Polymerase chain reaction and adapted enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of camel brucellosis

In the present study, polymerase chain reaction was carried out on 10 brucella isolates recovered from camels affected with brucellosis central region of Saudi Arabia. Brucella abortus as well as Brucella melitensis, specific primers were employed for the assay. All isolates were identified as B. melitensis. This was in agreement with the results of the traditional bacteriological identification. Moreover, antibodies against camel IgG was raised in rabbits and purified with polystyrene affinity chromatography. The purified anti-camel IgG was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase [HRPO] using the sodium periodate method. The anticamel-HRPO conjugate prepared in this study was tested in an indirect ELISA adapted in the same study on camel sera positive and negative for brucellosis as indicated by the Rose Bengal plate test. The conjugate was found efficient and was able to elucidate positive and negative samples at a dilution of 1/40

case report on spongiform encephalopathy lesion in a pigeon [with 3 figures]

An owner of a pigeon farm in Buraydah [Central Saudi Arabia] complained that one of his birds developed abnormal behaviour and signs. Clinically the bird was unable to flight, running into objects and showed unusual movement of the head and neck together with weakness of the muscles of legs and neck. In certain instances, the pigeon failed to hold the head in position and it dropped downward and rested on the ground. The head might also be twisted to face upwards or laterally. Sometimes the legs were so weak and the bird assumed a sitting position and was reluctant to move when pushed. Simple tests for vision [avoiding an approaching fingure towards the eyes] and hearing [Jerking to clamping] showed that the bird vision and hearning were normal. At certain times, the bird reverted to normal and when it offered grains and water, it ate and drank normally. The bird was kept in the Experimental Animal House at the Department of Veterinary medicine for observation but its condition deteriorated 4 days later and was sacrificed and post-mortemed. On post-mortem examination, no gross lesions could be observed in internal organs or the brain. Histopathological examination showed no microscopical lesions in the liver, heart or kidneys, but a nearly typical lesion of spongiform encephalopathy was seen in the brain. Small to very large vacuoles were seen in the cytoplasm of medullary neurons. Degeneration of some neurons was also seen especially around blood vessls

Pathogenecity of aspergillus fumigatus in young broiler chicks

A total of 450 out of 5000 chicks of two-old with a history of repiratory symptoms followed by death 1 to 4 days from onset of signs. From which sixteen of freshly dead chicks were examined at postmortem and mycologically. In addition, experimental infection with isolated Aspergillus fumigatus from naturally infected chicks via contaminated litter were carried out. The clinical findings were recorded including respiratory signs, droopiness, anorexia, watery diarrhea of offensive odour and lack of equilibrium. Also, 0, one, seven, one, two, four and six chicks died on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days post infection respectively. Post mortem examination of freshly dead experimentally infected chicks revealed pneumonia, white yellowish caseous nodules on the lungs and air sac. Mycologically, the cases were diagnosed as infection with Aspergillus fumigatus