Evaluation of foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine using registered surveillance data.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious transboundary disease of cloven-hoofed animals. In Iran, the disease is endemic with outbreaks occurring throughout the year. Mass vaccination of domestic ruminants has been adopted as a preventive strategy. A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of currently in use FMD vaccines using official disease surveillance data. Surveillance data of FMD outbreaks and vaccination in cattle farms from January 2017 to March 2019 was obtained from the Iranian Veterinary Organization (IVO). A case-control study comprising 190 laboratory-confirmed cases and 380 randomly selected controls, frequency-matched by location and production type, was performed to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) of vaccines in industrial and semi-industrial farms. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios based on brand of vaccine, time since vaccination, and within-farm vaccination coverage. A total of 2297 outbreaks occurred during the study period with majority (75%) reported from village epi-units. Only 38% of industrial and semi-industrial farms recorded vaccination during the studied period. Vaccination was effective against clinical disease with the highest VE observed in farms vaccinated with commercial vaccine brand A (VE = 0.90%, 95% CI 0.79-0.96), vaccinating > 94% of herd population (VE = 0.77%, 95%CI 0.54-0.98) and in < 35 days after vaccination (VE = 0.56%, 95% CI 0.04-0.8). The current high-potency vaccines confer medium protection in investigated cattle farms. The high occurrence of the disease in village epi-units and low coverage of vaccination in industrial and semi-industrial farms will contribute to maintenance and circulation of the virus in the susceptible population.

Molecular survey on prevalence and risk factors of Anaplasma spp. infection in cattle and sheep in West of Iran.

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in general and Anaplasma spp. in particular are known as economically important agents of diseases of domestic ruminants worldwide. Little information exists regarding the prevalence and the role of various factors affecting the occurrence of anaplasmosis in the west of Iran. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Anaplasma pathogens in Kurdistan province, west of Iran. During spring and summer 2016, blood samples were collected from a total of 401 livestock animals from different farms distributed in the Kurdistan province. Furthermore, data on general husbandry traits and management practices were recorded. PCR examination showed an overall prevalence of 37.3 and 10% in cattle and sheep, respectively. Cattle were infected with A. phagocytophilum (23.8%), A. bovis (15.4%), and A. marginale (13.9%) while sheep were infected with A. ovis (10%) and A. phagocytophilum (3.5%). The occurrence of anaplasmosis was considerably higher in cattle compared to sheep (P < 0.0001). Based on results of logistic regression models, risk of Anaplasma infection was significantly higher in crossbreeds (odds ratio (OR) = 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.025-3.65, P = 0.042) compared with local cattle breeds. Furthermore, being older than 1 year was associated with increased risk of Anaplasma infection in cattle (OR = 2.18, 95%, CI = 1.022-4.68, P = 0.044) and sheep (OR = 2.86, 95%, CI = 1.006-8.22, P = 0.049) compared to younger individuals. No difference was observed between the counties. Identifying potential risk factors and potential vectors and reservoirs contribute to the successful control and prevention of tick-borne diseases.

Troxerutin attenuates inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis in mice.

Troxerutin (Tx), known as vitamin P4 is a derivative of natural bioflavonoid rutin. Tx possesses different biological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory. The current study was conducted to determine potential therapeutic effect of Tx in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced sepsis in mice. In LPS-induced sepsis, the mice were treated intraperitoneally (ip) with Tx twice daily. Therapeutic effect was assessed by measuring serum level of cytokines, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Level of nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured. Expression of CD40 receptor on leucocytes was measured using flowcytometry. Splenocyte proliferation was evaluated using MTT assay. The effect of Tx on survival rate during administration of lethal dose of LPS was investigated. The results showed that Tx inhibited LPS induced NO production. Inflammatory pathways were suppressed by reduction of inflammatory cytokines production. Further, elevated CD40 expression of leucocytes and proliferation of splenocytes markedly reduced in Tx treated group. Antioxidant defense system was enhanced by increased activity of SOD and CAT and decreased level of MDA. MPO, ALT and LDH activity. Additionally, treatment with Tx significantly increased the mean survival time of mice compared with the LPS treated group. Histologically, Tx treatment decreased inflammatory cells infiltration and histopathologicl changes in the liver. Our findings showed that reduced inflammatory parameters, improved antioxidant activity, reduced histological lesions and increased survival rate. These findings suggest that Tx is an effective anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of LPS-induced sepsis.