BACKGROUND: Clostridium perfringens is an important animal pathogen that causes severe loses to the livestock and poultry industries. Therefore, bacterial detection is believed to be of particular importance. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to identify Iranian isolates using conventional and molecular methods and to evaluate their toxicity. METHODS: In this work, 23 Clostridium perfringens type B isolates were examined via microbiological and biochemical tests. Subsequently, they were subjected to PCR technique for the final confirmation. After culturing of the isolates in specific medium, the minimum lethal dose test was performed. The most toxigenic isolate and reference strain was prepared the enterotoxaemia anaculture vaccine. Serum neutralization test was performed on the experimental inactive vaccines. RESULTS: The results revealed that etx and cpb gene could be found in all of the isolates, yet cpb2 gene was found in 65.2 % of the isolates. The minimum lethal dose ranges for these bacteria was less than 1/10 to more than 1/900. The results of serum neutralization in Iranian isolate and reference strains were 5 and 10 IU / ml, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings herein implied that strain 1795 with high toxicity could be used in vaccine production. Of course, for use in production, further research on target animals is needed.

BACKGROUND: Neosporosis is a disease caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, which is characterized by abortion in cattle and neuromuscular paralysis of various organs, particularly the hind limbs of dogs. The diagnosis of neosporosis is often made by serological molecular tests.OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the presence of N. caninum oocysts in the feces of dogs. METHODS: A total of 100 fecal samples were collected from indoor and outdoor dogs during 2018-2019 around Tabriz. Information about age, location, and history of antiparasitic treatment of the dogs were recorded in a questionnaire. Primarily, fecal samples were examined microscopically for Neospora ocysts. After breaking the collected oocysts through freeze-thaw and sonication, DNA contents of the oocysts were extracted and analyzed via PCR.RESULTS: In a light microscopic study, oocysts were observed in 45 (45 %) of the fecal samples. In the PCR study, 21 of the 45 cases tested positive for Neospora infection (21 %). All the positive cases of infection were observed in molecular examination in dogs older than one year. The positive cases were observed in 2 % of the domestic dogs, 8 % of the stray dogs, 6 % of the kennel dogs, and 5 % of the rural dogs. Furthermore, 19 % of the infected dogs had no history of antiparasitic treatment; only 2% had a history of antiparasitic treatment. The results of statistical analysis showed that the rate of infection in dogs around Tabriz with Neospora caninum was significantly (P<0.05) related to the animal's living environment and history of antiparasitic treatment. However, this rate was found to have no significant relationships with the age of the animals.CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high rate of infection with Neospora caninum in dogs in Tabriz, it is necessary to apply preventive methods in traditional and industrial farms around this city and use rapid diagnosis methods in them.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic kidney disease is the most prevalent inherited genetic disease in Persian cats, which is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2 genes. Due to the accumulation of fluids inside the cysts and their pressure on the renal parenchym, the patient is prone to developing symptoms of chronic renal failure.OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare ultrasonography and molecular tests in diagnosis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.METHODS: This study was performed on 97 Persian cats, including 46 male and 51 female cats, with an average age of 6 years (minimum 2 months and maximum 14 years). All the cats were evaluated for the presence of disease using ultrasound and molecular methods.RESULTS: Among 97 females, 32 (33 %) were found to be positive for PKD on the basis of presence of anechoic cysts. In molecular tests, all the cases with cysts in the ultrasonography had mutation in PKD1 gene and 13 cases (13 %) without cysts in ultrasonography were diagnosed to be positive through molecular technique. Among 97 studied cats, 45 (46 %) showed mutated genes. The degree of agreement between the two methods of ultrasonography and PCR was determined by calculating Kapa 0.725 (Cl: 0.592-0.895). The sensitivity and specificity of the ultrasonography were calculated to be 77.11 % and 100 %, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Imaging and molecular methods were utilized to diagnose the disease. The more frequent use of the molecular methods for the diagnosis of the disease compared to the use of ultrasound could be attributed to the higher sensitivity of the molecular technique, the small size of the cysts, the low number of cysts, the low age of the animal, and the presence of cysts in the medula of the kidney. Therefore, the molecular method could be recommended for screening the disease in the early stages. It can also be employed in breeding programs and the removal of cats with this mutated gene.

BACKGROUND: Trypanosomosis is a blood parasitic disease with veterinary and cosmopolitan importance due to Trypanosoma evansi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) type A in camels, cattle, buffaloes, and equine and type B in camels. OBJECTIVES: We conducted the present study to discriminate Trypanosoma evansi type A and B infection in one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province, south eastern Iran. METHODS: A total number of 369 blood samples were randomly taken from jugular vein of the examined one-humped camels from different parts of the region. Genomic DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify 205bp-fragment-length and 436bp-fragment-length of RoTat 1.2 VSG gene (T. evansi type A) and Minicircle gene (T. evansi type B), respectively. RESULTS: Molecular findings revealed that all the infected camels were affected by T. evansi type A. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the current study, we could conclude that the cause of infection in the examined camels of the region, like other parts of the world, was T. evansi type A.