Possible Acute Poisoning by Sinapis arvensis in Sheep: Clinical, Laboratory and Necropsy Findings

An outbreak of possible acute poisoning by Sinapis arvensis occurred in a flock of 50 fat-tailed sheep located in the Semnan province of Iran. Sinapis arvensis is an annual or winter annual plant of the genus Sinapis in the family Brassicaceae, commonly known as field mustard, wild mustard or charlock. The poisonous constituents are volatile oil of mustard, the alkaloid sinapin, and the alkaloidal glucoside sinalbin. The flock was grazing in land containing high amounts of wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) in late spring. Seven sheep (aged between 1 and 5 years) died within approximately 3 days. The affected animals displayed signs of depression, reluctance to move, tachycardia, tachypnea, mucoid and hemorrhagic nasal discharges, pale conjunctiva, ataxia, abdominal pain, bruxism, and anorexia. Rectal temperature in these animals was normal to high (39-41.5 °C). Ruminal movements were reduced (1-2/min). Serum biochemical levels in affected sheep showed marked increases of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), magnesium (Mg), and phosphorous (P) and a marked decrease in calcium (Ca). In urinalysis, marked hemoglobinuria and proteinuria were observed. Necropsy findings included congestion in lungs and hemorrhage on the epicardial and endocardial heart surfaces, on the surface and medulla of the kidneys, and abomasal mucosa. The liver was also congested with a nutmeg pattern. Rumen contents included digested materials and large quantities of seeds and stems of wild mustard. For the first time, our findings confirmed wild mustard toxicosis in sheep in Iran.

Combination therapy of the granulocyte colony stimulating factor and intravenous lipid emulsion protect the hippocampus after global ischemia in rat: focusing on CA1 region

Brain stroke is one of the causes of human death and disability worldwide. Global ischemia results in the accumulation of free radicals in the neurons. It leads to histologically brain damage. The CA1 region of the hippocampus is a sensitive area for free radicals. This study investigated the combined therapy of the Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and the Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE). These neuroprotective agents play a role in the regeneration of neurons. They improve the learning ability and memory in rats induced global ischemia. We divided 35 rats into five groups. The groups were sham group, ischemia group, G-CSF group, ILE group, and G-CSF plus ILE group. Ischemia was induced by occlusion of the bilateral common carotid about 10 min. The drugs applied on days 1, 3 and 7. The treated groups received subcutaneous injection of 20 μg/kg G-CSF and intravenous injection of 5 ml/kg ILE. After two weeks, the memory and learning ability of the rats was evaluated by the shuttle box. Hematoxylin and Eosin and Nissl and TUNEL stainings were used to determine the necrosis, normal and apoptotic cells. The combined therapy increased normal cells compared to the ischemia group. They decreased the number of necrotic and apoptosis cells in other groups. The combined group improved the passive avoidance test compared to the other groups. The combination therapy of G-CSF plus ILE is more effective than each alone.

The Role of TNF-α in Aflatoxin B-1 Induced Hepatic Toxicity in Isolated Perfused Rat Liver Model

Aflatoxin B-1 (AFB1) is one of the major mycotoxins causing food contamination. Previous studies have shown that AFB1 can induce carcinogenicity and toxic effects in the isolated perfused rat liver and these effects are associated with its metabolites and peroxidation activity. Here we surveyed whether these pathogenic effects of AFB1 are associated with TNF-α as an inflammatory cytokine in general liver damages. In this study, we used twenty male Wistar rats (250-300 g). Rats were divided into four groups. Control group was pre-treated with LPS and then perfused with KHBB. The second group was pretreated with PTX and LPS and then perfused with KHB. The third group was pre-treated with LPS and then perfused with AFB-1 and KHB. The last group was pretreated with LPS and PTX and then perfused with AFB1 and KHB. Results revealed that aflatoxin B1 significantly increased the enzyme activity of aminotransferase and levels of lipid peroxidation. Also, the levels of Glutathione decreased in the aflatoxin group significantly. TNF-α released in perfusate and increased in aflatoxin B1 group significantly and decreased in AFB-1+PTX. Exposure to Aflatoxin B1 may induce reactive oxygen species, so these species may induce overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and may cause more damage to hepatic cells.

Distribution of Antibiotic Resistance Genes among the Phylogroups of Escherichia coli in Diarrheic Calves and Chickens Affected by Colibacillosis in Tehran, Iran

Antibiotic resistance occurs in the endogenous flora of exposed population in addition to pathogenic bacteria. This study was conducted to evaluate the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes among 63 isolates of Escherichia coli of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in diarrheic calves and poultry. According to the results, B1 and B2 were the most prevalent phylogroups of E. coli in calves and poultry carcasses, respectively. Antimicrobial resistance was observed in 76% of the isolates, and 62% of the strains were multi-drug resistant. Antibiotic resistance in E. coli strains obtained from calves strains was significantly higher than those obtained from poultries. Additionally, the strains of B1 and D phylogroups had the highest and lowest antimicrobial resistance, respectively. At least one encoding gene for integrone was detected in 23 strains (36.5%) and Class I integron had the highest prevalence. Accordingly, this study gave baseline information on the magnitude of the resistance problem and its genetic background in E. coli from domesticated animals of the Tehran, Iran. Moreover, the power of oligonucleotide array technology in the discrimination of different genotypes during a short time was confirmed in this study.