• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 2017

The present study was performed to analyze molecularly the phylogenetic positions of human-infecting Trichostrongylus species in Mazandaran Province, Iran, which is an endemic area for trichostrongyliasis. DNA from 7 Trichostrongylus infected stool samples were extracted by using in-house (IH) method. PCR amplification of ITS2-rDNA region was performed, and products were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence data was performed using MEGA 5.0 software. Six out of 7 isolates had high similarity with Trichostrongylus colubriformis, while the other one showed high homology with Trichostrongylus axei registered in GenBank reference sequences. Intra-specific variations within isolates of T. colubriformis and T. axei amounted to 0-1.8% and 0-0.6%, respectively. Trichostrongylus species obtained in the present study were in a cluster with the relevant reference sequences from previous studies. BLAST analysis indicated that there was 100% homology among all 6 ITS2 sequences of T. colubriformis in the present study and most previously registered sequences of T. colubriformis from human, sheep, and goat isolates from Iran and also human isolates from Laos, Thailand, and France. The ITS2 sequence of T. axei exhibited 99.4% homology with the human isolate of T. axei from Thailand, sheep isolates from New Zealand and Iran, and cattle isolate from USA.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.391-396
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• 2018

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by E. granulosus is a serious helminthic zoonosis in humans, livestock and wildlife. Xinjiang is one of high endemic province for CE in China. A total of 55 sheep and cattle livers containing echinococcal cysts were collected from slaughterhouses in Changji and Yining City, northern region of Xinjiang. PCR was employed for cloning 2 gene fragments, 12S rRNA and CO1 for analysis of phylogenetic diversity of E. granulosus. The results showed that all the samples collected were identified as G1 genotype of E. granulosus. Interestingly, YL5 and CJ75 strains were the older branches compared to those strains from France, Argentina, Australia. CO1 gene fragment showed 20 new genotype haploids and 5 new genotype haplogroups (H1-H5) by the analysis of Network 5.0 software, and the YLY17 strain was identified as the most ancestral haplotype. The major haplotypes, such as CJ75 and YL5 strains, showed identical to the isolates from Middle East. The international and domestic trade of livestock might contribute to the dispersal of different haplotypes for E. granulosus evolution.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 1988

Six steers of each breed type, Hereford ($H{\times}H$), Brahman ($B{\times}B$) and Brahman $\times$ Hereford ($B{\times}H$) were ranked on liveweight and allocated to three treatments, basal hay diet (Basal), Basal plus 1 kg/head/day of cottonseed meal (Basal + CSM) and Basal plus 1 kg/head/day of formaldehyde-treated sunflower meal, $Norpro^{(R)}$ (Basal + NPO). The hay was made from a pasture based predominantly on carpet grass (Axonopus affinus) growing in subtropical New South Wales, and had an estimated organic matter digestibility of 52% and a nitrogen (N) content of 7.8 g/kg dry matter (DM). The steers were accustomed to the Basal diet over 15 days and supplements offered over 42 days. Intake of the basal hay diet by steers was not increased by supplementation. When intakes were adjusted for differences between breed types in liveweight the $B{\times}H$ steers ate 25% (P<0.01) more hay than $H{\times}H$ steers (6.3 V 5.0 kg/head/d) and $B{\times}B$ steers ate 8% less hay than $H{\times}H$ steers. Supplementation significantly (P<0.01) increased liveweight gain during the experiment, being ($g/head/d\;{\pm}\;s.e.d.$) 290, 770 and $795{\pm}118$ respectively for Basal, Basal + NPO and Basal + CSM. There was no difference between supplements in the liveweight gain of steers nor between steers of different genotypes. However, there was a significant interaction (P<0.01) between breeds and treatments such that $B{\times}B$ steers gained most on the basal diet but least of the breed types when supplemented. The estimated non-degradeable fraction of N in the protein meals was 58.5 and 44.5%, respectively for NPO and CSM. Both meals increased (P<0.01) plasma urea N and rumen ammonia N concentrations.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.363-372
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• 1994

In two separate experiments with crossbred bulls (Sahiwal $\times$ indigenous) the effect of access to a urea-molasses lickblock (MOL-U-MIN) on straw diets was studied. The animals were given either untreated (US) or urea treated (TS) rice straw with or without lickblock supplementation. In experiment 1, individual dry matter intake (DMI) and dry matter digestibility (DMD) were measured, while in experiment 2 in addition to the above rumen (pH, ammonia, minerals) and blood (protein, minerals and haemotological) parameters were also measured. With both experiments urea treatment did not effect DMI, but lickblock supplementation significantly (p < 0.05) increased DMI. The DMD values obtained in both experiments for TS were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than for US, but lickblock supplementation did not effect the DMD of either US or TS fed animals. Both urea treatment (6.97 vs 6.93) and lickblock supplementation (6.98 vs 6.92) significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the rumen pH. Urea treatment and lickblock supplementation increased the rumcn $NH_3-N$ concentration (mg/100 ml) from 8.7 to 11.9 and 9.2 to 11.4, respectively. Both US and TS diets fed with or without lickblock increased the molar ratio of Na : K in saliva. Phosphorus content in blood plasma was significantly (p < 0.01) increased due to lickblock supplementation, whereas the Fc content in blood was significantly increased (p < 0.01) by urea treatment. Haemoglobin content in blood ranged from 11.3 to 11.7 g/dl, and was not influenced by urea treatment or lickblock supplementation. Lickblock significantly reduced the number of red blood cells, but increased the mean corpuscular volume. It is concluded that feeding urea treated straw with proper mineral supplementation could be a more economical alternative to lickblock supplementation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1738-1746
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• 2018

Objective: The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of increasing amounts of Leucaena leucocephala forage on dry matter intake (DMI), organic matter intake (OMI), enteric methane production, rumen fermentation pattern and protozoa population in cattle fed Pennisetum purpureum and housed in respiration chambers. Methods: Five crossbred heifers (Bos taurus${\times}$Bos indicus) (BW: $295{\pm}6kg$) were fed chopped P. purpureum grass and increasing levels of L. leucocephala (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of dry matter [DM]) in a $5{\times}5$ Latin square design. Results: The voluntary intake and methane production were measured for 23 h per day in respiration chambers; molar proportions of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were determined at 6 h postprandial period. Molar concentration of VFAs in rumen liquor were similar (p>0.05) between treatments. However, methane production decreased linearly (p<0.005), recording a maximum reduction of up to ~61% with 80% of DM incorporation of L. leucocephala in the ration and no changes (p>0.05) in rumen protozoa population were found. Conclusion: Inclusion of 80% of L. leucocephala in the diet of heifers fed low-quality tropical forages has the capacity to reduce up to 61.3% enteric methane emission without affecting DMI, OMI, and protozoa population in rumen liquor.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1716-1721
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• 2006

The present study was conducted to observe the effect of osmolality of glycerolated TEST-yolk glycerol extenders on post-thawing sperm kinematics of ram spermatozoa of the native Malpura breed maintained in a semi-arid tropical environment. Good quality semen obtained from adult rams was pooled, split and diluted to 1,000 million spermatozoa per ml in complete TEST-yolk-glycerol extenders of 900, 1,200, 1,500 and 1,800 mOsm/kg osmolality. Diluted semen samples were loaded in 0.25 ml straws and cooled down to $-125^{\circ}C$ freezing temperature at the rate of $-25^{\circ}C$ per minute under controlled conditions before plunging into liquid nitrogen for storage. The thawing of straws was performed at $50^{\circ}C$ in a water bath for 10 seconds and sperm kinematics of the frozen-thawed spermatozoa were assessed by a computer-assisted sperm analysis technique. Osmolality of diluent had no significant effect on post-thawing % motility, % rapid, % medium and % slow moving frozen-thawed spermatozoa but significantly (p< 0.05) affected the % linearity and % straightness. The post-thawing % motility and % rapid motile spermatozoa were highest in samples extended in diluent of 1,500 mOsm/kg osmolality and lowest in 900 mOsm/kg. The curvilinear velocity of spermatozoa was significantly (p<0.05) higher for samples extended in 1,800 mOsm/kg, compared to those in 900 and 1,200 mOsm/kg, but the effect was not significantly different to those extended in diluent of 1,500 mOsm/kg osmolality. The study indicated that ram spermatozoa could tolerate a wide osmolality range for dilution in the complete TEST-yolk-glycerol extender for their cryosurvival. The highest recovery of motile spermatozoa following thawing was achieved in samples extended in the TEST-yolk-glycerol diluent of 1,500 mOsm/kg osmolality.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 1992

The Taenia species in East Asia, hitherto identified as Taenia saginata, has been recognized as differing from the classical descriptions of life cycles and was recently named Taenia saginata taiwanensis (tentatively until 1992) . Major differences between T. saginata and the newly recognized Asian T. saginata are their intermediate hosts and the infected tissues. Asian T. saginata metacestodes are found in the livers of pigs rather than in the muscles of cattle. In this study, we observed the natural infection status of Asian T saginata metacestodes in the livers of 25,358 pigs at an abattoir in Cheongju City, Korea, from 1989 to 1990. Total 256 livers(1.01%) were infected with 1∼96 (mean 2.5 per capita) metacestodes. Most of the metacestodes, however, were either calcified (87.1%) or highly degenerated (12.9%). Living metacestodes were found in only 0.01% (3/25,358) of the examined livers. And these were distributed randomly in each lobe of the livers. The liver of pigs in Korea was con- firmed as an organ hosting the Asian T. saginata metacestode. But its epidemiological significance as a source of human infections should be properly evaluated because of the rarity of the living metacestodes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.91-94
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• 2011

We report 2 cases of Thelazia rhodesii infection in the African buffaloes, Syncerus caffer, in Zambia. African buffalo calves were captured from the livestock and wildlife interface area of the Kafue basin in the dry season of August 2005 for the purpose to translocate to game ranches. At capture, calves (n = 48) were examined for the presence of eye infections by gently manipulating the orbital membranes to check for eye-worms in the conjunctival sacs and corneal surfaces. Two (4.3%) were infected and the mean infection burden per infected eye was 5.3 worms (n=3). The mean length of the worms was 16.4 mm (95% CI; 14.7-18.2 mm) and the diameter 0.41 mm (95% CI; 0.38-0.45 mm). The surface cuticle was made of transverse striations which gave the worms a characteristic serrated appearance. Although the calves showed signs of kerato-conjunctivitis, the major pathological change observed was corneal opacity. The calves were kept in quarantine and were examined thrice at 30 days interval. At each interval, they were treated with 200 ${\mu}g/kg$ ivermectin, and then translocated to game ranches. Given that the disease has been reported in cattle and Kafue lechwe (Kobus lechwe kafuensis) in the area, there is a need for a comprehensive study which aims at determining the disease dynamics and transmission patterns of thelaziasis between wildlife and livestock in the Kafue basin.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2009

Dung beetles (family Scarabaeidae) are one of the largest families of beetles worldwide. Due to biological behavior of these arthropods, they are considered to play an important role in the life cycle of some helminths. In the present study, dung beetles collected from cattle pastures in rural areas of Ardabil province, north-west of Iran were examined for infection with larval stages of helminths. According to the results, nematodes of 2 genera were identified including Rhabditis and Gongylonema. The more common species was Rhabditis sp. which was found in 9 species of beetles. Out of 15 different species of dung beetles, Copris lunaris was the only scarabaeid to be found naturally infected with the larval stages of Gongylonema sp. Our new findings introduce C. lunaris as a potential biological vector for transmission of Gongylonema sp. to vertebrates in the surveyed region.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 1998

Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene nucleotide sequences of bovine ReiLerin isolates from Korea (KLS and KCB) and japan (JHS) were determined. The genes from each isolate were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and the approxi- mately 1.8 kb product cloned and sequenced by a modified dideoxynucleotide method. Overlapping gene segments produced with a series of primers were sequenced, resoRting in a complete DNA sequence for both forward and reverse strands of the SSU rRNA genes of each isolate. SSU rRNA gene sequences (termed Type A) were identical among the bovine ReiLeri,n isolates from Korea and the isolate from Japan. A GenBank data library homolo- gy search showed the sequence to be the same as that listed as leiLeyia buKeLi isolated from cattle in Marula, Kenya.