BACKGROUNDS: Diseases affecting the respiratory tract of sheep and goats are one of the most important factors which limit production of these species on a world-wide basis. OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study was to determine Adenovirus (AdV) antigen in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung tissue of pneumonic goats, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining method. METHODS: For this purpose, the lungs of 402 goats, which were raised in various farms in the Garmsar district and surrounding areas and were brought to the local abattoir for slaughtering between April and September 2016, were examined. RESULTS: Macroscopic pneumonia findings were detected in different lobes particularly in the apical and cardiac lobes of the lungs of 26 goats (%6.46). The rates of mild, moderate and severe consolidations observed in the pneumonic lungs were 59.8%, 26.3% and 11.6%, respectively. Pneumonias were microscopically classified in goats as interstitial pneumonia (n=15) (57.69%), suppurative bronchopneumonia (n=4) (15.38%), bronchointerstitial pneumonia (n=3) (11.53%), and parasitic pneumonia (n=4) (15.38%). A total of 22 pneumonic lungs, excluding parasitic pneumonia, examination with immunohistochemistry (IH) in terms of AdV antigen, were considered. AdV antigen was determined to be (13.63 %) (n=3) by the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the presence of viral antigen in lung tissues of goats may indicate that natural pneumonia may be induced by AdV or possibly other species-specific AdVs. Moreover, it is suggested that AdV might have a role in predisposing this species to secondary bacterial infections.

Background: The application of phytogenic additives in the form of essential oils have attracted considerable attention in poultry industry. OBJECTIVES: An experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of the blends of essential oils (EO) isolated from some medicinal plants including savory, thyme, fennel and rosemary on performance, blood metabolites, intestinal microflora, and meat quality of broilers. METHODS: Two hundred 1-day-old broilers were randomly allocated to 5 treatments with 4 replicates of 10 chicks. The dietary treatments included 1) NC (negative control; without EO), 2) PC (positive control; 300 mg commercial EO of oregano/kg diet), 3) SR (300 mg EOs of savory and rosemary/kg diet), 4) SRT (300 mg EOs of savory, rosemary and thyme/kg diet), 5) SRTF (300 mg EOs of savory, rosemary, thyme and fennel/kg diet). RESULTS: Neither PC nor combinations of EOs affected growth performance of broilers. Serum cholesterol reduced (P<0.05) by feeding the blend of EOs compared with NC. The lowest ileal Lactobacillus counts were observed in chicks fed diets supplemented with EO of oregano or SR (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation of oregano EO decreased (P<0.05) lipid peroxidation of thigh meat after 30 and 60 days of frozen storage compared with NC group. CONCLUSIONS: Broilers fed diets supplemented with EOs of oregano or SR had the lowest ileal Lactobacillus spp. counts probably due to their large amount of carvacrol contents which suppress growth and proliferation of Gram-positive bacteria. Contrary to blended EOs, oregano EO did not reduce serum cholesterol concentration, suggesting hypocholesterolemic effect of other compounds except carvacrol in EOs. The highest stability to meat oxidation was achieved in oregano EOs-fed broilers. This antioxidative effect was lower in treatments with less carvacrol contents

BACKGROUND: Gammacoronaviruses, which are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses, are responsible for a wide variety of existing and emerging diseases in birds. The Gammacoronaviruses primarily infect avian hosts. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Gammacoronaviruses in quail population in Iran. METHODS: In the period from 2016 to 2018, samples from 47 quail flocks with or without enteric signs, were collected from four provinces in Iran. RESULTS: Gammacoronavirus was detected in samples of 4 flocks by using RT-PCR and characterized by N gene sequencing. The isolates formed a distinct group from other Gamma- coronaviruses groups. CONCLUSIONS: The finding suggests the existence of a novel Gammacoronavirus circulating in quail farms. The phylogenetic relationship of the isolates concerning different sequences and geographical regions displayed complexity and diversity. The present study is the first detection of Gammacoronavirus in quail farms in Iran. Further studies are required and should include the isolation and experimental studies of Gammacoronaviruses in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Stem cells have great effects in clinical cell-based therapy. Accordingly, controlling the behavior and directing the fate of stem cells cultured in the laboratory is an important issue. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate osteogenic properties of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) which differentiated toward osteogenic linage by osteoblast-imprinted substrate. METHODS: Rat ADSCs seeded on osteoblast-imprinted substrates, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in cellular supernatant of days 7 and 14. Alizarin Red staining of mineral matrix production in day 17 was performed. In order for in vivo evaluation, after seeding differentiated cells on a simple collagen scaffold, samples were implanted in an 8mm critical size calvarial defect. After 4 weeks defect site was harvested and prepared for histopathological examination. RESULTS: ALP in both time points was significantly more than in undifferentiated ADSCs. (p<0.05). Alizarin red staining of differentiated cells showed a great production of mineral matrix nodules in cell culture plate. Histopathological investigations revealed greater amount of new bone formation and mostly in the center of defect, indicate osteoinductive effect of differentiated cells in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The osteoblast-imprinted substrate can mimic the topography and shape of natural osteoblast, which can mechanically direct ADSCs toward osteogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Equine metabolic syndrome is an endocrinopathy that affects different breeds of horses and ponies. This metabolic disorder is a multifactorial syndrome and it is primarily linked to obesity, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. OBJECTIVES: The present study was performed to evaluate insulin resistance in Darehshori horses with regards to age, sex, season and obesity. METHODS: Twelve adult stallions and 14 non-pregnant Darehshori breed mares were selected between January and November 2015. Fourteen horses were under and others were above 10 years old. Body condition scores of the animals were estimated based on Hennekes’ 1 to 9 scoring system, thus, 1 is poor and 9 is extremely fat horse. Body condition score of 12 horses was under 5 and the others above 5. The horses were studied during a period of one year, every 45 days and blood sampling and body condition scoring were performed at each time. Insulin resistance was assessed based on screening test. Serum concentrations of glucose, insulin and leptin were determined. RESUTLS: This study comprehensively used multiple detailed parameters to scan thoroughly the concept of insulin resistance in Darehshori horses on a long term basis. The levels of insulin, glucose and leptin in aged and obese stallions in warmer months were significantly higher than the others and reference range (P<0.05), hence, insulin resistance was detected in these groups of studied animals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings represented insulin resistance phenomenon in a specific breed in Iran. The physiologic characteristics of this breed may be different from other ones and the conditions in Iran such as climate are different from other countries. Hence, it should be considered that Darehshori horses have unique characteristics compared with other breeds. The study may be used as a guideline for evaluating the insulin resistance in Darehshori horses.

BACKGROUND: The harmful, dangerous essence of the veterinary waste of hospitals, clinics and labora- tories and the consequences of their inconsistent management, such as problems caused by lack of planning in separating, storing, collecting, transporting and disposing of them, causes many environmental and health problems. On the other hand, according to clause 11 and 2 of the Special Waste Management Law of the Environment Protection Organization (E.P.O) and the Ministry of Health of Iran, the waste of veterinary clinics isalso hazardous waste due to the presence of a variety of microorganisms harmful to humans and animals (such as anthrax &amp; brucellosis, etc.). OBJECTIVES: The guidelines and checklist of the Environment &amp; World Health Organization (WHO) were used in order to increase awareness of the management of the waste from veterinary centers. METHODS: The answers to the questions were completed by the direct referral of the researcher to 6 pub- lic and private veterinary centers. Statistical evaluation was analyzed using SPSS Version 22. RESUTLS: The results showed that although veterinary waste management in clinics and government laboratories is relatively more favorable than private veterinary clinics, it is far from world health standards. CONCLUSIONS: Application of rules and guidelines, increasing the level of knowledge and staff training at all levels, and continuous monitoring of the collection, transportation and disposal of veterinary waste are necessary.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a highly versatile pathogen of a large number of domestic ani- mals, including avian species. There is limited information about S. aureus isolated from companion and wild birds in Iran. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine drug resistance and random-amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) pattern of S. aureus isolated from birds referred to the pet birds’ clinic of University of Tehran. METHODS: During the study period, 53 isolates of S. aureus were recovered from companion birds of var- ious species using standard bacteriologic procedures and the respective drug resistance patterns were deter- mined for a panel of 30 antimicrobial agents by agar disk-diffusion method. RAPD-PCR was performed with two different 10-bp oligonucleotide primers in a duplex-PCR procedure. RESULTS: The findings of this study demonstrated that S. aureus resistance to oxacillin, clindamycin and methicillin were 58, 53 and 53%, respectively. The multi-drug resistance (MDR) was found among all isolates. The MDR pattern was variable and ranged from 0 to 17 drugs. In total, all 53 isolates generated 43 different resistance patterns. In RAPD-PCR, five different patterns of A, B, C, D and E were found. Among 53 isolates, 20, 62, 3, 9 and 3% belonged to RAPD patterns of A, B, C, D and E, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the widespread antimicrobial resistance among S. aureus isolated from pet birds; in particular, the presence of MRSA isolates. The value of RAPD-PCR for epidemiologic monitoring of S. aureus in pet birds also was noticed

BACKGROUND: Recently, the researches about herbal medicines as substitutes for chemical drugs have risen in number. OBJECTIVES: To add more aspects to this research area, this study evaluated the changes in biochemical factors of the blood serum due to the consumption of Thymus daenensis extract and the effect of the period of its consumption into the diet of herd dogs. METHODS: Eight adult male dogs were chosen and fed with a fixed diet for 1 month. Then they were ran- domly assigned to two groups of four. The members of first (control) group were fed only with the fixed diet and the second group received 200mg/ml, administered as 1ml/kg of Thymus daenensis extract into their fixed diet. Finally, the dogs were bloodlet at 3 different times, namely before intervention, 7 and 14 days after the in- tervention to measure the factors of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferases. RESULTS: Comparing to the control group and the starting point of this experiment, levels of FBS, LDL, TGL, CHOL, AST factors significantly decreased 14 days after intervention, but the HDL factor increased after 7 and 14 days of intervention (P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Consequently, oral consumption of Thymus daenensis extract led to decrease in the amounts of glucose and lipids of blood and this herb can be recommended for treating diabetics and persons suffering from high cholesterol.

BACKGROUND: Canine low-dose sepsis model provides a reliable setting to study innovative drugs. Li- popolysaccharides (LPS), a major constituent of bacterial outer membrane, have been demonstrated to play a critical role in the initiation of pathogenesis. Lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis has been extensively studied in laboratory animals; but its importance has mainly remained unknown in dogs. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present survey was to examine the effectiveness of quercetin, along with hydrocortisone on clinical and hematological alterations, and organ failure (liver and heart) in low-dose lipo- polysaccharide-induced canine sepsis model. METHODS: For this purpose, fifteen clinically healthy mixed dogs were randomly divided into three equal groups. Lipopolysaccharide (0.1 μg/kg, IV) was injected to dogs in group A (control). Group B was similar to group A, but quercetin bolus (2 mg/kg, IV, once) was injected 40 minutes after LPS injection. Group C was similar to group B; however, hydrocortisone bolus (2 mg/kg, IV, once) was administered instead of quercetin. Serum levels of glucose, total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase isoenzyme muscle/brain (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) concentration were measured by commercial kits. RESULTS: In control group, red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (HCT) significant-  ly decreased and serum activities of AST, ALP, LDH, CK-MB, and plasma cTn-I significantly increased (P<0.05). RBCs, Hb, and HCT significantly increased in quercetin group, compared with hydrocortisone and control groups (P<0.05). Quercetin group significantly decreased LDH, CK-MB, and cTn-I compared with hydrocortisone and control groups (P<0.05). Quercetin significantly decreased AST in comparison to control group and ALP in comparison to hydrocortisone group, also (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that quercetin protects RBCs in the early stages of sepsis and de- creases organs dysfunction (heart and liver), therefore it has a positive influence on sepsis and may be more effective than routine corticosteroid (hydrocortisone) therapy.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a highly versatile pathogen of a large number of domestic ani- mals, including avian species. There is limited information about S. aureus isolated from companion and wild birds in Iran. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine drug resistance and random-amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) pattern of S. aureus isolated from birds referred to the pet birds’ clinic of University of Tehran. METHODS: During the study period, 53 isolates of S. aureus were recovered from companion birds of var- ious species using standard bacteriologic procedures and the respective drug resistance patterns were deter- mined for a panel of 30 antimicrobial agents by agar disk-diffusion method. RAPD-PCR was performed with two different 10-bp oligonucleotide primers in a duplex-PCR procedure. RESULTS: The findings of this study demonstrated that S. aureus resistance to oxacillin, clindamycin and methicillin were 58, 53 and 53%, respectively. The multi-drug resistance (MDR) was found among all isolates. The MDR pattern was variable and ranged from 0 to 17 drugs. In total, all 53 isolates generated 43 different resistance patterns. In RAPD-PCR, five different patterns of A, B, C, D and E were found. Among 53 isolates, 20, 62, 3, 9 and 3% belonged to RAPD patterns of A, B, C, D and E, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the widespread antimicrobial resistance among S. aureus isolated from pet birds; in particular, the presence of MRSA isolates. The value of RAPD-PCR for epidemiologic monitoring of S. aureus in pet birds also was noticed.