BACKGROUND: Ticks are important ectoparasites in ruminants which cause economic losses in animal husbandry of Iran and worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to determine geographic distribution, frequency and species diversity of hard ticks in domestic ruminants in Ilam province, Iran. METHODS: A total of 445 domestic ruminants (139 cattle, 162 sheep, 144 goats) from 120 flocks of 30 villages in north and south parts of Ilam province were randomly selected and examined in summer 2015. The ixodid ticks were collected from body surface of examined animals and identified. RESULTS: Of all examined ruminants, 44.6% cattle, 51.23% sheep, and 52.08% goats were infested with a total number of 1209 unfed ixodid ticks. The highest prevalence of hard ticks was found in 2-3 year-old female cattle (15.55%), 1-2 year-old female sheep (19.75%) and less than 1 year-old female goats (17.36%) in the region. The highest prevalence was found in 2-3 year-old female cattle (37.1%), 1-2 year-old ewes (38.55%) and less than 1 year-old kids (33.33%). There was significant difference between prevalence and different age groups of infested sheep and cattle. Of 1209 collected ixodid ticks, tick indices (tick number per animal) were 6.1, 5.9 and 4.5 in cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. The highest infestation in cattle (17 flocks, 14.1%), sheep (13 flocks, 10.8%) and goats (14 flocks, 11.6%) was respectively found in north, south and southern parts of the region. The highest tick aggregation was found for ears in cattle (31.13%), sheep (34.41%) and goats (28.9%). Of all examined ticks (1209), two genera including Hyalomma (37.62%) and Rhipicephalus (62.38%) with seven, seven, and six species in cattle, sheep, and goats were respectively identified. The predominant infesting ticks were R. sanguineus (22.16% in cattle) from north (11.31%) and H. anatolicum anatulicum (21.8% in sheep and 24.77% in goats) from south (15.49% and 13.42%) part of the province. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that species diversity and frequency of ixodid ticks were prevalent in domestic ruminants of different parts of Ilam province.

Diminazene aceturate is one of a limited number of drugs currently being used in animals to treat the tsetse fly-transmitted protozoal disease, African trypanosomiasis. Efficacy of the drug at the recommended single IM administered doses of 3.5 and 7.0 mg/kg of body weight is widely acknowledged. However, resistance to the drug at these dosages has been reported. Although the mechanisms of resistance to diminazene are poorly understood, field and experimental data indicate that it may develop naturally through administration of subcurative doses, or as a result of cross-resistance. Evidence from other experimental studies indicates that there are additional mechanisms by which trypanosomes may develop resistance to diminazene aceturate. For instance, some populations ot Trypanosoma brucei and T. vivax are refractory to treatment because of their ability to invade the CNS, a site that is believed to be poorly accessible to diminazene. Furthermore, in recent studies carried out in goats, it has been documented that the ability of T. Congolense IL 3274 to survive treatment with diminazene depends on the stage of infection when treatment is administered; populations of the parasite reappeared in animals that were treated on day 19 after tsetse fly challenge, whereas all goats were cured when treated on day 1 of infection. Because trypanosomes are confined to the skin on day 1 after infection, but thereafter invade the blood circulation, it is possible that the efficacy of the treatment on day 1 is attributable to exposure of the small number of parasites, relative to later stages of infection, to higher concentrations of drug than those attained in blood. The objective of the study reported here was to determine whether diminazene's pharmacokinetics differ between plasma and lymph draining the skin of goats and therefore account for the variation in therapeutic activity of the drug at different stages of a tsetse fly-transmitted infection. Peripheral lymph was used for this work because it appears to be identical in composition to tissue interstitial fluid, into which trypanosomes are inoculated by infected tsetse flies when feeding.

A commercial rapid-absorbed ELISA developed to detect antibodies to Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in bovine serum was modified for use with goat serum. Diagnostic sensitivity was evaluated, using a group of 163 goats from a herd with endemic paratuberculosis. Blood and fecal samples were obtained simultaneously, and prevalence of shedding of M paratuberculosis in the feces was estimated by detection of DNA of the mycobacterial insertion sequence, IS900, using a commercial test kit. Diagnostic specificity was evaluated, using blood samples from a total of 123 goats in 10 herds that were considered clinically free of paratuberculosis. The IS900 DNA was detected in 35 of the 163 goats (21%) from the infected herd. Serum antibody to M paratuberculosis was detected in 19 of the 35 IS900 DNA-positive goats, for apparent sensitivity of 54%. Serum antibody was detected in 18 of the 128 IS900 DNA-negative goats from the infected herd. Negative results for serum antibody to M paratuberculosis were obtained for all 123 goats from the herds that were considered clinically free of paratuberculosis.

Excretion of creatinine, sodium sulfanilate (SS), and phenolsulfonphthalein (PSP) was studied in healthy goats. In conscious goats, mean (+/- SEM) inulin clearance was 2.26 +/- 0.08 ml/min/kg of body weight. Endogenous creatinine clearance, 1.97 +/- 0.09 ml/min/kg, underestimated inulin clearance (P < 0.01), probably because of the presence of noncreatinine chromogens in caprine plasma. The estimated renal clearance of PSP was 6.88 +/- 0.39 ml/min/kg, whereas the estimated renal clearance of SS was 3.71 +/- 0.39 ml/min/kg. Both exceeded inulin clearance (P < 0.01), confirming renal tubular secretion of both compounds. In 6 anesthetized goats, exogenous creatinine clearance and SS clearance exceeded inulin clearance (P < 0.05). Results of stop-flow experiments documented secretion of creatinine and ss by the peoximal portion of the caprine nephron. Plasma half-life of PSP in uninephrectomized goats exceeded that in intact goats (20.2 +/- 1.5 min vs 11.9 +/- 0.7 min; P < 0.01). Similarly, plasma half-life of SS was greater in goats after uninephrectomy (58.2 +/- 6.2 min vs 30.4 1.2 min; p < 0.01).

Plasma elimination rates of sulfamethazine (100 mg/kg of body weight, IV), trimethoprim (20 mg/kg, IV), and antipyrine (35 mg/kg, IV) were studied in adult female dwarf goats (n = 5) before and after implantation with trenbolone acetate (5 mg/kg). Pretreatment with trenbolone caused a significant decrease in the elimination rate of the drugs tested: for sulfamethazine, 5 times; for antipyrine, 3 times; and for trimethoprim, 2 times. After treatment with testosterone (1 mg/kg, SC, twice weekly for 2.5 weeks), female goats (n = 5) had a similar decrease in the elimination rate of sulfamethazine. Other induced effects included a change in social behavior, a lower voice, and the development of a typical billy goat-like odor. Plasma creatinine concentrations after androgen administration were significantly higher than those before androgen administration; changes were not observed in plasma urea values. Because of the differences observed, we believe that more attention should be paid to the effects of androgenic agents on drug kinetic properties, with particular reference to studies on clinical efficacy, side effects, and drug residues in food products.

One hundred eight milking goats from a dairy that had been using a modified caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) eradication program were tested for CAEV antibodies by serologic methods and for proviral CAEV DNA by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. All goats were free of clinical symptoms of CAEV infection. Twenty-seven of the 108 goats were considered seropositive, on the basis of ELISA results. Proviral CAEV DNA was detected, using PCR techniques, in mononuclear leukocytes in blood samples obtained from 25 of the these 27 seropositive goats. Twenty of the 81 seronegative goats also had positive PCR test results. Ten of these goats seroconverted by 8 months later, and virus was readily isolated from mononuclear leukocytes in venous blood samples after the goats had seroconverted. Virus was also isolated from mononuclear leukocytes in blood samples collected from 4 of 11 goats that were seronegative, but had positive PCR test results. These results indicated that seroconversion can be delayed for many months following natural infection with CAEV. Delayed seroconversion appears to be a feature of CAEV infection, which may have direct implications for CAEV eradication programs and epidemiologic studies that rely on serologic methods to detect infected goats.