سعید سیفی

Avian leukosis virus is a contagious oncogenic virus that can infect various bird species. This virus is economically important in the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to identify molecular strains of leukosis virus circulating in duck farms in Mazandaran province. Freshly dead birds were necropsied and samples of tumor tissues were processed for molecular detection of avian tumorigenic viruses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At necropsy, diffuse and sometimes nodular enlargement of the internal organs and subscapular hemorrhage in the liver and spleen was noted. All three studied flocks were positive for infection with serogroup J of leukosis virus, while all samples were negative for involvement with reticuloendotheliosis and Marek’s disease viruses. Since leukosis is a serious threat to the poultry industry and currently does not have a vaccine or medicine, it is recommended to carry out periodic monitoring and analysis for the circulating strains of virus.

Herbs possess a large amount of antioxidants; thus, using them in the poultry diet can improve the quality of final products.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of artichoke, Silybum marianum, and their mixture on Japanese quail’s carcass characteristics, oxidative stability, and breast meat quality. 

A total of 120 one-day-old Japanese quail were studied in a completely randomized design with 4 experimental treatments (0%, 1.5% artichoke, 1.5% S. marianum, 1.5% mixture of artichoke and S. marianum). Each treatment consisted of 3 replicates of 10 birds. At the end of the experiment (day 42), the carcass characteristics of the birds were recorded, and the physical characteristics, chemical composition, color, and oxidative stability of breast meat were evaluated. 

The results showed no significant difference among the experimental groups regarding pH, dry matter, ash, drip loss, and cooking loss. Dietary enrichment with artichoke and S. marianum caused a decrease in the mean body weight in the experimental treatments compared to the control group (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation with herbal powders increased the crude protein and fat content of breast meat, and group 4 (artichoke+S. marianum) had a higher mean than other groups (P<0.05). The hardness of breast meat in the treatment groups has decreased compared to the control group. Compared to the control group, the amount of lightness in the treatments has reduced, and redness and yellowness have increased. TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) index showed a significant decrease in the investigated treatments compared to the control group (P<0.05). 

Dietary supplementation of S. marianum and artichoke improved nutritional value and increased oxidative stability of breast meat in Japanese quail. However, they adversely affected birds’ weight gain and feed consumption.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of in ovo injection of nanocurcumin on intestinal histomorphology and some serum components of the hatched chicks. The chicken eggs were injected with 1, 10, 100, 1000, and 10000 ppm of nanocurcumin, and the other two groups were used as control and injected control (saline). At the end of the experiment, blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histological examination. For histological examination, small intestine was sampled and routine histological methods containing fixation, dehydration, clearing and paraffin embedding were used. Sections were stained with hematoxylin & eosin for light microscopy evaluation. Blood biochemical parameters were analyzed by an automatic analyzer. Results indicated that in ovo injection of saline significantly reduced albumin, globulin, total protein and AST (aspartat aminotransferase) compared to the control group, so that injection of nanocurcumin corrected the reduction of these factors. Uric acid was increased by injection of 1, 10 and 100 ppm nanocurcumin compared to the other groups. Blood glucose levels decreased slightly with increasing the dose of nanocurcumin, and in the 1000 ppm nanocurcumin group, the levels were significantly lower than those of the control. In ovo injection of 1000 ppm nanocurcumin significantly increased the villi height and villus height/crypt depth ratio compared to the saline and 1 ppm nanocurcumin groups. Although the primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of in ovo administration of nanocurcumin, it was demonstrated that the use of saline in the in ovo injection was inappropriate. In conclusion, in ovo injection of nanocurcumin corrected saline-altered serum factors, lowered blood sugar, and increased the intestinal absorption surface.

During recent decades, there have been numerous reports of Newcastle virus infection and isolation in industrial poultry, rural, and wild birds. The presence of a highly contagious and lethal disease implies the occurrence of genetic mutations in the virus, which could potentially due to the breakdown of the immune barrier from vaccination in certain instances. The hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein plays a crucial role in the process of immune induction. Alignment analysis revealed a reduction in similarity at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels when comparing the isolates examined in this study with the vaccine strains. Moreover, the analysis of alterations in the neutralizing epitope pattern exhibited substitutions at the amino acid level in positions 347 (E to Q), 356 (R to K), 363 (N to K), 494 (G to D), and 514 (I to V) as compared to the vaccine strains. These results, proposed that these mutations may contribute to the antigenic modifications in novel strains of the virus. The glycosylation profile modifications were found to be associated with excision and introduction at positions 538 and 144, respectively, as opposed to the vaccinal strains.Therefore, it is essential to design and carry out further research studies to determine the impact of these mutations and glycosylation patterns on the virulence and ability of new viral strains to promote pathogenicity and escape immunization derived from vaccinal strains and develop potent new vaccines that specifically target these strains.

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) is an economically important bacterial pathogen of poultry worldwide. The Aim of the present study was conducted to isolation, detection and determination of antibiotic sensitivity of ORT isolates in commercial poultry flocks with respiratory signs in Mazandaran province, northern Iran. Tracheal swab samples were taken from 60 different flocks, after cultivation on a selective medium, suspected colonies were subjected to biochemical and molecular identification of ORT. Then, confirmed isolates were aimed to antibiotic resistance assay. A total of 13 isolates, including seven isolates from broiler flocks (19.44%) and six isolates from broiler breeder flocks (33.33%) were obtained. All ORT isolates that were positive by culture were also detected to be positive by the PCR. The most resistance rates among all ORT isolates were obtained for ampicillin, erythromycin, ceftriaxone, and penicillin (100%). The majority of ORT isolates were susceptible to furazolidone. According to the results, the isolates showed different antibiotic resistance profiles, and most of the strains proved multiresistant. This can indicate the circulation of various multidrug resistant strains among poultry farms in northern Iran.

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) is one of the most important pathogenic bacteria which cause significant economic losses in poultry breeder countries every year.

The present study was conducted to isolate and investigate the ORT isolates’ biochemical, antibiotic resistance, and genotypic characteristics of in industrial poultry flocks with respiratory signs in northern Iran.

After sampling from 60 different flocks and cultivation of the samples on a selective medium, suspected colonies were subjected to biochemical and molecular identification of ORT. Then, confirmed isolates were aimed to antibiotic resistance assay, hemagglutination test, detection of pOR1 plasmid, and DNA fingerprinting to survey the variability of the isolates.

A total of 13 isolates, including seven isolates from broiler flocks (19.44%) and six isolates from broiler breeder flocks (25%) were obtained. Almost all isolates showed similar results in terms of basically important biochemical tests. The most resistance rates among all ORT isolates were obtained for ampicillin, erythromycin, ceftriaxone, and penicillin (100%). The majority of ORT isolates were susceptible to furazolidone. The pOR1 plasmid was detected in only two isolates, and analysis of the DNA fingerprinting phylogenetic tree showed four specific genotypic clusters.

According to the results, the isolates showed different antibiotic resistance profiles, and most of the strains proved multiresistant. This can indicate the circulation of various multi-drug resistant strains among poultry farms in northern Iran. Isolates from broilers and broiler breeders were grouped into different clusters by genotyping.

Prebiotics are non-digestible feed ingredients that improve the immune system.

The present study was designed to assess the changes caused by the addition of prebiotics to the feed on carcass characteristics and also chemical composition, physical characteristics, color, texture, and fatty acid profile of chicken pectoral muscles containing Eimeria species.

Forty-one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned to four treatments, including nega-tive control (NC), positive control (PC), positive medicated with coxidine (COX), and positive medicated with prebiotics (PRE). After 42 days, carcass characteristics of the chickens were recorded, and also physical character-istics, chemical composition, color, texture, and fatty acid analysis of breast meat were determined.

Infection with Eimeria species diminished carcass characteristics. PRE had higher final body weight, hot carcass weight, and breast and thigh muscle weights. Drip loss, pH, cooking loss, fat, ash, dry matter, and texture properties of broilers’ breast meat did not show any significant differences among the experimental groups. Dietary supplementation with prebiotics increased the crude protein content of breast meat. Infection with Eimeria species decreased the a-value of breast meat. Dietary supplementation with prebiotics decreased the amount of fatty acids 16:1 and 18:1 and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) compared to NC.

Dietary supplementation with prebiotics is a promising strategy with the potential to compensate for the negative effects of infection with Eimeria spp. on carcass characteristics, protein content, and color of breast meat of broiler chickens.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) majorly infects the poultry, and despite high rates of vaccination, it is still circulating in different geographical regions. Due to the high mortality rate, the economic loss of Newcastle disease (ND) is enormous.

The molecular characterization of NDV isolates from chicken farms in Northern Iran, during 2017-2018, was the main goal of this study.

We isolated and characterized five NDVs from commercial broiler and backyard chicken farms during severe disease outbreak. The partial coding sequence of fusion (F) genes of isolates was determined and compared with those of other published NDVs.

Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all of the isolates were grouped into sub-genotype VII.1.1 (formerly known as VIIl). All isolates carried multi‐basic amino acid residues at the cleavage site of fusion protein, typical of virulent strains. Studied NDV isolates had high homology with the prevalent genotype NDV strains that currently circulate in China and Republic of Korea (96.94%).

Our results suggested that NDV sub-genotype VII.1.1 (VIIl), circulating among chicken farms, may be a dominant sub-genotype. Considering the genetic variation between the used vaccine strains (B1, LaSota, and Clone 30, all belonging to genotype II) and circulating NDVs, it is recommended that a contemporary homologous virus should be developed as the vaccine strain to avert the outbreaks of genotype VII viruses.

Newcastle disease (ND) has been categorized as a highly contagious viral disease, remaining as a constant threat to both wild birds and commercial chickens.

In this study, we recovered and characterized the avian orthoavulavirus 1 (AOaV-1) strain, nominated as EM1, from the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica).

The nucleotide and amino acid sequence of the fusion protein (F protein) of EM1 were determined and its phylogenetic relationship was investigated with well-characterized AOaV-1 genotypes, which originated from wild bird species and chickens around the world.

Phylogenetic analysis and deduced amino acid sequences of the F gene revealed that EM1 virus belonged to VIIl sub-genotype viruses with the characteristic multibasic amino acid sequences associated with the velogenic motif as 112RRQKRF117 at the cleavage site of its precursor fusion protein. EM1 shared a high level of similarity to the other virus sub-genotypes in nucleotide and amino acid sequences of F protein. Furthermore, the evolutionary difference between the studied virus and viruses belonging to the VIIl sub-genotype indicated that a close relatedness and the possibility of a common origin.

These results show that the virulent AOaV-1 of sub-genotype VIIl is circulating continuously in Iran, and is disseminating among wild and domestic bird species that can cause bidirectional spillover infection. Therefore, further epidemiological studies can be beneficial in the assessment of the evolution of AOaV-1 in its hosts and will help us to be well-equipped in facing the emergence of new sub-genotypes of this virus.

The laying hen possesses a single functional ovary, which undergoes ovulation at a high rate during its lifespan. In hens, spontaneous tumors of the ovary and, less frequently, of the oviduct, are common. More than 80% of commercial laying hens develop ovarian tumors by the time they are 2 years of age. Ovarian tumors usually don't become apparent until their growth is well advanced. The bird may have a history of egg binding or oviductual prolapse. They may also have problems associated with egg laying, such as increased infections, soft-shelled, shell-less and other abnormal eggs, and generalized signs of lethargy/depression. There is no available cure for ovarian tumors in hens. Treatment options are aimed at stopping egg production and to minimize risk of future egg-related infections such as egg yolk peritonitis. These include hormonal implants or, as a last resort, "spaying". There are also a number of different natural herbs which have shown some benefit. It showed that hens fed a flaxseed-enriched diet for one year experienced a significant reduction in late-stage ovarian tumors. Reproductive tumors can reduce egg production rates and lead to an overall decline in general health in the laying hen. Usually viral agents such as: herpes and retro viruses cause tumors in birds. Most researches on avian tumors has been done in viral agents cases, because of their economic importance and because these studies serve as a model for cancer studies in women. Ovarian epithelial cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths and the most deadly reproductive tract cancer in women. Domestic poultry is the most appropriate animal model for studying ovarian cancer in women. No other animal develops spontaneous ovarian tumors at comparable rates to the chicken which can exceed 35% depending on the genetic background (i.e., strain, age, and number of eggs produced by the flock. Moreover, the pathology and progression of the disease resembles that in humans in several respects. Leiomyoma and oviduct adenocarcinoma are the most common tumors of the reproductive tract in laying hens. Oviduct adenocarcinomas usually originate from the magnum of the oviduct, and occasionally arise from the infundibulum and uterus. Adenocarcinomas in poultry are among the groups of unknown etiology tumors, but a relationship between high egg production and the prevalence of oviduct tumors has been shown. Neoplastic cells are shed from tumors in the oviduct into the abdominal cavity. They implant on the ovary, pancreas, and other viscera and produce multiple, hard, yellow nodules.

The present communication, reports a metastatic adenocarcinoma in an 80 week old commercial layer chicken in second-cycle egg production in Mazandaran province, Iran. Eight dead layer hens were referred to division of avian diseases. On necropsy examination, mesentery and serosal surface of intestine was studded with grayish white nodules. Ovary contained varying sizes of multiple single to lobulated firm, cauliflower-like, grayish white nodules. Also, yellowish transparent ascites were seen in some cases. Tissue samples were taken and placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, then, were placed in cassettes, dehydrated in ethanol, cleared with xylene, and embedded in paraffin wax. Sections were made at 5 µm thickness on glass microscope slides and stained with standard haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and then examined by light microscopy.

Microscopically, cuboidal neoplastic cells were arranged in acinar and tubular pattern in the serosal layer of intestine. The cells appeared as variable sized cuboidal cells with indistinct cell borders, eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, round nuclei, indistinct nucleoli and fine chromatin granules. Intestine nodules showed neoplastic cells and structures similar to those of the ovary tumor. These adenocarcinomas were encountered in 80-week-old White Leghorn hens, which tallies with the reviewed published findings that ovarian and oviductal adenocarcinomas are among the most frequently encountered tumors in older White Leghorn hens. Laying hens are the only animals that develop spontaneous ovarian cancer similar to humans. In the present case, according to histological appearance of the growth in the ovary, the tumor was diagnosed as an ovarian adenocarcinoma with metastasis on the whole of intestines. In this study, ascites was observed in the abdominal cavity of birds; the tumor obstructed the lymph flow and thus could lead to ascites. Prolonged egg production period may be one of the important causes of involvement with this type of tumor. Continuous secretion of gonadotropins can over-stimulate estrogen-sensitive epithelial cells in the oviduct and cause tumor cells to develop.

Neoplastic diseases, regardless of their cause or the organ affected, have economically impact; therefore, it is important to report these cases.Keywords: Layer chicken, Ovary, Intestine, Adenocarcinoma, Metastasis.

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of nutrient density in diet and lighting period on some biochemical parameters of broilers. A total of 768 day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were used in an unbalanced completely randomized design with 6 groups. There were two nutrient densities: high (H) and low (L). The 3 lighting regimes were 18L: 4D, 20L: 4D, and 23L: 1D. Blood samples (7 samples from every group) were collected and serum separated for assay biochemical profile. Serum glucose, total protein, albumin, globin and uric acid were measured. The highest serum glucose and lowest triglyceride and total protein level were found in group with 23L: 1D. In contrast the lowest serum glucose level was group with 18L: 4D. Other factors for example AST, uric acid, Albumin, Globulin, Ratio of albumin to globulin were not significant (P<0.05). It is concluded that lighting regimes influence on blood biochemical components.

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of secondary infection with Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) on pathogenesis of avain influenza virus subtype H9N2 in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. Sixty, one-day-old SPF chicks were randomly divided into three groups. They were kept in separate positive pressure isolators. On 21st day of study, the chicks in group 1 was infected intraocularly with 1×106 EID50 of H9N2 and three days later intratracheally with 1× 1010 CFU of ORT, group 2 only inoculated with H9N2 AI virus, intraocularly. Control group was inoculated with PBS, intraocularly. The samples from various tissues were collected at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 days post-inoculation (DPI). In first group chickens exhibited ruffled feathers, depression, respiratory signs, reduced appetite and 10% mortality. The most remarkable clinical signs appeared on day 5 PI. While in second group had minor clinical signs. The H9N2 virus was not detected from organs of group 1 with increasing antibody except lungs of died bird on days 5 PI. The ORT was detected in the trachea and lungs on days 6 and 8 PI. The bacteria was also found in the heart and liver on day 8 PI and in trachea of died birds on days 5 and 7 PI. The results showed that infected chickens with the H9N2 AI virus under secondary infection by ORT cause exacerbate virulence and lesions of H92.

Synthesis of new drugs, including GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor), is one of the most important use of recombinant DNA technology. GM-CSF is a Molgramostim drug that is widely used in order to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and enhance the immune system. Treatment of dental abscesses in patients undergoing chemotherapy is one of the most common uses of this drug in dentistry. In addition, GM-CSF has a key role in the treatment of mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the oral area. In this review, the different uses of the recombinant molgramostim drugs in treating different diseases were evaluated.
Article Explanation: In the current review paper, relevant articles were collected from ISI Web of Science and PubMed databases by using Google Scholar search engine from 1973 to 2014. The articles were analyzed for 8 months. Articles related to the effect of recombinant GM-CSF on treating disease were included in the current paper.
The potency of GM-CSF in inducing the production of granulocytes and macrophages in vivo shows that it can clinically increase neutrophil counts and enhance the immune system subsequent to injuries inflicted by conditions such as myelodysplastic syndrome or injuries due to chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, considering the widespread therapeutic use of GM-CSF to boost the immune system, it can be introduced as an important agent for the treatment of dental abscesses in chemotherapy patients.

Ornithobacteriosis is caused by Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) that can cause economic losses to the poultry industry annually. The purpose of this study was to investigate tissue tropism and dissemination of ORT-R87-7/1387 strain of ORT in different organs of experimentally infected SPF chickens. Forty one-day-old SPF leghorn chicks were provided and divided randomly into two groups (20 chicks in the experimental and 20 chicks in the control group). They were kept in separate positive pressure isolators. At the age of three weeks، the chicks in the experimental group were inoculated intratracheally with 1× 1010 CFU of ORT. Each bird in control group was inoculated with PBS. The sample from trachea، lungs، liver and heart were collected at 2،4،6،8،10،12 and 14 days post-inoculation (PI). Three chickens of experimental group showed ruffled feathers from days 3 to 4 PI that this signs disappeared at 5 day PI. ORT was isolated in the trachea on days 2،4، 8 and 10 PI. The bacteria was also found in the lungs and liver on day 4 PI. But ORT was not detected in samples taken from heart during study. The results showed that this strain of ORT alone can not lead to mortality، severe clinical signs or gross lesions in infected chickens، but its replication in the trachea for a long time could render birds susceptible to other diseases.

Growth promoters are chemical and biological substances that are added to livestock food with the aim to improve the growth of chickens in fattening and the utilization of food، and in this way achieve better production and financial results. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of enzyme complex، probiotic، and their combination on performance of broilers fed a basal wheat-barley-soybean meal diet from 1 to 47 d of age. Atotal of 480-dayold male broiler chicks (Arbor Acres) were randomly assigned to 6 treatments، with 4 replicate cages per treatment and 20 birds per cage. The experiment consisted of a 3×2 factorial arrangement of the treatments، with 3 concentrations of enzyme complex (0، half of the commercial suggested level or commercial suggested level) and 2 concentrations of probiotic (0 and suggested level). Results showed that the suggested level of enzyme complex could improve body weight and feed conversion ratio (p<0. 05)، but addition of probiotic only decreased the feed conversion ratio (p<0. 05). There was no interaction between enzyme complex and probiotic on performance (p>0. 05). Probiotic supplementation did not improve the efficacy of enzyme complex at any levels. The examination of length and relative weight of different regions of intestine showed that only enzyme complex could decrease the relative weight of duodenum and length of jejunum; however، there was no interaction between treatments for these parameters. This research did not demonstrate any interaction effect between enzyme complex and probiotic on broilers performance fed wheat-barley-soybean meal diet.

This experimental study was carried out to induce a co-infection of H9 AIV and IBV with inoculums prepared from tracheal scrubbed epithelium tissues in natural co-infected birds to rule out the effect of field undesired environmental conditions and also other infectious causative agents. Eighty 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into four equal groups. At 21 days of age, three test groups were inoculated intranasally with prepared inoculums containing IBV and H9 AIV alone and a co-infected group. The fourth group remained uninfected as a control group. The results showed that experimental co-infection of AIV and IBV increased the severity of clinical signs, mortality rate and gross lesions. The HI titer against AIV infection in the co-infected group was significantly higher than the HI titer of other groups, which may indicate that IBV could promote the propagation of H9N2 AIV or stimulate the immune response.