حسام الدین اکبرین

Neurological conditions constitute approximately 10% of feline cases referred to veterinary clinics. Such cases often present manifestations of central nervous system (CNS) damage, including inflammatory lesions, neoplastic growth and structural and cellular transformations.

This study aimed at identifying histopathological changes in the CNS of cats that had succumbed to neurological symptoms.

Microscopic evaluation of different sections within the CNS was conducted on 20 cats that had either died naturally or were euthanized due to neurological signs. After performing a necropsy, we examined the CNS tissues and conducted PCR testing to screen for possible viral infections, including feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV).

The majority of cases showed characteristic histopathologic lesions, notably mononuclear and suppurative meningoencephalitis, perivascular cuffing, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), granulomatous meningoencephalitis, acute neuronal necrosis, liquefactive necrosis, epididymitis, thrombosis and demyelination. Among the 20 cats studied, 12 tested positive for FIP by PCR analysis, while 5 cats exhibited positive results for FIV. Also, FeLV PCR tests displayed positive results in 4 cats. No evidence of feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) was observed.

This study is the first of its kind conducted in Iran. Based on the results, the most prevalent viral agents infecting cats’ CNS were FIP, FIV and FeLV. The investigation revealed no evidence of FSE in cats with neurological signs.

COVID-19 began in late 2019 in China and spread to different cities in China and the rest of the world, prompting nationwide quarantine measures and various intervention strategies to control the pandemic. After about three years of battling COVID-19, we are nearing the end of the emergency phase of the pandemic. This highly contagious disease has significantly disrupted the global economy over these years, but on the other hand, the intervention strategies to fight against it have also had profound impacts on the economy and public health. However, many consequences will be determined in the following years. In this study, we searched the terms "COVID-19" with "economy" or "economic consequence" and "COVID-19" with "social" or "social consequence" in databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Farsi databases like SID and Magiran for the period from 2020 to 2023. The results indicate that anxiety, fear, psychological problems, social harm, poverty, and lack of access to quality education are among the most important social and economic consequences of this pandemic. This pandemic has exacerbated general inequality at the community level, both in terms of social and economic well-being and in terms of health. In this article, the most important factors affecting the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 have been examined.

Canine distemper (CD) is the dogs’ most contagious and lethal viral disease. Despite the widespread use of vaccines to control CD, the prevalence of the CD virus (CDV) has increased at an alarming rate in recent years. 

To identify the genotypes responsible for the neurological and non-neurological clinical forms of CD and to investigate the presence of the virus in the neurological and non-neurological forms of the disease. 

In this descriptive-analytical study, the samples were collected from 70 CD suspected unvaccinated dogs with clinical signs of distemper. All cases were tested with rapid tests and separated into 3 groups based on clinical signs and symptoms. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), respiratory secretion, and fecal samples of allall 70 cases were examined for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After sequencing the hemagglutinin gene (H gene), phylogenetic analysis of the gene isolated from CDVs was carried out using MEGA software, version 7. 

The RT-PCR results showed that the respiratory secretion sample in the non-neurological CDV group (85%) and the neurological CDV group (80%) had the highest level of virus contamination. However, in the non-neurological CDV group, the CSF sample (40%) had a high level of infection. In neurotic groups, cases older than 12 months showed the highest percentage of distemper contamination, and in the non-neurologic CDV group, those between 3 and 6 months were more involved. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the H gene revealed the CDV as a member of the endemic Arctic-like genetic lineage. 

The genotypic examination of the hemagglutinin gene of the distemper virus reveals that the recent isolates of neurologic and non-neurologic clinical forms of CDV in Iran are similar. In positive rapid test cases, the PCR test of respiratory secretions for virus detection ranks with the highest sensitivity. In neurologic cases with negative rapid test results, PCR of CSF had the highest sensitivity, so it may serve as a diagnostic criterion.

Screening tests are a special type of diagnostic tests that are performed in an apparently healthy population. The purpose of performing diagnostic tests is to correctly diagnose patients, distinguish affected animals from healthy animals, distinguish between cases and controls, and distinguish between normal and abnormal cases. Screening tests should be simple, cheap, rapid and valid. Diagnostic and screening tests are mainly used in the monitoring of diseases. Related terms to the evaluation of these tests, including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, accuracy and precision, as well as concepts such as the golden standard, because they are often used interchangeably or misinterpreted, it is especially important to learn them. Also, due to the fact that gold standard tests are often more expensive and time-consuming, incomplete diagnostic tests are used, which can be calculated by calculating the sensitivity and specificity of the actual and apparent prevalence obtained by the diagnostic test. However, if the golden standard test is not available, other methods are used to evaluate the tests, including the Kappa index test. The interpretation results of these tests provide a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to clinicians and experts, which ultimately leads to more accurate, comprehensive, cheaper and faster monitoring. In this review article, with a complete and comprehensive review of the conventional concepts in the evaluation of diagnostic tests, along with the solution of practical examples, we will expand and provide a comprehensive presentation of these concepts. Also, the latest original studies that have been done in the field of evaluation of diagnostic tests will also be reviewed in this article.

Early diagnosis of diseases is one of the main goals of health and wellness centers. Timely diagnosis can reduce the potential damage of diseases. The importance of this issue in veterinary medicine multiplies due to its combination with economic goals. Therefore, a predictive approach is necessary for early diagnosis of diseases. This approach should be evidence-based and highly accurate. It should also be economically efficient. Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence and judgment by a computer or a robot that is programmed or trained to perform tasks that normally need human abilities. The emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in today's world has improved the existing functions in health care systems. So that with the application of this technology, a significant progress has been made in the procedures of event prediction and disease diagnosis, management and health at the macro level, etc. Furthermore, the scope of diagnosable diseases is extensive, encompassing any ailment for which relevant data can be processed by artificial intelligence algorithms. The trained model has the capability to diagnose a wide range of diseases, with accuracy contingent upon factors such as disease indicators, collected data, and other pertinent variables. In this review article, the most important applications of artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine will be mentioned, and in general, these applications will be examined in various fields such as diagnosis of common diseases, differential diagnosis, prediction of disease occurrence, veterinary diagnostic imaging techniques, veterinary clinical pathology, etc. In addition, the challenges in this field will also be mentioned. This article is a review of recent studies in this fiel.

Edible films have gained significant attention as carriers of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds. Essential oils and aqueous extracts of red pepper, known for their antimicrobial properties in food systems, can be incorporated into the matrix of edible films. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of calcium pectinate edible films containing essential oil and aqueous extract of red pepper against four major foodborne pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (O157:H7), and Salmonella enteritidis, using the disc diffusion method. Disks with a diameter of 9 mm were prepared from calcium pectinate-based films containing 0.5% and 1% essential oil and 2% aqueous extract of red pepper and placed under sterile conditions on pre-inoculated BHI agar plates. The diameter of the inhibition zones was considered as an indicator of the antimicrobial activity of the films. Statistical analysis was performed using Sigma Plot software. The results demonstrated that the designed films effectively inhibited the tested pathogens. Composites containing red pepper essential oil exhibited a remarkable ability to restrict the growth of foodborne pathogenic bacteria at both concentrations. However, the film containing only 0.5% essential oil did not form an inhibition zone against Salmonella enteritidis, indicating no inhibitory effect at this concentration. Additionally, the addition of aqueous extract of red pepper further enhanced the antibacterial properties of the essential oil-containing films. These findings suggest that essential oil and aqueous extract of red pepper can be employed as natural preservatives in calcium pectinate edible films for food packaging applications.

Zooarchaeology shares close ties with Comparative Anatomy of Veterinary Medicine. This scientific discipline involves the study of the bones of various animals, using anatomical information to explore the place and role of these animal species in life and human survival, thereby enriching our knowledge about the interaction of humans and their ecosystems. 

Using available anatomical information, this study investigated the typology of bone remains and animal teeth in the area of Qareh Tepe, Segzabad (Qazvin Province, Iran). Another goal was to detect the abnormal effects created by humans or animals in bones, such as cuts, burns, or chewing effects by carnivorous animals. By extracting this information, it is possible to analyze the livelihood economy of that historical site correctly.

A total of 1110 bone and teeth samples excavated in 2017 were analyzed. The samples were transferred to the Osteology Lab of the Anatomy Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran City, Iran. Anatomical studies were conducted in several stages based on the excavated samples. 

Among the detected animal samples, the highest percentage (30.09%) was related to sheep samples, and then the samples of small ruminants (26.94%) (which could not be separated). The percentages of gazelle, Asian water buffalo, wild boar, and chicken were trivial and less than 1%. In this study, abnormal symptoms were detected in the phalanges of the Caspian horse.

One of the remarkable points about the small ruminant samples separated at the species level in this study is that the number of sheep samples detected surpassed that of goats. It seems that the conditions for keeping sheep were more suitable. The number of Perissodactyla, especially horses, shows a significant increase compared to the Neolithic periods and the beginning of the complexity of Iron Age I technology. This finding indicates the use of horses and donkeys in agriculture and transportation activities.

Respiratory pathogenic beta-hemolytic streptococci in horses, including Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, the causative agent of strangles disease, Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is an important cause of respiratory disease and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis has been isolated from nasal swabs taken from horses with a history of respiratory disease.

The present study aimed to determine the frequency and risk factors of respiratory tract infections originating from beta-hemolytic streptococci in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil.

During this study, 121 horses with clinical respiratory symptoms were sampled. After performing clinical examinations and recording clinical signs in special worksheets, sampling of the upper part of the respiratory tract was performed using nasopharyngeal swabs. The samples were sent to the laboratory in a standard transfer medium with cold chain.

In this study, out of 121 samples collected from horse breeding clubs from 10 different regions of northwestern Iran, 51 were negative for beta-hemolytic streptococci while the results were positive for the other 70 samples (P<0.001). Regarding the positive samples for beta-hemolytic streptococci, the results of differential cultures were as follows: eight cases of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, 57 cases of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, and five cases of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis. There was no significant relationship between the frequency of beta-hemolytic infections with variables of gender, race, and geographical area (P>0.05). Meanwhile, the statistical test showed a significant relationship between the frequency of infection with these bacteria and the variable of clinical symptoms (P<0.001). Moreover, the frequency of beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections was significantly associated with age (P<0.05).

The results herein suggested that the bacterial cause of the majority of respiratory infections in infected and sampled horses in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil at the time of sampling was Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus and that this organism is a potential pathogen for respiratory diseases in horses in these provinces.

Horses are economically and emotionally valuable animals in various activities, especially sports. Thus, paying attention to their limb's health and conformation is vital. One of the most common diseases in the limbs of horses is laminitis. Horses with this condition suffer from lameness because it affects laminar tissue. In addition to clinical signs, radiographic criteria are essential for identifying this disease.

It is predicted that examining the effectiveness of quantitative radiographic criteria of the hoof can be helpful in the diagnosis of laminitis. Therefore, in this study, five quantitatively effective factors were investigated before and after hoof trimming to determine the changes in the radiographic diagnosis of laminitis.

A total of 11 clinically healthy horses were used in the current study. Using Marco DICOM Viewer software, lateral and dorsopalmar radiographs from the hoofs of both forelimbs were evaluated for the diagnosis of laminitis using effective quantitative criteria. Using SPSS version 24, paired T-tests were used to analyze quantitative data. P≤0.05 was considered significant.

According to the results of this study, there were no significant differences between the right and left forelimbs after hoof trimming. On the other hand, significant differences were observed in the four following criteria: dorsal thickness between the dorsal surface of the third phalanx and the dorsal surface of the hoof, the angle between the dorsal surface of the third phalanx and the dorsal surface of the hoof, sole thickness, and the ratio of the third phalanx dorsal surface thickness to its maximum length in each forelimb before and after hoof trimming.

During the radiographic examination, the hoof should be positioned in a standard way to diagnose laminitis accurately. However, if the hoof is not trimmed or not trimmed properly, it can interfere with laminitis diagnosis.

There is growing evidence that resistance to antibiotics is increasing, and because of their wide range of negative impacts on the environment and humans, also accumulative effects in fish meat and hazards for humans, there have been numerous studies conducted using medicinal plants as a healthier alternative to antibiotics.

This study examined the antibacterial effect of two native medicinal herbs (oregano and echinacea mixed essential oil) on Lactococcus garvieae compared with some commercial antibiotics used in fish farms.

The antibacterial activities against a fish bacterial pathogen (Lactococcus garvieae) were tested using the disk diffusion method, followed by the determination of minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) concentrations via sequential dilution of essential oil by Broth Micro Dilution method.

The results showed antimicrobial activities of mentioned mixed essential oil with MIC ≥ 6.25 μL/mL and MBC ≥ 12.5 μL/mL. Also, the measurements of the diameter of inhibitory zones are consistent with the results of MIC and MBC, indicating the positive effect of this plant mix oil Lactococcus garvieae. However, the Lactococcus garvieae was more sensitive to Enrofloxacin (NFX 5), and Sulfamethoxazole & Trimethoprim (SXT) (P<0.05), but the combination of Oregano and Echinacea essential oils performed better than Florfenicol (FF) despite the weaker effects against mentioned two antibiotics.

The results approved the antibacterial activity of the mixed essential oil of oregano and Echinacea against Lactococcus garvieae on the laboratory scale. Using these compounds as a possible substitute for antibiotic compounds requires more clinical studies.

Leptospirosis is a common zoonosis caused by Leptospira interrogans. Leptospira are more durable in temperate and humid climates and if transmitted to a vertebrate host, can lead to clinical to subclinical disease with a wide range of symptoms including fever, jaundice, hematuria, abortion and sometimes death. Sheep are important hosts of Leptospira that have received less attention due to the higher prevalence of subclinical form of the disease in this species.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis serology in sheep in Khuzestan province using standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT).261 blood samples were taken from sheep in 10 cities of Khuzestan province during the autumn and winter of 2022. All samples were tested by MAT method using five serotypes of Leptospira Grippotyphosa , Pomona, Icterohemorrhagiae, Canicula and Hardjo.The results of MAT showed that 12 samples (4.5%) had positive reaction, of which 4 samples with Grippotyphosa, 4 samples with Icterohemorrhagiae, 3 samples with Hardjo and 1 sample with Pomona. Titration of positive samples showed that 10 samples had a titer of 1:100 and 2 samples had a titer of 1:400.The results of this study indicate a decrease in the serological prevalence of leptospirosis in sheep in Khuzestan province compared to previous studies. It seems that the trend of climate change, the unprecedented decrease in rainfall expectations over the past years and the increase in compliance with health protocols, have played an effective role in reducing the prevalence of the disease.

Pityriasis or dandruff is the presence of too many bran-like scales on the skin. According to the available information and based on previous studies, this complication exists in horse care and breeding centers in Tehran, Alborz and Golestan provinces with different frequencies. The aim of this study was to identify the causes of Pityriasis and its effective factors in horses of the mentioned provinces. The present study was performed on the population of horses in equestrian complexes of Tehran, Alborz and Golestan provinces. Based on history and clinical findings, horses with Pityriasis were identified and then the necessary samples were taken and sent to the relevant laboratories. In this study, 74 horses with Pityriasis were identified that mange (56.76%), insect bites hypersensitivity (24.32%) and ringworm (18.92%) were the most important causes of Pityriasis. Among possible affecting factors, breed, sex, age, insect control and density had no significant association but significant relationship (p<0.05) was recorded among season, sanitary conditions, type of accompanying lesion and animal bedding with Pityriasis. According to this study, mange is the most common cause of Pityriasis in horses in Tehran, Alborz and Golestan provinces. Pityriasis predominantly occurs in summer and the most common type of accompanying lesion is alopecia.

While many of studies have evaluated effects of trocar on incision characteristics non has taken the design of the cannula into consideration. This study was conducted to figure out the type of cannula design which is associated with a better healing at the insertion site, and to investigate if the size of incision in the port site has an effect on the healing process.

6 trocars were inserted in each dog. five animals were used, allowing the total number of 10 insertions for 7 mm incisions and threaded cannula (group A), 10 insertions for 10 mm incision and threaded cannula (group B) and 10 for 10 mm incision and smooth cannula (Group C), which constituted 3 groups of study.

Macroscopic and Histopathology comparison between group A and group B revealed significantly higher degenerative changes and necrosis in the dermal and muscle layer and a higher loss of the peritoneal lining in group A than B. Hemorrhage in the dermal layer of the skin and acute inflammatory reaction was significantly higher in group B compared with C .

This study showed that a smaller incision than the trocar’s external diameter has destructive effects on the tissues. Moreover, using a trocar with a threaded cannula can have harmful effects on the surrounding tissues and it is considered more destructive than a smooth cannula.

Honey is a natural sweet substance which the physico-chemical properties and antioxidants of honey are depended to the kinds of plant and flower in each region. Therefore, it is required to know components of each. The main aim of current study was to investigate the physiochemical and antioxidant properties of 32 different samples from different regions (South, central, North and Northwestern) of Iran. Thus, physiochemical tests such as moisture content, pH, acidity, Ash content, reducing sugar before hydrolysis, sucrose, HMF on honey samples were done. Also the total amount of phenolic compounds using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH method. The collected data were coded and analyzed through SPSS by applying one-way ANOVA.The results depicted significant (P<0.05). The obtained range values of each test is as follows: The range of pH was 4.06-4.39, acidity 8-20 mEq/kg, moisture 14.9-18.8%, ash 0.2-0.6%, HMF 4.49-17.55 mg/kg, reduced sugar 71.42-80.88%, sucrose 1.7-4.88%, DPPH 32.37-74.77% and phenolic content was 12.69-54.66 mg/100g. We found significant differences (P < 0.05) in pH, acidity, moisture, ash, HMF, DPPH and phenolic content between different regions of producing honey but not with sucrose and reduced sugar. Our results are consistent with previous findings and CODEX standards.

The commercial layer chicken farming is one of the most important sectors of the poultry industry. This study was conducted to evaluate the status of biosecurity of commercial layer chicken farms in 9 Iranian provinces with the highest layer chicken population. 

In this cross-sectional study, 202 commercial layer chicken farms were selected from nine Iranian provinces in 2019 using stratified random sampling. Then, the required data were collected using a questionnaire by presenting to the farms in person. The results are expressed as mean, standard variation, sum and adoption rate index. 

The results showed that the adoption level of total biosecurity measures was 68.18% in the commercial layer chicken farms in Iran. This figure was 72.11%, 75% and 60.82% for conceptual, structural and operational biosecurity measures, respectively. Among conceptual biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level (29.20%) was for distance to the nearest garden and agriculture land. Among structural biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level (28.96%) was for a hand disinfection spot before shed. Among the operational biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level was for water filtrations (31.18%) and microbial testing of water (33.91%). 

This study investigated the biosecurity status of commercial layer chicken farms in nine Iranian provinces with the highest layer chicken population and revealed some weaknesses in the implementation of these measures at conceptual, structural and operational levels.

Equine arteritis virus (EAV) causes respiratory disease, abortion and sometimes, neurological signs. Stallions which are permanently infected with the virus, are the constant carriers of the virus in their semen and transmit the virus to other horses through sexual contact.

The aim of this study was to evaluate EAV infection in horses in four provinces of Iran and its relationship with age, sex, and race.

Blood samples were taken from 149 horses with different sex, age and race with history or clinical signs associated with equine viral arteritis, including the manifestation of respiratory disease (fever, nasal secretion, coughing), nervous signs (ataxia, dysmetria, recumbency) and abortion. The commercial ELISA kit was used for viral antibody detection.

From 149 sampled horses, 11 cases (7.4%) were found to be positive for EAV. Seropositive cases were recorded in Tehran (2.7%), Golestan (4.3%), Khuzestan (6.7%) and West Azerbaijan (23.8%) provinces.

This survey confirmed the presence of EVAV in horses from four provinces of Iran with the sensitive (98.3%) and special (98.9%) test. Therefore, consideration should be given to the control and prevention programs for the spread of this virus.

Today, due to changes in human lifestyle and consumer demand incidence of foodborne diseases is on the rise. The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality rate of foodborne diseases and their related factors.

In this cross-sectional study, data on deaths registered according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10th revision) were extracted from death registration and classification of causes system in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran from 2011 to 2018. Data on deaths from food and water borne diseases including Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, and other foodborne diseases were extracted from database of death registration and classification of causes system. The demographic variables of dead people considered in this study include age (under 5 years, 5-20 years, 20-40, 40-60s and over 60 old), gender, nationality, and the location where people died (urban, rural and unknown).

The majority of deaths cases occurred at the age of 60 years and in older age groups (P<0.001). The results show that across all the age groups mortality rate from foodborne diseases was higher among men than among women (P=0.110). Most of foodborne diseases were reported by people living in urban areas (P<0.0001). The results of this study showed that most of the deaths from these diseases occur in the warm seasons. In this study, the crude death rate was 10 cases per one million inhabitants.

The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the mortality rate due to different bacterial agents. This study suggests that demographic variables are important predictors of mortality from foodborne illness and should be further investigated.

Equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of economic loss in horse industry and is well recognized as a cause of abortion, respiratory disease, neurologic disorders and death of neonatal foals.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of EHV-1 in horses with clinical signs and/or history associated with this virus from four provinces of Iran (Golestan, Tehran, Khuzestan, West Azer- baijan) that have considerable horse population, followed by phylogenetic study of positive cases and compare them with herpes viruses in other parts of the world.

Blood samples and nasal swabs were taken from 150 horses from four aforementioned provinc- es. DNA of samples was extracted and used for detection in real-time PCR TaqMan assay. Finally, phyloge- netic trees were designed based on neighbor joining method.

Out of 150 sampled horses, a total of 14 (9.33%) were found to be positive for EHV-1. The results indicated that positive cases of EHV-1 from this study were clustered to herpes virus cases in other parts of the world with a noticeable similarity.

This study confirmed the presence of EHV-1 in these provinces of Iran, thus consideration should be given to preventive and control programs to prevent dissemination and outbreak of this virus.

Recently, tendency to use veterinary specific Portable blood glucose meter (PBGMs) has increased. However, assessment of their analytical and clinical accuracy is a matter of concern. To assess accuracy of two veterinary (AlphaTRAK2 and CERA-PET) and one human-based (Bionime) PBGMs for canine blood samples. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 160 client-owned dogs with various signalment and disease were included. Venous blood samples were obtained from a peripheral vein of each dog and blood glucose was measured with the three PBGMs. Immediately afterward, serum was harvested and sent to laboratory until analysis with reference methods. Blood glucose measured with the reference method was 21 to 650 mg/dl. There was a significant correlation between results of the reference method and PBGMs. Both of the veterinary specific PBGMs showed significant proportional and constant bias, nevertheless, no proportional and constant bias were recorded for human-based one. Mean deviation from reference methods was -7.4, 9.8, and -3.9 for AlphaTRAK2, CERA-PET, and Bionime respectively.  Although most of the PBGMs readings lay in the calculated 95% limits of agreement, none of the devices completely satisfied the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 15197:2013) criteria. Error grid analysis revealed all measurements for AlphaTRAK2 in zone A and B, while CERA-PET demonstrates one measurement in zone D. Bionime showed two  measurements in zone C and D. Only the result of AlphaTRAK2 could be interpreted without any hazardous outcome on medical decision making.

Herpes virus infections are ubiquitous in equine populations worldwide, among them equine herpes virus 4 (EHV-4) is one of the major cause of economic losses in equine industry. Infection with equine herpes virus 4 (EHV4) is well recognized as a cause of respiratory disease. Evaluation of prevalence of the EHV4 in horses with clinical signs or history associated with these viruses from four provinces of Iran using the most sensitive method, Real Time PCR Taqman assay. METHODES: Blood samples and nasal swabs were taken from 150 horses with clinical signs or history associated with these viruses from four provinces (Tehran, Golestan, West Azarbaijan and Khuzestan) of Iran. DNA of samples extracted then were used for detection by Real Time PCR. From 150 sampled horses, a total of 18 (12%) were found to be positive for EHV-4. A total of 7 (4.6%) blood samples and 11 (7.3%) nasal swab samples were found to be positive for EHV-4. Out of 47 sampled horses from Golestan province, 45 sampled horses from Khuzestan province, 37 sampled horses from Tehran province and 21 sampled horses from West Azarbaijan, 6 (12.76%), 3 (6.6%), 5 (13.5%) and 4 (19.04%) were positive for EHV-4, respectively. This survey confirm the presence of EHV-4 in these provinces of Iran thus consideration should be given to preventive and control programs to dissemination of these viruses.

Enrofloxacin is a useful antimicrobial drug for treatment of infectious diseases in the horse. The present study carried out due to the limitation of the approved route of administration of the drug (intravenous) and lack of data on its potential effects on hematological parameters in this animal species. Nine healthy mixed–bred (6 female and 3 male) horses, aged between 1-15 years, were randomly divided into three experimental groups (each 3 animals): Control group (with no drug dosing), enrofloxacin moderate-dose and enrofloxacin high-dose groups (using the bovine 5% enrofloxacin solution at 5 or 15 mg/kg body weight, respectively, every 12 hours, for three weeks). In addition to physical examination of all horses, blood samples were collected at five- time points during the study period including before (day 0), during (days 7, 14 and 21) and 4 weeks after completion of drug administration (day 49). Routine hematological tests were done on samples and data of three groups and trend of alterations of hematologic and biochemical parameters were analyzed. There were no significant changes in hematological parameters including hematocrit (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC) counts, white blood cell (WBC) and differential counts, platelets, as well as total plasma protein and fibrinogen levels among three groups during 5 sampling time points. The results suggest there were no significant hematological changes due to enrofloxacin at given dosing rates but more studies are needed in this regard.

Mycobacteriosis or fish tuberculosis a chronic or acute, systemic, granulomatous disease in fish that occurs due to nontuberculous mycobacteria and affect all fish species. Families of Cyprinidae, Anabantidae and Characidae appears to be more susceptible to mycobacteriosis. This survey was was carried out to investigate the mycobacterial infection of ornamental fish of Semnan. 30 pieces of goldfish and 30 pieces of guppy were collected from aquarium shops of Semnan and sampled. These samples contain kidney liver and spleen. Detection of mycobacteria from extracted DNA was done, using PCR assay. Partial primer was used to identify the rpoB gene. Results showed contamination of 10% of guppies and 46.66% of goldfish. In DNA sequencing some of the bacterial species was recognized as Mycobacterium fortuitum. In conclusion ornamental fish of Semnan are contaminated with nontuberculous mycobacteria. Considering the zoonotic risk of this disease, results of this survey is important to the general hygiene. Investigating the other areas of Semnan province is offered.

Despite rapid advances in technology and diagnostic facilities, contemporary mankind still faces the old and serious challenge of zoonoses and their emerging and re-emerging status further complicates the problems and sometimes the health system of the country faces a dilemma. Out of the 1,415 known human diseases, about 868 (60%) have multiplicative hosts, which occur between different species. In the recent three decades, approximately 75% of the newly emerging human infections have been zoonotic. In this article, using library studies and electronic searches, list of the most important bacterial zoonoses with a special vision towards emerging and re-emerging diseases, the status of the most important zoonoses in Islamic Republic of Iran and the world is presented, based on the published national and international documents, and the weaknesses and strengths of the responsible organizations have been discussed and corrective strategies and prospects for the future offered.

Despite progress in health and medical sciences in the recent decades, human brucellosis (Malta fever) is still an important endemic disease in IR of Iran. Various signs and symptoms of the disease in patients makes the diagnosis of the disease difficult. Knowing the frequency of these signs and symptoms in the patients through the country can improve the level of awareness of the them and give a measure of the overall assessment of the disease.
This study was a systematic review on studies conducted in IR of Iran and reported the frequency of signs and symptoms of brucellosis. Finding the studies was done by using the broad keywords in the intended database such as Cochrane, Campbell Collaboration, Pubmed, Sciencedirect, SID, and Magiran.
Defining the principles of inclusion and exclusion criteria through 881 found articles, 23 articles were analyzed. The most common signs and symptoms were fever (67.46%), arthralgia (59.22%), sweating (56.96%), fatigue or weakness (54.03%) and back pain (51.21%).
Brucellosis is a disease with a Thousand Faces and can cause various kinds of clinical signs and symptoms in patients. Recognizing these signs and symptoms and awareness of diversity and frequency of each of them can make diagnostic process shorter and easier.

Brucellosis in livestock has led to a significant reduction in the economic capital in Iran. Estimation of the economic losses due to this disease helps to highlight the importance of the disease and makes it easy to justify brucellosis control programs.
Estimation was done based on the data received from the Iran Veterinary Organization and statistics book of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture. Economic Loss was estimated assuming the equality of the incidence of the disease in total livestock population with its incidence in tested livestock. The direct costs of culled brucella positive animals, reduced milk production, reduced weight of animal, abortion, and reduced fertility were calculated based on the price of the animal or the product in each year. Due to inflation, the costs were adjusted using the discount rate. Therefore, the losses were compared in each year.
The maximum loss due to brucellosis in the studied period occurred in 2014. Comparison of the losses due to bovine and ovine brucellosis showed that the total economic loss in the sheep and goat population was 5.53 times greater than the loss in the cattle population. Estimation of total economic loss in 12 years of the study was 8,129,116 million IRR (1 USD≅35000 IRR).
More serious attention should be paid to animal brucellosis from both health and economic points of view. Prevention from massive economic losses and human brucellosis control and eradication will not be possible without controlling the disease in the animal population.