ABSTRACT
Foot-and-mouth disease viruses are often restricted to specific geographical regions and spread to new areas may lead to significant epidemics. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the VP1 genome region of recent outbreak viruses from Libya and Saudi Arabia has revealed a lineage, O-Ind-2001, normally found in the Indian subcontinent. This paper describes the characterization of field viruses collected from these cases and provides information about a new real-time RT-PCR assay that can be used to detect viruses from this lineage and discriminate them from other endemic FMD viruses that are co-circulating in North Africa and western Eurasia.
Subject(s)
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus/genetics , Foot-and-Mouth Disease/epidemiology , Foot-and-Mouth Disease/virology , Animals , Disease Outbreaks , Libya/epidemiology , Phylogeny , Saudi Arabia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) was suspected in a herd of approximately 300 sheep after weight loss and scouring had increased in adult animals despite repeated treatment with anthelmintics, antibiotics, multivitamins and minerals. The herd is located near Tarhouna city. Herd history revealed that a total of 60 ewes showed clinical symptoms and deaths during the last two years. The last case that we attended was submitted to the National Center of Animal Health (NCAH) for a detailed laboratory examination. Gross pathological and histological examination of tissue samples revealed results that were highly comparable with Johne's disease. A definitive diagnosis was made only by histopathological identification of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in the intestines using Ziehl-Neelsen stain. This is the first documented case of M. paratuberculosis in sheep in Libya.
ABSTRACT
A study was conducted to examine the clinical signs, hematological, biochemical and histopathological changes in vitamin D(3) toxicity at a dose rate 2 mg/kg b.wt. of vitamin D(3) and to assess the protective effect of Aloe vera in vitamin D(3) toxicity. The clinical signs observed were anorexia, progressive weight loss, difficulty in movement and respiration, diarrhea, epistaxis, subnormal body temperature and nervous signs before death. Mortality was observed in treated rats between day 10 and day 19 of treatment. The gross postmortem changes observed were severe emaciation, white chalky deposits on epicardial surface of heart, pin point white deposits on cortical surface of kidneys with pale yellow discoloration and diffused white deposits on serosal surface of stomach and intestine with bloody ingesta in lumen. The hematological changes included non-significant increase in hemoglobin and total leukocyte count and significant increase in relative neutrophil count. The biochemical changes observed were significant increase in plasma concentration of calcium, phosphorus and blood urea nitrogen, whereas a significant decrease in the concentration of albumin and total plasma protein was observed. The histopathological lesions included calcification of various organs, viz., tongue, stomach, intestines, kidney, heart, aorta, larynx, trachea, lungs, spleen, choroid plexus arteries of brain and vas deferens. The Aloe vera juice (2.5% in drinking water) has no protective effect on vitamin D(3) toxicity (2 mg/kg b.wt.).
ABSTRACT
An experiment was conducted to study chlorpyrifos chronic toxicity in broilers and the protective effect of vitamin C. Oral administration of 0.8 mg/kg body weight (bw) (1/50 LD50) chlorpyrifos (Radar(®)), produced mild diarrhea and gross lesions comprised of paleness, flaccid consistency and slightly enlargement of liver. Histopathologically, chlorpyrifos produced degenerative changes in various organs. Oral administration of 100 mg/kg bw vitamin C partially ameliorated the degenerative changes in kidney and heart. There was insignificant alteration in biochemical and haematological profiles. It is concluded that supplementation of vitamin C reduced the severity of lesions induced by chronic chlorpyrifos toxicity in broilers.
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to determine the putative neuropathological effects in young chickens after administration of a single dose of 55 mg/kg bw chlorpyrifos. The gross lesions of the nervous system comprised of congestions in the brain. Microscopic examination of brain showed mild congestion of cerebral blood vessels and mild perivascular cuffing of lymphomononuclear cells in the cerebral cortex and necrosis of the neurons. The interesting findings were the presence of cytoplasmic vacuolations of cerebral neurons and swelling of the endothelial cell of the cerebral capillaries. Cerebellum showed congestion and hemorrhages in the granular layer and necrosis of Purkinje cell. Sciatic nerve exhibited mild edema, swelling and degeneration of axons, and swelling of Schwann cells. There was a significant inhibition of plasma cholinesterase enzyme activity in chickens administered with chlorpyrifos compared to chickens of control group. The study revealed that administration of chlorpyrifos produces neuropathological lesions in chickens shortly after exposure.
