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Tropical or Mediterranean theileriosis in dairy cattle is widely distributed in many tropical regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proliferation status of mononuclear cells infected with Theileria annulata schizonts in different tissues and its relationship with the pathogenesis of the parasite in cattle by histopathology, immuno-histochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Blood and tissue samples of eight Holstein cattle that had been lost due to theileriosis and eight healthy slaughtered cattle of the same breed were collected as a control group after necropsy. The piroplasms in the blood smears and the schizonts in the cytoplasm of the lymphocytes and macrophages of the lymph nodes were microscopically detected. Histopathologically, the proliferation of macrophages, lymphocytes, and plasma cells in lymph nodes and the heart, congestion, and bleeding in the red pulp of the spleen, portal tracts of the liver, interstitial tissue of the kidneys, multifocal necrosis and ulceration in the abomasum together with hyperemia and hemorrhages and lymphoblastic infiltration in the submucosa and lamina propria adjacent to these lesions and emphysema with ecchymotic hemorrhage in the lungs were evident. Immunohistochemistry identified the proliferated cells as mostly Cluster of Differentiation 3- Positive T lymphocytes and macrophage marker antibody 387- positive macrophages. Positive results of PCR for the Tamsl 30.00 kDa gene were observed in lymph nodes, liver, lung and abomasum. It was concluded that the pathological changes were the result of schizont-infected macrophage proliferation leading to severe uncontrolled proliferation of uninfected T lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Neosporosis is a disease caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, which is characterized by abortion in cattle and neuromuscular paralysis of various organs, particularly the hind limbs of dogs. The diagnosis of neosporosis is often made by serological molecular tests. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the presence of N. caninum oocysts in the feces of dogs. METHODS: A total of 100 fecal samples were collected from indoor and outdoor dogs during 2018-2019 around Tabriz. Information about age, location, and history of antiparasitic treatment of the dogs were recorded in a questionnaire. Primarily, fecal samples were examined microscopically for Neospora ocysts. After breaking the collected oocysts through freeze-thaw and sonication, DNA contents of the oocysts were extracted and analyzed via PCR. RESULTS: In a light microscopic study, oocysts were observed in 45 (45 %) of the fecal samples. In the PCR study, 21 of the 45 cases tested positive for Neospora infection (21 %). All the positive cases of infection were observed in molecular examination in dogs older than one year. The positive cases were observed in 2 % of the domestic dogs, 8 % of the stray dogs, 6 % of the kennel dogs, and 5 % of the rural dogs. Furthermore, 19 % of the infected dogs had no history of antiparasitic treatment; only 2% had a history of antiparasitic treatment. The results of statistical analysis showed that the rate of infection in dogs around Tabriz with Neospora caninum was significantly (P<0.05) related to the animal's living environment and history of antiparasitic treatment. However, this rate was found to have no significant relationships with the age of the animals. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high rate of infection with Neospora caninum in dogs in Tabriz, it is necessary to apply preventive methods in traditional and industrial farms around this city and use rapid diagnosis methods in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In this study, we targeted the worm stage of Echinococcus granulosus to design a novel multi-epitope B- and helper T-cell based vaccine construct for immunization of dogs against this multi-host parasite. Methods: The vaccine was designed based on the local Eg14-3-3 antigen (Ag). DNA samples were extracted from the protoscoleces of the infected sheep's liver, and then subjected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 14-3-3 specific forward and reverse primers. For the vaccine designing, several in silico steps were undertaken. Three-dimensional (3D) structure of the local Eg14-3-3 Ag was modeled by EasyModeller software. The protein modeling accuracy was then analyzed via various validation assays. Potential transmembrane helix, signal peptide, post-translational modifications and allergenicity of Eg14-3-3 were evaluated as the preliminary measures of B-cell epitopes (BEs) prediction. High ranked linear and conformational BEs were utilized for engineering the final vaccine construct. Possible T-helper epitopes (TEs) were identified by the molecular docking between 13-mer fragments of the Eg14-3-3 Ag and two high frequent dog class II MHC alleles (i.e., DLA-DRB1*01101 and DRB1*01501). The epitopes coverage was evaluated by Shannon's variability plot. Results: The final designed construct was analyzed based on the different physicochemical properties, and was then codon optimized for high-level expression in Escherichia coli k12. This minigene construct is the first dog-specific epitopic vaccine that is established based on the TEs with high-binding affinity to canine MHC alleles. Conclusion: This in silico study is the first part of a multi-antigenic vaccine designing work that represents a novel dog-specific vaccine against E. granulosus. Here, we provided key data on the step-by-step methodologies used for designing this de novo vaccine, which is under comprehensive in vivo investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Finding an effective scolicide in treatment of hydatic cyst is an important fact. The present study was done to compare the effect of scolicides such as physical agents (temperature and smolarity), chemical agents (Albendazole) and aquatic extract of Harmel (Peganum harmala) in vitro. Material and Methods: In this study, protoscolices were collected aseptically from sheep livers and lungs affected with hydatid cyst in Tabriz slaughterhouse. In laboratory, viability of protoscolices was determined by 0.1% Eosin staining. Scolicidal effect of 20%Nacl, 10% Nacl, 50% Dextrose, 2% Albendazol, temperature( -20°C, 40°C ,60°C ) and various dilutions of Harmel aquatic extract ( 25%, 50%, 75% , 100%) were evaluated after 5, 10, 15 and 60 min. The results were analyzed by Duncan and Tucky tests. Results: Twenty percent of Nacl after 60 min has significantly scolicidal effect than other agents (P<0.05), but it eliminated only 48.5% of protoscolices. Conclusion: The effect of 20% Nacl was better than physical, Chemical and plant agents, but long time for effecting limit using about it in surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypobiosis is the larval arrest of parasites and is an adaptation to host and environmental conditions. This study was conducted to compare clinicopathological changes in sheep experimentally infected with fresh and arrested larvae of Haemonchus contortus. Twenty-eight apparently healthy 6-month-old Shal lambs, whose stool samples were eggs per gram (EPG) negative, were divided into four groups: A, B, C and D. Groups A and D received fresh larvae and placebo, respectively. Treatment groups (B and C) were infected by arrested larvae obtained under different conditions such as humidity (B, 70%; C, 40-50%), temperature (B, 8-10°C; C, 35-37°C) and light intensity (B, low; C, high). Clinical signs were monitored until day 60, haematological examination [hematocrit (Hct), haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cells (WBC) and differential cell count] and biochemical examination (Ca, Mg, P, total Pro, Alb, Globulins and Alb/Glob ratio) were performed on the first day and 2 months after infection with the larvae. In addition to the faecal egg count, the number of larvae and adult worms were determined in abomasal contents. The mean number of adult worms and faecal egg count in group A were significantly higher than in other groups ( p < 0.01). The proportion of arrested larvae and percentage of hypobiosis in group B differed significantly from other groups ( p < 0.05). The body weights of group A, B and C were significantly different compared with group D ( p < 0.01). No difference in weight gain was observed between the treatment groups B and C. Considerable reduction in RBC, Hb and PCV were observed in the different treatment groups, but these reductions were highly significant in group A ( p < 0.05) while MCV, MCH and MCHC did not show any change. The comparison of total WBC and differential cell count between groups indicated the presence of eosinophilia in group A ( p < 0.0005). Serum protein, albumin and calcium concentration decreased only in group A ( p < 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]