced growth performance (P<0.05) and increased nitric oxide (NO) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA), but did not change the hepatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity. Growth depression and increased NO and MDA were greater in infected than uninfected birds. In the infected birds fed with the basal diet without any supplementation, NO and MDA were significantly greater (P<0.05) in comparison with other groups. Faecal oocyst output significantly decreased with the supplementation of GP and TSAA in infected birds (P<0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation of GP and 50% TSAA individually or in combination with the basal diet significantly improved ADG (P<0.05) and decreased OPG, MDA and NO. Moreover, no changes in the antioxidant enzymes were observed in birds infected with Eimeria.

Summary: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-Pro BNP) and nitric oxide (NO) with echocardiography (gold standard test) in diagnosis of canine cardiomyopathy. Out of 374 cases, 82 cases showing cardiovascular abnormalities including 16 cases of cardiomyopathy were further selected for standardization of biomarkers. Significant (P<0.01) increase in plasma NT-Pro BNP was found in dogs with cardiomyopathies. The plasma concentration of NO showed non-significant increase in comparison to healthy dogs. The sensitivity of NT-Pro BNP and NO was 72.20% and 62.50%, with specificity 93.90% and 89.40%, respectively when compared with echocardiography. The correlation between echocardiography and NT-Pro BNP was 89.30% with kappa value of 0.675 suggesting substantial agreement between the two tests. The positive and negative predictive value was estimated at 0.765 and 0.925, respectively. It is concluded that NT-Pro BNP and NO may be an alternate diagnostic tool for diagnosis of cardiomyopathy where the facility of echocardiography is not available.

Summary: Samples from the kidney of 100 diseased fish with signs of haemorrhagic septicemia and 50 samples from outlet water of fish farms were taken aseptically and cultured. In the laboratory, 75 colonies of gram-negative bacteria were biochemically diagnosed as motile aeromonads in our Bacteriology Laboratory Unit using API 20E rapid identification system. The genotype identification using specific primers for 16S rDNA by PCR and direct sequencing of 28 Iranian motile aeromonads isolates were as follow: in diseased fish, Aeromonas hydrophila (3 isolates, 15%), A. veronii bv. sobria (8 isolates, 40%), A. bestiarum/piscicola (5 isolates, 25%), A. media (3 isolates, 15%), A. jandaei (1 isolate, 5%), A. aquariorum (0 isolate, 0%) and in water, Aeromonas hydrophila (0 isolate, 0%), A. veronii bv. sobria (6 isolates, 75%), A. bestiarum/piscicola (0 isolate, 0%), A. media (1 isolate, 12.5%), A. jandaei (0 isolate, 0%) and A. aquariorum (1 isolate, 12.5%). Results of this study suggest that the incidence of motile aeromonads septicemia due to A. veronii bv. sobria is the most prevalent motile aeromonads. Nucleotide polymorphisms on the sequencing results of the 16S rDNA were detected as noticeable inter and intra-specific variation within the population of different aeromonads isolates. In total, 10-20 variant nucleotide positions in this region were observed among Aeromonas spp.

Summary: This study explored the effects of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) immunity on expression of FSHR mRNA in pituitary and FSHR protein in uteri, and also confirmed its efficacy on uterine development. 42 prepuberty and non cyclic ewes were assigned to 6 experimental groups (EG) during anestrus season. Animals in EG-I, EG-II and EG-III were subcutaneously injected with 200, 300 and 400 μg alarelin antigens (day 0 and 14). Animals in EG-IV and EG-V were subcutaneously injected with 200 and 300 μg alarelin antigen (day 0, 7, 14 and 21). Uterine FSHR protein expression was detected using Western-blotting. RT-PCR was implemented to measure expression of pituitary FSHR mRNA on day 70 after the immunity. Compared to the CG, pituitary FSHR mRNA levels reduced by 58%, 88% and 91% (P<0.01) in EG-I, EG-II and EG-III. FSHR mRNA in EG-IV and EG-V reduced by 64.29% (P<0.05) and 10.11% compared to EG-I and EG-II. Expression levels of uterine FSHR protein in EG-III and EG-V were higher than that in CG. The uterine glands, mitochondria and mitochondrial crista decreased, and the glandular cavity reduced, also the microvilli shortened. Uterine horn weights in EG-I, EG-II and EG-III reduced by 4.66%, 10.20% and 16.63%, respectively. Uterine wall thickness (UWT) in EG-I, EG-II and EG-III reduced by 1.41%, 5.84% and 8.75% (P<0.05). The endometrial epithelium thickness (EET) in EG-I, EG-II and EG-III decreased 2.70%, 8.87% and 19.15%. The positive correlations between uterine horn weights and UWT, EET and FSHR were calculated.

Summary: Propolis, a resinous substance collected by Apis mellifera bees from various plant sources is transformed in the presence of bee enzymes. Short- and long-term effects of diet supplementation with ethanol extract of Iranian propolis (EEIP) was investigated on growth and immunity in juvenile rainbow trout. The fish (mean body weight 30 ± 3.2 g) were fed a commercial diet supplemented with 0 (control), 1, 2 and 5 g/kg EEIP for 96 h and 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 g/kg EEIP for a 45-days. Rainbow trout growth performance significantly (P<0.05) increased by the dietary supplementation of Iranian propolis. Our results showed that significant increase in serum lysozyme activity, complement activity and total immunoglobulin were seen in all treatment groups during short- and longterm feeding trial when compared to the control group. On the basis of our findings, propolis improved rainbow trout growth performance and some immune parameters.

Previous studies have shown antiviral effect of Echinacea and elderberry preparations against human influenza viruses in vitro. To investigate the in vivo antiviral effect of these herbs on avian H9N2 influenza virus, amantadine and two standardized commercial extracts of Echinacea purpurea (EF) and Sambucus nigra (SAM) were used in broiler chickens infected with H9N2 strain of the virus. EF, SAM and amantadine were added to drinking water of chickens in different groups for 7 days starting 8 h after intranasal inoculation of the challenged virus and in prophylaxis group of EF for 10 days starting 5 days before the challenge time. During post infection (PI) days, titer of the virus in tracheal mucosa and faeces were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR. The untreated challenged group showed the highest faecal and tracheal titer of the virus on day 3 PI. The virus was not detected in negative control group during the course of the experiment. Prophylaxis administration of EF considerably reduced the faecal titer of the virus in all days PI. Although overall titer of the virus in the tracheal samples was low, treatment with amantadine and SAM apparently reduced quantity of tracheal positive samples in comparison to untreated and EF-treated groups. This study indicates that using Echinacea and elderberry extracts in chicken can reduce H9N2 virus shedding from trachea and faeces.

Summary: The effects of dietary nucleotide (NT) on growth performance and some haematological parameters of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) were investigated. Different levels of the NT (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1%) in the diet were used for 10 weeks starting on the fish weighted (1.52 ± 0.11 g). The results showed that NT supplementations did not improve final weight, weight gain, food conservation ratio as well as specific growth rates of striped catfish (P>0.05). Among all growth evaluated parameters, only the condition factor was significantly improved in fish fed on 0.75 and 1% of NT in comparison to control (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean erythrocytic hemoglobin, mean erythrocytic volume, and mean erythrocytic hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell (WBC) counts and WBC/RBC ratio among fish fed on dietary nucleotide and control diet (P>0.05). However, some significant fluctuations were observed in the haematological parameters within groups of fish fed on different levels of NT (P<0.05). The results showed that feeding striped catfish with commercial NT had very limited effect on growth parameters and some haematological characteristics.

Summary: In this study, 54 five-year-old farmed female beluga at stage II of sexual maturation were treated with 0 (control), 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g of dietary soy equol (EQ) and genistein (GE) per each kilogram (kg) of diet during a year. Blood samples were collected and ovarian biopsy was performed quarterly. Results showed that 64.4% of the Huso huso sexually matured at EQ 0.4 g/kg and reached stage IV of sexual maturation. Oocytes diameters increased significantly at all concentrations of EQ and 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 concentrations of GE and reached a maximum (3±0.2 mm) at 0.4 g/kg EQ concentration at the end of experiment (P<0.05). Blood plasma testosterone (T) level was 0.3±0.06 ng/ml at the beginning and reached a maximum (21.04±1.91 ng/ml) at EQ 0.4 g/kg at the end of the experiment (P<0.05). 17b-estradiol (E2) levels increased significantly at some concentrations of GE and EQ at the end as compared to the beginning, reaching a maximum (12.6±1.04 ng/ml) at EQ 0.4 g/kg at the end of the experiment (P<0.05). 17a- hydroxy progesterone (17a-OHP) levels showed no significant difference (P>0.05). In conclusion, EQ at a 0.4 g/kg concentration showed more powerful positive reproductive effects than other concentrations of EQ and GE in farmed female H. huso. Comparatively, EQ showed more estrogenic effects on ovary development in comparison to GE concentrations. Its use is therefore suggested as an additive to diets to induce ovary development in Huso huso.

Summary: Listeriosis is acknowledged as a major foodborne disease throughout the world caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Different factors can affect the growth of food borne microbial pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of different concentrations of Bunium persicum essential oil (EO) (0%, 0.08%, 0.16%, 0.24%), three incubation temperatures (35oC, 25oC, 4oC), three levels of pH (5, 6, 7) and two inoculum sizes (103 and 105 cfu ml-1) on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. To evaluate effects of explanatory variable on time to detection (TTD) of bacterial growth, parametric survival models based on the log normal distribution were used. All explanatory variables had significant association with TTD (P<0.05). The final model accurately predicted the growth initiation and inhibition of L. monocytogenes.

Summary: The present study investigated the possibility of replacing salamon with modified shotor diluent (MSD) and egg yolk (EY) with low density lipoprotein (LDL) for chilled storage of ram semen. Good quality semen (>80% progressive forward motility (PFM) of sperm) from 3 fertile rams was collected using an artificial vagina and pooled for each experiment. Low density lipoprotein was extracted from fresh EY. In experiment 1, semen was divided into 2 fractions and extended in MSD or salamon. In experiment 2, semen was assigned into 5 fractions and extended in MSD supplemented with 12 and 15% EY or 3, 5 and 8% LDL. In experiment 3, semen was divided into 2 fractions and extended in MSD supplemented with 12% EY or 5% LDL. Viability of sperm was assessed at times 0 (immediately after semen dilution), 2 or 4 (at 4oC) and up to 72 h after semen dilution. Data was analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM) procedure, including repeated measures. In experiment 1, the viability of sperm was similar in two diluents (P>0.05). In experiment 2, PFM of sperm was similar among groups at the time of dilution (P>0.05); but remained elevated in 5 and 8% LDL compared to other groups afterward (P<0.05). In experiment 3, PFM of sperm was superior at 48 and 72 h after dilution in 5% LDL compared to 12% EY (P<0.05). In conclusion, MSD supplemented with 5% LDL is a suitable diluent for ram fresh semen preserved at 4oC for 72 h.

Summary: Leptospirosis in cattle is a worldwide problem associated with abortion, agalactia, still birth and infertility resulting in major economic losses to dairy industry. There is lack of data regarding seroprevalence of bovine leptospirosis in eastern India. So, with the aim to investigate the prevalence of the disease in Odisha and West Bengal state of eastern India, a total of 350 cattle serum samples were collected with distinct geographical attributes having history of infertility, abortion, and haemogalactia. Serum samples were tested by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using a battery of twelve Leptospira serovars as live antigen to detect the serovars present in the studied area. Further a recombinant protein (LipL32) based ELISA was carried out for comparative study. Overall seropositivity using MAT and rLipL32ELISA were found to be 50.85% and 56%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of rLipL32ELISA relative to MAT was calculated and found to be 100% and 89.53%, respectively. In the current study among the serovars, icterohaemorrhagiae was the most predominant serovar reported in this study. So to conclude, this study warrants further investigations in this area to establish the risk factors involved in disease transmission cycle.

Summary: The purpose of this study was to induce abomasal displacement to the left, and to let the undergraduate and post graduate students get used to the ping sounds of abomasum and other clinical manifestations. The procedure was carried out on eight young bulls, they were sedated and a 2 m flexible tube was inserted through the nasal canal into the rumen. By laparo-rumenotomy, 20 cm of the tube was inserted into the abomasums through the omaso-abomasal groove. The rumen wall and abdominal wall were apposed routinely. The animal was casted on its right side on the floor. The abomasum was inflated through the external end of the tube which was tied to bull’s horn base. Then the animal was allowed to stand on its feet. The gas filled abomasum was mobilized to the left flank between the body wall and the rumen. The left abomasal displacement was confirmed by ping and ultrasonography. Experimental induction of left abomasal displacement by inflating the abomasum using a nasal abomasal tube following rumenotomy is a safe and suitable technique for educational and research purposes.

Summary: Prions are unprecedented infectious pathogens that cause a group of invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease by an entirely novel mechanism. The conformational change in prion proteins results in a change from a predominantly α-helical protein to a b-sheet form, which causes scrapie in sheep and goat. The present study was carried out to identify polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (PrP) at the codons (136, 154 and 171) responsible for the susceptibility and resistance of the scrapie disease in the sheep. The ARQ is the most frequent allele which is less susceptible, but may get scrapie. The highly sensitive VRQ and resistant ARR alleles were not present in the Mandya sheep. Genotype ARQ/ARQ, ARQ/AHQ, and AHQ/AHQ were found in the analyzed population with 40.00, 40.00 and 20.00% respectively, showing little resistance to scrapie and require careful selection when used for breeding. Six groups (variants) were found in SSCP (single-strand conformation polymorphism) i.e., out of each group one sample was sequenced. Sequencing (accession No. KF207876-79) of samples allowed the identification of 5 other new polymorphisms on PrP gene at codon positions 98(S/R), 147(D/E), 175(Q/R), 184(N/H) and 189(Q/L). Absence of ARR allele in the Mandya sheep should be taken into considerationfor the implementation of a preventive selection programme to avoid erosion of the genetic stock.

Summary: The aim of this study is to investigate antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress biomarkers and the acute phase proteins levels for subclinical and clinical pregnancy toxemia and to determine the effect of early diagnosis on the success of curing. According to the results of clinical and biochemical parameters, from 39 ewes, 10 were healthy ewes (control group), 13 ewes had subclinical pregnancy toxemia (subclinic group) and 16 had clinical pregnancy toxemia (clinic group). Glucose level and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in clinic group were found statistically lower than in the other groups (P<0.05); as for BHBA, cortisol, MDA, SAA and Hp were found higher than in the other groups (P<0.05). In subclinic group BHBA, SAA and Hp were statistically higher than in control group (P<0.05). Conclusively, the parameters of oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes activity and acute phase proteins (AAPs) can be used for the diagnosis of pregnancy toxemia in pregnant ewes.

Summary: A 3-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow was evaluated because of sudden onset of right hind limb lameness and pain with fetlock swelling for 2 days. Based on the history, clinical index scores and computed radiographic examinations, the case was accurately diagnosed to be a severely comminuted fracture of the proximal phalanx. This cow was assigned for conservative treatment with external coaptation technique. Over the repair follow-up period, the treated cow showed considerably improved clinical index scores and returned to its previous production level. In conclusion, conservative management of comminuted fractures of the proximal phalanx can provide a proper stabilization of the fracture and enable an affected cow to be returned to its intended production with minimal cost.