Atypical digital dermatitis of bovine claw in dairy cows: clinical and histopathologic findings

Digital dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin on the bulbs of the heel which cause lameness and economic losses. Atypical digital dermatitis is a new form of an old disease which has been reported recently in the USA, UK and Netherlands. The purpose of this study is the clinical and histopathological evaluation of claw lesions with exposed corium in cases of concurrent digital dermatitis in two endemically infected herds without preventative herd strategies for BDD. The majority of non-healing claw lesion samples included in this study were taken from 'typical' clinical cases, namely, from lame cows examined in the course of veterinary practice by one author over a period of 8 months in two commercial dairy farms in Iran. Fourty five lame cows with claw lesions were selected for clinical and histopathological purposes. Examination of the affected claws revealed a topical granular appearance, painful to touch, prone to bleed with distinctive odour and extensive regional loss of the claw horn. Histologically, the epidermis was lost completely over the extension of sole ulcer lesion. The underlying dermis was intensely infiltrated by inflammatory cells, mainly polymorphic leukocytes, and in deep, newly formed capillaries were embedded in the stroma. Hyalinized thrombi were also significant in small blood vessels. In wall ulcer, there was extremely proliferative epidermis, 2-3 times with severe acanthosis and rete ridge formation. Stratum corneum was hyperplastic. The stratum corneum were filled with neutrophils, cellular debris and erythrocytes lodged in the orthokeratotic stratum corneum. In all the observed cases, the disorder included penetration through the horn capsule lesions to involve the corium, resulting in damage of the horn-forming cells. This new manifestation seems to be a combination of metabolic and infectious diseases

[Bilateral hydrosalpinx and cystic endometrial hyperplasia in doe: a case report]

Hydrosalpinx is characterized by the accumulation of thin mucus within the lumen of the oviduct and it is rare in small ruminants. A5-year-old, horned, mixed breed doe with a history of infertility was necropsied for teaching purposes. Preslaughter examination revealed mucopurulent keratoconjunctivitis, rhinitis, synovitis and mastitis with watery purulent discharge from the mammary glands indicated mycoplasmal infection [agalactia]. At necropsy, the carcass was congested. The proximal portions of oviducts [Ampula] were distended, thin-walled and fluctuating in palpation. They were filled with clear thin mucus and were conic shaped, with 12 cm in length and 1.3 cm in width at the base and 0.5 cm at the top. The distal part of oviducts [Isthmus] was filled with semisolid purulent discharge causing total tube obstruction. The wall of the uterus and the uterine horns were thickened and mucosa was hyperplastic in appearance with small cysts which were measured at 0.3-0.5 cm. There was a slight fibrous adhesion between the mesosalpinx and the ovaries. The right ovary contained a corpus luteum, a large graafian follicle and numerous corpora albicans. Microscopically, atrophy of the wall of ampula, chronic inflammation of the isthmus and cystic endometrial hyperplasia was seen. Direct examinations and culture of the exudate showed mucus without any secondary infection. On the basis of macroscopic characteristics and laboratory findings, the condition was diagnosed as a bilateral hydrosalpinx due to obstruction of the distal part of the oviducts along with cystic endometrial hyperplasia

Outbreak of avian mycobacteriosis in flocks of domestic pigeons: an epidemiological approach

Pigeons are extensively kept for homing and racing purposes in Iran. The main objective of this study was to investigate dissemination of M. avium subsp. avium [MAA] in pigeon aviaries in Tabriz, North-western Iran. Postmortem pathologic specimens from thirty-nine out of 140 birds collected from private flocks [n = 3], were subjected to bacterial culture out of which 3-4 mycobacterial isolates were recovered. Applying a five-PCR diagnostic algorithm targeting short but definitive stretches of 16S rRNA and RV0577 genes, IS6110, IS901 and IS1245 genomic loci, proved all the isolates were MAA. They were either IS901+/IS1245+ [n = 22] or IS901+/IS1245- [n = 12]. When four healthy cattle sensitized against Mycobacterium bovis AN5 and Mycobacterium avium D4 were tuberculinated, the results confirmed the observed skin reactions against bovine tuberculin in animals sensitized with M. avium were large enough to complicate test interpretation. We believe the extent of such epidemiological impact deserves further investigation if progress in control of bovine tuberculosis is intended

Incidence and genetic characterization of Gongylonema pulchrum in cattle slaughtered in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

The gullet worm, Gongylonema pulchrum Molin, 1857, is a thread-like spirurid nematode found in a variety of mammals worldwide. Its incidences in Iranian cattle of different breed or age have not been reported. The aims of the present study are to disclose the infection status of G. pulchrum in cattle slaughtered in northern region of Iran. Full-length esophagi of cattle of 97 native dairy breed and 41 Holstein-Friesian breed were collected at four local abattoirs in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, from March 2006 to August 2007, and were examined parasitologically. Eight overlapping segments of the small-and large-subunits of rDNA were amplified by PCR, and the obtained nucleotide sequences were characterized. The incidences of G. pulchrum in female and male native dairy breed were 38.9% and 24.0%, respectively, whereas those in female and male Holstein-Friesian breed were 4.2% and 0%, respectively. The first internal transcribed spacer [ITS1] region of G. pulchrum rDNA showed an intra-individual variation in the sequence and length, and the variation was ascribed to some unstable repeats of "A" or "CA". Distinct incidences of G. pulchrum infection in native dairy breed and Holstein-Friesian breed might be ascribed to different animal husbandry manners for each breed in Iran; the former breed grazes freely in the pasture, but the latter breed is usually held in a pen. The rDNA sequence of Iranian G. pulchrum, obtained for the first time by us, might facilitate a reliable species identification of the parasite with a wide spectrum of morphological variations