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Background: Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are raised in extremely strict ecological conditions of deserts. Camels are vulnerable to many zoonotic infections. There are limited data on the occurrence of Q fever and borreliosis in camels, in Iran. Aims: The current study was focused on the occurrence of Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia spp. infection in the blood samples of Iranian camels using molecular assays. Effect of the presence of these infections on various hematological factors and some acutephase proteins (Hp, a1AGP, SAA) were also investigated. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 113 clinically healthy camels to investigate the presence of the infections using nested PCR. Moreover, the sequence of positive samples was analyzed phylogenetically. Routine haematological tests were performed and the concentrations of acute-phase proteins were measured in serum using enzyme immunoassay. Results: PCR result showed that 6.19% (95% CI: 2.53-12.35%) (7/113) of camels were positive for C. burnetii. In addition, sequencing results of the corresponding gene of the outer membrane protein (com1) revealed two different genotypes of C. burnetii agent in camels from Southern Iran. In the PCR assay, Borrelia spp. DNA was not detected in the samples. No significant difference was observed in hematological parameters or acute-phase proteins between positive and negative Q fever camels except for mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and red cell distribution width (RDW). Conclusion: Clinically healthy camels might be very important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. Q fever is not considered a notifiable disease in camels of Iran, and clinical cases may scarcely be recognized by the healthcare system. Due to a lack of adequate information, additional studies on the molecular epidemiology and clinical pathology aspects of C. burnetii infection in Iran are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Citral (C10H16O) is the main ingredient of Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass oil) and can reduce the side effects of oxidative stress. Diabetes caused by insulin deficiency induces oxidative stress in the liver. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effects of citral on selected oxidative parameters and the gene expression of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in a rat model of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus. Methods: Forty rats were divided into four groups at random: control (C), control citral (CC), and two STZ-induced diabetic groups (diabetic (D) and citral diabetic (CD)). After diabetes confirmation (day 7), gavage treatment with citral (300 mg/kg body weight (BW)) was started in the CD and CC groups and continued for two weeks. Results: On day 21 of the study, following treatment with citral for 14 days, the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and PON1 in the CD group were significantly increased compared to those in the D group (P<0.05). While treatment with citral caused a significant decrease in the Malondialdehyde (MDA), and eNOS in the CD group compared to those of the D group (P<0.001). The expression rate of liver PON1 gene was considerably upregulated in the CD group compared to that in the D group (P<0.001); while the opposite was observed for eNOS gene expression. However, there was no significant difference between the CC and C groups in terms of all examined parameters (P>0.05). Conclusion: This study showed positive effects of citral on serum antioxidant status and liver gene expression of PON1 and eNOS in diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples from the kidney of 100 diseased fish with signs of haemorrhagic septicemia and 50 samples from outlet water of fish farms were taken aseptically and cultured. In the laboratory, 75 colonies of gram-negative bacteria were biochemically diagnosed as motile aeromonads in our Bacteriology Laboratory Unit using API 20E rapid identification system. The genotype identification using specific primers for 16S rDNA by PCR and direct sequencing of 28 Iranian motile aeromonads isolates were as follow: in diseased fish, Aeromonas hydrophila (3 isolates, 15%), A. veronii bv. sobria (8 isolates, 40%), A. bestiarum/piscicola (5 isolates, 25%), A. media (3 isolates, 15%), A. jandaei (1 isolate, 5%), A. aquariorum (0 isolate, 0%) and in water, Aeromonas hydrophila (0 isolate, 0%), A. veronii bv. sobria (6 isolates, 75%), A. bestiarum/piscicola (0 isolate, 0%), A. media (1 isolate, 12.5%), A. jandaei (0 isolate, 0%) and A. aquariorum (1 isolate, 12.5%). Results of this study suggest that the incidence of motile aeromonads septicemia due to A. veroniibv. sobriais the most prevalent motile aeromonads. Nucleotide polymorphisms on the sequencing results of the 16S rDNA were detected as noticeable inter and intra-specific variation within the population of different aeromonads isolates. In total, 10-20 variant nucleotide positions in this region were observed among Aeromonas spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lactococcus garvieae causes lactococcosis in rainbow trout in many parts of the world., Aims: This study was conducted for the existence of the virulent factors and differentiation of the two serotypes in L. garvieae ., Methods: Twenty-two strains of L. garvieae isolated from diseased rainbow trout from farms in different regions and mugger crocodile of Iran, were investigated. In order to rapidly detect the presence of the hly1 , hly2 , hly3 , NADH oxidase , sod , pgm , adhPsaA , eno , LPxTG-3 , adhCI , and adhCII virulence genes, two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed. Also, simplex PCR method was used to identify the bacterial serotypes, CGC , LPxTG-2 , Adhesion , and adhPav virulence genes using the specific primer., Results: All varieties of L. garvieae contained the hly1 , hly2 , hly3 , NADH oxidase , pgm , adhPav , LPxTG-3 , sod , eno , adhPsaA , adhCI , and CGC virulence genes. Also, adhCII gene was present in all strains except one of the isolates originated from mugger crocodile. In addition, LPxTG-2 gene was only present in one of the isolates belonging to mugger crocodile. Adhesion gene was not present in all the strains. Interestingly, all the 22 strains originated from both hosts were identified as belonging to the serotype I. Based on the phylogenetic sequences of the capsule gene cluster, group all fish isolates into a cluster together with one isolate obtained from mugger crocodile., Conclusion: Further studies are recommended to investigate the role of virulence genes in L. garvieae and evaluate their pathogenicity to rainbow trout.