BACKGROUND: Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan protozoa,which causes abortion in cattle worldwide. OBJECTIVES:The present study was designed to estimate the rate oftransplacental transmission of N.caninum to aborted fetuses inseropositive dams in dairy farms in Mashhad area, Iran.METHODS: Two hundred blood samples of dam with abortedbovine fetuses were collected from dairy farms from 2008 to2010. First , the maternal sera in each aborted case were tested byusing ELISA method, and then the brain samples of abortedfetuses were examined for detecting DNA of N. caninum, usingthe PCR method. RESULTS: In this study, 38 (19%) of dams' serashowed seropositive reaction against N.caninum infection, andalso 23 (10.5%) aborted brain fetuses showed positive reactionby PCR. A significant association was observed betweenN.caninum-serapositie dams and infected aborted fetuses(p<0.0001). In the present study, 20 (86%) infected fetuses wereaborted from seropositive, and 3 (13%) of the fetuses wereaborted from seronegative dams. CONCLUSIONS: Based on theresults of molecular and serology examination, the rate oftransplacental transmission of N. caninum infection in dairycattle were calculated as 52%.

BACKGROUND: Teat lacerations are serious injuries thatendanger the survival of a cow within the herd. In excessivelacerations, the wound should be left to heal by second intentionhealing process. However, tissue contraction during healing canchange the alignment of the teat, creating problems for machinemilking. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was toevaluate the transplantation of the full-thickness free skin graftin excessive teat lacerations. METHODS: Four healthy, nonpregnant,mixed Holstein-Friesian dairy cows with normal teatswere used in the study. Under local anesthesia, a rectangular fullthickness excision (2 Cm×2 Cm) was made on the lateral surfaceof the proximal part of the right and left fore teats of each cow,and simultaneously a rectangular full-thickness free skin graft(1.5 Cm×1.5 Cm) was harvested from the inner surface of the leftpinna. The graft was then meshed and transplanted to the left teatdefect. During a three-week study, the wound healing wasevaluated clinically and at the end of the study, histopathologicsamples (H &amp;E staining) were taken from both wounds.RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrated that in nongraftedwounds, severe wound contraction caused a deformity innormal anatomical structure of the teats. However, in graftedwounds successful graft take was recorded in all wounds, and theteats restored their functional and anatomical structure withsatisfactory cosmetic appearance. CONCLUSIONS:According tothe result of present study, it can be concluded that using fullthicknessfree mesh skin graft can be considered a suitablemethod for treatment of excessive teat lacerations.

BACKGROUND: Fasting is an alternative method to induceanorexia. OBJECTIVES: The biochemical factors of liver andserum and clinical signs were measured and documented in fivenon-lactating, non-pregnant cows following eight days of fasting.METHODS:Five crossbred, non-lactating, and non-pregnantcattle were used in this study. They were fasted for 8 days_ totalfood deprivation; however, they had free access to water. Liverbiopsies were carried out one day before food deprivation (day0) and 8 days after food deprivation by ultrasound-guidedbiopsy. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein beforeand during fasting. The concentrations of triglyceride (TG), totallipids, glycogen, phospholipids, and total protein in liver andNEFA, BHBA, TG, total cholesterol, glucose, total lipid, APOA1, and APO B in blood serum were measured and compared.RESULTS: The results of this study showed that fasting for 8 daysreduces respiratory rate by 52% and heart rate by 12.5% and hasno significant effect on rectal temperature. The concentrations ofthe liver triglyceride (TG) and glycogen significantly increased(p=0.046) and decreased (p=0.007) on day 8, respectively. Therewere no significant differences in the content of liverphospholipids (p=0.83), total lipids (p=0.29), and total protein(p=0.23). The serum concentrations of NEFA and BHBAincreased significantly (p=0.008) at the end of fasting period. Nosignificant differences in the concentrations of serum TG(p=0.057), total cholesterol (p=0.93), glucose (p=0.108), totallipid (p=0.27), APO A1 (p=0.762), and APO B (p=0.92) werenoticed on days 0 and 8. CONCLUSIONS: The results of thepresent study showed that fasting, like anorexia (as a result ofdiseases), induces fat mobilization from adipose tissue inresponse to the induced negative energy balance.

BACKGROUND: Microbiological and chemical qualities ofmilk are among the most important issues in public health.OBJECTIVES:Although there are a few published studies whichhave been conducted in south east of Iran this study wasperformed to investigate quality of raw milk delivered to a dairyindustry company Kerman Province. METHODS:Atotal of 109raw milk samples were collected at the time of delivering to thecompany. All the samples were transferred to the food lab ofVeterinary School for total counting and psychotropic andStaphylococcus aureus counting. The chemical contents,residues of microbial inhibitors and Beta Lactam antibioticsresidues were evaluated by Lactostar, Copan kit and Beta startest, respectively, and somatic cells were counted by a cellcounter. RESULTS: Based on the comparison with nationalstandard criteria, only 26 out of 109 samples (23.8; 95% CI: 16.2-33.0) were at standard limits in terms of all the factors. Alargenumber of out-of-standard sample (50 out of 83), were in contrastwith the defined criterion due to low protein. CONCLUSIONS:Classification of the samples based on all the defined criteriawithout considering protein content showed that the mainproblem of the milk was its low protein percent.

BIV is a well-known bovine immunosup-pressive cause, but its pathogenesis has not been well characterized. It seems that it is possible that cofactors such as co- infection with other bovine viral pathogens may play a role in enhancing the pathogenesis of BIV infection; BVDV also has immunosuppressive effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was determination of possible correlation between BIV and BVDV infections. METHODS: Blood samples were randomly collected from a total of 1800 cattle in dairy industrial farms in Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari provinces of Iran. First BIV or BVDV positive sera were screened by ELISA, and then samples were analyzed to detect BIV proviral DNA or BVDV RNA, using PCR. RESULTS: Out of 1800 blood samples, 19 (1.06%) samples were BVDV positive, while BIV positive samples were 10 (0.55%). Nine (0.5%) samples contained both BIV and BVDV genomes and were positive in ELISA, while one of the samples (0.05%) was only BIV positive. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there was a statistically significant relationship between BIV status and BVDV infection using Chi square and Pearson's correlation coefficient test (p=0, r=0.65).

Babesiosis is an important tickborne disease in the sheep of Iran. OBJECTIVES: A molecular study was carried out in North Khorasan province, Iran in 2010-2011, designed to identify Babesia spp. infection of both sheep and ticks. METHODS: Ninety sheep from different flocks were clinically examined and blood samples were collected with ixodid  ticks . The collected ticks were separated into 82 tick pools and the salivary glands were dissected out in 0.85% (w/v) saline under a stereomicroscope. The blood and the salivary glands were examined using semi-nested PCR. RESULTS: Piroplasm infection  was detected in 37 blood smears using microcopic examination while 80 blood samples were piroplasm positive in the first round of semi-nested PCR  and  Babesia ovis was  only detected in 6 (6.6%) of  positive samples in the second round of semi-nested PCR. Of the 434 ticks that were collected, the most prevalent species was Rhipicephalus turanicus (69.3%) followed by Hyalomma marginatum turanicum (18.4%), Dermacentor marginatus (6.4%) and Rhipicephalus bursa (5.7%). One pool of H. m. turanicum salivary glands and one pool of  R.turanicus were infected with B. ovis. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, it is concluded that B.ovis has a low prevalence among the sheep of North Khorasan province and H. m. turanicum and R. turanicus may be the vectors of B.ovis in this area.

Analyzing the synovial fluid is one of the common methods to diagnose the articular problems to detect the stage and express the prognosis. Such gross, cytological, and biochemical analysis of synovial fluids can aid in the diagnosis of various joint diseases. Objectives: Normal values for synovial fluid in the camels have been described previously; however, there are no reports regarding concentr-ation of acute phase proteins and inflammatory cytokines in camelids synovial fluid. Hence, the present study tried to compare the synovial fluid inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins in clinically healthy and arthritic tarsal joints of dromedary camels. Methods: 46 male dromedary camels, 5 to 10 years old, were used in this study. 33 camels did not have any clinical articular abnormalities while 13 camels had gross articular problems such as lameness and swollen tarsal joints. Collecting the synovial fluids was extracted from the healthy and arthritic tarsal joints immediately after slaughter. Then, the concentration of haptoglobin, serum amyloid A, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma were measured in samples. Results: Concentration of all measured parameters in arthritic joints were significantly higher than clinically healthy joints (p<0.05). The synovial fluid concentration of serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma were 5.379, 4.285, 25.503, and 1.904 times higher in arthritic joints than normal joints, respectively. Conclusions: The articular inflammatory processes can increase the synovial fluid concentration of acute phase proteins and inflammatory cytokines. Information about the normal values of these parameters and their changing patterns may help camel rearing systems during arthrititis by assessing the health status of joints in the camels; in addition, the information about normal values can be diagnostically valuable when considering diseased animals.

BACKGROUND: Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is the causativeagent of the Newcastle disease (ND), a highly contagiousdisease in birds that causes significant economic losses to thepoultry industry worldwide. ND is endemic in Iran and outbreaksare reported regularly in commercial poultry flocks and differentspecies of birds. OBJECTIVES:The current study was carried outto characterize NDV based on phosphorprotein (P) gene fromrecent outbreaks in Iran, 2010-2012. METHODS: The P genefragment of NDV isolates of five chickens, 1 ostrich, and 1Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 was obtained by RT-PCR and sequenced.RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis of sequences revealed thatchicken and ostrich NDV isolates were closely related andplaced in the genotype VII and Pigeon Paramyxovirus-1 waslocated in the genotype V. CONCLUSIONS:This is the first reportof Phosphoprotein gene sequences of NDV strains isolated inIran. This study will help us to understand the epidemiology andmolecular characteristics of Newcastle disease virus in Iran.

BACKGROUND:Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), also known ascalf scours, is caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites.Coronavirus is one of the important causes of NCD syndrome.Electron microcopy has been used for demonstration of virusesin fecal samples of diarrheic calves since 1969. OBJECTIVES:The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence ofcoronavirus in fecal samples of neonatal calf diarrhea usingelectron microcopy examination of fecal samples. METHODS:For the purpose of this study, a total of 100 cases (under 2 monthsof age) of diarrheic calves from 25 commercial farms in fourdistricts of East Azerbaijan province of Iran were used. FreshFecal samples using sterile swab were collected from every calfwith clinical diarrhea. All samples were transferred into a sterilecontainer and then were sent to the laboratory to be kept in -20oCfreezer until examination. Electron microscopic examinationwas applied to all fecal samples. Chi-square test was used toanalyze the data. RESULTS:According to the results of this study,coronavirus was present in 15% of cases and a significantdifference was found between the prevalence rate and theseasons (p<0.05). The highest prevalence was recorded in winter(28%) and the least prevalence was seen in summer (4%). Therewas not any significant difference in both age groups anddifferent districts according to the prevalence rate of infection.CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal calf diarrhea is a multi-etiologicalsyndrome. Among the viral diarrhea, bovine coronavirus is oneof the major causes of this syndrome. For detection ofcoronavirus in feces, electron microscope examination is a goldstandard diagnostic technique. It seems that coronavirus can beconsidered as one of the important etiologies of neonatal calfdiarrhea in east Azerbaijan of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Tetracyclines (TCs) are broad-spectrumantibiotics that are widely used in veterinary medicine. Thepresence of TCs residues in milk is a public health concern allover the world. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to determine TCsresiduals in pasteurized milk marketed by some dairy companiesin Tehran from April 2011 to March 2012. METHODS: 432pasteurized milk samples were purchased from supermarketssupplying the milk products of 12 major dairy companies inTehran (3 samples from each company every month), and theywere stored at -20 0C until analysis. Oxytetracycline (OTC) andTetracycline (TC) residues in each sample were extracted by aliquid - liquid phase procedure and quantitated using a highperformance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. Chromatographicconditions included a mobile phase as oxalic acidbuffer- acetonitril (80: 20) with a flow rate of 1mL/min and UVdetectionat 355 nm. RESULTS: TCs residuals in most milksamples were lower than 100 ppb, maximum residue level(MRL); however, in seven samples (1.62%) the total residues ofOTC and TC were more than MRL. In the latter milk samples, themedian total TCs residue was 625 ppb, ranging between 274 and1270 ppb. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the presence of TCresidues above the MRL level in a limited number of milksamples, it is concluded that more studies and supervision ofhealth authorities are needed in this field.