Veterinary Research Forum最新文献

The non-structural protein (nsp) 8 of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is highly stable across different PEDV strains and plays an important role in PEDV virulence. In current study, nsp8 prokaryotic expression vectors were constructed based on parental vectors pMAL-c2x-maltose binding protein (MBP) and pET-28a (+). Subsequently, the optimization of expression conditions in Escherichia coli, including induced temperature, time and isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside concentration were performed to obtain a stable expression of MBP-nsp8 and nsp8. The nsp8 fused with MBP increased the water solubility of the expressed products. Target proteins were further purified from E. coli culture and their immunogenicities were evaluated in vivo by mice. The antibody titers of serum from nsp8 immunized mice were up to 1:7,750,000 when measured by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; meanwhile, the mice immunized with MBP-nsp8 gave an antibody titer reaching 1:1,000,000. In all, the expression and purification system of PEDV nsp8 and MBP-nsp8 were successfully established in this work and a strong immune response was elicited in mice by both purified nsp8 and MBP-nsp8, providing a basis for the study of the structure and function of PEDV nsp8.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) cripples livestock by imparting devastating effects to economy. A good vaccine is the key to stopping it, but due to instability of 146S of FMDV, it is becoming difficult. This is bad because only 146S can fight against disease and its dissociation ultimately leads to decreased potency of vaccine. This study aimed to preserve the integrity of 146S in vaccine using different inactivators and preservatives. Foot-and-mouth Disease virus type 'O' was propagated on baby hamster kidney 21 cell lines and inactivated using formalin or binary ethylenimine (BEI). Size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed minimal 146S loss after double inactivation with formalin and BEI. This inactivated virus was further formulated into oil-based vaccine with sodium thiomersal or chloroform as a preservative. Our findings demonstrated that chloroform outperformed thiomersal in maintaining shelf life of vaccine. This claims that the combined approach of double inactivation with formalin and BEI followed by chloroform as preservative offered a promising strategy for developing efficacious FMDV.

Thymoma is one of the thymic epithelial tumors arising from the thymic epithelial cells of a variety of animal species including cat, cattle, dog, goat, horse, and pig. The cancer cells of thymoma are always localized within thymus. Feline thymoma was usually identified in the cranial mediastinum of elder cats. In this report, we present the full diagnostic characteristics of a young cat with a cranial mediastinal mass diagnosed as a cystic type B1 thymoma. A 3-year-old male neutered domestic short-haired cat was referred for further diagnosis due to the shortness of breath and pleural accumulation. One single cystic extra-pericardial mass was seen and the boundary between the mass and the surrounding tissue was clearly demarcated in three-view thoracic radiographs. Ultrasound showed pleural effusion and intra-thoracic mass. Pleural fluid biochemistry showed high level of triglycerides and complete blood count revealed the elevated number of basophils and high level of feline serum amyloid A (fSAA). Pleural effusion sediment cytology showed a large number of round cells, mainly small lymphocytes, as well as a moderate number of neutrophils and a small number of large lymphocytes. The high level of triglycerides in pleural fluid instead of serum and high level of fSAA seem to provide informative clues to the diagnosis of thymoma and are worthy of further investigation.

A 16-year-old male mixed-breed dog presented with a mass with hemorrhage at the right conjunctiva. Five months after the initial visit, the right eye protruded and had a firm and irregular mass measuring approximately 1.00 cm in diameter with conjunctival hemorrhage. Microscopically, the mass was comprised polygonal or round tumor cells with distinct cell borders arranged in a nested and diffuse pattern. The tumor cells had round-to-oval fine hyperchromatic nuclei containing distinct multiple nucleoli and abundant eosinophilic or pale cytoplasm. Multiple giant cells were frequently observed. The mitotic index was 12.60/high power field. Extensive necrosis, hemorrhage and part of the cord-like and papillary epithelioid cells were observed in the intra-tumor tissue. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin and negative for cytokeratin, desmin and PNL2. On the other hand, the cord-like and papillary epithelioid cells were positive for vimentin, S100 and neuron-specific enolase. The tumor was diagnosed as an epithelioid leiomyosarcoma. This case considered to have occurred in the ocular region, although the ocular structure was destroyed.

The aims of current investigation were to study the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and expression profile of Myostatin (MSTN), Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I), Myogenin (MyoG) and Myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4) genes in three commercial broiler strains including Ross (Ross 308), Cobb (Cobb 500), and Arian in 2023. A total number of 240 one-day-old chicks were reared under an equalized standard management condition for 6 weeks. Performance, organ weights, meat quality and the expression level of the myogenic genes in the pectoral muscle were investigated. The lowest body weight (BW), feed intake, weight gain and highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed for Arian at the end of the study. The meat quality was similar between strains. The IGF-I expression level was significantly higher on 42 days of age in Cobb compared to Ross and Arian. The MRF4 expression level was significantly higher on 28 days of age in Cobb compared to Ross. The MyoG expression level was significantly lower in Arian compared to Cobb on 42 days of age. Furthermore, the MSTN expression level was significantly lower in Cobb compared to Ross and Arian on 42 days of age. The remarkable differences in gene expression levels at the end of the rearing period was supported by higher growth performance and BW of Cobb compared to Ross and Arian strains. In conclusion, the findings of current study could conveniently help assess the performance of these broiler strains under similar rearing condition.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is considered as one of the most important contagious viral diseases affecting cloven-footed animals. For effective control of FMD, immunization along with herd immunity is essential in the field conditions. To assure and track the coverage and effectiveness of the vaccination program, the serological studies are very much required after the vaccination program. The present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against structural proteins of FMD virus (FMDV) serotypes of O, A and Asia-1 in seven districts of western Uttar Pradesh, India, and assure the efficacy of vaccination under National Animal Disease Control Program. A total of 308 sera samples were collected from apparent healthy vaccinated cattle and buffaloes from seven districts including Amroha, Baghpat, Bareilly, Bulandsahar, Gautam Budh Nagar, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar of western Uttar Pradesh, India. Determination of antibodies against structural proteins of FMDV was carried out using solid-phase blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protective level of the FMDV serotypes O, A and Asia-1 included in the inactivated trivalent vaccine was 66.55, 48.05 and 47.08% in bovines, respectively. To provide the higher level of protection against the circulating FMDV, the present study recommended the thorough investigation of the immunogenic interaction between the vaccine strains and the field strains. Further investigations should also be conducted with larger sample size and across diverse geographical regions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of herd immunity.

The present study investigated the prospect of improvement in pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of marbofloxacin due to alpha-1-monolaurin pre-treatment in broiler chickens. Two groups of broilers were administered a single oral dose of marbofloxacin (5.00 mg kg^-1 body weight): Group-I without pre-treatment and Group-II with alpha-1-monolaurin pre-treatment (4.00 g kg^-1 feed for 10 days). Blood sampling was done periodically for both groups and plasma marbofloxacin concentrations were determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters using non-compartmental modelling approach were calculated with the PKSolver software. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in plasma marbofloxacin concentrations between the two groups at 1, 2, and 24 hr. Group-II birds exhibited a higher mean maximum plasma concentration (2.43 µg mL^-1) at an earlier time (T_max: 1.38 hr) compared to Group-I. The plasma concentrations of marbofloxacin were maintained above 0.10 and 0.18 µg mL^-1 up to 24 hr in Group-I and Group-II broilers, respectively. Significant differences were observed in PK parameters such as the area under the curve and total body clearance. The mean relative oral bioavailability of Group-II birds compared to Group-I was 119.61%. The findings of the study provided evidence of PK parameters enhancement of marbofloxacin in the alpha-1-monolaurin pre-treated group. The calculated PK-pharmacodynamic indices for marbofloxacin predicted clinical efficaciousness in the broiler chickens.

An internationally recognized syndrome that leads to deaths among domestic and ornamental pigeons, particularly after racing, is young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS). Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) is regarded as one of the potential factors contributing to the occurrence of YPDS. This survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of PiCV infection and molecularly characterize the PiCV in pigeons suspected of YPDS. Eighty fecal samples were collected from 80 diseased pigeons (exhibiting symptoms such as lethargy, weight loss, crop stasis, vomiting and diarrhea) from 20 lofts in different areas of Ahvaz, Iran. Also, 20 fecal samples were obtained from 20 clinically healthy pigeons. The nested broad spectrum polymerase chain reaction test was done to identify the circovirus, using primers targeting part of the replication-associated protein gene with 350 bp, and several positive samples were sequenced. This study showed that PiCV was detected in 86 out of the 100 samples (86.00%). Two types of circoviruses were determined in the samples. One type of the detected circoviruses was PiCV which based on phylogenetic analysis had high genetic similarity with A, B, G and H genotypes of PiCV. The other type of detected circoviruses was closely related to beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) which causes one of the most significant viral diseases in psittacine birds. This is the first report of BFDV identification in pigeons.

A 35-day study investigated the impact of carbon sources and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios on the microbial community of biofloc. For this purpose, we utilized a combination of phospho-lipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profiles and DNA-based sequencing methods to investigate changes in the microbial community composition and structure. The experiment involved three carbon sources including Dextrin (DEX), corn starch (CS) and wheat bran (WB) at two C/N ratios (19 and 30). The results indicated that WB and CS were found to decrease nitrogen metabolite concentration while increasing total suspended solids and bacterial density compared to DEX. The treatments exhibited variations in microbial communities and the use of polymerase chain reaction/ denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed distinct dominant bacterial species linked to carbon sources and C/N ratios. Furthermore, the highest levels of bacteria and protozoa PLFAs biomarkers were observed in the C/N30 ratio and WB treatment while the ratio for poly-β-hydroxybutyrate/PLFAs and fungi biomarkers displayed a decrease. Also, by incorporating the results of PLFAs profile and conducting a principal component analysis, the treatments were categorized into distinct groups based on both the carbon source and C/N ratios. Overall, both methods yield consistent results. PLFAs offered additional insights into the microbial composition beyond bacterial structure while DNA-based analysis provided finer taxonomic resolution.

Linguatula serrata can infect most ruminants and cause accidental infections in humans. It is a causative parasite of linguatulosis, a disease that not only produces economic losses in cattle but also represents a public health risk due to its zoonotic nature. This study aimed to explore the clinical and pathological findings of pulmonary linguatulosis in a rabbit. The most striking clinical findings in the deceased rabbits were wheezing and labored breathing. Grossly, the most prominent morphological changes in the lungs were well-circumscribed, flat or slightly raised, solitary grayish-white nodular lesions, and consolidated areas. The characteristically tongue-shaped developmental forms of parasites were observed on the cut surface of the lung. Histopathologically, the most noticeable morphological changes in the lung parenchyma were diffuse thickening of the inter-alveolar septum, fibrinoid necrotic vasculitis, medial smooth muscle cells hypertrophy of the arteries, alveolar emphysema, longitudinal and transverse sections of L. serrata nymphs and extra-medullary hematopoietic foci (megakaryocytes). The morphological appearance of the nymphs showed multiple transverse grooves, saw-like cuticles, peri-buccal hooks and acidophilic glands. In conclusion, these findings reveal the etiopathological diagnosis of linguatulosis and suggest that the lungs might be a target organ in addition to the liver and lymph nodes.