Evaluation of prepared specific Pseudomonas aeruginosa transfer factor against experimental challenge

This study was designed to evaluate the protective efficacy of prepared specific P. aeruginosa transfer factor (TF). The first experiment was performed to prepare TF into two laboratory experimental groups. Each group contained six rats. The first group was immunized subcutaneously (S.C) with a sub lethal dose (5x104 CFU/ ml) of P. aeruginosa twice at two-week intervals. This group considered as a donor of specific P. aeruginosa transfer factor (TFt). The second group was injected S.C with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) pH 7.2 and considered as a control and source of TFn. The cell-mediated immunity (CMI) of the immunized and control rats was assessed by delayed type hypersensitivity-skin test (DTH-skin test). Only immunized rats gave positive DTH-skin reaction, in comparison with control rats. The second experiment was including the extraction of transfer factors from the splenocytes of the immunized (TFt) and control (TFn) rats. Thirty rats were divided randomly and equally into three groups, to evaluate the efficiency of the prepared TF against experimental challenge. The first group was inoculated S.C with 2 ml of TFt twice one-week interval, similarly the second group was inoculated S.C with two doses of TFn while, the third group inoculated with PBS pH 7.2. Later on, all the recipient rats were examined by DTH-skin test. Only the TFt recipient rats gave positive DTH-skin test reactivity that indicate the passive transfer of CMI. Seven days later, all the recipients were challenged with one ml containing 2x107 CFU of virulent P. aeruginosa intraperitoneally. The survival rate of TFt recipient rats was 80 % in compare to 20% and 10% of TFn and PBS recipient rats, respectively. In conclusion, the result of this study revealed that specific P. aeruginosa transfer factor plays an important role as a biological substance for therapy or supplementary therapy for infections caused by P. aeruginosa

First serodetection and molecular phylogenetic documentation of; Coxiella burnetii; isolates from female camels in Wasit governorate, Iraq

This study aims to detect Coxiellaburnetiiin one-humped female camels (Camelus dromedarius) using ELISA andconfirmation of infection by PCR with the phylogenetic analysis of local isolates. The 91 adult female camels were selected for clinical examination and blood sampling fromdifferent areas in Badra and Al-Numaniyah districts in Wasitgovernorate, Iraq, from February to April 2019. The prevalence of Coxiella(C.) burnetiiwas 19.8% and 4.4% by ELISA and PCR, respectively. Targeting 16S rRNA genes from three positive samples were documented in the Genbank-NCBI under accession numbers of MN900579.1, MN900580.1, and MN900581.1. Clinical evaluation revealed insignificant variation in temperature, pulse, respiratory rates, and lymph node enlargement among the positive and negative animals. The findings also showed that camels of the Badra regions have positive signs. burnetiicompared to other regions, and the infection was increased significantly in April and March. In conclusion, our findings confirmed the prevalence ofC. burnethamong Iraqi female camels, suggesting that these animals might be a source of the pathogenfor humans and other animal species. Therefore, further studies are necessary to provide more detailed data about the prevalence of C. burnetiito to improve effective control measures

Determination of the Toxic Dose of Experimental Lead Poisoning for Male Goats in Fallujah City, Iraq

This study aimed to induce lead poisoning experimentally in male goats to determine the toxic dose and investigate it is effects on hematological parameters, and the functions of the liver and kidney. The experiment was performed on 15 male goats, aged between 3 – 5 months with a mean weighing 13±0.65 kg. Goats were divided into five equal groups, the first represented the control group given tap water, while the other groups were given orally (by stomach tube) 70,100,200 and 400 mg/kg B.W. of lead acetate respectively, for 5 days. Blood was collected weekly for 4 weeks to estimate the concentrations of lead, hematological and biochemical analysis. The results indicated a significantly (P≤0.05) increase of lead(0.738±0.07ppm), only in goats which received 400 mg Pb/kg B.W of lead with symptoms included: depression, dullness, anemia, muscle twitching, staggering, and teeth grinding, with a significant reduction in erythrocyte count, packed cell volume, and hemoglobin 10.391±0.41*106/ml, 25.5±0.55%, and 8.30±0.19g/dl respectively, compared with the control ones. Also, increase in total white blood cell count to 9.098±0.08*103/ml, neutrophils 39.07±0.93%, monocytes 1.88±0.07%, and eosinophils 4.82±0.05%. The same group results showed significant elevations in the activities of liver enzymes; ALT 59.9±0.20u/l, AST 243±1.3u/l, in addition, the serum levels of creatinine and urea were also increased indicating renal frailer 1.96±0.05 mg/dl and 29.78±0.34 mg/dl respectively. In summary, this is the first study that proved the toxic dose of lead poisoning for male goats in Iraq and estimate their hazardous results on the hematological and chemobiological analyses on goats.</jats:p

Detection of invasion gene invA in Salmonella spp. Isolated from slaughtered cattle by PCR method

     The present study was carried out for the identification and molecular characterization of Salmonella spp. isolated from cattle at abattoir by biochemical, serotyping and virulence gene based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Eleven Salmonella were isolated from cattle at abattoir, these isolates were cultured and biochemically characterized by double checking with a conventional method and by KB011 Hi Salmonella TM identification kit then confirmed by serotyping and testing for detection of the invA virulence gene by PCR by using a Salmonella-specific 506 bp invA gene amplicon. The biochemical and serotyping results revealed that the 11 isolates belonged to four serotypes, S. enteritidis was the predominant serotype,5 isolates (45.45%) followed by S. newport 3 (27.27%), S. ohio, 2 (18.18%) and S. anatum, 1(9.09%). The PCR technique confirmed that all Salmonella isolates carried the invA gene (DNA amplification showed one distinct band with molecular weight of 506 bp amplified fragment on electrophoresis in agarose gel).The PCR assay described herein was found to be a rapid and simple method to confirm the isolates as Salmonella.</jats:p

Molecular detection of canine parainfluenza virus-5 in dogs in Baghdad province, Iraq

Background: Canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV-5) is a significant viral pathogen in dogs, widely distributed and key in canine infectious respiratory disease. Aim: This study aimed to detect CPIV-5 in dogs in Baghdad city, using reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and conventional nested (RT-nPCR) techniques, along with phylogenetic analysis. Methods: Nasal swabs were obtained from 150 dogs, (100 sick dogs showing respiratory distress and 50 apparently healthy dogs), from January 2023 to April 2024. Results: CPIV-5 was detected by RT-qPCR in 51 out of 100 sick dogs (51%) and 17 out of 50 apparently healthy dogs (34%). All positive RT-qPCR samples were rechecked by RT-nPCR. Ten final RT-nPCR products were sequenced, and the data were deposited in NCBI Gene Bank. These samples were categorized as CPIV-5 based on nucleocapsid protein gene analysis. The phylogenetic analysis based on amino acids revealed that local strains were distinct, with the first cluster sharing identity and similarity scores with international isolates, while the second cluster differed significantly from international isolates and could be Iraqi strains. Conclusion: This study concluded for the first time on the presence of CPIV-5 in both sick and apparently healthy dogs. The latter could act as reservoirs of the virus, contributing to the transmission of the disease to susceptible dogs, ultimately leading to increased morbidity. [Open Vet. J. 2025; 15(6.000): 2408-2415