BACKGROUND: Phosphorous is one of the expensive nutrients in poultry feed. Therefore, improving the bioavailability of this nutrient in feed ingredients could be effective for lowering the cost of feed. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the effect of pre-treatment of feed ingredients by commercial enzymes and different levels of pH on releasing of phosphorus from phytate under in vitro condition. METHODS: Three solutions including Distilled water, HCl 0.5% and HCl 1% (with pH=5.5, 2.12 and 2.12 respectively) and three enzymes (None, Bio-phytase, Rovabio Excel AP, and Rovabio Max AP) were used to determine phytate content of corn and soybean meal. First, each sample was supplemented with the enzymes and pre-treated under above mentioned solutions for 3 hours at 25 and 40ºC. RESULTS: The results indicated that pre-treating of corn samples with Bio-phytase or Rovabio Max AP and different solutions (at 25 ºC and 40 ºC for 3 hours) reduced phytate content significantly. The best results obtained with corn samples supplemented with Rovabio Max AP and mixing by HCl 1% at 25ºC, so that phytate content decreased up to 99.5% in comparison with control. The same results were also obtained for soybean samples. The highest reduction in phytate content (up to 47.4%) was observed by adding Rovabio Max AP and HCl 1% solution at 40ºC. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded that pre-treating of corn and soybean meal with several manners such as using commercial enzymes including phytase and solutions with different pH were effective to reduce phytate content that means increasing bioavailability of phosphorous.

BACKGROUND: Considering widely administration of methylphenidate and also its immunosuppressive effects on different organs, importance of related microscopic studies is obvious. OBJECTIVES: Determining histological effects of methylphenidate on adrenal glands and lymphatic organs in mice. METHODS: A total number of 30 adult male Balb/C mice were provided, weighed and divided into one control and two experimental groups. The control group received water by gavages once a day, for 40 days. The experimental groups were orally administered MPH hydrochloride (2mg/kg and 10mg/kg body weight,) respectively. Animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture for analysis of blood cells. Spleen, thymus, lymph nodes and adrenal glands were removed and processed for microscopic studies through hematoxylin and eosin staining. Spleen samples were processed for plasma cell count and staining (label antibody CD138*). The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and p

Background: Ovarian cysts are among the diseases which cause reproductive failure and economic losses in dairy herds. High yelding dairy cattles are suseptable to reproductive failure caused by ovarian cysts, as a result of their exposure to stressful coditions during lactation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to monitor metabolic profile tests in dairy cows with ovarian cysts in comparison with cycling cows. METHODS: Forty high-yelding Holstein dairy cows were enrolled for this study (20 cows with ovarian cysts and 20 cyclic cows). Seven weeks after parturation, 40 cows without retained placenta, including healthy ones were selected. Ovarian cysts were detected as follicular-like structures, >20 mm in diameter, persisting for at least 7 days, without corpus luteum and were monitored by ultrasound examination. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein and delivered to the laboratory for measurement of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, beta-hydroxy butyric acid, non esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose, cortisol, insulin and BUN. RESULTS: In this study, when serum calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and glucose of cows with ovarian cysts were compared with cows that had normal ovarian status, there was no significant difference. BUN, beta-hydroxy butyrate, NEFA and cortisol of cows with ovarian follicular cysts as compared to the cows with normal ovaries, showed a significant increase. Serum insulin values decreased significantly in ovarian follicular cystic cows than in cyclic cows. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing blood cortisol and decreasing blood insulin may play a major role in the formation of ovarian cyst and any detectable change in NEFA, BHBA and BUN.

Background: Skin lesions of filarial worms are usually common in livestock. In camels, the most reported species is Onchocerca fasciata, which involves subcutaneous connective tissue and the nuchal ligament. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and pathology of camel onchocerciasis in Iran’s central desert. METHODS: Carcasses of 144 dromedary camels of both sexes and different ages, slaughtered at the slaughterhouse of three provinces in the central arid parts of Iran, were examined for  O. fasciata infection. In addition, the blood smears of tested animals were searched microscopically for the presence of microfilariae. RESULTS: The results of this study show that seventeen (11.8%) of the tested animals harbored one or multiple nodules containing the worm. Nodular lesions were mainly on the two sides of neck and abdomen. Histopathologically, multifocal granulomatous inflammatory reactions were observed to be associated with the parasites in the affected areas. Transverse and longitudinal sections of the worms were observed within the granulomas. The granulomas were composed of thick fibrous walls, the cellular infiltrate of lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, multinucleated giant cells and eosinophils, associated with different degrees of coagulation necrosis and calcification around the parasites. No positive case was found in blood films. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was found that onchocerciasis is one of the relatively common skin lesions of camels in Iran. However, parasitemia is not common in the central partsof the country. Histopathologic changes in tissues are quite similar to granulomatous inflammations seen in other cutaneous infections.

Background: White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is one of the most sensitive agricultural crops after harvesting and its antioxidant properties tend to decrease during post-harvest storage with the passage of time. OBJECTIVES: The possible role of exogenous application of malic acid as dipping treatment on bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced white button mushroom during storage was investigated. METHODS: The mushrooms were soaked in chilled malic acid solution at desired concentrations (1%, 3% and 5%) for 10 minutes or were dipped in chilled distilled water as control and were refrigerated (4°C) for 15 days. On each designated day (every 5 days) mushroom samples were taken out for further analysis. Total phenolic, chelating ability, and DPPH assay, as well as assay of reducing power, were evaluated as markers of bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced button mushroom. RESULTS: Malic acid treatment effectively maintained higher levels of bioactive components and antioxidant properties (as depicted by higher retention of phenolic and lower EC50 values for DPPH and reducing power) as compared to control during the whole storage period. On the other hand, chelating ability of mushrooms was not influenced by the malic acid treatment and a weak correlation was found between malic acid treatment and chelating ability retention. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that dipping in 3% malic acid solution prior to storage can serve the purpose of maintenance of bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced button mushroom during storage.

Background: Clostridium chauvoei is the etiological agent of blackleg as an endogenous infection in cattle.  Flagella have been known to play a critical role in the protective immunity of animals to clostridial infections. C.chauvoei has two copies of fliC gene, namely fliA and fliB. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was the determination and nucleotide sequence analysis of both copies of fliC genes in vaccinal strain and Iranian C. chauvoei isolates. METHODS: Six specific primers for amplification of fliA, fliB, and flagellin (fliC) genes were designed by Oligo software. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify a fragment of 700 bp for both copies of flagellin (fliA and fliB) genes. The nucleotide percentage identity and divergence among isolates were deduced using BlAST and MegAlign softwares. RESULTS: It was found that divergence in fliB was more than fliA by sequence alignment analysis.  Six highly conserve regions, thirty-one SNPs and 13 amino acid polymorphisms were found in fliC gene (between fliA and fliB sequences) of Iranian C. chauvoei isolates. In comparative analysis, genomic similarity of the fliA and fliB genes between the vaccinal strain and examined field isolates was proved to be as high as 97.3 % and 98.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The fliC copies were identified as excellent biomarkers to study the molecular epidemiology and strain diversity among C. chauvoei isolates. The existence of genetic variation between two alleles of fliC gene in C. chauvoei is reported for the first time in Iran. In spite of some genetic variations, the immunologic cross protection test showed a high protection power of the local vaccine (produced by Razi Institute) against homologous and heterologous challenge.

Background: Recognition of pain is challenging in veterinary medicine due to lack of verbal communication and universal pain assessment system. Increase in biochemical parameters have been shown to have direct correlation with level of postoperative pain. Objectives: The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the serum levels of CPK and investigate any correlation in serum levels of CPK and postoperative pain following ovariohysterectomy in feline. Methods:  Conventional midline ovariohysterectomy was performed in 24 healthy female queens. Serum levels of cortisol, CPK and glucose were measured prior to surgery and at 1 and 3 and 24 hours after the surgery. Also, VAS was used to assess level of post-operative pain. Data was analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to identify any correlation between level of pain and CPK after the surgery. Results: The score of pain significantly increased at 1 and 3 hours after the surgery in all of the cats (p=0.001).The concentration of cortisol and CPK significantly increased after the surgery in comparison  to the values prior to surgery (p<0.001). Also, the concentrations increased significantly at 3 hours after the surgery compared to the values at 1 hour after the surgery (p<0.001). In 24 hours after the surgery results revealed that serum level of cortisol returned to its normal values but CPK  was still higher compared to the values prior to surgery. Significant correlation was detected between the level of pain and CPK after surgery (p<0.05). Conclusions: It is concluded that there is a correlation with VAS score of pain and serum levels of Cortisol and CPK at early hours after the surgery. CPK might be used as an indicator of pain in early hours after the surgery in feline. However, the assessment of pain in cats is not possible based on its values alone.

Background: Although Escherichia coli (E. coli)is a part of intestinal normal microflora of warm-blooded animals, includingpoultry, outbreaks occur in poultry raised below standard sanitation and duringthe course of respiratory or immunosuppressive diseases. Avian pathogenic E.coli (APEC) harbors several genes associated with virulence andpathogenicity. APEC strains are responsible for some diseases in poultryincluding colibacillosis, swollen head syndrome, yolk sac infection, omphalitisand coli granuloma. OBJECTIVES:  Theaim of this study was examination of the presence and frequency of threeimportant virulence genes in intestinal and extra-intestinal (liver) E. coliisolates from chicken of Khuzestan province in the southwest of Iran. METHODS:Totally 120 (60 intestinal and 60 liver) E. coli isolates were examinedby polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of aerobactin (iutA),temperature sensitive hemagglutinin (tsh) and fimbriae type 1 (fimH )genes.  RESULTS: The results showedthat tsh, iutA and fimH are respectively present in 78.3%, 70% and 61.7% ofliver isolates while in intestinal ones the frequency of these genes was 21.7%,41.7% and 41.7% respectively. The most prevalent genotypes in extra intestinaland intestinal isolates were tsh+fimH+iutA+ and tsh-fimH-iutA-respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that these sets of virulence genes are significantly moreprevalent (P<0.05) in extra intestinal isolates and probably these genesplay an important role in the pathogenesis of APEC isolates in the southwest ofIran. Although these virulence genes were not present in all APEC isolates  their frequencies were high and using theproducts of these genes in vaccines may be effective in protecting againstinfections caused by this bacterium

Background: Foodborne outbreaks associated with shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have been well documented worldwide. STECs are major causative agents of gastroenteritis in humans that may be complicated by hemorrhagic colitis (HC), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (TTP). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of virulence-associated genes including eaeA, hlyA, stx1 and stx2 in Escherichia coli strains isolated from broiler’s Colibacillosis in the northeast of Iran. METHODS: From a total of 78 E.coli strains isolated from yolk sac infection, hepatitis and pericarditis, that were referred to educational veterinary clinic during 2011-2014,  subculturing of the isolates was performed using selective media and a typical colony from each sample was subjected to multiplex PCR assay for identification of the presence of STEC important virulence-associated genes (eaeA, hlyA,stx1 and stx2) causing shiga toxin-mediated diseases.                                                                                                                                       RESULTS: Of 78 E.coli isolates, one isolate was positive for both eaeA and hlyA genes while negative for stx1 and stx2 genes. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed low prevalence of STEC virulence genes associated with human infections in avian pathogenic E.coli (APEC) strains isolated from different flocks of broilers affected with colibacillosis.

Background: Most leptospiral infections in sheep and goat are asymptomatic but may result in high fever, abortion, stillbirth, agalactiae. There is a different foraging behavior between sheep and goat that may cause the different prevalence of Leptospira interrogans infection in sheep and goats. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare the prevalence of L. interrogans antibodies in sheep and goats. METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 246 sheep and 210 goats in 12 herds from 8 areas of Ahvaz where the  animals were kept together. Sera were initially screened at dilution of 1:100 against 8 live serovars of L. intrrogans: pomana, canicola, hardjo, ballom, ictrohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa, tarasovi and australis using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). RESULTS: The prevalence of leptospiral infection was 8.53% in sheep and 10.95% in goats. The highest reacting leptospira in both species was L.i. Pomona with a reactor rate of 68.18% in sheep and 56% in goats, followed in descending order by ictrohaemorrhagiae (18.8%), canicula, hardjo and grippotyphosa (each of them 4.54%), in sheep and ictrohaemorrhagiae (28%), canicula (16%) in goats. Statistical analysis showed that were no significant differences between sheep and goat (P=0.428). There were no significant differences among age groups in sheep (p=0.301) and goats (p= 0.363), but there was a tendency in adults sheep and goats (≥3years) to be more seropositive than young sheep and goats. Seroprevalence of leptospiral infection among various areas in sheep (p= 0.464) and goats (p= 0.710) was also not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that there is no difference between sheep and goats in terms of leptospiral infection when they are kept together in the same herd and husbandry condition.