Veterinary Research Forum最新文献

This study investigated carbendazim (CBZ)-induced hepatic dysfunction and the mechanistic pathway regarding the protective effect of melatonin (MEL). Twenty-eight male rats were grouped as follows: Control, CBZ (150 mg kg^-1), MEL (20.00 mg kg^-1), and CBZ + MEL. The experiment was conducted for 60 days. Tissue samples were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin and immuno-fluorescence methods to examine apoptotic pathway. Also, hepatic enzymes and miR-122 expression were evaluated. The findings indicated that the CBZ group exhibited an increase in degenerated hepatocytes, hyperemia of sinusoids, and leukocyte infiltration, accompanied by elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as up-regulation of miR-122. Also, there was a significant increase in the fluorescence intensities of caspase-3 and Bax in the CBZ group, whereas a substantial reduction in the fluorescence intensity of Bcl-2 was recorded. In contrast, the simultaneous administration of MEL alongside CBZ was shown to be effective in improving histological structure, decreasing levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, reducing the apoptosis index, and modulating the expression of miR-122 in comparison with the CBZ-only group. The increased expression of miR-122 noted in the CBZ group may correlate with an elevation in the immunoreactivity of apoptosis markers and alterations in liver architecture. Additionally, MEL seems to alleviate CBZ-induced hepatotoxicity by down-regulating miR-122 expression, diminishing the fluorescence intensity of caspase-3 and Bax, and enhancing the immunoreactivity of Bcl-2. Collectively, the regulation of miR-122 may serve as a potential mechanism by which MEL confers its protective effects against liver damage induced by CBZ.

The efficacy of eucalyptol on testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of eucalyptol on I/R injury induced by testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) in rats. A total of 32 rats were divided into four groups, including control, T/D, E100 (T/D + 100 mg kg^-1 eucalyptol administered 30 min prior to torsion), and E200 (T/D + 200 mg kg^-1 eucalyptol administered 30 min prior to torsion). Testicular T/D was induced in the left testis via a 720° clockwise torsion for 3 hr, followed by 3 hr of detorsion. Testicular tissues were harvested for histopathological, immunohistochemical including cleaved caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax), Bcl-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and biochemical parameter as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (rGSH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), vitamin C, and malondialdehyde (MDA) analyses. In the T/D group, significant reductions in GPx, rGSH, G6PD, and vitamin C levels were observed, alongside increased MDA levels compared to the control group. Immuno-histochemically, the T/D group exhibited increased expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, along with decreased expression of Bcl-2 and PCNA, compared to the control group. Histologically, Johnsen and Cosentino scores were irregular in the T/D group. Pre-treatment with eucalyptol resulted in reduced MDA, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax levels, while GPx, rGSH, vitamin C, G6PD, PCNA, and Bcl-2 levels increased. Additionally, improvements in Cosentino and Johnsen scores and histopathological damage were observed. These findings suggest that eucalyptol may exert a protective effect against I/R injury caused by testicular T/D, likely due to its anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a significant disease in the cattle industry worldwide. The interaction between environmental factors, hosts, livestock management, and viral and bacterial pathogens causes this disease. Viruses are crucial in the initiation and progression of BRD. This study was the first to investigate the prevalence of BRD viruses using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method in nasal and eye conjunctival swabs and blood samples of 115 BRD calves in the central desert of Iran. At least one investigated virus was detected in 44 animals (38.26%). The detection rates of bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine coronavirus, bovine adenovirus, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine herpes virus-1, and bovine para influenza virus-3 were 20.00, 14.78, 5.21, 0.86, 0.00, and 0.00%, respectively. Three animals (2.60%) had a simultaneous infection with two viruses. Detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine coronavirus, and bovine adenovirus was correlated. The virus infection rates were 31.81 and 44.66% in five sampled cities. The virus detection rate in infected animals was related to the nose (26 animals; 50.09%), nose and eyes (seven animals; 15.90%), eyes (seven animals; 15.90%), nose, eyes, and blood (three animals; 6.81%), and blood (one animal; 2.27%) samples. The virus detection rate in different samples was in separate clusters. Monitoring and controlling the circulation of bovine viral diarrhea virus and bovine coronavirus in the central desert of Iran is vital due to the high detection rate. Our results highlight the necessity of investigating other viruses and bacterial agents related to the BRD in the study area.

Vertebrate skeletons can be considered as a combination of apparently separate units, which has attracted the attention of comparative anatomists. The Luristan newt (Neurergus kaiseri) is one of the newt species native to Iran, inhabiting a limited area in the southern Zagros Mountain range. The present study investigated the typical morphometrical characteristics of the normal, mature, and healthy Luristan newt vertebral column using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). For this study, five female and five male specimens of Luristan newt were utilized. The typical morphological characteristics of the vertebral column were then examined. To facilitate the description of different regions of the vertebral column, abbreviations were employed: "T" for trunk vertebrae, "S" for sacral vertebrae, "Cd-S" for caudosacral vertebrae, and "Cd" for caudal vertebrae. All parameters, including vertebral body height, vertebral body length, spinous process height, spinal canal width, and spinal canal height, exhibited significant differences throughout the vertebral column. The highest vertebral body height in both sexes was recorded in T₁₀. The highest vertebral body length in both sexes was observed in T₁₂. The highest spinous process height in both sexes was recorded in Cd₃. The highest spinal canal width in both sexes was recorded in the atlas. The maximum spinal canal height in both sexes was also recorded in the atlas. The lowest values in all parameters were observed in the last caudal vertebra. This study presents a comprehensive description and morphometric evaluation of the vertebral column in Luristan newt with micro-CT.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses a group of chronic inflammatory conditions that primarily impact the gastrointestinal system. While ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the principal manifestations in humans, animals frequently exhibit lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis/colitis and eosinophilic enteritis/colitis. Growing evidence suggests a complex interplay among genetic predisposition, gut microbiota imbalance and abnormal immune responses to intestinal microbes in susceptible individuals. This intricate involvement results in remarkably similar clinical presentations across species. Patients often experience symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss and anemia. Extraintestinal manifestations including uveitis, skin rash and arthritis may also occur. Endoscopy and biopsy typically serve as the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis and differentiating it from other gastrointestinal disorders in humans and animals. The treatment approach generally focuses on managing disease activity through immunosuppressive medications such as glucocorticoids, administered at appropriate dosages. However, the precise cause of IBD remains a topic of ongoing research. With the emergence of additional treatment options like herbal compounds and fecal microbiota transplantation, which have demonstrated effectiveness in restoring gut health in IBD patients, there is optimism for novel therapeutic strategies. Ultimately, conclusion is that chronic gastrointestinal conditions like IBD are complex in both human and veterinary medicine. These diseases share numerous common pathophysiological features, yet, diagnostic and treatment challenges continue to exist.

The transmission of Escherichia coli (E. coli) containing virulent genes from animals to humans and the environment poses significant public health challenges. This study aimed to detect the virulence factor of the E. coli heme-utilization gene A (chuA) in E. coli isolated from the feces of apparently healthy horses in the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. The study utilized 52 fecal samples from a total horse population of 283, calculated using the disease detection formula. Fresh feces were collected immediately after excretion and placed in buffered peptone water for subsequent analysis. The samples were then isolated on eosin methylene blue media and identified using biochemical tests. Identified E. coli strains were further examined for detecting the chuA gene using polymerase chain reaction techniques. The E. coli was successfully isolated and identified in 11 (21.15%) of the 52 collected fecal samples. Polymerase chain reaction analysis detected the chuA gene in 8 (15.38%) E. coli isolates at 279 bp on gel electrophoresis. The close interaction between horses and humans in the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia, may facilitate the spread of E. coli. Thus, surveillance is needed to employ a One Health approach to monitor E. coli strains encoding the chuA gene and other virulence factors to control their dissemination.

The natural polymer poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is converted to β-hydroxybutyric acid, which is similar to short-chain fatty acids, via microbial fermentation and host enzyme breakdown. This study investigated the impact of different PHB concentrations (Control, 1.00, 3.00, and 5.00% substitution) on growth performances and fish welfare in common carp fingerlings. After a 60-day trial, fish fed on diet containing 1.00% PHB exhibited significantly higher weight gain and improved feed conversion efficiency compared to the control group. Furthermore, analysis of enzymatic activity showed elevated levels of total protease and amylase in PHB-fed treatments compared to the control. Red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels remained unaffected and a significant increase in white blood cell count was observed in fish fed on diets containing 1.00 and 3.00% PHB compared to the control group. Furthermore, fish fed on diets containing 1.00 and 3.00% PHB demonstrated significantly higher total protein levels and lower glucose concentrations as well as reduced hepatic enzyme activities (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) compared to both the control and 5.00% PHB groups. Assessment of antioxidant and immune parameters revealed significantly increased complement hemolytic activity and immunoglobulin M levels coupled with decreased malondialdehyde concentrations in the plasma of PHB-fed fish compared to the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with PHB, especially at the 1.00% level, enhanced growth performance and improved nutritional and health indicators in the fingerlings. These findings suggested that PHB had the potential to be a valuable dietary additive for this species.

During the fifth month of 2024, many outbreaks of the avian influenza virus occurred in Vietnam, during which the first human infected with avian influenza A (H5N1) was reported. Therefore, influenza control strategies including vaccine production are necessary for poultry and improving the number of candidate vaccine viruses that do not replicate well in eggs for vaccine production. We previously reported that the ST-2009 virus had a negative propagation capacity in eggs. Chimeric neuraminidase (NA) genes were generated by replacing the 5' and 3' packaging signals of PR8 A/PR/8/34 strain with the coding region of the NA genes of ST-2009. Compared to those of the control, the new viruses containing chimeric NA genes exhibited significantly greater hemagglutination titers in embryonated chicken eggs. This study showed that the packaging efficiency of new viruses containing chimeric NA and replacing chimeric NAs improved the hemagglutination titer of viruses that were unable to propagate in eggs.

Pseudorabies (PR), an infectious disease caused by PR virus (PRV), has had a significant impact the development of the swine industry in China. Moreover, the public threat posed by PRV has raised widespread concern, with over 30 documented cases of PRV infection in humans in China. Various vaccines have been developed to prevent and control PR in China, primarily including inactivated vaccines and attenuated live vaccines. However, the extensive use of attenuated live vaccines and the presence of the field PRV strain in pig farm may increase the likelihood of recombination. In this study, we isolated a PRV variant strain (designated HuN-YY) from a piglet that had been immunized with the HB-98 vaccine strain in Hunan province and explored its genetic and biological features. The results showed that the gE, TK and gD genes of HuN-YY exhibited the highest sequence similarity with those of PRV variants, while the gC gene showed high homology with classical PRV strains. In addition, HuN-YY strain exhibited similar replication features compared to those of HB-98 and variant strains. Its pathogenesis in a mouse model was significantly lower than that of the variant strain. Collectively, these results provide clear evidence of genomic recombination of the HuN-YY strain, which will offer guidance for the future prevention and control of PR.

The Iraqi indigenous chicken (IIC) is a native breed known for its remarkable ability to thrive in harsh environments. However, the primary challenge with this breed is its lower productivity levels especially when compared to commercial strains. This study evaluated the performance of 120 layers of IIC in comparison with an equal number of Hy-Line W-80 layers across multiple traits including feed efficiency (FE), feed conversion ratio (FCR), daily feed intake (DFI), egg mass (EM) and total egg number (EN) production. Over a period spanning four consecutive weeks intervals significant differences were observed between the two lines across all measured parameters. Hy-Line W-80 consistently exhibited superior FE, with values ranging from 0.49 to 0.54 compared to IIC values that ranged from 0.23 to 0.26. Similarly, Hy-Line W-80 demonstrated lower FCR values ranging from 1.85 to 2.03 contrasting with IIC (3.77 to 4.37). The DFI was notably higher in Hy-Line W-80 (ranging from 104.30 to 106.00 g per day) compared to IIC (73.75 to 90.20 g per day). Furthermore, Hy-Line W-80 consistently outperformed IIC in EM production with values ranging from 52.33 to 56.67 compared to IIC values (19.83 to 21.47). Another superiority of Hy-Line W-80 was observed by showing higher EN over IIC layers in all sixteen weeks of investigation. In conclusion, Hy-Line W-80 consistently outperformed IIC in various parameters such as FE, FCR, DFI, EM and EN production. Accordingly, these data could be exploited in selective breeding and genetic improvement strategies to enhance the productivity of IIC.