BACKGROUND: Hydatidosis is one of the zoonotic diseases which affect animals and human beings at the larval stage of Echinococcusgranulosus, thereby playing a role in exacerbating the economic and health problems in Iran. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the strains of Echinococcusgranulosus isolated from cattle hydatid cysts, in Khorramabad, in the Lorestan Province, west of Iran. METHODS: Twenty six isolates of hydatid cyst of cattle from lung (24 samples) and liver (2 sample) organs were collected from Golshan Slaughterhouse, in Khorramabad. All of the samples were transferred to the laboratory for morphometric characterization and molecular study. In morphological characterization, blade length of large (LBL) and small (SBL) hook and the ratio of blade length to total length in large (LBL/LTL) and small (SBL/STL) hooks and total length of large (LTL) and small (STL) hooks were measured. In molecular study, a partial sequence of cytochrome oxidase 1 (COX1) with 440 bp in length was amplified applying primers J3 and J4.5. Genomic DNA sequencing was performed by Sanger’s method. RESULTS: The morphological results showed that there is no significant difference between isolated from cattle hydatid cyst and sensu stricto strain (P<0.05). The results of molecular studies support the findings of morphological characterization. All sequences showed 100% identity with sensu stricto strain. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study showed that sensu stricto strain (G1) is a causative agent of cattle hydatid cyst in Khorramabad. On the other hand, the cattle play a role in enabling the parasite to complete its cycle. Hence in order to execute a control program for minimizing the effects of this disease, the cattle shall be considered as a source of infection for dogs. The results of this study could be helpful in designing such control program in the region.

Introduction: Mycoplasma bovis is one of the main pathogens involved in cattle pneumonia. Other mycoplasmas have also been directly implicated in respiratory diseases in cattle. The prevalence of different Mycoplasma spp. in cattle affected by respiratory diseases and molecular characteristics of M. bovis field strains were evaluated. Material and Methods: In total, 713 nasal swabs from 73 cattle herds were tested. The uvrC gene fragment was amplified by PCR and PCR products were sequenced. PCR/DGGE and RAPD were performed. Results: It was found that 39 (5.5%) samples were positive for M. bovis in the PCR and six field strains had point nucleotide mutations. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis of 20 M. bovis field strains tested with RAPD showed two distinct groups of M. bovis strains sharing only 3.8% similarity. PCR/DGGE analysis demonstrated the presence of bacteria belonging to the Mollicutes class in 79.1% of DNA isolates. The isolates were identified as: Mycoplasma bovirhinis, M. dispar, M. bovis, M. canis, M. arginini, M. canadense, M. bovoculi, M. alkalescens, and Ureaplasma diversum. Conclusion: Different Mycoplasma spp. strains play a crucial role in inducing respiratory diseases in cattle.

Introduction: The present study is a comprehensive overview of the natural occurrence of 17β-oestradiol and testosterone in serum of cattle in Poland. Material and Methods: The serum samples (n = 826) were collected from cattle within five years. The samples were examined for the presence of oestradiol and testosterone using ELISA or gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Results: In 98 samples (24%) 17β-oestradiol was detected above decision limits of applied methods, including five samples over the recommended concentration of 0.1 μg L-1. Of the serum samples taken from cows (≤18 months of age), 95 and 99 percentiles of the animals had 17β-oestradiol concentration below 0.027 and 0.086 μg L-1 and of samples from cows over 18 months of age - below 0.059 and 0.125 μg L-1 respectively. Calculated values for bulls (≤18 months of age) were 0.025 and 0.034 μg L-1 and for the animals older than 18 months of age - 0.035 and 0.041 μg L-1. The natural presence of testosterone was detected in 201 serum samples (48.7%). According to the obtained data, 95% and 99% of cows (≤18 months of age) serum samples had testosterone concentration below 0.05 and 0.23 μg L-1 and the animals over 18 months of age - 0.30 and 0.49 μg L-1, respectively. For bulls these values did not depend on the age of the animals and were in the ranges of 5 - 6.3 μg L-1 (95%) and 11.4 - 12.1 μg L-1 (99%). Conclusion: Our study showed that the threshold values for these hormones in plasma of cattle designated years ago are correct, but they need to be supplemented for animals older than 18 months.

Introduction: Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), caused by the bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), is one of the most important diseases of cattle worldwide. The purpose of the study was to determine the BVDV infection status in a dairy herd vaccinated against BVD. Before vaccination started in 2008, there had been no prior identification or the removal of the possible source of infection (persistently infected animals). It was expected that vaccination itself would enable the elimination of viral shedders on a long term basis. Material and Methods: Serological screening for antibodies against BVDV with determination for antibodies titres, BVDV antigen, and the presence of the viral genome with phylogenetic analysis of positive samples in the herd were performed, despite the lack of any clinical problems indicating possible presence of BVDV infection. Results: 19 individuals persistently infected with BVDV were identified among calves and heifers but not in adult cattle. All virus shedders were antibody negative and the genotype of isolated virus was BVDV-1b, indicating a single source of infection. The vaccine used in the herd was composed of BVDV-1a strain. In each of the tested cowsheds, antibody titres against BVDV-1b were higher than against BVDV-1a (median values). Conclusion: Despite a long-lasting vaccination programme and relatively high sequence homology of vaccinal and field strains of BVDV (83.6%), it was not possible to avoid transplacental infections of foetuses and the birth of persistently infected calves from vaccinated heifers although the protection against clinical disease was accomplished.

Female genital tracts of six to eight years Baladi cows (n=30) were collected from Belevia abattoir of Beni-Suef province during the period from March 2016 to May 2016 to investigate ovarian abnormalities and uterine changes in cattle based on histopathology. Prevalence rates of granulosa cell tumors were 26.67% and 38.89% in right and left ovaries, respectively. Follicular cysts could be detected in both ovaries with percentages of 50.0% and 44.44%, respectively. The most predominant pathological lesions in ovarian medulla were hyalinosis of blood vessels and mononuclear cell infiltration. The main uterine pathological alterations were endometritis associated with degenerative changes and necrosis in the endometrial linings in most cases (n=25), endometriosis (n=13). Variable degrees of congestion from moderate (n=25) to highly congested (n=5) were elucidated. Perivascular cuffing (n=2) and perivascular fibrosis (n=3) of uterine blood vessels could be detected. Immunohistochemically, granulosa cell tumors were positive to vimentin and negative to inhibin.

Introduction: The study objective was to develop and evaluate a new TaqMan multiplex real-time PCR method for Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) detection in slaughtered animal carcasses.Material and Methods: The procedure included an enrichment step, DNA extraction, and two multiplex real-time PCRs. The first PCR detected the invA and hly genes of Salmonella and L. monocytogenes respectively, the second the vtx1, vtx2, and eae genes of VTEC.Results: The validation of this method resulted in 100% relative sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy as compared to the reference ISO methods. The limit of detection per swab sample was established at 1 cfu for Salmonella and L. monocytogenes and 2 cfu for VTEC. The authors analysed 265 slaughterhouse-collected swabs from cattle, pig, and poultry carcasses. Among 125 from cattle, 51 were positive for VTEC, 29 for Salmonella, and 1 for L. monocytogenes. Among swabs from pig carcasses (n = 95), three, two, and one sample were positive for these pathogens respectively. None of the microorganisms tested for was identified in 45 samples of poultry origin.Conclusion: The obtained results showed that the method developed can rapidly identify the main bacterial pathogens that may contaminate carcasses of food-producing animals.

Introduction: Mycoplasma bovis is one of the main pathogens involved in cattle pneumonia. Other mycoplasmas have also been directly implicated in respiratory diseases in cattle. The prevalence of different Mycoplasma spp. in cattle affected by respiratory diseases and molecular characteristics of M. bovis field strains were evaluated. Material and Methods: In total, 713 nasal swabs from 73 cattle herds were tested. The uvrC gene fragment was amplified by PCR and PCR products were sequenced. PCR/DGGE and RAPD were performed. Results: It was found that 39 (5.5%) samples were positive for M. bovis in the PCR and six field strains had point nucleotide mutations. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis of 20 M. bovis field strains tested with RAPD showed two distinct groups of M. bovis strains sharing only 3.8% similarity. PCR/DGGE analysis demonstrated the presence of bacteria belonging to the Mollicutes class in 79.1% of DNA isolates. The isolates were identified as: Mycoplasma bovirhinis, M. dispar, M. bovis, M. canis, M. arginini, M. canadense, M. bovoculi, M. alkalescens, and Ureaplasma diversum. Conclusion: Different Mycoplasma spp. strains play a crucial role in inducing respiratory diseases in cattle.

Introduction: The present study is a comprehensive overview of the natural occurrence of 17β-oestradiol and testosterone in serum of cattle in Poland. Material and Methods: The serum samples (n = 826) were collected from cattle within five years. The samples were examined for the presence of oestradiol and testosterone using ELISA or gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Results: In 98 samples (24%) 17β-oestradiol was detected above decision limits of applied methods, including five samples over the recommended concentration of 0.1 μg L⁻¹. Of the serum samples taken from cows (≤18 months of age), 95 and 99 percentiles of the animals had 17β-oestradiol concentration below 0.027 and 0.086 μg L⁻¹ and of samples from cows over 18 months of age - below 0.059 and 0.125 μg L⁻¹ respectively. Calculated values for bulls (≤18 months of age) were 0.025 and 0.034 μg L⁻¹ and for the animals older than 18 months of age - 0.035 and 0.041 μg L⁻¹. The natural presence of testosterone was detected in 201 serum samples (48.7%). According to the obtained data, 95% and 99% of cows (≤18 months of age) serum samples had testosterone concentration below 0.05 and 0.23 μg L⁻¹ and the animals over 18 months of age - 0.30 and 0.49 μg L⁻¹, respectively. For bulls these values did not depend on the age of the animals and were in the ranges of 5 - 6.3 μg L⁻¹ (95%) and 11.4 - 12.1 μg L⁻¹ (99%). Conclusion: Our study showed that the threshold values for these hormones in plasma of cattle designated years ago are correct, but they need to be supplemented for animals older than 18 months.

Introduction: Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), caused by the bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), is one of the most important diseases of cattle worldwide. The purpose of the study was to determine the BVDV infection status in a dairy herd vaccinated against BVD. Before vaccination started in 2008, there had been no prior identification or the removal of the possible source of infection (persistently infected animals). It was expected that vaccination itself would enable the elimination of viral shedders on a long term basis. Material and Methods: Serological screening for antibodies against BVDV with determination for antibodies titres, BVDV antigen, and the presence of the viral genome with phylogenetic analysis of positive samples in the herd were performed, despite the lack of any clinical problems indicating possible presence of BVDV infection. Results: 19 individuals persistently infected with BVDV were identified among calves and heifers but not in adult cattle. All virus shedders were antibody negative and the genotype of isolated virus was BVDV-1b, indicating a single source of infection. The vaccine used in the herd was composed of BVDV-1a strain. In each of the tested cowsheds, antibody titres against BVDV-1b were higher than against BVDV-1a (median values). Conclusion: Despite a long-lasting vaccination programme and relatively high sequence homology of vaccinal and field strains of BVDV (83.6%), it was not possible to avoid transplacental infections of foetuses and the birth of persistently infected calves from vaccinated heifers although the protection against clinical disease was accomplished.

Objective: The objective of this research work was to find out the prevalence of clinically occurring diseases and the disorders in cattle and goats at the Sylhet Agricultural University area, Sylhet during January to December 2013. Materials and methods: This clinical study was carried out on 775 clinical cases (553 cattle and 222 goats) based on the general, clinical, physical and microscopical examination along with common laboratory techniques. Results: The clinically observed cases in cattle were (i) gyneco-obstetrical (15.37%; n=85/553; P=0.038), (ii) metabolic and nutritional (9.94%; n=55/553; P=0.245), (iii) bacterial and viral (26.22%; n=145/553; P=<0.001), (iv) parasitic (26.58%; n=147/553; P=<0.001), and (v) digestive diseases (21.88%; n=121/553; P=0.008). Similarly, in goats, the prevalences were found to be 14.41 (n=32/222; P=0.041), 15.76 (n=35/222; P=0.078), 30.63 (n=68/222; P=0.001), 23.87 (n=53/222; P=0.020), and 15.31% (n=34/222; P=0.069), respectively. Conclusion: This research work is a groundwork which may facilitate the potential researchers to investigate the details possessions for extensive therapeutic exercises in Bangladesh particularly in Sylhet region for designing the control strategies and conducting the treatment of infection and disorders in cattle and goats. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(1.000): 24-37]