[Investigation on mycobacteriosis in aquarium fish: a periodic study in Ahvaz]

Mycobacterial infection or Mycobacteriosis is one of the most important zoonotic bacterial diseases in fish, especially in aquarium fish, worldwide. Despite the importance of this disease, there is no record about the surveillance of this disease in Ahvaz region-Iran. In this investigation the occurrence of Mycobacterium spp. in ornamental fish was studied using PCR technique. In this survey, 150 fish were obtained from aquarium shops of Ahvaz. The fish was belonged to 5 species, i.e. Scatophagus argus, Astronotus ocellatus, Heross severus, Caesioteres sp. and Symphysodon aequifasciatus. The fish were transferred to the laboratory and examined after dissection. Meanwhile, liver, kidney and spleen samples were collected for PCR analysis. 80% of the examined fish showed no gross lesions at necropsy. However, only in a few fish some symptoms such as emaciation and anorexia were observed. In this study only 1 out of 150 fish [Heros severus] was detected as positive in PCR examination. Meanwhile, in DNA sequencing the bacterial species was recognized as Mycobacterium bovis. Other fish species showed no infection with Mycobacteria in PCR examination. Due to no pathogenesis of M. bovis in fish, this positive specimen can be considered as a transmission to fish from infected persons or feed products. These negative findings show that this Iranian region can be considered as a freeone for these particular pathogens

Characterization of Eimeria species in commercial broilers by PCR based on ITS1 regions of rDNA

Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease of chickens caused by various species of protozoan parasites within the genus Eimeria. Diagnosis and genetic characterization of different species of Eimeria are central to the prevention, surveillance, and control of coccidiosis. The aim of this study was to detect different chicken Eimeria species from several areas in Khuzestan, south-west Iran. From February to September 2008, PCR assay as well as parasitological examinations was applied for the identification of field isolates of Eimeria parasites around Ahvaz, center of Khuzestan, southwest Iran. Data were analyzed bythe Kappa statistic test. Eimeria maxima, E. necatrix, E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. mitis were detected in this study. The prevalence of Eimeria spp. was 31.5% [126 and 400] and E. tenella was the most prevalent species in Khuzestan. Based on the Kappa statistical test, a good correlation between the results of PCR and traditional biometrical methods was only observed for E. maxima. The present study is the first on the prevalence of Eimeria species in Khuzestan, based on the molecular findings. We believe that traditional methods are not sufficiently reliable for specific diagnosis of Eimeria species in chickens and PCR based amplification of DNA sequence of parasite, could resolve this problem