Serological study of Neospora caninum in pregnant dairy cattle in Tehran, Iran

Seven hundred and sixty-eight blood samples of pregnant cattle from four Holstein dairy herds that are farmed in the vicinity of Tehran were used to evaluate the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Two hundred and ninety-eight of the 768 blood samples [38.8%] were positive for this infection. The prevalence of infection in the herds varied from 18.7% to 65.1%. The abortion rate in seropositive and seronegative animals was 20.67% and 10.11%, respectively. Thus, the risk of abortion was approximately double the rate in seropositive cows [p<0.0005]. There was a high correlation between the infection rate and the age in one herd. In other three herds, no significant correlation was found between infection rate and age. This is the first extended study with regards to the rate of Neospora caninum infection in pregnant cattle in the vicinity of Tehran

Prevalence of bacterial mastitis in cattle from the farms around Tehran

To determine the prevalence of bacterial mastitis in cattle, milk samples positive for California mastitis test [CMT] were cultured during a period of almost 4 years. The bacterial species isolated from 2904 milk samples studied were coagulase negative Staphylococcus sp. in 879 [30.27%] samples, Streptococcus agalactiae in 642 [22.11%], 5. dysgalactiae in 332 [11.43%], E. coli in 295 [10.16%], Staphylococcus aureus in 84 [2.89%], Bacillus cereus in 51 [1.76%], Arcanobacterium pyogenes in 31 [1.07%], Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 6 [0.21%], Klebsiella pneumoniae in 4 [0.14%], Pasteurella multocida in 1 [0.03%] and Mycoplasma sp. in another [0.03%] sample. No growth was found in 578 samples [19.90%]. Thirty-one [37%] of 84 animals which were infected with S. aureus, had acute infection. We found that contamination of milk with coagulase negative staphylococci are the most frequent bacterial infection in dairy cattle around Tehran; it mostly causes subacute form of the disease. S. agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae and E. coli are the second, third and the fourth causative agents

Anti neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in uveitis

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies have been detected in patients with some autoimmune and vascular diseases such as Wegner's granulomatosis, polyarthritis nodosa and systemic lupus erythematosus. Indirect immunofluorescence technique has been employed to detect these autoantibodies. By this method, two general patterns of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were seen: a cytoplasmic [C-ANCA] and a perinuclear form [P-ANCA]. These antibodies have also been observed in uveitis. In this study, the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in 25 patients with uveitis and its relationship with anatomical location of the autoimmune reaction was evaluated. According to the results, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were detected in 16% [4 out of 25] of the patients, all of which were C-ANCA type. The results also showed that there was no significant correlation between the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and anatomical location of the disease [p = 0.65]