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Molecular investigation of Lawsonia intracellularis in diarrheic and healthy captive ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Iran

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Abstract

Lawsonia intracellularis is the causative agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE) in pigs, a disease of economic importance worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of L. intracellularis in ostriches using a sensitive and specific nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR). A total number of 112 fecal samples (64 healthy, 48 diarrheic) were collected from 11 ostrich farms located in four provinces in Iran (Semnan, Tehran, Gilan, Yazd). The results showed the presence of L. intracellularis in three diarrheic and four apparently healthy birds. The frequency of positive results was the same in both groups (6.25% healthy vs. 6.25% diarrheic). Although the results of this study did not reveal any relationship between this organism and diarrhea (P > 0.05), the molecular detection of L. intracellularis on a farm where birds were suffering from the typical clinical symptoms of PE highlights the need for evaluation of PE in ratites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Koochakzadeh & Taghi Zahraei Salehi

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Peyman Dehghan Rahimabadi

  3. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

    Mahdi Askari Badouei

  4. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia

    Patrick Joseph Blackall

  5. Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Garmsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar, Iran

    Hamidreza Zarepour

Authors
  1. Alireza Koochakzadeh
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  2. Taghi Zahraei Salehi
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  3. Peyman Dehghan Rahimabadi
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  4. Mahdi Askari Badouei
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  5. Patrick Joseph Blackall
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  6. Hamidreza Zarepour
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahdi Askari Badouei.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent

Since there was no human participant in this study, no consent was necessary. The name of ostrich farms kept private for ethical reasons.

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Koochakzadeh, A., Zahraei Salehi, T., Dehghan Rahimabadi, P. et al. Molecular investigation of Lawsonia intracellularis in diarrheic and healthy captive ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Iran. Comp Clin Pathol 28, 249–252 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-018-2823-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-018-2823-1

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