فصلنامه آسیب شناسی درمانگاهی دامپزشکی
سال یازدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 41، بهار 1396)

The aim of this study was to evaluate alterations of plasma hepcidin, cystatin C and gelsolin in ovine theileriosis  (Ghezel  breed). Theileriosis is known as an important challenge in the livestock industry in most parts of the world and Iran. It possesses prominent role in reduction of milk and meat production and can induce widespread lesions in blood and tissues. In this study, after blood sampling from healthy sheep and those   affected by theileriosis, blood parameters such as red blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin and white blood cells were determined and those plasma parameters were measured by special kits through Elisa technique. The results suggested significant increase (p<0.01) of hepcidin (Hep) and cystatin C and considerable decrease (p<0.01) of gelsolin (Gel) in the infected sheep compared with healthy ones. Also, elevation of age and parasitemia rate, intensified the above mentioned parameters. The highest concentration of hepcidin and cystatin C and largest number of lymphocytes were observed in the 4-year-old group of sheep affected by theileriosis with more than 4 percent parasitemia and the lowest concentration of gelsolin and other hematologic parameters were also observed in the same age group with the same intensity of parasitemia. According to the results, most probably, there are widespread inflammation and cellular damage in various tissues of infected sheep, especially in the kidneys.

Oxidative stress during freeze-thawing process causes reduction in motility, viability, membrane functions and finally sperm fertility. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Chamomile extract as natural antioxidant on quality of cryopreserved ram sperm. In this study semen was collected from five mature rams twice a week using an artificial vagina and the ejaculates were pooled equally in order to eliminate the individual effects. Different levels of extract of Chamomile (0, 50, 66.66, 100 and 200 ml/dl of diluent solution) were added to diluent based tris-egg yolk. After cooling, filling and sealing of the samples, they were frozen with nitrogen vapor and immersed in liquid nitrogen and were stored until evaluation time. After thawing, results showed that addition of 66.66 ml/dl of extract increased total motility, progressive motility, curvilinear velocity, straight–line velocity, linearity, viability and plasma membrane integrity of sperm compared to the control and other treatment groups (p<0.05). Also addition of 200 ml/dl extract had significant negative effects on motility parameters, viability and plasma membrane integrity of sperm (p<0.05). Inclusion of different doses of Chamomile extract caused no significant reduction on malondialdehyde concentration in comparison to control but this reduction was significant at 66.66 ml/dl in comparison to 100 and 200 ml/dl of extract. Conflict of interest: None declared.

Coxiellosis or Q fever of domestic animals which is caused by Coxiella burnetii is usually asymptomatic and subclinical; although it has also been associated with abortion and infertility. Domestic ruminants are the primary and important reservoirs of Coxiella burnetii, which is spread by the milk, urine, feces and vaginal mucous of infected animals. Inhalation of bacteria present in the environment is the main route of animal and human infection. The aim of this study was to survey seroprevalence of Q-fever in goats and buffaloes in Ahvaz Region. In this study, blood samples were collected randomly from 137 goats and 135 buffaloes in Ahvaz. The collected sera were tested for Coxiella burnetii by ELISA. Seroprevalence of Q fever was 34.31 in goats (95% Cl: 26.41–42.21) and 0% in buffaloes. Chi square test showed that prevalence in buffalo and goat is statistically different (p<0.001). Infection in goat had a significant association with age. Logistic regression showed that the odds ratio between the age based on year and infection is 1.57 (95% CI: 1.19-2.08) (p<0.001), with each single increase in age the odds of infection will increase by 57%. Also, 10.8% of fluctuations of infection were justified by age. The odds of infection in female goats was 1.58 times males (95% CI: 1.03–6.47) (p<0.05) and 4.5% of fluctuations of infection were justified by sex. The present study showed that the prevalence of Q-fever in goat population is considerable. Therefore Coxiella burnetii must be considered by veterinarians and health authorities as one of the most important zoonotic agents for prevention and control measures.

The present study was conducted to study the effects of replacing soybean meal with vermicomposting feed on growth performance and selective rumen and blood metabolites of fattening lambs. For this experiment, 16 male mixed breed lambs (Ghezel-Moghani) with an average initial weight of 20.5 ± 2.5 kg were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replicates and 4 lambs in each replicate.The experimental diets, consisting of 0, 33, 67 and 100 percent vermicomposting feed replaced soybean meal. Lambs were fed freely with a diet containing 30% forage and 70% concentrate. Duration of the fattening period was 90 days. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) among the treatments in terms of final weight, average daily gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ration. The data from the rumen metabolites indicated that diets had no effect on pH and fatty acids (p<0.05). But feed samples with 100% vermicomposting significantly increased rumen ammonia nitrogen and fatty acid acetate (p<0.05). Replacing soybean meal with vermicomposting feed did not have a significant effect on blood metabolites with the exception of blood urea nitrogen which showed a slight linear increase numerically. The results of this study shows that vermicomposting feed containing high nutrients can be a suitable replacement for soybean meal.

The  process  of  restoring  blood  flow  to  ischemic  heart  muscle  is  antithetically  capable  of inducing cardiac damage. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are the important biochemical parameters of cardiac tissue damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of short term and regular growing long term aerobic exercise on serum levels of cTnI and TNF-α in rats with Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) injury. For this purpose, forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups including: control, I/R, I/R with two weeks of aerobic exercise, and I/R with eight weeks of regular growing aerobic exercise groups. Aerobic exercise was performed 5 times per week on treadmill at speed of 10-25m/min for 10-30 minutes with the slope of 5 degrees. For induction of I/R injury, the left descending coronary artery was clamped for 30 minutes, thereafter blood flow was restored for 2 hours. Finally, after collection of blood samples from the retro-orbital plexus for cTnI and TNF-α measurements, all animals were euthanized.  Histologic sections were created for TUNEL staining from the hearts. Regular growing long term aerobic exercise significantly (p<0.05) decreased the cTnI and TNF-α serum levels, which were increased due to I/R injury. Microscopically, the numbers of apoptotic cells were significantly (p<0.01) increased in I/R group compared to the control group. Regular growing long term aerobic exercise significantly decreased the number of apoptotic cells (p<0.05). The results showed regular growing long term aerobic exercise protects the cardiac tissue of rats from I/R injury. Conflict of interest: None declared.

The thyroid gland is one of the major endocrine glands which plays an important role in vital balance of the body by secreting two hormones, T3 and T4. Because effects of these two hormones affect the activity of many body organs, in this survey the effects of these two hormones on the return of ovarian activity in Holstein cows were examined. For this purpose, 60 primiparous cows (having one pregnancy) and 60 multiparous (having two or more pregnancies) were considered for this survey. In both groups, the blood samples were taken 10 days before parturition and 10 to 20 days after parturition.  After centrifugation and serum separation, samples were stored at -20 o C. Afterwards in laboratory, T3 and T4 values were measured by using ELISA kit. The results indicate that the values of T3 and T4 in primiparous cows in the prenatal and postpartum period were more than multiparous cows (p<0.05). In both groups, values of T3 and T4 in postpartum period were reduced compared to prenatal period. T4 values in multiparous cows in the postpartum period showed significant correlation with the return time of ovarian activity. Finally, it can concluded that decreasing thyroid function and thyroid hormones deficiency, particularly T4, in the postpartum period can influence the prolongation of the onset of ovarian activity in multiparous cows but in primiparous cows due to the sufficient activity of the thyroid gland, the onset of ovarian activity should be sought in other factors.

This study was performed to evaluate   the effects of folic acid (FA) and methionine (Mt) administration on egg 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) content, levels of zinc in yolk and serum and concentration of homocysteine on Hy-line W36 hens from 20 to 26 weeks of age. The experiment was conducted as a 4×4 factorial arrangement of treatments in randomized complete design with four levels of Mt (0.25, 0.32, 042, 0.48 mg/kg of diet) and four levels of FA (0, 5, 10, 15 mg/kg of diet). Fortification of laying hens diets with FA 0, 5, 10 and15 mg/kg of diet increased 5-MTHF into yolk significantly (p<0.05). 5-MTHF content of egg was also significantly affected by FA×Mt interaction (p<0.05). FA significantly reduced Zn level of egg and serum (p<0.05), but Mt did not have any effect on Zn content in egg. Levels of serum homocysteine were significantly reduced by fortification of diet by FA (p<0.05).Supplementation of laying poultry diet with FA and Mt could improve the content of yolk 5-MTHF.

Hypospadias is a congenital problem reported in dogs, sheep and goats and occurrence of this anomaly in calves is rare. In fact, hypospadias is congenital absence of the urethra. In October 2015, a client attended the veterinary clinic for treatment of a 2 month old calf. Physical examination was performed following anamnesis. Vital signs including heart and respiratory rates, body temperature and peristaltic movements of the gastrointestinal system were normal. Examination of the urinary system revealed aplasia of the urethra at the perineum from beneath the rectum to the end of the penis and the calf was diagnosed with hypospadias. Physical examination also revealed the presence of an umbilical hernia with diameter of 6 cm and cryptorchidism. After diagnosis, the defect was corrected by surgical method to alleviate its side effects. Six months after surgical correction, the calf had satisfactory growth rate.