Farhad Farhang-Pajuh; Mohammad Yakhchali; Karim Mardani
Volume 5, Issue 3 , July 2014, , Pages 181-186
Abstract
Sarcocystis is one of the most prevalent parasites of domestic ruminants worldwide. This study was aimed to determine prevalence of Sarcocystis infection and molecular discrimination of Sarcocystis gigantea and Sarcocystis medusiformis infecting domestic sheep. Tissue samples from 638 sheep slaughtered ...
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Sarcocystis is one of the most prevalent parasites of domestic ruminants worldwide. This study was aimed to determine prevalence of Sarcocystis infection and molecular discrimination of Sarcocystis gigantea and Sarcocystis medusiformis infecting domestic sheep. Tissue samples from 638 sheep slaughtered at Urmia abattoir were randomly collected from February 2011 to January 2012. Genomic DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify a 964 bp fragment of nuclear 18S rRNA gene. The PCR products were subjected to digestion with endonuclease MboII and/or MvaI for discriminating S. medusiformis and S. gigantea. Results indicated that the overall prevalence of Sarcocystis unspecified species was 36.83% (235/638) in which male (7.63%, 38/498) and female (35.00%, 49/140) sheep over 4 years-old had the highest prevalence. There was no significant difference between prevalence of macrosarcocysts and sex. Two macrosarcocysts forms were found as fat (27.90%, 178/638) and thin (8.93%, 57/638) in striated muscles. There was significant difference between frequency of macrosarcocysts and body distribution. Mixed infection with both fat and thin macrosarcocysts was also found in 11.13% (71/638) of infected sheep. There was no significant difference regarding the prevalence of mixed infection in both age classes. The PCR-RFLP patterns showed that fat sarcocysts were S. gigantea (29.31%, 187/638) and thin sarcocysts were S. medusiformis (7.52%, 48/638). It was concluded that ovine Sarcocystis infection was prevalent in Urmia and a combination of conventional methods and molecular study for sheep sarcocysts could be informative.
Tahmineh Gorgani-Firouzjaee; Behzad Pour-Reza; Soraya Naem; Mousa Tavassoli
Volume 4, Issue 3 , September 2013, , Pages 191-194
Abstract
Hedgehogs are small, nocturnal mammals that become popular in the world and have significant role in transmission of zoonotic agents. Some of the agents are transmitted by ticks and fleas such as rickettsial agents. For these reason, a survey on ectoparasites in European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) ...
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Hedgehogs are small, nocturnal mammals that become popular in the world and have significant role in transmission of zoonotic agents. Some of the agents are transmitted by ticks and fleas such as rickettsial agents. For these reason, a survey on ectoparasites in European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) carried out between April 2006 and December 2007 from different parts of Urmia city, west Azerbaijan, Iran. After being euthanized external surface of body of animals was precisely considered for ectoparasites, and arthropods were collected and stored in 70% ethanol solution. Out of 34 hedgehogs 23 hedgehogs (67.70%) were infested with ticks (Rhipicephalus turanicus). Fleas of the species Archaeopsylla erinacei were found on 19 hedgehogs of 34 hedgehogs (55.90%). There was no significant differences between sex of ticks (p > 0.05) but found in fleas (p < 0.05). The prevalence of infestation in sexes and the body condition of hedgehogs (small, medium and large) with ticks and fleas did not show significant differences (p > 0.05). Highest occurrence of infestation in both tick and flea was in June. Among three seasons of hedgehog collection significant differences was observed (p < 0.05). The result of our survey revealed that infestation rate in hedgehog was high. According to zoonotic importance of this ectoparasite and ability to transmission of some pathogens, more studies are needed to investigate hedgehog parasites in different parts of Iran.
Mousa Tavassoli; Mohammad Ghorbanzadehghan; Bijan Esmaeilnejad
Volume 4, Issue 1 , March 2013, , Pages 43-47
Abstract
Infection by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is widespread in humans and many other warm-blooded animals. More than half billion of world human population has serum antibodies to T. gondii and Sheep and goats are more widely infected with T. gondii. T. gondii infection can be diagnosed indirectly ...
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Infection by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is widespread in humans and many other warm-blooded animals. More than half billion of world human population has serum antibodies to T. gondii and Sheep and goats are more widely infected with T. gondii. T. gondii infection can be diagnosed indirectly with serological methods and directly by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), hybridization, isolation and histology. A total number of 124 goats and 113 sheep blood samples were collected from Urmia region and PCR was used for detection of the pathogenic protozoan T. gondii using B1 gene. The targeted B1 gene is highly conserved in all T. gondii strains and is multiple copy genes whit in the T. gondii genome. The method used for the characterization of T. gondii strains implied digestion with AluI restriction enzyme of the fragments amplified. The results indicated three positive sheep (1.26%) with one RFLP patterns. The results indicated that the same strain of T. gondii has infected sheep in the region.
Mosa Tavassoli; Farnaz Malekifard; Ali Soleimanzadeh; Hossein Tajik
Volume 2, Issue 4 , December 2011, , Pages 274-276
Abstract
This survey was carried out to determine the infection rate of Coenurus cerebralis in Urmia abattoir, West Azerbaijan, Iran. A total of 402 sheep heads were examined and the number of C. cerebralis cysts per each head was recorded. Thirty three sheep heads were examined each month during 12 months from ...
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This survey was carried out to determine the infection rate of Coenurus cerebralis in Urmia abattoir, West Azerbaijan, Iran. A total of 402 sheep heads were examined and the number of C. cerebralis cysts per each head was recorded. Thirty three sheep heads were examined each month during 12 months from 2006 to 2007. Of 402 heads, a number of 75 heads (18.65%) were infected with C. cerebralis. The cysts located in the left and right hemispheres and cerebellum were 54.63%, 40.20% and 5.15%, respectively. The infected heads contained 1-4 cysts. The highest and lowest prevalence were detected in sheep in March (42.42%) and in July (2.94%), respectively. The infection rates according to age of sheep were 42.02% in 0.5 to 2 years, 22.50% in 2 to 4 years and 8.92% in older than 4 years. The age specific infection rates among age groups were significantly differed (P < 0.05). Infection rate in Haraki breed (27.77%) was higher comparing to the rate in the Ghezel breed (21.13%) and Makoie breed (23.91%). However differences between sheep breeds were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
