This study was conducted on the genital tract of 214 ewes in Basrah province. The specimens were randomly collected from Basrah slaughter house within the period from ' December 2003 to April 2004. l The study aimed to evaluate and describe the different types of abnormalities affecting the genital tract of ewes both grossly and microscopically. - ‘ ' The gross examination of collected specimens was confirmed by histological examination. Pathological changes were found in 46% of the total cases. Uterine abnormalities comprised (70%) whereas ovarian abnormalities comprised (24%) and oviduct abnormalities were (6%).The commonest pathological conditions of the uterus was endometritislwhich comprised (24.76%) of pathological conditions. followed by endometrial hyperplasiai (2.33%) and pyometra (1:86 %). V I T The commonest abnormalities of the ovary are ovarian cysts (4.2%), followed by Para ovarian cysts (3.27%) and ovarobursal adhesion (2.8%). _ The abnormalities of the oviduct were less common and hydrosalpinx was the - commonest lesion (0.93 %). _ . 2 _ Neither congenital nor neoplastic abnormalities were detected in this study. . ' The study concluded that acquired pathological conditions are the major causes of abnormalities of the genital tract, of which endometritis is the most common. Thus,‘ the low reproductive rate of ewes may be attributed to that fact.

The microbial quality of beef carcasses, sanitary conditions in butchers’ shops and possibility of the presence of human pathogens associated with food poisoning outbreaks such as salmonella and staphylococci was investigated in 160 samples of beef carcasses, cutting blocks, knives, workers’ hands and air (32 samples for each) during January and ended in June. All samples examined bacteriologically for aerobic plate count, total coliform count, Staphylococcus aureus count and an attempt was made for isolation and identification Salmonella spp. This study have shown that there was a gradual increment in the count of all microorganisms starting in January and ending with June, the minimum mean of aerobic plate count of beef carcasses was 27.32x104 cfu/cm2 in January where as the maximum mean was 79.94x104 cfu/cm2 in June, the minimum mean of total coliform count was 0.67x103 cfu/cm2 in January and the maximum mean was 1.16x103 cfu/cm2 in June. The minimum mean of Staphylococcus aureus count was 7.36x102 cfu/cm2 in January whereas the maximum mean was 27.11x102 cfu/cm2 in June. The same results were observed in the cutting blocks, knives, and workers’ hands concerning the minimum and maximum mean count of the studied bacteria. Salmonella could not be isolated from any examined samples and the percentage of Coagulase positive Staph. aureus which were isolated from beef carcasses, cutting blocks, knives and workers’ hands samples was 100%.

The aim of this study was to determine the interaction between the Newcastle disease and Infectious bursal disease vaccines commonly used in the field to control these two important viral diseases. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test was employed to measure the antibody titers in chicks sera to ND.IBD vaccine was showed to have adverse effect on the ND vaccine were as the reverse was not true. The results obtained also revealed that better antibody response against ND vaccine was detected when ND vaccine was administered before IBD vaccine. The deleterious effect of IBD vaccine on antibody levels against ND vaccine was low when IBD vaccine was administered at 14 days of age as compared to 7 days of chicken age. No great variation in the antibody titers when chicks were administered ND vaccine containing LaSota or Hitchner B1strain of the virus were observed, although slight better antibody responses were noted for LaSota over HitchnerB1 strain. Vaccination of chicks with ND vaccine of LaSota strain at 7 days followed by vaccination with IBD vaccine at 14 days yielded better antibody titers than Hitchner B1.

The amount of four minerals (Magnesium, Calcium, Selenium and copper) and total protein of hydatid cysts fluid obtained from lung and liver of sheep and cow was checked. Magnesium (Mg+2) and calcium (Ca+2) showed higher levels in cysts of sheep than those of cow which was (8.38, 29.11, 7.90, 25.70 mmol/L) respectively whereas the selenium (Se+) and copper (Cu+) showed a little differences in both species. Total protein amonts were found to have wide range in both animal species.

Objective—To determine whether selection for the homozygous A136R171 genotype that confers resistance to classic scrapie infection negatively affects production traits in sheep. Animals—996 commercial lambs obtained from 2 flocks at separate locations across 3 consecutive years. Procedures—Genotyping at codon 136 and 171 was performed by use of commercially available testing or a single-nucleotide polymorphism assay. Carcass data were collected without knowledge of genotype approximately 24 hours after slaughter by an experienced grader. The model to analyze associations between prion protein (PRNP) genotype and production traits was based on genotype, breed, or both as fixed effects and days on feed as a covariate. Results—Average daily gain was significantly associated with only combined codons 136 and 171. In flock 1, weaning average daily gain was significantly greater in AA136 sheep than heterozygotes; the difference between QR171 and RR171 sheep, compared with QQ171 sheep, were not significant although QR171 and RR171 sheep had higher values. However, in flock 2, average daily gain was significantly greater in AV136 sheep than AA136 sheep and in QR171 sheep than QQ171 sheep. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings suggest there is an advantage for average daily gain in lambs with an arginine allele at codon 171, but there were no other genotype effects on production traits. Thus, selection for the resistant arginine allele at codon 171 to comply with USDA scrapie eradication guidelines should not be detrimental to lamb production in commercial flocks. Effects of codon 136 on average daily gain were ambiguous.

The toxic effects of an aqueous extract of Abrus precatorius were studied in 20 male white rats over a period of 18 days. The rats were divided into four groups of five rats per group. Those in Group A served as controls while the rats in Groups B, C and D were dosed per os with 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg and 1 600 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. Blood samples were collected for haematological and biochemical analysis and specimens of the liver, kidney and testes were taken for histopathological studies. The study showed that the extract of A. precatorius caused decreased levels of packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin. The extract also resulted in increased levels of total serum protein, albumin, alanine amino transaminase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin. Histologically, testicular degeneration characterized by decreased numbers of lining cells of the epithelium as well as reduction in sperm cells with presence of scattered Sertoli cells were noted. The study thus showed that aqueous extract of Abrus precatorius is toxic and caution should be exercised in its use for medicinal purpose.

The viruses causing the economically important livestock diseases of African horse sickness (AHS) and bluetongue (BT) are transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera, Cerato po gonidae). In the Old World the most important vectors of these diseases are Culicoides imicola Kieffer, 1913, Culicoides brevitarsis Kieffer, 1917 and Culicoides bolitinos Meiswinkel, 1989. All three of these vectors belong to the Imicola complex of the subgenus Avaritia Fox, 1955. This species complex now comprises 12 sibling species; ten occur in sub-Saharan Africa and are difficult to identify (based mostly on subtle variations in the wing patterns) and so additional methods of reliable identification are needed. The pupal exuviae of the five commonest sibling species (C. imicola, C. bolitinos, Culicoides loxodontis Meiswinkel, 1992, Culicoides tuttifrutti Meiswinkel, Cornet & Dyce, 2003 and Culicoides sp. # 107) harvested from a variety of large herbivore dung types and from decaying fruits, are described and illustrated in detail. It is shown that they can be differentiated clearly on a number of morphological characters and, furthermore, are separable into two distinct groups based (principally) on the shape of the respiratory organ. A key for identifying and differentiating these five pupae is provided. Also, the pupa of the Oriental-Australasian C. brevitarsis was compared with its allopatric sister taxon, C. bolitinos. Because they share a common larval habitat (cattle and buffalo dung) and are almost inseparable in the adult phenotype, the question of their possible synonymy is raised. However, their respective pupae could not be differentiated on gross morphology and so it is argued that this unresolved problem requires a molecular solution.

The importance of milk for the growth and health of a newborn offspring is well known. Milk contains immunoglobulin G (Ig G), Ig A, lactoperoxidase, lactoferin, cytokines, and growth factors. Osteopontin, one of the multifunctional proteins, is secreted by macrophages, T cell, and epithelial cells. Although osteopontin production in bovine milk have been documented, the precise expression levels in bovine milk have not been clarified. The aim of this study was to observe the expression of osteopontin, in bovine milk during the lactation period or bovine mammary glands.

Streptococcus spp. comprising Streptococcus (S.) uberis and S. dysgalactiae strains is major cause of bovine mastitis from particularly well-managed or low somatic cell count herds that have successfully controlled contagious pathogens. In this study, antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic characteristics of S. uberis isolated from clinical or subclinical mastitis milk at 2003 were investigated. Eighty seven isolates of Streptococcus spp. were identified by the conventional biochemical methods. The antimicrobial susceptibility by disk diffusion method was determined for 46 S. uberis, 11 S. bovis, 10 S. oralis, 6 S. uberis and 14 other Streptococcus spp., Overall, the tested strains were susceptible to tetracycline (11.5%), amikacin (14.9%), streptomycin (16.1%), neomycin (26.4%), kanamycin (35.6%), gentamicin (65.2%), oxacillin (70.1%), ampicillin (75.9%), chloramphenicol (78.2%), and cephalothin (97.7%).