Different non-established cultures were examined to find those that showed high sensitivity to Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV). Ovine kidney cultures showed high sensitivity to types A, O and C, and were suitable to detect viral infection in samples of animal, as well as cell culture origin. The level of detection in this system was up to ten times higher than in BHK21 cells, which were com...

Ovine scrapie can be transmitted via environmental reservoirs. A pool of ovine scrapie isolates were incubated on soil for one day or thirteen months and eluted prion was used to challenge tg338 mice transgenic for ovine PrP. After one-day incubation on soil, two PrP(Sc) phenotypes were present: G338 or Apl338ii. Thirteen months later some divergent PrP(Sc) phenotypes were seen: a mixture of Ap...

Aborted sheep foetuses were collected during the lambing seasons of 2004 to 2006. B. melitensis was isolated from 25 (29.76%) of 84 lungs and stomach contents. Based on the biochemical tests and agglutination test with monospecific A and M antisera, the isolates were determined as B. melitensis biotype 3. The isolation of the B. melitensis from aborted sheep foetuses may show the importance of ...

Ovine placental lactogen, purified from term sheep cotyledons, has been found to have chemical and biologic properties similar to those of human placental lactogen, ovine growth hormone, and ovine prolactin. OPL stimulates lactation in vivo and in vitro and binds to prolactin and growth hormone membrane receptors. Its binding to growth hormone receptors is approximately 20 times greater than th...

A specific leptin RIA was developed to assess concentrations of leptin in ovine plasma, and was shown to be efficient with bovine and caprine plasma. A specific, high-affinity antibody was generated against recombinant ovine leptin which, when used in a competitive leptin RIA, provided valid estimates of linearity (r=+0.989-0.998), recovery (102%), repeatability (13%) and limit of sensitivity (...

The agent responsible for prion disease may exist in different forms, commonly referred to as strains, with each carrying the specific information that determines its own distinct biological properties, such as incubation period and lesion profile. Biological strain typing of ovine scrapie isolates by serial passage in conventional mice has shown some diversity in ovine prion strains. However, ...

Theileria species are common in tropical and subtropical regions and cause great economical losses inruminants. Two species, T. lestoquardi and T. ovis, are suspected to cause ovine theileriosis in Iran. Theepidemiological aspects of ovine theileriosis in Iran are poorly understood and further investigations bysensitive and precise techniques are required. In a previous study, a sensitive and s...

Background: The most important factor affecting the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is the initial quality of the oocyte. Since the abattoir-derived oocytes are heterogeneous in quality, selection of cohort fully grown/competent oocytes is necessary for proper development of SCNT embryos. Materials and Methods: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is actively expressed i...

Background: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) involves mechanical transfer of a single sperm cell into ooplasm. A new application has been recently found for ICSI, the production of transgenic animals. Since the birth of ‘‘Dolly’’, the first adult somatic cloned mammal, viable offspring has been produced by nuclear transfer in many species including cattle. The present review briefly summ...

Antimicrobial peptides extracted from ovine neutrophils have potential to be high-value by-products of the lamb industry as, for example, a biopreservative for chilled lamb products. This work was carried out to determine the conditions in which ovine peptides are most effective and to assist in product development. The activities of three synthetic ovine-derived antimicrobial peptides tested w...