An adult common mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ) was presented with severe signs of progressive depression , anorexia , debilitation , and also a history of moderate pododermatitis for the last two months . Hepatomegally was diagnosed clinically and radio-logically . The bird died a couple of hours after referral . Postmortem examination revealed typical liver enlargement with yellowish brown discoloration . Diffused hepatocytes fatty degeneration was demonstrated in histopathology and hepatic lipidosis was diagnosed as the main lesion in the liver . Providing a very small enclosure and a single low quality perch with minimal activity opportunity led to pododermatitis. Subsequent further activity restriction and feeding a high energy diet to the bird were possibly the triggers of this metabolic disorder. Regarding the bird species , providing appropriate diet and enclosure are essential for having healthy pet birds , and is often ignored by negligent or uninformed owners .

An adult female budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) presented with abdominal enlargement. The condition of the bird deteriorated after needle aspiration for cytological examination. The budgerigar was euthanatized and a complete necropsy was performed. Microscopic sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Gram staining, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and acid-fast staining. Escherichia coli was isolated in pure culture. Necropsy revealed the pres­ence of granulo­matous lesions of varying sizes at different locations and hepatomegaly, oviduct impaction and oophoritis. Histopathologically, typical granuloma with a central area of coagulation necrosis and bacterial colonies surrounded by lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells were found. These granulomas were present in the liver, oviduct and intestinal tract. A sheet of neoplastic cells and disruption of the normal hepatic architecture was seen. The diagnosis was lymphoid leucosis and coligranuloma.

Various forms of intensive sport place stress on the musculoskeletal system of the horse, during both racing and training. The musculoskeletal system of the horse has an inherent ability to adapt to the demands of high speed exercise, but exceeding the threshold of adaptive capacity may result in some form of damage. Continuing racing or training may delay the repair process and put the horse at risk of more serious musculoskeletal injury. This study investigated injury in different breeds of horses involved in various types of activity in riding clubs in Tehran. Of the 400 horses that took part in various events during the race season from March 2008 to September 2009, 26 were injured. The most common injury was to the musculoskeletal system of the fore limbs (64%). The hind limbs suffered 16% of the injuries and the head and neck 4%. From a gender aspect, incident rates were higher in mares (54%) than in stallions (46%). From a breed point of view, Thoroughbred and Arab horses had higher incident rates (100% and 85% respectively) than a hybrid horse (50%). Findings of this study also showed the relationship between gender, breed and age of the horses to the injury site, type and outcome, and type of the events.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bacterial inoculation on the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn silage and on the dry matter degradability and milk composition when fed to sheep or cows. Four male sheep were selected to measure dry matter degradability of uninoculated (UCS) and inoculated (ICS) corn silage. Milk composition was measured for 22 Holstein cows, separated into two treatment groups and fed with either UCS or ICS diets. Similar lactic acid concentrations but higher propionic and lower acetic acid concentrations were recorded for ICS diets compared to UCS diets (p < 0.05). Aerobic stability was 12 h and 32 h for UCS and ICS, respectively. Values of in sacco dry matter loss were higher for ICS than for UCS (p < 0.05). Lactose and solid non-fat content was higher in the milk of cows fed with ICS than UCS (p < 0.05). We conclude that the Lalsil bacterial inoculant containing propioni bacterium acidipropionici and Lactobacillus plantarum can be used as an additive due to its positive effect on fermentation, aerobic stability and dry matter degradability of corn silage. The slight positive effect of inoculcation on the nutritional value of silage appears to be limited to milk production improvement in dairy cows.

This study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure in perfused rat livers by evaluating damage marker enzymes, antioxidant defense systems (glutathione, GSH) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA). Sixteen rats were divided randomly into four experimental groups: control, PTX, AFB1 and AFB1 + PTX. Rats in the control group were infused with Krebs–Henseleit bicarbonate buffer. Rats in the AFB1-treated group received approximately 1 ppm and the PTX- treated group received 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally 24 h before surgery. Alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels were increased by AFB1 and decreased by PTX. PTX also ameliorated the increased concentration of MDA caused by AFB1. PTX did not compensate for the decrease in GSH caused by AFB1. These results imply that PTX has an antioxidant effect by inhibiting free radicals, and prior treatment with PTX ameliorates the effects of AFB1-induced lipid peroxidation but does not compensate GSH depots.

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an economically important disease of chickens. Due to the emergence of new variants of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), the control of IB has become a serious problem for the poultry industry worldwide. In the present study, the nucleocapsid gene (N) and 3' untranslated region (UTR) of two IBVs isolated from Iranian poultry farms were sequenced and compared with other IBV strains. Based on nucleotide identity, the N gene and 3' UTR sequences of Iranian IBVs showed 90% similarity to the commonly used IBV vaccine strains, H52 and H120. However, based on phylogenetic analyses, Iranian IBVs were found to cluster separately from the IBV vaccine strains used in Iran as well as other IBVs isolated in China, Australia and the United States. It was concluded that IBVs circulating in Iran are genetically distinct from IBV vaccine strains that have been used in Iran for many years. Therefore, it is important to develop a new vaccine based on these newly identified strains for controlling IB in Iranian poultry farms.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a central role in the control of disease resistance and immune response. Extensive genetic diversity in MHC genes provides a valuable source for genetic improvement, via selection, in many domestic animals. Exon 2 of the class II MHC, termed Ovar-DRB1 in domestic sheep (Ovis aries), has been suggested as important disease resistance and immune response gene. We characterized Ovar-DRB1 in DNA samples from 138 individuals of a population of the Iranian Sangsari sheep breed using PCR-RFLP. Eight DRB1 alleles were identified among Iranian Sangsari sheep, including one previously unrecognized allele. Eight homozygous genotypes were observed: a, b, c, d, f, g, h and N. Genotype bb was the most common pattern (46 of 138). Heterozygous genotypes (ag, cb, cd, bf, and bN) were also observed. The observed homozygosity and heterozygosity values were 0.6377 and 0.3623, respectively, vs expected values of 0.220 and 0.779. Iranian Sangsari population deviate significantly from the theoretical proportions (FIS = 0.5283; p = 0.0005). In conclusion, PCR-RFLP analysis allows rapid identification of Ovar-DRB1 types and discrimination of homozygous and heterozygous genotypes. This study indicates that the exon 2 region of the Ovar-DRB1 gene is highly polymorphic in the Iranian Sangsari sheep breed.

Dactylogyrus spp. are monogenean worms found mostly as ectoparasites on the gills of several fish species, including carp and goldfish. These parasites are commonly detected by microscopic analysis of the gill lamellae, but this is time-consuming and technically difficult. In contrast to this conventional method, molecular techniques provide specific, sensitive and safe detection of parasites. In the present study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent DNA sequencing were used to detect Dactylogyrus spp. Specific common primers were designed to amplify the ITS-1 region of the rRNA gene of Dactylogyrus spp. Dactylogyrus worms were collected from 100 goldfishes and identified using a dissection microscope. Then, single worms were used for DNA extraction. To evaluate the PCR, a single parasite was added to a parasite-free gill, which then had its DNA extracted. Subsequently, the PCR products were purified and sequenced. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the PCR products with GenBank sequences showed that there was 100% homology with sequences from two Dactylogyrus spp., namely Dactylogyrus vastator and Dactylogyrus dulkeiti (registered under accession numbers AJ 564159 and AJ 564126, respectively). The results obtained from sequence analyses were consistent with species identification by microscopy. Therefore, the results show that it is possible to develop a sensitive and precise PCR method for the detection of Dactylogyrus-infected fish using DNA extracted from the whole gill.

The laboratory mouse is recognized as the pre-eminent model for genetic research. Awareness of chromosomal patterns of experimental animals increases their value for a variety of different fields of study. We aimed to study mitotic chromosome preparations from NIH, C57BL/6 and Razi strains of mice, which are outbred, inbred and partially inbred laboratory mice respectively. Bone marrow cells were prepared from 36 male and female mice, 12 from each strain, and stained by use of Giemsa staining and G-banding methods. Karyotyping of the samples showed that there was no difference in chromosomal numbers among the three mice strains, also the metaphase preparations of their diploid cells contained 40 chromosomes (2n = 40) and all chromosomes were telocentric. However, some differences in band tonality and the size of chromosomes were seen.

Ticks are important acarina that infest animals. They are obligatory blood sucker arthropods which economically impact cattle industry by reducing weight gain and production. Moreover, they are important vectors of viral, bacterial, rickettsial and parasitic pathogens infecting humans and animals. In view of the importance of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum in pathogen transmission, including Theileria lestoquardi in Iran, the accurate identification of this tick is critical. Although many keys are available as aids, morphological identification of tick species such as Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (Koch, 1844; Hoogstral and Kaiser, 1959) is difficult and expert knowledge is required. False morphological identification at the level of species and subspecies is common, particularly for Hyalomma excavatum complex members which are prevalent in Iran. For example, the high similarity between Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum and Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum is the cause of confusion in the identification of these species. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were used for identification of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum based on analysis of the gene sequence of the Second Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS2) of this tick. The ITS2 nucleotide sequence of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was 963 base pairs (bp) in length and exhibited 93% homology with other GenBank registered ITS2 sequences of this subspecies (accession no: FJ593700.1). The complete ITS2 region sequence was identified in this study and registered in GenBank under accession number HQ123320.