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PurposeUlcerative colitis (UC) as a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), presumed to occur as a consequence of increased immune responses to intestinal microbiota in genetically susceptible individuals. Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) strains are important intestinal bacteria that can be involved in IBD. The aim of this study was to design a quantitative assay for detection of B. fragilis and ETBF and also to find their association with UC.MethodsNinety-five biopsies were collected from patients with UC (n = 35) and with no IBD (nIBD, n = 60). All the specimens were cultured in Bacteroides bile esculin agar medium. Specific primers and probes were designed for quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) based on 16S rRNA and bft genes sequences of ETBF.ResultsThe bft genes were detected in 51.4% of UC samples and 1.6% of nIBD samples, respectively. In UC patients, 37.1% of samples with diarrhea and 11.4% of samples without diarrhea, harbored the bft gene. Mean value of the number of ETBF with bft gene in UC and nIBD samples were 4.46 ן 102 and 1.96, respectively. Likewise these result for 16S rRNA gene in UC and nIBD samples were 2.0 × 103 and 8.4 × 103, respectively.ConclusionsThere was no significant association between presence and numbers of 16S rRNA gene of B. fragilis and UC. ETBF was detected more in UC specimens and biopsies of UC patients with diarrhea than in the control group. These data demonstrated that ETBF is associated with development of UC and as a causative agent for the development of diarrhea in these patients.

These observations indicate that both acepromazine or xylazine significantly reduced tear production in clinically normal cats. In cats, clinicians should measure STT values prior to utilizing acepromazine or xylazine as sedatives in order to accurately assess the results. Moreover, sterile ocular lubricant or tear replacement should be used as a corneal protectant during sedation with these drugs.

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Virulence of 11 native strains of entomopathogenic fungi; Metarhizium anisopliae (three strains), Beauveria bassiana (six strains) and Lecanicillium psalliotae (two strains) collected from different parts of Iran, were studied against different developmental stages of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus. After the exposure of ticks to the fungal strains in different concentrations (i.e. 10(3), 10(5), 10(7) conidia/ml), various parameters such as mortality rate and reproductive efficiency of engorged females, mortality of unfed tick larvae and eclosion percentage of infected eggs were evaluated to determine the fungal virulence. Based on the obtained results, five strains including M. anisopliae (IRAN 437 C and DEMI 001), B. bassiana (IRAN 403 C) and L. psalliotae (IRAN 468 C and IRAN 518 C) were found to be virulent to various stages of tick developmental cycle. Mortality rate of engorged females was found to be dose-dependent with regard to the conidial concentration used. Total mortality rates of 90-100%, 70% and 56.6% were observed for M. anisopliae (IRAN 437 C and DEMI 001), B. bassiana (IRAN 403 C) and L. psalliotae (IRAN 468 C), 6-11 days post inoculation (PI) with 10(7) conidia/ml, respectively. Most strains were able to inhibit egg laying by females in the range of 0-26% in different conidial concentrations. The results indicated that the mean egg laying of treated engorged tick females exposed to M. anisopliae (IRAN 437 C) was less than the mean values of those treated with other fungal strains. Results revealed 89.1%, 35.5% and 56.3% decrease in egg hatchability and 88.69%, 78.15% and 59.74% reduction in reproductive efficiency of the ticks using 10(7) conidia/ml of M. anisopliae (IRAN 437 C), B. bassiana (IRAN 403 C) and L. psalliotae (IRAN 468 C), respectively. In general, the entomopathogenic effects of native M. anisopliae and B. bassiana against various developmental stages of R. (B.) annulatus were confirmed in the present work. Likewise, although L. psalliotae, which was introduced for the first time as an entomopathogenic fungus against tick had not more than 13.3% mortality effect against adult females, but its effect on egg hatchability and reproductive efficiency was remarkable.