Search

Background: Staphylococcus aureus has emerged as a major public health concern. It is a common pathogen in animal and human medicine. Aim: Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR) was used to fingerprint 10 strains of S. aureus obtained from nasal swabs in domesticated animals and humans to ascertain how comparable the different strains' genetic makeup was. Methods: These isolates were previously identified using standard molecular and microbiological methods. ERIC primers were amplified for all isolates. The dendrogram was generated using PGMA and the Dice similarity coefficient. The strains were genotyped according to the diversity of sample source (human or animal), and the geographic source. Results: Ten S. aureus strains were classified into eight "ERIC" kinds (genotypes) using "ERIC-PCR genotyping", in which the two most common clones were genotypes 8 and 2, which were represented by one strain from humans, one from cows, and two strains from sheep. Two strains derived from separate geographic areas and from different sample sources (human and cow) were determined to share the same genotype. Another two strains from different geographic areas but from the same sample source (sheep) were categorized under the same genotype. All the remaining strains were classified as a singular genotype. Conclusion: This study supports the possible bacterial transmission from animal to human and from animals themselves that usually happens during live animal marketing. Recognizing the interconnected nature of transmission systems and implementing the required approaches to disease prevention and control is essential for mitigating the risks posed by bacterial pathogens. [Open Vet J 2024; 14(9.000): 2256-2260]

Background: Fish producers in Iraq currently facing large and growing problems, represented by the difficulty of getting rid of large numbers of dead fish as a result of mass phenomenon mortality since 2018. As their treatment and disposal has become very cumbersome and costly, and leaving it to wild animals and natural forces is unacceptable, so most of them resort to the composting method because it's a simple, easy, and inexpensive process, and benefits outputs, but it takes a long time. Aim: The study aimed to compare two different composting methods for the disposal of dead fish, one of them includes the use of lactic acid bacilli (LAB) to improve composting efficiency. Methods: Sawdust, hay, one-inch perforated plastic tubes, plastic covers, and dead fish were used to make four equal composting piles, two of them were treated with LAB, and others were left to compost naturally, the composted content was daily tested physically for color, odors, pH estimation, and LAB count. Results: The results showed that there are significant differences between normal composed and LAB treated groups in duration, and efficiency, the total threshold limits of temperature, pH, and LAB count were 60 ± 8 0C, 6.7 ± 0.04 and 10.8×106 ± 1.96 CFU/g, respectively, in normal composting groups, while they were 70 ± 2.8 0C, 4.26±0.01, and 23.2×106 ±1.34 CFU/g, respectively, with total decomposition and disintegration of fish carcasses through 31 days in EM treated groups. Conclusion: We concluded that the using of LAB in composted materials led to a quick and efficient composting process in terms of heat, pH, LAB count, total disintegration speed, and the ability of biosafety. [Open Vet J 2023; 13(11.000): 1458-1464]

Background: Newcastle disease (ND) is a viral disease that affects numerous bird species and is still present in many places, including Iraq. Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare maternal derived antibodies (MatAb) against ND vaccination in one-day-old imported Cobb 500 and Ross 308 chicks. Methods: From April to October 2020, four locations in Mosul governorate chosen to compute the maternal derived antibodies (MatAb) from one-day old broiler chicks. Seven hundred and seven blood samples (451) from imported 28 Ross 308 flocks and 256 from 17 Cobb 500 flocks were obtained and tested for antibody levels using an indirect ELISA (iELISA) assay (Biochek commercial kit, UK). Results: The Cobb 500 broiler chicks outperformed the Ross 308 broiler chicks in that all of the Cobb 500 broiler chicks had maternal antibody (Mat Ab) titers (100% positivity) versus 97.78% of the Ross 308 chicks, had a mean (Mat Ab) titer of 9871.47 versus 8647.76, and had a mean CV percentage of 12.41% versus15.18% respectively. The mean Vaccination index of Cobb 500 broiler chicks was 966.59 versus 821.60 for Ross 308 broiler chicks. Conclusion: Although both broiler types produced chicks with high and uniform maternal antibody titers, Cobb 500 produced chicks with higher protective titers than Ross 308. [Open Vet J 2022; 12(6.000): 936-943]

In general, the Iraqi farmers of breeding and fattening of sheep using a broad-spectrum antibiotics like tetracycline and aminoglycosides family for treatment and prophylaxis without considering to the withdrawal periods of these drugs before slaughtering the animals. The aim of the present study was to determine the residues of streptomycin (member of aminoglycosides group) in sheep meat and edible tissues using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. A total of 88 samples including longissimus dorsi, diaphragmatic muscles, liver and kidney were collected from 22 sheep carcasses slaughtered in Duhok abattoir, Kurdistan, Iraq. The result revealed that streptomycin residues were found in 12 samples (54.5%) of the sheep carcasses distributed as following 36.36 %, 45.45 %, 22.72 % and 50 % of Longissimus dorsi, diaphragm muscle, liver and kidney samples., respectively. The minimal streptomycin concentration in ovine meat samples was 3.001 ppb and the maximum concentration was 690.307 ppb. The results of this study show that sheep meat, which is sold in Dohuk governorate, often contains the residues of antibiotics due to slaughtered animals might have been treated with veterinary drugs and the proper withdrawal period was not respected before slaughtering.