Canine herpes virus-1 (CHV-1) is an alphaherpesvirus, which causes foetal and neonatal death as well as fertility problems in dogs. The virus is presumed to be enzootic in dogs all over the world, but no information was found about the seroprevalence of CHV-1 from middle-east countries. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of CHV-1 among dogs in Kerman (south-east of Iran). Blood samples were taken from 47 privately owned and 35 kennelled dogs, respectively. The entire sampled dogs were apparently healthy. Indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assay was used to detect antibodies against CHV-1 in all sera. The overall CHV-1 seroprevalence was estimated 20.7%, which was 22.9% and 19.1% for kennelled and owned dogs, respectively. Sex, parity and raising status (owned or kennels) did not differ significantly between seropositive and seronegative dogs. However, the infection rate was significantly higher in dogs older than 3 in comparison with younger groups (15.9% vs. 4.8%, P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, this study revealed that CHV-1 could be considered endemic in Iran, and more epidemiological researches are needed to identify the geographical distribution of diseases in Iran.

In recent years, some outbreaks of skin lesions suspected to be avian pox were observed in the backyard poultry in different parts of western areas in Iran. Consequently, 328 backyard poultries with suspected signs of avian pox virus infection were sampled. All birds showed nodular lesions on unfeathered head skin and/or fibronecrotic lesions on mucus membrane of the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract. For histopathological analysis, the sections of tissue samples from cutaneous lesions of examined birds were stained with H&E method. For PCR, after DNA extraction a 578-bp fragment of avian pox virus from 4b core protein gene was amplified. Results showed 217 and 265 out of 328 (66.1 and 80.7%, respectively) samples were positive for avian pox virus on histopathological and PCR examination, respectively. In this study, the samples that had intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies on pathologic examination were PCR positive. This study revealed that PCR is a valuable tool for identification of an avian pox virus and that the frequency of pox infection in backyard poultry in western areas of Iran is high.

The study aimed to examine the effect of simultaneous application of florfenicol and lasalocid on the performance and vital organ function of chickens. For this, 300 chicks were divided into four groups. Group one to three received florfenicol, lasalocid and lasalocid plus florfenicol, respectively. Group four as the control group received a basic diet without lasalocid or florfenicol. Lasalocid was used from 7 to 35 days old, continuously. Florfenicol was used at 21 days old for 5 days. The growth indices were measured at the end of each week. The chickens were euthanized at the ages of 28 and 35 days old after collecting blood samples with and without anticoagulants. The liver, heart, muscle, kidney and sciatic nerve were collected in formalin 10% for histopathological examination. The blood and serum samples were used to determine clinical pathologic and hematologic indices. The ratio of internal organs to body weight and ratio of the right ventricle to the total ventricles (RV/TV) of the heart was measured. Results showed, the use of lasalocid decreased feed conversion rate and triglyceride, and increased total protein. Simultaneous administration of lasalocid and florfenicol affected histopathology of the liver and heart and significantly increased creatine phosphokinase, uric acid and the ratio of RV/TV of heart. The eosinophil percentage in the chickens who received florfenicol plus lasalocid was significantly higher than chickens who received florfenicol alone (p < 0.05). In conclusion, it seems that simultaneous administration of the florfenicol and lasalocid induces side‐effects especially on cardiac function and it is not recommended.

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This study shows how performance and NDHI titers of broiler chickens are affected by the plant Stachys inflatay. One hundred and eighty, one day old Ross male broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups of 36 (consisting of 3 replicates) and placed in 12 separate pens. Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 received 0, 0.15, 0.3, 0.45 and 0.6% S.inflata in their feed respectively from 8 to 42 days of age. Performance indexes were recorded on a weekly basis. At 42 days of age, serum and mid gut samples were taken for NDHI test and histopathological studies. The results were analyzed by the One Way ANOVA, Tukey test. The body weight of the second group was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than the control from the third week to the end. All treatment groups had HI titers higher than the control but the differences were not significant (P > 0.05). In the third group (0.3% S.inflata), relative liver and heart weight were significantly lower than control. No microscopic lesions were observed in mid gut in all experimental groups. It seems that S. inflata reduces harmful intestinal flora which causes better use of feed.