Background: Old laying hens are more prone to dietary calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) deficiencies as  they absorb Ca and P less efficiently than younger hens. OBJECTIVES: In a 2×2 factorial design, the influence of diets with two levels of available phosphorus (AP) and phytase enzyme on the laying performance, egg quality and tibia bone characteristics of laying hens at their late 2nd production phase was studied. METHODS: The experiment used four treatments of 20 Hy-Line W36 hens of 140 weeks old. Treatments 1 and 2 received a 3.5 g kg-1 AP diet while Treatments 3 and 4 received a 2.5 g kg-1 AP diet for 12 weeks. Treatments 2 and 4 received 250 FTU kg-1 phytase in their diet. Laying performance, egg weight, shell weight and shell thickness were measured. On the last day of the experiment, all birds were weighed and blood samples were collected for serum Ca and P measurements. Ten birds from each treatment were sacrificed and both tibiae were excised, defatted, weighed and ashed for Ca and P contents, cortical thickness and bone breaking strength measurements. RESULTS: Hens fed with 2.5 g kg-1 AP diet without enzyme had the lowest body weight gain, serum P, tibia cortical thickness and tibia breaking strength among the treatments (p<0.05). Phytase enhanced body weight gain, egg shell thickness, serum P, tibia weight/body weight and tibia ash/body weight ratios, tibia cortical thickness and breaking strength, particularly in  birds receiving 2.5 g kg-1 AP diet (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Phytase may improve bone quality and strength of hens  in the late 2nd laying period.

Background: Wound infection has become a major medical problem in recent years. This is usually caused by Gram-positive bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus. Since antimicrobial resistance to current drugs has critically been developed in these causative microorganisms, substitution medicine has become one of the main interests within  researchers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the healing activity of Origanum vulgare against surgical wounds infected by S. aureus. METHODS: Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups. Excisions were created surgically on the animals’ skin and then infected with S. aureus. Group 1 was treated with an extract of O. vulgare while Group 2 was untreated. Wound biopsy specimens were collected on Days 5, 10 and 16 and analyzed. RESULTS: Results showed that the hydroxyproline content in the treatment group was significantly higher in various post wounding days. The mean of hexosamine in the treated group was higher than in the control group. Protein content increased gradually in Day 10. Results of histopathological studies showed moderate to intense granulation tissue formation and neovascularization in the treated group on Day 10. Furthermore, the histopathological studies showed that intense matrix formation and collagen fiber deposition occurred in treatment group on Day 16 post wound, while intense granulation tissue formation was the prominent feature in control group. CONCLUSIONS: The present study has demonstrated that the ethanol extract of O. vulgare contains properties that accelerate wound healing activities compared to control group.

Background: Metabolic profiles have been used in efforts to predict pre parturient problems and fertility, to diagnose metabolic diseases, and to assess nutritional status in dairy cows. These profiles may help to confirm the diagnosis of sub clinical diseases, to be aware of possible causes of infertility in the herds, or to monitor improvement in herd animals. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated changes in the metabolic profile of high producing Holstein dairy cows from early lactation to close-up dry periods. The results of the current research can provide useful guidelines for management strategies during different physiological phases of high producing Holstein dairy cows. METHODS: Twenty-five multiparous high producing Holstein dairy cows were selected from a high producing industrial dairy farm. Cattle were divided into 5 equal groups of early, mid and late lactation and far-off and close-up dry cows. Blood samples were collected from all cows and sera were separated to evaluate glucose, insulin, β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high, low and very low density lipoproteins (HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol). RESULTS: The highest levels of insulin were detected in mid lactation and close-up dry periods. The changing patterns of BHBA and NEFA were significant and the highest levels of these biomarkers were detected in the early lactation group. The decreasing pattern of BHBA and NEFA were seen from early lactation to far-off dry cows. Significant elevations were seen in these biomarkers from far-off to close-up dry cows. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show that metabolic biomarkers change in high producing Holstein dairy cows, under different physiological states. These changes are induced commonly by negative energy balance, lactogenesis and fetal growth in each state.

Background: In the current Iranian poultry industry, antibiotics are the most frequently used additive in poultry feeds to increase productivity. The negative effects on human health, resulting from the consumption of chicken whose feeds contain antibiotics, makes finding an appropriate alternative of great importance. As a result of their nature, herbal extracts could be specifically considered for this purpose. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to find an appropriate and harmless feed additive to increase the quality and quantity of poultry eggs. METHODS: A completely randomized design including 4 treatments, 4 replications and 4 birds in each experimental unit was applied. Herbal extracts were added to drinking water of treatments in ratio of 1:1000, with the control group containing no additives in their water. The number and weight of produced eggs were measured on a daily basis, feed consumption on weekly basis and the egg quality, yolk cholesterol, hatchability and intestinal bacterial population were measured at the end of experiment after 8 weeks. RESULTS: Herbal extract treatments showed no overall effect on quality and quantity of produced eggs in comparison with control; however, the thyme and garlic extracts reduced the cholesterol of serum and yolk relative to the control. Herbal extracts did not significantly affect the hatchability of fertile eggs. The herbal extracts caused a significant decrease in the intestinal bacterial population of laying quails. CONCLUSIONS: The garlic extract had the most decreasing effect on the cholesterol of serum and egg yolk. Furthermore, thyme extract had the most decreasing effect on the intestinal bacterial population.

Background: Nutritional strategies targeting improvement of poultry performance and disease prevention are currently being developed and in this respect the dietary intake of spiced essential oils and pre-biotics in raising broilers is receiving attention. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the effects of diet containing ginger essential oils (GEO) and mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) on growth performance,  biochemical and hematological parameters, lymphoid organ weights and antibody response of broilers. METHODS: A total of 375 day old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five treatments (five replicates per treatment). Dietary treatments included basal diet as control, GEO-supplemented diets with inclusion levels of 50 (GEO1), 100 (GEO2) or 200 (GEO3) mg/kg, and MOS supplemented diet with an inclusion level of 2 g/kg. RESULTS: The birds fed on MOS and GEO3 diets exhibited better feed conversion ratio and higher body weight gain from 1 to 42 day of age compared with control birds (p<0.05). Serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol level in the MOS, GEO2 or GEO3 groups was lower than that of the control group (p<0.05). Serum cholesterol level was also lower in the GEO2 and MOS groups (p<0.05). Feeding on GEO3 and MOS diets significantly increased relative bursa weight and secondary antibody titer against infectious bursal disease (IBD) and infectious bronchitis (IB) vaccines as compared with control diet (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that higher level of GEO (200 g/kg) similar to MOS supplementation, improved feed efficiency and immune response. This could meet consumers’ demand for a safe feed additive.

BACKGROUND: The knowledge in blood constituents isimportant for assessing the physiological status and the health ofanimals. Only a limited number of two-humped camels (Camelusbactrianus) were reared in Ardabil province, northwest of Iran.OBJECTIVES:The present study was carried out to find out whetherthe sex and pregnancy affect thyroid hormones, lipid andlipoprotein profile, and selected biochemical factors in healthyIranian Bactrian camels. METHODS:The evaluated herd containedtwenty clinical healthy Bactrian camels, aged between four andthirteen years. Six of them were non-pregnant, five in the late periodof pregnancy, and nine were male camels. Blood samples (10 mL)were collected from the jugular vein of camels in spring 2013 duringtwo consecutive days. All samples were centrifuged at 3000× rpmfor 15 min and sera were refrigerated at -21°C until analysis.Thyroid function tests were carried out by measuring serum levelsof thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free and total thyroxin(fT4), (T4), and free and total triiodothyronine (fT3), (T3) bycommercially available radio immunoassay kits. The biochemicalparameters were measured using a standard autoanalyser(Hitachi717, Boehringer. Mannheim, Germany). RESULTS: Thelevels of fT4, HDL-Cholesterol, ALP, and glucose in the sera ofpregnant camels were significantly lower than the male and nonpregnantcamels. The serum levels of other parameters were notsignificantly different among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Thepresent study revealed that heavy pregnancy has a profound effecton certain serum biochemical parameters in Bactrian camels.

BACKGROUND:Mastitis is the most economically importantdisease in dairy industry worldwide. Bulk tank milk (BTM)analysis has been suggested for monitoring the udder healthstatus at herd level. OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study wasconducted to evaluate udder health status in 15 Holstein dairyfarms located in Qom province. METHODS: Bulk tank somaticcell count (BTMSCC) was analyzed using opto-fluoroelectroniccounter. Standard plate count, preliminary incubationcount, laboratory pasteurized count, and the number ofenvironmental streptococci, S. agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae, S.uberis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, coagulase negative streptococci,S. aureus and C. bovis were determined using specific culturemedia. Moreover, clinical and subclinical mastitis were diagnosedusing physical examination and California mastitis test,respectively. RESULTS: Most herds had moderate to highBTMSCC and high bacterial counts. The prevalence of clinicaland subclinical mastitis was 1.3% and 24.7%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated inefficient stallmanagement, udder hygiene, and milking practices in the herdsinvestigated.

BACKGROUND: Methionine has been suggested as the firstlimitingamino acid for milk production in ruminants. It is importanthow to increase milk protein yield and milk fat in dairy ruminants.OBJECTIVES: This study was set to investigate the effect of rumenprotected methionine (RPMet) on milk composition of lactatingCashmere Rayeni goats. METHODS: 40 healthy singletonCashmere Rayeni goats about 3 to 4 years of age, at the first day oflactation, were randomly divided into 2 equal control andexperimental groups. The experimental group was supplementedwith 5 gr/day RPMet for 60 days. Milk samples of 2 groups weretaken on 30th and 60th days of the study. Milk protein, milk fat, milklactose, and milk Solids-not-Fat (SNF) were determined usingautomatic analyzer. The results were statistically evaluated withSPSS. RESULTS: The supplementation with RPMet did not effectall of the above mentioned parameters during the 60 days of theexperiment (p>0.05), except for the milk fat percentage of theexperimental group which showed significant increase after 60days (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results about milk protein,milk lactose, and SNF were in agreement with previous studies thathad not shown significant differences. Results about milk fat on the30th day were in agreement with the results of several authors whoreported that RPMet did not affect milk fat percentage or yield;however, in the present study milk fat increased significantly on the60th day (p<0.05). To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studyabout the effects of RPMet on milk composition of CashmereRayeni goat has been done.

BACKGROUND: Freezing is a common way and one of the best methods of seafood preservation for long periods of time; however, the freeze thawing process may influence the quality of food. OBJECTIVES: Oxidation and denaturation of proteins, sublimation and recrystallization of ice crystals can cause changes in the quality of the frozen products. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of three different thawing methods including microwave, refrigerator, and water thawing on the quality of pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum). METHODS: For this purpose, the pink shrimps were hunted from Persian Gulf. Then, 200 g of peeled undeveined shrimps were frozen in vacuum-packed polyethylene bags at -40°C. The samples were transferred to Kerman Veterinary School and were kept at -18°C freezer. After four days, the shrimp were defrosted by three mentioned methods. Three cycles of freezing and defrosting with four days intervals were performed. Percentage of thawing loss (%TL), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile base (TVB), and salt-soluble protein (SSP) were detected at each freeze-thaw cycle. RESULTS: An increase in the freeze-thaw cycles increased TBA and TVB value slightly and significantly decreased the SPP value (p<0.05). Microwave thawing method gave the samples with the highest thawing loss in comparison to the other methods in each freeze-thaw cycle (p<0.05). A significant increase was seen in TBA value in water and microwave thawing methods in comparison to refrigerator thawing method (p<0.05). Refrigerator thawing method had higher SSP value in comparison to the other thawing methods (p<0.05). Likewise, there was no significant difference between three mentioned methods in TVB value (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results showed that refrigerator thawing method had lower effect in decreasing chemical quality of the pink shrimp than two other methods, and multiple freeze-thawing processes caused some deleterious effects on the quality of the frozen shrimps.

BACKGROUND: Campylobacteriosis is one of the most commonbacterial intestinal disorders of humans in many countries.A wide range of domestic and wild bird species have been identifiedas natural reservoirs. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this studywas to determine the Campylobacter spp from pet birds andscreen the determined Campylobacters for presence of virulencecytolethal distending toxin (cdt) genes. METHODS: A totalof 660 fecal samples from 32 different species of pet birds weretaken and examined for detection of Campylobacter spp. andwere investigated for presence of cdt genes. All the sampleswere collected from clinically healthy birds that were kept incage, zoological parks, and/ or in zoo of Tehran, the capital ofIran. RESULTS: In total, 20 thermophilic Campylobacter weredetected from 8 different avian species. From 20 confirmedCampylobacter spp., 16 samples (80%) were C. jejuni positiveand 4 (20%) were C. coli in species-specific PCR test. Furthermore,out of 20 detected Campylobacter, 13 (65%) harboredthe various subunits of cdtA, cdtB and cdtC genes, and 7 (35%)were negative for all tested cdt genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findingsindicate that the carriage rate of Campylobacter in differentspecies of cage and/or in zoo birds is high and confirm thatcdt genes may frequently be present in campylobacter spp.