Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research
Volume:12 Issue: 1, Winter 2011

The subgroup J of ALV (ALV-J) has emerged as an important pathogen of meat-type chickens since 1989. This virus is responsible for economic losses due to both mortality and depressed performance in chickens. So, the objective of this study is the detection of ALV-J in the albumen of commercial and native fowl eggs using RT-PCR. Three hundred and seventy egg albumens were randomly selected from different farms of Fars province, Iran. These eggs were obtained from the flocks of two research centers on native fowl production (70 eggs), a broiler grandparent farm (60 eggs), three broiler breeder farms (180 eggs), and a commercial layer flock (60 eggs). RT-PCR was undertaken on isolated RNA from egg samples using a pair of ALV-J specific primers H5/H7 that produced a 545 basepair fragment. RT-PCR analyses detected ALV-J in 15 of 180 (8.33%) samples from three broiler breeders farms, 17 of 70 (24.28%) samples from flocks of two research centers of native fowls production, and none of the samples of commercial layer and broiler grandparent farms. Direct sequencing using primers specific for subgroup ALV-J verified the viral subgroup in the RT-PCR amplification products. This is the first report of the ALV-J in egg albumen in Iran which indicates the necessity to apply eradication programs for ALV-J in the poultry industry and native fowls in Iran

Tramadol is a centrally acting analgesic drug extensively metabolized in animal species. Its clinical response is mainly due to the M1 metabolite, poorly produced in dogs. Grapefruit-juice can inhibit the metabolism of different drugs in animals and humans. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its major metabolites after co-administration of tramadol and frozen-dried grapefruit-juice. A balanced cross-over study was used involving six male Beagle dogs. They were administered with tramadol alone (5 mg/kg) or with tramadol (5 mg/kg) plus frozen-dried grapefruit-juice (10 g). The plasma concentration vs time curves showed significant differences during the first 4 h following drug administration. Tmax was at 1.33 and 1.70 h following tramadol and tramadol plus frozen-dried grapefruit-juice treatment, respectively. Significant differences were also shown in Cmax (490 vs 270 ng/ml) and AUC (11,610 vs 5,890 h·h·ng/ml). Significant differences between the treatments were shown in all the M1 parameters reported. M2 and M5 did not show significant differences after both administrations. In conclusion, the frozen-dried grapefruit-juice was shown to affect the plasma concentrations of M1, despite them being well below those reported in humans.

Previous studies in humans and animals have reported that nicotine administration decreases body weight and caloric intake. Opiate and cigarette have been used concomitantly as drug abuse. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to analyze the effect of chronic co-administration of nicotine and morphine on food intake, body weight and on some feeding-associated peptides. All experiments were carried out on male Wistar rats. Animals were randomly assigned to the free-fed and pair-fed control groups, nicotine- and morphine-treated and nicotine plus morphine groups. Morphine sulfate (20 mg/kg for 14 days s.c.) and nicotine (4 mg/kg for 14 days i.p.) were injected to the rats. The serum levels of leptin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were measured by enzyme immunosorbant assay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The results showed that nicotine had a greater suppressing effect on total food intake than morphine alone or nicotine plus morphine. Furthermore, chronic injection of nicotine significantly decreased body weight as compared with before injection, while body weight changes were not observed in morphine-treated rats. The mean body weight in the morphine-treated rats was lower than that in the free-fed control animals. The serum level of NPY was decreased just in the nicotine-injected group. A significant decrease in leptin levels was observed in the drug treated and pair-fed groups. In conclusion, morphine modulates the decreasing effect of nicotine on food intake, and it seems that the mechanism underlying the attenuating effects of morphine on the nicotine effects involves mediation, at least in part, by preventing the effect of nicotine on NPY levels.

The purposes of this study were to estimate the effects of risk factors on stillbirth parturition and evaluate the effects of stillbirth on lactation performance in Holstein dairy cows. Data were obtained from a dairy cattle herd located in Isfahan province, Iran. The logit of the probability of stillbirth was modeled using logistic regression and the effect of stillbirth on lactation performance was analyzed through mixed linear model using 12283 lactation records on 5201 cows. The results showed that 6% of the calves born die within 48 h of birth. The results of logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the frequency of stillbirth is significantly influenced (P<0.05) by calving year, parity number and calving difficulty. The stillbirth frequency was found to be significantly higher for first parity cows, (P<0.05). Also, calving difficulty was shown to be significantly associated with increased risk of stillbirth (P<0.05). Mixed linear model analysis results demonstrated that stillbirth significantly reduced milk and fat yield (P<0.05), but had no significant impact on milk fat percentage (P≥0.05). The 305-d milk and fat yields for cows with stillbirth were estimated to be 8274.17 ± 100.79 and 245.60 ± 3.7 kg compared to 8865.60 ± 88.16 and 259.36 ± 3.2 kg for cows that had a live calf, respectively.

The objective of this study was to find a relationship between blood gas parameters and thyroid hormone activity with ascites syndrome in broiler chickens exposed to cold temperature and receiving a high quality diet. One hundred and sixty one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided in two equal groups. To increase the incidence of ascites, chicks of group 1 were fed ad libitum with a higher condensed diet and reared under a lower ambient temperature. Weekly, blood gas parameters and thyroid hormone levels were measured and growth performance was recorded. The hearts of dead and slaughtered birds were examined for determination of arterial pressure index (API) values. Ascites incidence was clearly higher in cold-exposing chickens compared with normal rearing chickens. The mean values of carbon dioxide tension of group 1 chickens were significantly higher compared with group 2 chickens at the 4th and 5th weeks of age, while the phenomenon of oxygen was reversed in these two experimental groups. The function of thyroid hormone levels were changed at week 4 of age, as observed for blood gas parameters. In conclusion, the present study showed a significant association between thyroid hormones functions, the levels of venous blood carbon dioxide and oxygen pressures in the two groups of chickens.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of aqueous fruit extract of Ziziphus jujuba on ethanol-induced oxidative stress and to examine its protective effects on sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity of male Wistar rats. Adult male rats (n = 28) were divided into four equal groups: the first group served as untreated controls, the second group of rats was given ethanol (4 g/kg), and group 3 received aqueous fruit extract of Z. jujuba (200 mg/kg). The final group of rats were supplemented by oral ingestion of ethanol (4 g/kg), which was preceded 60 min earlier by an oral administration of Z. jujuba extract (200 mg/kg). Fruit extract of Z. jujuba could prevent the reduction of concentration, motility and plasma membrane integrity of the sperm in treated rats with Z. jujuba extract plus ethanol (P<0.05). Glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities significantly increased in the animals ingested with Z. jujuba extract prior to ethanol compared to the ethanol group. Decrease of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level was statistically significant in the animals that ingested the fruit extract of Z. jujuba prior to ethanol compared to the ethanol group (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that aqueous fruit extract of Z. jujuba possesses beneficial effects on ethanol-induced sperm toxicity, subsequently enhancing sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity.

To determine the seroprevalence of anti-Neospora caninum and anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dogs in Iran and to investigate related risk factors to the infection, a study was conducted in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Isfahan and Khoozestan provinces, locate in west central parts of Iran. For this, 548 serum samples were collected from dogs during an 18 month period from July 2007 to February 2009. Serodiagnosis of N. caninum was carried out using a homemade indirect ELISA test and of T. gondii using an optimized indirect ELISA designed using an affinity purified 30 kDa T. gondii surface antigen (SAG1). From a total of 548 dogs, 159 (29%) were positive for N. caninum and 147 (26.8) for T. gondii. 49 (8.94%) dogs had detectable antibodies against both N. caninum and T. gondii. No sex predisposition was detected in the examined animals, but age and living places were of high importance for both N. caninum and T. gondii infections.

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and intensity of amphistomiasis in native cattle and mixed breed Holstein from Mazanderan province, in the north of Iran in association with sex, age, breed and season. During the 4 seasons of 2008, at meat inspection the rumen and reticulum of 132 native cattle and 104 mixed breed were examined by naked eye for amphistomiasis. All amphistomes found in each cattle were collected separately and preserved in 70% alcohol containing 5% glycerin for further studies. Our findings revealed the overall prevalence rate and Mean ± SE of intensity 33.9% and 864.4 ± 127.2 amphistomes per animal, 40.9% and 1012.5 ± 179.4 in native cattle, and 25% and 557.42 ± 99.9 in mixed breeds, respectively. A few amphistomes were collected from the reticulum of a native cattle. There was no significant relation between the intensity of the infection and the breed (P=0.094), whereas the relation between breed and the prevalence of infection (P=0.0103), and that of age and the infection (P=0.016) were significant. The older group (5≤) harbored more trematodes than ≤2 and 3–4-year-old, and p-values: P=0.026 and P=0.032 were significant, respectively. Difference was observed between the intensity of infection in different age groups. Again a highly significant relation was shown between gender and the prevalence of infection (P<0.001), but not with the intensity of infection (P=0.206). Despite the difference in the seasonal variations of prevalence (P=0.133), and the relation between the intensity of infection and season (P=0.794), these were not statistically significant. At least 20 amphistomes from each infected cattle were stained using aceto-alum carmine and the identified species were: Calicophoron calicophorn (42.85%), Gastrothylax crumenifer (34.5%), Paramphistomum gotoi (21.8%) and Carmyerius spatiosus (0.75%). Calicophoron calicophorn is a new host and distribution record for studied areas as well as Iran.

Today, the treatment of patellar luxations using current techniques has become a very common procedure as part of the surgical treatment. Nevertheless, there are some doubts about such procedures in restraining the patella in lower grade cases. The purpose of the present retrospective clinical study was to determine the efficacy of the soft tissue and bone reconstructive procedures used for various grades of patellar luxation. Forty small and toy breed dogs between the ages of 6 months to 7 years have been used in this study. Following the medical examination, it was seen that all dogs suffered from knee pain and unilaterally or bilaterally intermittent to constant non-weight bearing lameness. All dogs with the exception of two, recovered back to the normal movement within three months. Re-luxation was observed in two dogs that were treated for patellar reconstruction using soft tissue techniques in grade I. These findings suggest that improvement can be achieved in patellar luxation, following appropriate soft tissue and bone reconstructive procedures. However, re-luxation limits the validity of the use of soft tissue reconstructive procedures in operated dogs with grade I luxation. Therefore, the authors have suggested considering a surgical treatment that utilizes combinatorial techniques, in which soft tissue and bone reconstructive techniques are integrated to achieve definite improvement in grade I, surgery before the maturity in grade IV, and no delay on undergoing an operation in grade I, II, and III.

Total gastrectomy is one of the most common operative procedures for gastric malignancy, but the recommended method of gastrointestinal reconstruction after gastrectomy is still controversial. Significant weight loss has been noted by many observers following gastrectomy. The Roux-en-Y method is the most frequent reconstructive technique performed after gastrectomy. This technique is easy to perform and prevents reflux esophagitis, but the major disadvantage of the technique is bypassing of the duodenum from the transit of food. This study was performed to compare two reconstructive techniques (the standard Roux-en-Y and jejunal loop interposition) after gastrectomy, considering post operative body weight loss in 10 healthy dogs. In group A, Roux-en-Y, following gastrectomy end to side anastomosis was performed between the distal jejunal end and remained part of the stomach. In group B, jejunal loop interposition, a 20 cm section of jejunal loop was resected and interposition of the loop was performed between the remaining part of the stomach and the deudenum. The patients were weighed before and after surgery until 30 days postoperatively and their weights were recorded daily. Also, faecal fat was measured on day 28 postoperatively. No fat was detected in faecal samples in group B, however different amounts of fat were measured in group A. Mean of preoperative weight was 28 ± 3 kg. Data indicates a significant difference in mean of body weights in both groups pre and post operatively (P<0.05). Mean percentage of body weights was significantly lower 67.18% ± 4.4 in group A compared to group B (73.05% ± 3.9) (P=0.04), which can indicate the importance of duodenal passage in reduction of post operative body weight loss.

One of the locations of renal artery atherosclerosis is at the orifice of the renal artery, therefore the structure of this orifice was assessed in 6 normal, adult male dogs by light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For the LM study, processed tissues were embedded in paraffin and sectioned serially into 6-mm thickness. Sections were stained with orcein. For the TEM study, after fixation and dehydration, samples were embedded in resin, and ultrathin sections stained with uranil acetate. In the LM study, two edges (proximal and distal) at the orifice of the renal artery were observed. Extra formation of elastin was clearly seen at the tip of the distal edge compared with the proximal edge. The curve from the aorta wall into the renal artery at the distal edge of the orifice was sharper than that of the proximal edge. In the TEM study, the tunica intima in the distal and lateral edges was thicker than that in the proximal edge. At the proximal edge of the orifice, there was only one layer of endothelial cells, and the internal elastic membrane was situated directly beneath it. In the distal edge, besides the endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were found in the tunica intima that were separated from each other with elastic and collagen fibers. In the tunica intima of the lateral edge, two layers of SMCs were observed, between which were collagen fibers. This distance between the internal elastic membrane and endothelial cells at the distal and lateral edges can be important in diseases such as atherosclerosis. These data indicate that there are differences between the proximal edge and the distal and lateral edges of the orifice, and the involvement of special structures in atherosclerosis is suggested.

A 6-year-old lactating Holstein cow with a history of repeat breeding syndrome (failed to conceive after three artificial inseminations (AI) with fertile semen) was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University. According to the history, neither abnormal clinical signs, nor uterine discharge had been observed subsequent to AI. The cow had shown signs of oestrus on a cyclic and regular basis. On rectal examination, no palpable object was detected inside the uterine horns, however, transrectal ultrasonographic examination revealed a hyperechoic straw-shape object in the left uterine horn. Left-flank laparotomy was performed and after exposure of left uterine horn, the palpated straw was removed through a small hysterotomy incision. Postoperative follow-up did not show any complication. No attempt was made to inseminate the cow after operation as it was not the farmer’s plan to get the cow in calf.

Raeini breed is the most productive Cashmere goat in Iran. Helminthes infections cause major economic losses globally to the livestock industries and farming communities. The objective of this study was to determine the seasonal prevalence and intensity of Eimeria and gastrointestinal helminth parasitic infections in Raeini goats in Iran. A total of 438 faecal samples were randomly taken from clinically healthy goats in Raeini Goats Research Center of Iran. Faecal samples were collected from each goat once and eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) and faecal oocysts counts (OPG) were estimated using the modified McMaster technique. Oocysts were found in 391 (89.27%) goats. Five species of Eimeria including, E. arloingi, E. parva, E. ninakohlyakimovae, E. christenseni, E. faorei and one Eimeria spp were identified in faecal samples. E. arloingi (92.07%) predominated in all categories and was followed by E. parva, E. ninakohlyakimovae and E. christenseni. Trichuris spp. egg was the only nematode egg which was found in 196 (44.75%) faecal samples. The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthes infections during autumn and winter were significantly higher than summer (P<0.05). The association between the prevalence of Eimeria oocysts and gastrointestinal nematode infection and the age or sex categories was not significant (P>0.05).