ABSTRACT
Leptospirosis as a common zoonotic diseases has a worldwide distribution. To Investigate of seroprevalence leptospiral infection in slaughtered camels [Camelus dromedarius] province of Yazd, Iran. Blood samples were collected from 128 camels. Sera were initially screened at serum dilution of 1:100 against six live antigens of [Leptospira interrogans serovars pomona, canicola, hardjo, ballum, icterohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa] using microscopic agglutination test. The values >/= 50% in a dilution 1:100 were considered as positive ones. Sera with positive values were titrated against reacting antigens in serial dilutions from 1:100 to 1:400. Antibodies against one or more serovars were shown in 30 [32.4%] sera at dilution >/= 1:100. Among the positive sera, pomona [57.9%] canicola [23.7%], hardjo [10.5%], grippotyphosa [5.3%] and icterohaemorrhagiae [2.6%] were the most frequent serovars,respectively. Furthermore antibodies against more than one serovar were found in 8 [26.6%] of positive sera. It seems that leptospiral with various serovars could be considered as a prevalent infection in camels of the central part of Iran
ABSTRACT
Vitamin A which is found in different tissues and organs plays a particular role in detecting clinical signs in various deficiency conditions. However, sometimes the marginal deficiency is present in a way that clinical signs are not visible but performance defects, such as infertility is seen. In this study, the normal baseline levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene in clinically healthy camels [Camelus dromedarius] in the Yazd province were investigated. A total of 168 Iranian camels of both sexes were sampled from February 2009 to July 2010. Spectrophoto-metry was used for measuring the serum values. The mean +/- SE concentration of vitamin A and beta- carotene were 63.9 +/- 4.7 and 9 +/- 1.1 micro g/dL, respectively. Although, the beta-carotene concentration was significantly higher in summer, vitamin A was not influenced by season. No significant difference in the serum levels of the measured parameters was observed in different ages and sexes. The results of this study, for the first time, indicate the concentration of vitamin A and beta-carotene in the camels in Iran. This finding can be used as a reference guide for evaluation of the deficiency or excess of vitamin A and beta-carotene in camels in Iran. Furthermore, due to the lower levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene in Iranian dromedaries during winter, supplementary feeding of vitamin A is recommended during this season