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Objective: To study agents of animal wound myiasis in various geographical districts of Fars province. Methods: This study has been done in Fars province, located in the southern part of Iran. Sums of 10358 domestic animals have been visited from April 2011 to March 2012. The infected wounds in any parts of animal body were sampled by means of forceps. Results: About 61% of all animal wound myiasis were caused by larvae of Wohlfahrtia magnifica. The most wound myiasis cases due to this species occurred in central part of Fars province. There wasn't any significant difference between sheep and goat in infestation with myiasis (P>0.05). The infestation rate of myiasis in cattle community was 0.86%. Conclusions: The infestation rate of livestock was lower than other works in Iran and some other countries like Saudi Arabia. Chrysomya bezziana has been mentioned as main myiasis agent in Iran. But in this study it cleared that similarly to some European countries, the common animal myiasis agent in Iran is Wohlfahrtia magnifica. Introducing new species as principal agent for myiasis can help public health and animal husbandry policy makers to prepare sufficient and effective control and/or preventive measures for this disease.

Sarcocystosis is induced by species of Sarcocystis, which is an intracellular protozoan parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa. The diversity and importance of Sarcocystis species in sheep and goats in Saudi Arabia are poorly understood. In this study, the tongue, esophagus, heart, diaphragm, and skeletal muscles were collected from 230 sheep and 84 goats, and the tissues were examined for the presence of Sarcocystis species by macroscopic examination and light microscopy. Microscopic Sarcocystis species cysts were found in both sheep and goats. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed S. tenella in sheep and S. capracanis in goats. Sarcocystis species were confirmed for the first time in Saudi Arabian sheep and goats by molecular testing. S. capracanis was most closely related to S. tenella, with the COX1 sequences sharing 91.7% identity. A phylogenetic analysis produced similar results and indicated that the Sarcocystis isolates were within a group of Sarcocystis species in which dogs were the final host. Finally, the Sarcocystis species cysts from sheep and goats could be grouped together, indicating that they were strongly related.

The Trump administration’s controversial immigration policy has provoked significant opposition, including against a 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government over Trump’s insistence on a “wall,„ but the most outrage was generated by the “zero-tolerance policy„ for refugees and asylum seekers that resulted in the forced separation of thousands of children from their parents. This essay evaluates the current U.S. policy in light of the life and teachings of Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament Gospels, beginning with the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15; cf. Deuteronomy 10:19–20) but focusing primarily on Jesus’s teachings on hospitality—including the love of neighbor and the stranger—for those people with their “backs against the wall,„ in the words of Howard Thurman. Key passages include the parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:26–37), the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31–46), and the Great Dinner (Luke 14:15–24).

Aim: The study was conducted to isolate and identify Dermatophilus congolensis (DC) using conventional and molecular diagnostic techniques in scab materials collected from skin infections of sheep and goats in the Delta region of Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 scab samples collected from 18 goats and 2 sheep from Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur districts of Tamil Nadu. Smears were made from softened scab materials and stained by either Gram's or Giemsa staining. Isolation was attempted on blood agar plates, and colonies were stained by Gram's staining for morphological identification. Identification was also done by biochemical tests and confirmed by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the amplified product. Results: The peculiar laddering arrangement of coccoid forms in stained smears prepared from scab materials revealed the presence of DC. Isolated colonies from scab materials of sheep and goats on bovine blood agar plate were small, hemolytic, rough, adherent, and bright orange-yellow in color, but some colonies were white to cream color. Gram-staining of cultured organisms revealed Gram-positive branching filaments with various disintegration stages of organisms. 16S rRNA PCR yielded 500 bp amplicon specific for DC. Sequence analysis of a sheep DC isolate showed 99-100% sequence homology with other DC isolates available in NCBI database, and phylogenetic tree showed a close cluster with DC isolates of Congo, Nigeria, and Angola of Africa. Genes for virulence factors such as serine protease and alkaline ceramidase could not be detected by PCR in any of the DC strains isolated of this study. Conclusion: The presence of dermatophilosis in Tamil Nadu was established from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was aimed to obtain baseline information about the presence and distribution of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in Pakistan by quantifying the sero-prevalence of this infection in all provinces/regions in the country. There are ongoing activities towards the progressive control and eventual eradication of PPR from Pakistan. To design a suitable control program and monitor its progress, baseline information on the occurrence of the disease in the target population is needed. Using a cluster sampling approach a total of 19575 serum samples from sheep and goat were collected from all provinces of the country. These samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against PPR virus using a competitive ELISA. Out of 19575 samples tested, 5389 were classified as sero-positive. The prevalence (95% confidence intervals (CI)) at the province level ranged 9.93% (0.027%–0.151%) in Azad Jammu & Kashmir to 38.16% (0.366%–0.466%) in Balochistan. Difference in sero-positivity could be attributed to animals’ movement, agro-climatic conditions of areas. Risk factors covered in the study were season as well as age and sex of the animals. PPR is endemic and it is distributed across all provinces in the country. This study provides basic information for the identification of disease hotspots for implementation of a control programme in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Babesiosis is a lethal protozoan disease, responsible for the loss of livestock in Iran and in the world. The purpose of the current study was to detect and identify Babesia spp. infection using microscopic and molecular methods in human, sheep and goats in Kuhdasht region, in the Lorestan Province, west of Iran. During 2013, a total of 384 blood smear samples were collected from 51 goats, 306 sheep suspected of Babesiosis infection and 27 humans from Kuhdasht region. The blood samples were fixed, stained and under light microscopic examined. DNA samples were extracted and amplified by polymerase chain reaction of 18S-rRNA gene. PCR and the semi-nested PCR were performed to identify to Babesi spp. and to differentiate genus of Theileria and Babesia spp. The results of microscopic examination indicated that a total of 47 (12.2%) samples were positive for Babesia spp. infection: 38 (9.9%) belonging to sheep and 9 to goats (2.3%). No Babesia was observed in human samples. The PCR showed a band size of 389 bp, of Babesia spp. and the semi-nested PCR detected B. ovis with a band size of 186 bp. By molecular method, 16 (4.2%) sheep and 2 (0.5%) goat blood samples were infected by Babesia. Totally, 18 samples (4.7%) were observed to have Babesia, while no infection was found in human. Thus, the results of our study have shown sheep and goats could be vulnerable to Babesia spp., especially B. ovis in Lorestan Province, Iran. Therefore, studies on the status of the animal Piroplasmosis especially Theileriosis are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schmallenberg virus (SBV)-like clinical cases of abortions in northern Jordan in early 2013, together with the emergence of SBV in Europe in 2011, its rapid spread within the following years and the detection of this virus in Turkey, raised questions about the distribution of SBV or related orthobunyaviruses. To evaluate the occurrence of SBV or related members of the Simbu serogroup of orthobunyaviruses in Jordan, bulk milk (cattle) and serum samples (cattle, sheep and goat) collected in northern Jordan in 2013 were first tested by commercially available SBV antibody ELISAs. Indeed, 3 of 47 bulk milk samples and 57 of 115 serum samples provided positive results, but SBV specificity of the ELISA results could not be confirmed by virus neutralization assays. Instead, subsequent cross-neutralization tests were able to further investigate the specificity of these antibodies. Here, a significant inhibition of Aino virus was observed. Thus, the causative agent was most likely a Simbu serogroup virus closely related to Aino virus. Consequently, these results confirm that members of this group of virus are not only present in Europe, Africa or Australia, but also in the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycoplasmosis, the respiratory infection, is a well-established cause of heavy economic losses in sheep and goats farming. The occurrence and antibiotics susceptibility profiles of clinical isolates of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri ( Mmc ) from suspected cases of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) were investigated in small ruminants of three climatic- southern, central and northern- regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Specie specific-PCR for Mmc confirmed 24% (198/825) isolates with significantly ( P ˂ 0.001) higher number (83/275; 30.18%) recovered from the northern-, followed by southern- (68/275; 24.73%) and central-regions (47/275; 17.09%), respectively. Subsequently, a total of 54 PCR-confirmed isolates (18 from each zone) were subjected to antibiogram assay. Five different common antimicrobial agents including ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, gentamycin, oxytetracycline and tylosin were tested by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods The antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Mmc isolates indicated that enrofloxacin exhibited the highest ( P ˂ 0.001) in vitro antibacterial activity with a maximum zone of inhibition (19 ± 0.71 mm) and the lowest MIC (0.001 ± 0.0002 mg/mL) amongst the tested antimicrobial agents, followed by gentamycin (11 ± 0.45 mm and 0.01 ± 0.001 mg/mL zone of inhibition and MIC, respectively). All these isolates were found resistant against tylosin, oxytetracycline and ceftiofur sodium: antibiotics that are favored in clinical cases of CCPP. This study concludes a high occurrence of Mmc in small ruminants during infection of CCPP, and increased resistance rate against commonly used antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Ovine and caprine theileriosis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease, caused by Theileria spp., responsible for heavy economic losses in terms of high mortality and morbidity rates. Diagnosis of ovine theileriosis is primarily based on clinical symptoms, microscopic screening of stained blood smears, and lymph node biopsy smears, but the limitations of these detection methods against Theileria spp. infection limits their specificity., Aim: To overcome these limitations, the current study reports the differential diagnosis of theileriosis through a blood smear examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in small ruminants from Pakistan., Methods: The study was conducted on 1,200 apparently healthy small ruminants (737 sheep and 463 goats). First, blood smears were screened for the presence of Theileria piroplasms in red blood cells. Second, PCR amplification based on 18S rRNA gene was performed by using primers specific to Theileria spp., Results: Out of the 1,200 samples of examined blood smears, 100 animals (8.33%) were found positive for Theileria species, which showed intra-erythrocytic bodies in the form of dot and comma shapes. Amplification of the isolated DNA from randomly collected blood samples of 737 sheep and 463 goats showed that an amplicon size of 1,098 bp was positive for Theileria spp. In total, 315 out of the 1,200 small ruminants examined in this study were found positive for Theileria spp. DNA through PCR amplification. Notably, out of the 885 blood samples negative by PCR amplification, only 15 blood samples were found positive by the blood smear test. Conversely, 230 blood samples that tested negative in the smear technique produced a specific band through PCR amplification. Overall, the sensitivity and specificity rates were 26.98% and 98.31% for the blood smear method and 73.01% and 100% for the PCR assay, respectively., Conclusion: Our finding suggests that PCR is the gold standard method compared to the conventional method of smear examination for the diagnosis of ovine and caprine theileriosis in Pakistan., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Previously we developed and evaluated a candidate influenza viral vector based Brucella abortus vaccine (Flu-BA) administered with a potent adjuvant Montanide Gel01 in cattle, which was found safe and highly effective. This study was aimed to establish a proof-of-concept of the efficacy of Flu-BA vaccine formulation in sheep and goats. We vaccinated sheep and goats with Flu-BA vaccine and as a positive control vaccinated a group of animals with a commercial B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccine. Clinically, both Flu-BA and Rev.1 vaccines were found safe. Serological analysis showed the animals received Flu-BA vaccine did not induce antibody response against Brucella Omp16 and L7/L12 proteins during the period of our study (56 days post-initial vaccination, PIV). But observed significant antigen-specific T cell response indicated by increased lymphocyte stimulation index and enhanced secretion of IFN-γ at day 56 PIV in Flu-BA group. The Flu-BA vaccinated animals completely protected 57.1% of sheep and 42.9% of goats against B. melitensis 16 M challenge. The severity of brucellosis in terms of infection index and colonization of Brucella in tissues was significantly lower in the Flu-BA group compared to negative control animals group. Nevertheless, positive control commercial Rev.1 vaccine provided strong antigen-specific T cell immunity and protection against B. melitensis 16 M infection. We conclude that the Flu-BA vaccine induces a significant antigen-specific T-cell response and provides complete protection in approximately 50% of sheep and goats against B. melitensis 16 M infection. Further investigations are needed to improve the efficacy of Flu-BA and explore its practical application in small ruminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 193 sera samples, along with tissues (lung, heart, and brain) collected from 136 sheep and 57 goats from the Corporation slaughter house, Madras Veterinary College teaching hospital, and private mutton shops from Chennai were tested for Toxoplasma gondii. All the sera samples were tested using modified direct agglutination test. Of the 193 sera samples, 57 (29.5 %) had a minimum titre of 1:20, with 30.14 % (41/136) of sheep and 28.07 % (16/57) of goats being seropositive. Tissue samples from all 193 animals, when subjected to B1 based PCR to detect T. gondii DNA, showed 3.67 and 3.50 % to be positive in sheep and goats, respectively. In the present investigation B1 based PCR detected T. gondii in low numbers, possibly due to limitation of the sample size. The presence of T. gondii in tissues of sheep and goats slaughtered for human consumption in Chennai indicates the role of these food animals as potential sources of infection to human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abscess disease (caseous lymphadenitis and Morel disease) is a worldwide contagious bacterial disease of sheep and goats and is adversely affecting the development of the sheep industry in Saudi Arabia. Fifteen sheep and 12 goat farms at Qassim region, central Saudi Arabia, were surveyed during September and October 2008 for the determination of the prevalence and the etiology of abscess disease. One hundred and twenty pus samples were collected from affected external lymph nodes of clinically-ill sheep and goats and from infected internal lymph nodes and organs condemned during meat inspection in the slaughterhouses, for the isolation and identification of pathogenic bacteria causing sheep abscess disease. The prevalence of abscess disease varied between 5%– 44.1% in sheep farms, being highest in the Najdi breed, and between 2.2 % – 6.5 % in goat farms. Males of both sheep and goats had the highest rate of infection compared to females (p

Background: Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic suppurative bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis ( C. pseudotuberculosis ) affecting superficial and internal lymph nodes and internal organs of small ruminants., Aims: Through the use of molecular methods, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CLA and its contributing factors as well as the degree of genetic diversity and epidemiological relationships among C. pseudotuberculosis isolates from slaughtered sheep and goats in various districts of Duhok Province, Iraq., Methods: A total of 18,836 carcasses (15,775 sheep and 3,061 goats) were inspected by veterinarians at slaughterhouses [Duhok-Sumel (2,453 sheep + 627 goats), Zakho (6,000 sheep), Bardarash (1,117 sheep + 379 goats), Amedi (413 sheep + 178 goats) and Akre (5,792 sheep + 1,877 goats)] in Duhok Province for detection the prevalence rate of CLA using molecular techniques., Results: The prevalence of the disease was 0.94% and 1.93% in sheep and goats, respectively. Sheep in Duhok-Sumel and goats in Amedi were at a higher risk of infection than the animals in another location, with a prevalence rate of 4.31% and 6.18%, respectively. Sheep and goats of older age were more susceptible. Females were more susceptible than males in all districts except Duhok-Sumel where the reverse was true. ERIC-PCR analysis grouped the bacterial isolates into 11 different genotypes. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of C. pseudotuberculosis revealed no divergent sequences discovered in this study., Conclusion: A strict control program needs to be applied to reduce the entrance of pathogen from neighboring countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Brucellosis in sheep and goats has a significant economic and zoonotic impact on the livestock population of Duhok province, Iraq. A total of 681 blood samples from aborted sheep and goats were collected from different flocks in seven districts of Duhok and tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Logistic regression was used for the analysis of the potential risk factors associated with RT-PCR positivity. Results revealed an overall prevalence of 35.45% (CI = 2.57) and 23.8% 18 (CI = 0.44) in sheep and goats, respectively. A statistically significant ( p = 0.004) difference in prevalence was found between the two species. RT-PCR detected more positive cases in older-aged animals (OR = 0.7164; p = 0.073). A significant difference was found in RT-PCR positivity in relation to different risk factors, including body condition, treatment taken, and abortion frequency (<0.001). The phylogenetic tree based on the 16S rRNA gene indicated that the isolates belonged to B. melitensis and shared a common ancestor and were genetically related to the United States of America (USA), Greece, China, and Nigeria. This study demonstrates that brucellosis is widely prevalent in the study regions. Therefore, the study suggests the implementation of preventive control measures for brucellosis.

Clostridium perfringens presents persistent threat to small animals in causing moderate to severe enterotoxemia. The pathogenicity of C. perfringens depends on the production of four major toxins. In addition to the major toxins, beta2 (β2) toxin, a minor toxin, is also produced by some strains of C. perfringens. In this study, a total of 107 fecal samples collected from healthy and diseased sheep and goats were cultured and processed for biochemical analysis. On the basis of biochemical characterization, 61 isolates were confirmed as C. perfringens. In order to detect C. perfringens types, multiplex PCR assay was carried out for the confirmed isolates. Results indicated that the gene encoding beta2 (β2) toxin was found in 73% of type A isolates and 67% of type D isolates. There was no significant difference in the presence of this gene in the sheep and goats. An association between beta2 (β2) gene and disease occurrence was also found nonsignificant in both sheep and goat species. The present study suggests the high prevalence of C. perfringens beta2 gene (β2) in fecal isolates of both sheep and goats. However, the role of beta2 (β2) toxin gene in pathogenesis of enteric diseases needs further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To monitor the effect of nutrition and pregnancy on oxidative status of animals under the arid condition of South Sinai. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were taken from two groups of animals: The first group retained in farm and fed on concentrate (high diet) and another group grazing natural forage (low diet). Each group was subdivided into pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Blood samples were assayed for their content of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes. Results: MDA level significantly increased in pregnant animals fed either concentrate or grazing low-quality forage and accompanied by a low level of TAC in pregnant grazing animals fed low-quality forage. The activity of CAT decreased in pregnant fed either concentrate or grazing and SOD significant decrease in the pregnant grazing group. These data suggested that the animals might have experienced some degree of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation and indicating that redox homeostasis was impaired in those pregnant and specially fed on forage rations. Conclusion: Pregnancy constituted the most oxidative stress facing the grazing and concentrated diet feed sheep and goats under arid and saline conditions of Southern Sinai, Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]