A study on prevalence of some helminthic infections of the liver and lungs among ruminants in abattoir of Fars province, Iran

Zoonotic helminths are often transmitted to humans through domestic animals. This retrospective study was performed to estimate the prevalence of some important zoonotic helminthic infections of the liver and lung including echinococcosis, fasciolosis and dicrocoeliasis in Kazerun and Shiraz abattoirs, Fars, Iran, during 2011-2013. A total of 12381 sheep, 6473 cattle, 22847 goats, 66 camels, and 10 buffalos were analyzed with regard to liver and lung helminthic infections including hydatidosis, fasciolosis, and dicrocoeliasis in Kazerun, during March 2011-January 2013. Moreover, 121100 sheep, 23515 cattle, 81293 goats, and 69 camels were investigated for the mentioned infections in Shiraz abattoir during one year since March 2012. Kazerun abattoir: The prevalence rates of liver hydatid cysts were 0.86, 2.1, 0.76, and 15.1 in sheep, cattle, goats, and camels, respectively, whereas the prevalence rates of pulmonary hydatid cysts were 0.89, 2.36, 0.9, and 16.6 in the mentioned animals, respectively. Fasciolosis was detected in 0.33, 1.65, and 0.24 of condemnation livers of sheep, cattle, and goats, respectively. However, dicrocoeliasis was just prevalent in 0.004 of goat livers. Shiraz abattoir: the prevalence rates of liver hydatid cysts were 3.44, 3.12, 2.94, and 2.9 in slaughtered sheep, cattle, goats, and camels, respectively. In addition, 4.54, 4.33, 4, and 4.35 of the lung of the mentioned animals were infected with hydatid cysts, respectively. Prevalence rates of Fasciola spp in slaughtered sheep and cattle were 2.49 and 1.86, respectively, and rate of D. dendriticum infection in slaughtered sheep, cattle, and goats were 0.026, 0.91, and 4, respectively. As compared with reports from other studies, it seems that Fars is among the low-endemic regions regarding this type of infection. © 2016 by Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute

Evaluation of the Physicochemical, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties of Tunichrome Released from Phallusia nigra Persian Gulf Marine Tunicate

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, nutraceutical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of tunichrome released from Persian Gulf tunicate (Phallusia nigra). For this purpose, molecular weight (SDS-PAGE), amino acid profile, chemical composition (GC-MS), mineral composition, functional groups (FTIR), total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial properties were investigated. The results showed that tunichrome contained a high amount of essential amino acids (i.e., Lys = 32.24 mg/100 g) and essential minerals. According to GC-MS results, tunichrome had different antioxidant and antimicrobial components. The TPC and TFC of tunichrome were 0.55 mg GA/g and 0.21 mg quercetin/100 g, respectively. Tunichrome showed higher antioxidant activity than ascorbic acid, and its radical scavenging activity values were increased from 30.28 to 82.08% by increasing concentration from 50 to 200 ppm. Inhibition zones of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were 14, 18, 17, and 15 mm, respectively. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration values of tunichrome for S. aureus, Bacillus cereus, S. enterica, and E. coli O157:H7 were 1.17, 0.59, 0.59, and 1.17 mg/ml, respectively. The minimum bacterial concentrations were 2.34, 1.17, 1.17, and 2.34 mg/ml for S. aureus, Bacillus cereus, S. enterica, and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. These results showed that tunichrome of Phallusia nigra has excellent biological effects as a bioactive compound for food fortification

Determination of lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations in different organs of Barbus grypus and Liza abu of Karoon River in 2011

Accumulation of heavy metals in fish body causes the destruction of soft tissues and suppression of immune system. Moreover, consumption of contaminated fish causes several consequences in humans. This survey was conducted to determine the concentration of lead, mercury and cadmium in muscle tissue, gill as well as liver of Barbus grypus and Liza abu. These two species are native fishes of Karoon River in Ahvaz area. A total number of 80 sample was obtained during the winter of 2010. After preparation and chemical digestion of fish samples, the amounts of heavy metals were determined by spectrophotometer method. According to the results, the overall lead concentration in different organs of the two species was more than mercury and cadmium concentrations. Furthermore, the accumulation of heavy elements in gills was estimated higher than the other organs. Although a significant difference (