Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious infection of many avian species, causing enormous losses in poultry production worldwide. The objective of this study was to reveal the clinical feature, virus shedding, and immune response following infection with a velogenic chicken isolate of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in susceptible and vaccinated pheasants. Eighty day-old pheasant chicks were allotted to four groups. At 30 days of age, the birds in groups 1 and 3 were vaccinated with B1 strain via eye drop. Two weeks later, each bird in groups 1 and 2 was inoculated with 100 μL(50 μL/eye) of NDV-infected allantoic fluid containing 105 EID50 of viral inoculum. All groups were inspected daily for three weeks. Swab samples were taken at different time points and verifi ed for NDV infection by using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serological examination was also made by haemagglutination-inhibition assay. Clinically, watery mucoid feces was observed only in one case among the vaccinated challenged birds, whereas the unvaccinated challenged birds showed anorexia, mild depression and head deviation. Out of 20 birds in group 2, one case (5%) died. Based on RT-PCR, virus shedding was only observed among the unvaccinated birds from 5 to 14 days aft er challenge. The NDV was detected more in tracheal swabs (40%) than in cloacal swabs (30%). The infected birds showed a high seroconversion. In conclusion, the velogenic NDV circulating in Iranian chicken flocks has a low pathogenicity for pheasants, and ocular vaccination with B1 strain could provide a good protection.

The limitations of rennin application in cheese crafting usually urge the discovery of novel proteases. The Withania coagulans fruits are well-known for their caseinolytic activity in cheese production. The study aims to evaluate some of the factors affecting the milk-clotting activity (MCA) of W. coagulans fruit enzymatic extract in even and odd-toed hoofed-mammals milk. The extracts were prepared by distilled water and normal saline and their protein content were evaluated. The time necessary for the appearance of discernible and discrete particles in the mare and cow milk by the two concentrations of saline and hydro W. coagulans extracts (SE and HE, respectively) was assessed at 35 and 40°C while exposing different levels of calcium chloride. The interaction of these factors on MCA was evaluated using mixed-design ANOVA. Three significant interaction patterns considering the maximum number of factors were revealed (p < 0.05). The higher extract concentration and incubation temperature (40°C) was always effective in producing the utmost MCA in these interactions. The SE was faster than HE in milk clot formation. The cow milk was a more suitable substrate than mare milk for the enzyme activity.

Brucellosis is one of the most important causes of abortion in cattle resulting in significant economic losses and public health concerns in the developing countries. A case-control study was conducted from October 2016 to October 2017 to investigate risk factors of brucellosis in aborted cattle in Jimma zone. During the study period, 141 cases and 282 controls were selected to assess and compare the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies between cases and controls. Cattle that had experienced abortion were defined as cases, whereas controls were cattle that had no record of abortion. Sera samples were collected from both cases and control cattle groups for laboratory tests (serological test). The existence of the anti-Brucella antibodes in serum samples was first tested by the Rose Bengal Plate test, and the all positive samples were confirmed using the complement fixation test. An overall of 4.02% seroprevalence of brucellosis was recorded in the study areas. Antibody against Brucella organism was higher among cases (6.38%) than controls (2.84%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age (OR 14.16, CI=2.91-28.84), breed (OR 5.36, CI=1.76-11.33), herd size (OR 11.82, CI= 1.31-16.17) and species composition (OR 5.10, CI=1.49-13.43) as risk factors (p < 0.05) for Brucella seropositivity. This study documented the occurrence of cattle brucellosis in study areas. Thus, applicable control methods and creating public awareness on the zoonotic transmission of brucellosis should be conducted. Moreover, further study considering more causes should be carried out to identify the specific causes of abortion in cattle for the preparation of the appropriate vaccine.

Diazinon (DZN), as an organophosphorus pesticide (OP), induces oxidative stress leading to the generation of free radicals and causes some pathological changes in the body. The purpose of this study was to assess the protective effects of L-carnitine (LC) and Silybum marianum aqueous extract (SMAE) against DZN-induced hepatotoxicity in male rat liver. Rats were assigned in 9 groups (n=8) including control, sham, DZN15, SMAE100, LC300, SMAE100+LC300, DZN15+LC300, DZN15+SMAE100 and DZN15+SMAE100+LC300. Thirty days after the treatment by oral gavage, blood samples were taken and serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), Albumin (Alb) and total protein (TP) were measured using photometric method. Besides, the livers of rats were removed and evaluated histopathologically. The DZN15 treatment significantly increased the AST, ALT, ALP and GGT levels (p<0.05) and conversely decreased the Alb and TP levels (p<0.05). Moreover, administration of the DZN15 resulted in lymphocytic inflammation, congestion, apoptosis hepatocyte, and lesser sinusoids space. However, the DZN15+SMAE100+LC300 treatment did not change the ALT, ALP, GGT, Alb and TP levels (p˃0.05) but increased the AST level significantly compared to the control (p<0.05). Besides that, lesser structural alterations and improvement in the liver tissue were observed. The findings suggest that co-administration of SMAE and LC could reduce DZN-induced hepatic tissue damages and improve the hepatic biochemical parameters in rats.

Snake venom is a complex mixture of different compounds which have potential pharmacological properties and may affect mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study we investigate the effects of two Iranian vipers; vipera albicornuta and vipera latifii crude venoms on the viability of MScs in vivo and in vitro. The cells in in vitro tests were treated with different concentrations (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 μg/100μl) of mentioned venoms for 24, 48 and 72 hours.The cells in in vivo experiment only were treated with v. Latifii venom at the concentration of 1μg/100μl and time intervals as in vitro tests. The cell viability in in vitro experiment was assessed using MTT assay. The results of in vitro experiments showed that maximum cell viability was observed at concentrations of 1 and 2 μg/100μl of v. albicornuta and v. latifi ivenoms aft er 48 and 72 hours, respectively. The results of in vivo experiment showed that the cells treated with v. Latifii venom for 72 hours in situ have the highest proliferation rate after passages three, four and five in comparison to control. The results of this study showed that the v. albicornuta and v. latifi i venoms can affect the confluence and viability of the MSCs.

This research examined the antimicrobial effect of Lavandula stoechas (lavender) and Origanum majorana (marjoram) essential oil against three mastitis-causing pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Escherichia coli. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed that the main components of the lavender and marjoram oils were 17-Pentatriacontene, Linalyl acetate, Eucalyptol, linalool and 3-Cyclohexene-1-ol,4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-,(R)-, α-terpineol, P-cymene, respectively. Broth dilution testing was performed using autoclaved whole milk instead of broth to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of essential oils alone and in combination. In addition, time-kill assay of lavender and marjoram oils were determined in milk up to 24 h. MIC values ranged from 3.12 - 4.37% v/v and MBC between 6.25 - 8.75% v/v for the lavender. The MIC and MBC of the marjoram ranged from 0.62 - 1.87% v/v and 1.25 - 3.75% v/v, respectively. The MIC ranged from 2.5 - 5% v/v and MBC between 5 - 10% v/v for lavender + marjoram combination. In time-kill assays, the presence of lavender and marjoram oils at a sub-MIC concentration significantly reduced the bacterial population in 4, 10 and 24 h. Generally, essential oil of marjoram had greater antibacterial activity than lavender against all mastitis-causing pathogens tested and has the potential to be evaluated as an alternative or adjunct to antibiotics in the treatment of bovine mastitis.

Growth hormone has mitotic and anti-apoptotic effects which may increase proliferation and transformation of cells when it is expressed aberrantly. This study investigated the effects of resistance training and growth hormone injection on circulating IGF-1, IGFBP-3 levels and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio in male Wistar rats. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control group (C, n = 8), a resistance training group (RT, n = 8), a growth hormone injection group (GI, n = 8) and a resistance training + growth hormone injection group (RG, n = 8). The resistance training protocol comprised of climbing a ladder (5 days/week, 3 sets/5 reps) while carrying a weight suspended from the tail. The growth hormone (2 mg/kg/day, 5 days/week) was injected before an exercise session. Serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3 levels, and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio were measured after 8 weeks. One-way ANOVA analysis was used for comparison of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels between groups. Serum IGF-1 levels and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio signifi cantly decreased, but serum IGFBP-3 levels showed no significant change in the RT group compared to the C group. Also, both serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio in GI and RG groups significantly increased compared to the other groups. In conclusion, resistance training decreases serum IGF-1 levels and/or IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio in normal condition. On the other hand, the growth hormone injection with and without the resistance training increases serum IGF-1 levels and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio which could be noted as a condition with a higher risk of neoplasm.

This study examined the effects of skim-milk based extenders supplemented with proline and glutamine on motility, lipid peroxidation and enzymatic antioxidant status of cooled-stored equine sperm and determined the role of seminal plasma as well. The semen was collected with artificial vagina. In experiment 1, native semen was diluted in skim-milk based extender containing 5mM glutamine and 3mM proline, stored at 5°C and analyzed at 4, 24 and 48 hours storage for motion parameters. In experiment 2, semen was centrifugated, sperm pellet resuspended in the extenders and stored at 5°C for 4 hours to determine motion parameters. The level of catalase, glutathione peroxidase activity and malondialdehyde formation was determined for all samples at 4 hours. Glutamine and proline signifi cantly preserved the percentage of motile sperm (76.5 ± 2.7 and 79.4 ± 1 vs 69 ± 1.4), increased the progressive motility of cold-stored semen (66.1 ± 2.5 and 73.7 ± 2.9 vs 56.2 ± 1.4), increased catalase activity, and decreased malondialdehyde. However these effects were disappeared after seminal plasma removal. We conclude that glutamine and proline would amplify the antioxidant activity of equine cold-stored semen and preserve its motility. This effect seems to be related to interactions with seminal plasma.

The animal health monitoring is required to issue health certificates. The viral hepatitis virus is one of the most important infectious agents in mice breeding colonies. This research used RT-PCR to identify contaminations to mouse hepatitis virus. 18 out of 29 specimens were found to be infected, a prevalence of 62%. PCR product was purified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the identified strain in this study was closely related to a strain reported from France. In the conventional system, contamination with different infectious agents is inevitable, thus it is better to replace the contaminated colonies with clean animals.

An 8-week feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the inclusion potential of five levels of Calotropis persica seed powder (CSP) (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g/kg of the basal diet) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diet, in a completely randomized design. To perform the test, 3600 fries (11.5 ± 3.64 g) were treated for 56 days. According to the results, the increase in milkweed seed powder up to 40 g/kg, resulted in a significant increase in specific growth rate and intestinal lactic acid bacteria count compared to the control (p < 0.05). The best results of survival rate, feed conversion ratio, hepatosomatic and gastrosomatic indices were achieved in the treatments receiving 20, 30, 40, and 50 g/kg CSP (p < 0.05). Antibacterial activity of skin mucus, lysozyme and alkaline phosphatase showed the highest level in the 40 g/kg treatment (p < 0.05). Based on the results, the inclusion of 40 g/kg milkweed seed powder caused positive health effects and could be a suitable herbal feed additive in the rainbow trout diet.