Monday 8 February 2016

Isolation and characterization of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli of animal and bird origin by multiplex polymerase chain reaction

Research (Published online: 08-02-2016)
3. Isolation and characterization of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli of animal and bird origin by multiplex polymerase chain reaction - S. Neher, A. K. Hazarika, L. M. Barkalita, P. Borah, D. P. Bora and R. K. Sharma
Veterinary World, 9(2): 123-127



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.123-127



Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the virulence genes and serotype of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated from animals and birds.
Materials and Methods: A total of 226 different samples viz., fecal, intestinal content, rectal swab and heart blood were collected from different clinically affected/healthy animals and birds and were streaked on McConkeys’ lactose agar and eosin methylene blue agar for isolation of E. coli, confirmed by staining characteristics and biochemical tests. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR) all the E. coli isolates were screened for certain virulence genes, viz., Shiga toxin 1 (stx1), stx2 and eae and enterohemolytic (Ehly) phenotype was observed in washed sheep blood agar plate. All the isolated E. coli strains were forwarded to the National Salmonella and Escherichia Centre, Central Research Institute, Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) for serotyping.
Results: Out of 226 samples 138 yielded E. coli. All the isolates were screened for molecular detection of different virulent genes, viz. stx1stx2 and eae, based on which 36 (26.08%) were identified as STEC. Among those STEC isolates, 15 (41.67%), 14 (38.89%), 1 (2.78%) exhibited eae, stx2, stx1 alone, respectively, whereas 4 (11.11%) and 2 (5.56%) carried both stx1 and stx2, stx2 and eae, respectively. Among the STEC isolates 22 were belonged to 15 different sero-groups, viz., O2, O20, O22, O25, O43, O60, O69, O90, O91, O95, O106, O118, O130, O162 and O170 and others were untypable. Ehly phenotype was observed in 10 (27.78%) the STEC isolates.
Conclusion: The present study concluded that STEC could be isolated from both clinically affected as well as healthy animals and birds. Regular monitoring of more samples from animal and bird origin is important to identify natural reservoir of STEC to prevent zoonotic infection.
Keywords: eaeEscherichia coli, Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli, Shiga toxin 1, Shiga toxin 2.

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of pioglitazone, insulin and synbiotic in diabetic rats

Research (Published online: 03-02-2016)
2. Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of pioglitazone, insulin and synbiotic in diabetic rats - K. Kavitha, A. Gopala Reddy, K. Kondal Reddy, C. S. V. Satish Kumar, G. Boobalan and K. Jayakanth
Veterinary World, 9(2): 118-122



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.118-122



Aim: The objective of the study was to assess the effect of combination treatment of insulinpioglitazone and synbiotic on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: Diabetes mellitus was induced chemically by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (40 mg/kg b.wt) to male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided randomly into six groups of six rats in each. Group 1 was maintained as a normal control. Group 2 was maintained as diabetic control; Group 3 was treated with insulin; Group 4 with insulin + synbiotic; Group 5 with insulin + pioglitazone; and Group 6 with insulin + synbiotic + pioglitazone. All the animals were treated for 60 days.
Results: Body weights, and concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH), and high-density lipoproteins cholesterol were significantly (p<0.05) reduced, whereas the concentration of blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, protein carbonyls and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, and the activity of GSH peroxidase were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in Group 2 at the end of 8th week as compared to Group 1. The treatment Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 revealed improvement in all the parameters, and the highest improvement was observed in combination Group 6.
Conclusion: From this study, it is concluded that combination of insulin, pioglitazone and synbiotic is useful in treating diabetes.
Keywords: diabetes, insulin, oxidative stress, pioglitazone, synbiotic.

Effect of heat shock protein 70 polymorphism on thermotolerance in Tharparkar cattle

Research (Published online: 03-02-2016)
1. Effect of heat shock protein 70 polymorphism on thermotolerance in Tharparkar cattle - Sandip Bhat, Pushpendra Kumar, Neeraj Kashyap, Bharti Deshmukh, Mahesh Shivanand Dige, Bharat Bhushan, Anuj Chauhan, Amit Kumar and Gyanendra Singh
Veterinary World, 9(2): 113-117



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.113-117



Aim: Out of various members of heat shock protein (HSP) superfamily which act a molecular chaperon by binding to the denaturing protein thus stabilizing them and preserving their activity, HSP70 are of major importance in thermotolerance development. Thus, present investigation aimed at a screening of HSP70 gene for polymorphisms and possible differences in thermotolerance in Tharparkar breed of cattle.
Materials and Methods: A 295 bp fragment of HSP70 gene was subjected to polymerase chain reaction-singlestrand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) followed by sequencing of different SSCP patterns in 64 Tharparkar cattle. A comparative thermotolerance of identified genotypes was analyzed using heat tolerance coefficients (HTCs) of animals for different seasons.
Results: Three SSCP patterns and consequently two alleles namely A and B were documented in one fragment of HSP70 gene. On sequencing, one single-nucleotide polymorphism with G > T substitution was found at a position that led to a change of amino acid aspartate to tyrosine in allele A. It was found that in maintaining near normal average rectal temperature, genotype AA was superior (p≤0.01). Genotype AA, thus, was found to be most thermotolerant genotype with the highest HTC (p≤0.01).
Conclusion: The polymorphism at HSP70 is expected to be a potent determinant for heat tolerance in cattle, which may aid in selection for thermotolerance in cattle.
Keywords: cattle, heat tolerance, heat shock protein 70, polymorphism, Tharparkar.

Saturday 30 January 2016

Comparison of rapid immunodiagnosis assay kit with molecular and immunopathological approaches for diagnosis of rabies in cattle

Research (Published online: 31-01-2016)
18. Comparison of rapid immunodiagnosis assay kit with molecular and immunopathological approaches for diagnosis of rabies in cattle -Ajaz Ahmad and C. K. Singh
Veterinary World, 9(1): 107-112



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.107-112



Aim: Presently, diagnosis of rabies is primarily based on, conventional fluorescent antibody technique (FAT), immunopathological and molecular techniques. Recently, rapid immunodiagnostic assay (RIDA) - A monoclonal antibodybased technique has been introduced for rapid diagnosis of rabies. The present investigation is envisaged to study the efficacy of RIDA kit for the diagnosis of rabies in cattle.
Materials and Methods: About 11 brain samples from cattle, clinically suspected for rabies, were screened by the FAT, Heminested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (HnRT-PCR), Immunohistochemistry (IHC), and RIDA.
Results: The sensitivity for detection of rabies from brain tissue by RIDA was 85.7% as compared to 100% by IHC as well as HnRT-PCR. The accuracy of detection of rabies by RIDA was 91.6% as compared to 100% that of IHC and HnRT-PCR, whereas specificity of RIDA was 100% like that of the IHC and HnRT-PCR.
Conclusion: Despite a comparatively low-sensitivity and accuracy of RIDA, latter can still be useful in screening a large number of field samples promptly. However, it is recommended that negative results with RIDA in cattle need to be authenticated by suitable alternative diagnostic approaches.
Keywords: cattle, diagnosis, fluorescent antibody technique, heminested reverse transcriptase, immunohistochemistry, rabies.

Anthelmintic activity of Indigofera tinctoria against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

Research (Published online: 31-01-2016)
17. Anthelmintic activity of Indigofera tinctoria against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep - Ambalathaduvar Meenakshisundaram, Tirunelveli Jayagopal Harikrishnan and Thavasi Anna
Veterinary World, 9(1): 101-106



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.101-106



Aim: Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes are considered as a major constraint for successful sheep production. Control of these parasites heavily relies on the use of chemical anthelmintics. Over the past decades, the development of anthelmintic resistance to various groups of anthelmintics and problem of drug residues in animal products has awakened interest in medicinal plants as an alternative source of anthelmintics. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of Indigofera tinctoria by scientifically validated in vitro and in vivo tests approved by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology.
Materials and Methods: In vitro assays such as egg hatch assay for ovicidal and larval migration inhibition and larval development assay for larvicidal properties were used to investigate in vitro effect of extracts on strongyle egg and larvae, respectively. Fecal egg count reduction test was conducted in vivo to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the extracts administered orally at dose rates of 125, 250, 500 mg/kg to sheep naturally infected with mixed GI nematodes.
Results: Ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria demonstrated significant (p<0.01) inhibition on egg hatching at concentrations of 40 mg/ml and 80 mg/ml. In in vivo assay, the ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria reduced the fecal egg count ranging between 30.82% and 47.78% at various doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg). Although there was a slight variation, all the hematological parameters were within the normal range reported for sheep. Except for alanine transaminase, the overall mean of all the serum biochemical profile was within the normal range for sheep.
Conclusion: Based on the results obtained by in vitro and in vivo assay, the ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria possesses anthelmintic activity and could replace the chemical anthelmintics used presently.
Keywords: anthelmintic, evaluation, gastrointestinalnematodes, Indigofera tinctoria, sheep.

Friday 29 January 2016

Potential of acute phase proteins as predictor of postpartum uterine infections during transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle

Review (Published online: 29-01-2016)
16. Potential of acute phase proteins as predictor of postpartum uterine infections during transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle - A. Manimaran, A. Kumaresan, S. Jeyakumar, T. K. Mohanty, V. Sejian, Narender Kumar, L. Sreela, M. Arul Prakash, P. Mooventhan, A. Anantharaj and D. N. Das
Veterinary World, 9(1): 91-100



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.91-100



Among the various systemic reactions against infection or injury, the acute phase response is the cascade of reaction and mostly coordinated by cytokines-mediated acute phase proteins (APPs) production. Since APPs are sensitive innate immune molecules, they are useful for early detection of inflammation in bovines and believed to be better discriminators than routine hematological parameters. Therefore, the possibility of using APPs as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of inflammation in major bovine health disorders including postpartum uterine infection has been explored by many workers. In this review, we discussed specifically importance of postpartum uterine infection, the role of energy balance in uterine infections and potential of APPs as a predictor of postpartum uterine infections during the transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle.
Keywords: cute phase proteins, bovine uterine infections, pro-inflammatory cytokines, negative energy balance, transition period.

Recent developments in receptor tyrosine kinases targeted anticancer therapy

Review (Published online: 29-01-2016)
15. Recent developments in receptor tyrosine kinases targeted anticancer therapy - Samir H. Raval, Ratn D. Singh, Dilip V. Joshi, Hitesh B. Patel and Shailesh K. Mody
Veterinary World, 9(1): 80-90



   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.80-90



Novel concepts and understanding of receptors lead to discoveries and optimization of many small molecules and antibodies as anti-cancerous drugs. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are such a promising class of receptors under the investigation in past three decades. RTKs are one of the essential mediators of cell signaling mechanism for various cellular processes. Transformations such as overexpression, dysregulation, or mutations of RTKs may result into malignancy, and thus are an important target for anticancer therapy. Numerous subfamilies of RTKs, such as epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, fibroblast growth factor receptors, insulin-like growth factor receptor, and hepatocyte growth factor receptor, have been being investigated in recent years as target for anticancer therapy. The present review focuses several small molecules drugs as well as monoclonal antibodies targeting aforesaid subfamilies either approved or under investigation to treat the various cancers.
Keywords: cancer, monoclonal antibodies, small molecule drugs, receptor tyrosine kinases, targeted therapy.