فهرست مطالب علی مشاوری نیا

Hard ticks are blood-feeding ectoparasites that are of great medical and health importance. This survey was carried out to determine the frequency of hard ticks infesting sheep and goats in Qaen County located in eastern Iran, South Khorasan Province. This survey started in November 2018 and continued for one year. In this study, 11 geographical locations were selected from the study area and 10 sheep and 10 goats from each location were randomly selected and examined for tick infestation each month. The ticks were collected from different infested organs and preserved in ethanol 70% until transferred to the parasitology laboratory for identification to species level. From a total of 1320 sheep and 1320 goats examined, 49.6% sheep and 32.3% goats were found to be infested. Overall, 2004 ticks were collected from infested animals and based on their frequency were identified as: Hyalomma asiaticum (39.6%), Hyalomma rufipes (33.7%), Hyalomma marginatum (9.7%), Rhipicephalus toranicus (6.4%), Dermacentor raskemensis (6.1%), Hyalomma excuvatum (3.5%) Hyalomma anatolicum (0.9%), and Haemaphysalis sulcata (0.1%). The most frequency of ticks were observed in spring and the highest number of ticks were collected in May. Tail was the most frequent and important site for tick attachment. The results of this study showed the prevalence and frequency of tick infestation in the study area is relatively high and tick control measures should be taken especially in spring and summer.

Health and welfare of dogs can be adversely affected by ectoparasite infestations and these infestations pose severe risks to human health due to close contact between dog and human.

This study was carried out to detemine the frequency of ectoparasite infestation in referred dogs to veterinary hospital of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

From April 2017 to April 2018, a total of 460 dogs were examined for ectoparasites. Age, gender, season, breed, keeping place, hair length, hair colour, pruritus, alopecia and distribution of parasites on different parts of the body of each examined dog were recorded in a questionnaire.

Out of 460 dogs examined, 99 (21.52%) were found to be infested with ectoparasites. Forty-eight  (10.43%) dogs were infested with Ctenocephalides canis and Pulex irritans. Rhipicephalus turanicus, Sarcoptes scabiei, Hippobosca longipennis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus were found on 14 (3.04%), 10 (2.17%), 10 (2.17%) and 9 (1.95%) dogs, respectively. Infestation with Wohlfahrtia magnifica, Demodex canis, Otodectes cynotis, Haemaphysalis erinacei and Linognathus setosus were observed in 9 (1.95%), 3 (0.65%), 2 (0.43%), 1 (0.21%) and 1 (0.21%) examined dogs, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between ectoparasite infestation and sex, keeping place and pruritus (p < /em><0.05). No statistical relationship was found between ectoparasite infestation and age, hair colour, hair length, season and alopecia (p < /em>>0.05).

This is the first study conducted on dog ectoparasite infestation in Mashhad district, Northeast Iran. Fleas were the most common ectoparasites and although ectoparasite infestation rate was relatively low, high species diversity was observed. Some of these ectoparasites have zoonotic importance.

Myiasis is defined as the infestation of living tissues of vertebrates by dipteran fly larvae. Clinically، based on the affected organ of host by dipteran larvae the type of myiasis is determined. Oral myiasis is a rare type of myiasis. A Two year-old goat with history of anorexia was referred to the veterinary clinic. Physical examinations showed the gingival myiasis in lower jaw. A total number of 10 larvae were removed from affected gum and were transferred to parasitology laboratory. In parasitology laboratory anterior and posterior spiracles and cephalopharyngial skeleton of larvae were separated under the stereomicroscope. After clearing of them، they were studied under the light microscope. Based on morphological characteristics of these structures wohlfahrtia magnifica was identified as causative agent of this rare type of myiasis. The present report is the first report of gingival myiasis in goat.

Nosema apis is an obligate intracellular parasite belonging to phylum Microsporidia. This para site is known as main causative agent of nosemosis in honeybees especially in the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). Nosemosis can cause queen supersedure, reduction of honey yield and dwindling the population of honeybees. A total number of 54 apiaries were randomly sampled from April to July 2011 and April to July 2012 in North Khorasan province, Iran. Collected samples were examined for infection to N.apis. In the collected bees from 30 apiaries, any Nosema infection was not observed in spring 2011, while of 24 apiaries sampled in spring 2012, 12 (50%) apiaries were infected with N. apis. The seasonal rainfall of spring in 2012 in the study area was 53% higher than the same period of last year. It was concluded that there has been a direct relationship between rainfall and frequency of N. apis infection in apiaries of North Khorasan province.

The protective capacity of the crude extracts from larval and nymphal stages of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was examined in the New Zealand white rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups of five animals. The rabbits in groups 1 and 2 were immunized with crude extracts of larval and nymphal antigens, respectively and group 3 was served as control. Following challenge of each rabbit with 2000 larvae of H. a. anatolicum, engorged nymphs were collected, weighed and then cultured in an incubator. A significant decrease in weight of engorged nymphs was only observed in group 1 that immunized with crude extracts of tick’s larvae (P<0.05). Polypeptide profile of the larval and nymphal extracts was analysed by SDS-PAGE, and antigenic pattern with serum of immunized rabbits was evaluated by Dot and Western blot test. The molecular weight of the fraction of larval extract after SDS-PAGE showed six polypeptide bands as follows: 97, 84, 66, 55, 45 and 36 kDa, and in nymphal extract 13 polypeptide bands of 205, 116, 97, 84, 66, 55, 45, 36, 29, 24 and 20 kDa and two bands between 116 and 205 kDa were found. In Western blotting, positive reaction was only observed with sera of group 1 in the bands with 97, 84 and 66 kDa. It seems that the larval extract of H. a. anatolicum can be used as a source of biological material for isolation of protective antigen.