Two hundred, five-week old chickens were divided into six equal groups (30 chicks/group) and vaccinated with different live NDV vaccines in Nigella sativa oil. The vaccinated birds were bled at one-week interval post-vaccination over six weeks and the collected sera were tested by the HI test. Half of each group was challenged 21-days post-vaccination by intramuscular route of inoculation with 2X105EID50 of the velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease virus (VVNDV). Birds were observed for 15 days post-challenge for any clinical signs of Newcastle disease. Deaths within this period were subjected to post mortem examination. The remaining birds in each group were observed after challenge till 42-days post-vaccination.

Seventy-five rats were used to determine the toxic effects of difenoconazole (D) fungicide on haematological, some biochemical parameters and thyroid hormones in adult albino rats of both sexes, as well as possible inhibition of adverse effects by using vitamin E and/or vitamin C as antioxidant drugs. Rats were classified into five groups each of 15 rats. Group (1) served without treatment as negative control, group (2) treated with 1/10 of the LD50 of D (140.3 mg/kg B.wt.), in alternative days for 30 days and cessation of D for further 15 days as a withdrawal period, group (3) treated with vit. E (24 mg/ kg B.wt.) combined with the same dose of D, intubation every other day, group (4) administered vit. C (200 mg/ kg B.wt.) daily per os combined with the same dose of D in alternative days, group (5) taken vit. E, vit. C and D. Vitamins were given daily from the beginning of experiment till the end and at withdrawal period. Samples were collected at 15 and 30 days during D exposure and at the end of withdrawal period. Using analysis of variance, R.B.Cs. count, PCV % and Hb content significantly decreased than negative controls allover the experimental period in D- treated groups, however vit. C alone or combined with vit. E produced gradual improvement in haematological parameters. Marked elevation in W.B.Cs. count and lymphocytes, accompanied by neutropenia were observed in all groups compared to negative controls allover the experiment period. Total protein, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels were significantly reduced in all D-administered groups compared to negative controls. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein showed higher levels in all D-treated groups in comparison to negative controls, meanwhile, administration of vit. E and/or vit. C produces gradual improvement in these parameters. Thyroid hormonal analysis indicated significant decrease in triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in all D- treated groups, whereas their levels returned to normal in groups given vit. C alone or combined with vit. E at the withdrawal period. In conclusion, these results indicated that D fungicide exposure caused overt disorders in haematological and biochemical parameters as well as thyroid function. These effects could be ameliorated by using vit. E and vit. C as antioxidant drugs. Vit. E and vit. C when combined together produce best results in all tested parameters, however vit. C alone has rapid response than vit. E especially in haematological picture and thyroid function.

In this study a total of 200 stray dogs housed in Safe Harbor Animal Rescue and Clinic (SHARC), South Florida, USA were clinically and parasitologically examined for intestinal helminthes. In this investigation, dogs were clinically examined and monitored for intestinal parasites for 6 successive weeks, treated with specific drugs and investigated for the possibility of reinfestation with intestinal parasites within the closed quarters of the animal shelter environment. Fecal floatation technique revealed three types of parasitic eggs in fecal samples of 46 (23%) dogs, including Ankylostoma spp. 30 (15%), Toxocara canis 10 (3.5%), and Dipylidium caninum 6 (3%). Clinical examination of investigated dogs revealed bloody diarrhea associated with abdominal pain, anemia, poor hair coat and the presence of segments of tapeworms approximately in the size of grain of rice in the feces of some dogs. Some dogs showed frequent cough. Some dogs that were tested negative for Ankylostoma spp. and Toxocara canis tested positive later indicating definite contamination in the environment of the shelter. Some dogs developed tapeworm infestation during this study indicting the presence of infective flees in contact dogs. Control measures and therapy were discussed.

In this study, two methods for determination of formalin amount were applied on samples of inactivated vaccines representing local or foreign companies. The first method; matching method was conducted by using phenyl hydrazine while in the other method is; spectrophotometry phloroglucinol was used. Spectrophotometrical method was found more sensitive and more accurate than the matching one. At the same time, the spectrophotometry method could be used for determination of formalin in all inactivated vaccines either bacterial or viral vaccines.

The challenge virus standard (CVS-11) strain of fixed rabies virus was propagated in weaning mice brains and in suckling mice brains. It was also propagated on baby hamster kidney cell line (BHK-21) with use of diethylaminoethyl-dextran (DEAEDextran). These passages were titerated in 3-4 weeks old white Swiss mice using mouse inoculation test (MIT). The virus harvest was concentrated using zinc acetate method , inactivated by beta-propiolactone (BPL) and adjuvanted with combination of vitamin E and selenium. The prepared adjuvanted inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine was subjected to quality control tests as safety, sterility and potency using National Institute of Health (NIH) test against reference vaccine.

Objective-To determine mortality rate over time, risk factors for death, and heritability of life expectancy in Boxers. Animals-1,733 purebred Boxers born in The Netherlands between January 1994 and March 1995. Procedure-Dogs were followed up from weaning (ie, 49 days of age) to 10 years of age through use of a written questionnaire sent to owners every 6 months. Mortality rate over time, risk factors potentially associated with death, and heritability of life expectancy were examined by use of a proportional hazards model based on the Weibull distribution. Results Estimated mortality rate during the 10-year study period for this birth cohort of Boxers was 45%. The probability of surviving to 5 years of age was 88%; the probability of surviving to 10 years of age was 55%. Estimated effective heritability of life expectancy was 0.076, meaning that in this population, an estimated 76% of the observed variation in life expectancy could be attributed to genetic differences among dogs that were passed from parents to their offspring. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results suggest that cumulative incidence of death from weaning to 10 years of age among this birth cohort of Boxers was 45%. The estimated heritability of life expectancy suggested that life expectancy can be improved by use of selective breeding.

13-week orally repeated dose toxicity was investigated to ascertain the toxic effects of Aristolochiae radix in F344 rats at dose levels of 0, 1 (0.003 AA, aristolochic acid, mg/kg), 5 (0.014 AA mg/kg), 25 (0.068 AA mg/kg), 125 (0.34 AA mg/kg), and 500 mg/kg (AA 1.36 mg/kg). No mortalities were found in any of the dose groups including vehicle control groups of both sexes during the study period. Hematologic and serum biochemical examinations revealed no changes related to the test item in any of the dose groups of both sexes. However, gross findings at necropsy implicated thickening of the stomach wall.

GroE that is a heat shock protein composed of GroEL and GroES is known as an immunodominant target of both the humoral and cellular immune responses in bovine brucellosis. This study was carried out to characterize groE gene encoding heat shock proteins of B. abortus isolated in Korea and to evaluate the immunogenicity of the GroE protein expressed in E. coli system. In PCR the specific signals with the size of 2,077 bp were detected in five strains isolated from the mammary lymphnodes of the dairy cattle that were serologically positive and the reference strains.

Serum samples of 1,175 pigs from 148 Korean swine farms not using Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) vaccines were collected for seroepidemiological study of M. hyo infection by indirect ELISA method. Informations of each farm were provided about province where the farm was located and season when blood samples were collected. Then, the selected farms were divided into farm units which had 5 serum samples according to production stages : sow, suckling piglet (less than 30 days old), nursery pig (30-70 days old), and growing pig (greater than 70 days old).

African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs for which there is no vaccine in the world. A proper surveillance of viral activity and a timely response to ASF outbreaks depend upon the rapid diagnosis of ASF viral infection. Internationally prescribed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a fast, sensitive test routinely used in the diagnosis of the ASF. However, inactivated whole ASF virus antigen used in this test is a tedious to prepare and has a risk of outside exposure of infectious virus by laboratory accident during the preparation.