Farzad Mousafarkhani; Ali Asghar Sarchahi; Hadi Mohebalian; Javad Khoshnegah; Mohammad Arbabi
Volume 14, Issue 3 , March 2023, , Pages 153-160
Abstract
Canine distemper virus (CDV) is responsible for high morbidity and mortality in dogs worldwide. Epidemiological study of canine distemper can help to control and treat the disease in any area. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CDV in dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital from September ...
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Canine distemper virus (CDV) is responsible for high morbidity and mortality in dogs worldwide. Epidemiological study of canine distemper can help to control and treat the disease in any area. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CDV in dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital from September 23, 2018 to September 22, 2019. Dogs with at least two clinical signs of canine distemper underwent blood tests, rapid test kit from the eye and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and RT-PCR from whole blood and/or CSF samples. Out of 1212 referred dogs, 112 dogs were suspected to have canine distemper of which 90 underwent RT-PCR and rapid test kits. The disease prevalence was 4.04% (49/1212) and 7.44% (49/659) according to the total number of referring dogs and number of referring sick dogs, respectively. The distemper fatality rate was 69.57% (32/46). Seventy percent of distemper positive cases were under 12 months old and 52.08% were under 6 months old. Female dogs were more susceptible than males; however, the fatality rate of males was more than females. Of distemper positive dogs, 91.84% were unvaccinated. The highest prevalence (71.43%) of dogs diagnosed with CDV occurred during the cold seasons. It is concluded that canine distemper is endemic in the geographical area of Mashhad and its prevalence rate in dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is 4.04% and its fatality rate is 69.57%. This indicates that a significant number of dogs may die if they develop distemper despite treatment.
Parasitology
Sadaf Sabzevari; Gholamreza Razmi; Abolghasem Naghibi; Javad Khoshnegah
Volume 7, Issue 1 , March 2016, , Pages 55-61
Abstract
Dog is the main reservoir host of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. The present study was carried out to investigate visceral leishmaniasis in owned dogs with dermal lesions in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province. Thirty- nine owned dogs with dermal lesions were selected. During study, four of dogs were ...
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Dog is the main reservoir host of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. The present study was carried out to investigate visceral leishmaniasis in owned dogs with dermal lesions in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province. Thirty- nine owned dogs with dermal lesions were selected. During study, four of dogs were euthanized. The dermal smears, blood and tissue samples were collected and examined using parasitological, serological and molecular methods. A total of 39 examined dogs, leishman bodies were microscopically detected in 33.30% (13/39) of dermal smears. The sera samples were tested by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Antibody against Leishmania infantum was detected in 26.00% (10/39) dogs. According to semi-nested PCR, DNA of Leishmania infantum was detected in 2.50% (1/39) of blood samples and in 75.00 % (3/4) of different tissues of euthanized dogs. BLAST analysis of the sequenced samples indicated a 99.00% similarity with kDNA of Leishmania infantum. Based on the results, it is concluded that visceral leishmaniasis due to L. infantum is distributed among household dogs of this area and it needs more surveillance to control the disease by public health and veterinary authorities.
Microbiology
Massoud Talebkhan Garoussi; Mohsen Mehravaran; Gholamreza Abdollahpour; Javad Khoshnegah
Volume 6, Issue 4 , December 2015, , Pages 301-304
Abstract
The importance of cats in the Leptospira epidemiology is due to the possibility of transferring leptospirosis to wild and domesticated animals. The purpose of this survey was to determine the prevalence of Leptospira infection in shorthair cats in different location of Mashhad, Iran. Totally, 147 blood ...
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The importance of cats in the Leptospira epidemiology is due to the possibility of transferring leptospirosis to wild and domesticated animals. The purpose of this survey was to determine the prevalence of Leptospira infection in shorthair cats in different location of Mashhad, Iran. Totally, 147 blood samples were taken from 42 (28.57%), 52 (35.37%) and 53 (36.05%) households, stray and cats which lived in industrial dairy cattle herds of Mashhad, Iran, respectively. Sera were tested with seven live Leptospira antigens using microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Sera with 50.00% agglutination at the dilution of ≥ 1/100 were considered as positive samples. Agglutination at dilutions of < 1/100 considered as suspected to Leptospira infection. Overall, 19 (12.92%) out of 147 cats showed reaction in MAT. The seroprevalence at a titer ≥ 1:100 and < 1:100 were 10 (6.80%) and 9 (6.12%), respectively. Serum samples showed positive reaction against Leptospira intterogans hardjo (no = 10; 52.63%), pomona (no = 5; 26.31%) and icterohaemorrhagiae (no = 4; 21.05%). Eight cats (42.10%) belong to dairy cattle herds had the most infection only by L. I. hardjo with 1:200 titer. There were no significant differences among the weight‚ age and sex of infected cats. However, there were significant differences between the infected cats in dairy cattle herds and the cats in the urban area (p < 0.05). It is concluded that cats can be infected by Leptospira spp. especially in commercial dairy cattle herds. Cats can be considered as a sanitation hazards in the area for this zoonotic disease.
Javad Khoshnegah; Ahmad Reza Movassaghi; Mehrnaz Rad
Volume 4, Issue 2 , June 2013, , Pages 99-103
Abstract
In order to assess the prevalence of skin diseases in dogs encountered in a first opinion university small animal clinic, 1299 Iranian domestic dogs presented from September 2007 through March 2011 to the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Veterinary Teaching Hospital, were examined. Dermatological disorders ...
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In order to assess the prevalence of skin diseases in dogs encountered in a first opinion university small animal clinic, 1299 Iranian domestic dogs presented from September 2007 through March 2011 to the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Veterinary Teaching Hospital, were examined. Dermatological disorders were noted in 17.00% (221/1299) of all the dogs examined. Pruritus was the most common presenting sign, accounting for 25.35% of the dermatological consultations. It was followed by erythema, maculo-papular-pustular eruptions (16.97%), erosive or ulcerative lesions (16.74%), scaling or crusting (13.02%), alopecia (8.84%) and visible ectoparasites (7.44%). The most common primary final diagnoses were superficial pyoderma, cutaneous manifestations of canine leishmaniasis, flea infestation and allergy, tick infestation, atopic dermatitis, scabies, unspecified dermatoses, otitis, furunculosis and food allergy. There were no apparent age or sex predilections for dermatological disease as a whole. Spitz (odds ratio = 3.38; p = 0.001), Terriers (odds ratio = 2.52; p < 0.001) and German Shepherds (odds ratio = 1.90; p = 0.001) appeared to be at increased risk for dermatological disease. In addition, Khorasani large cross breed dogs (odds ratio = 0.36; p = 0.003) and mixed breed dogs (odds ratio = 0.33; p < 0.001) showed decreased risk for dermatological conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey study on canine dermatological conditions carried out in Iran.
