Isolation, Specification, Molecular Biology Assessment and Vaccine Development of Clostridium in Iran: A Review

Abstract

Context: The genus Clostridium, which consists of spore-forming anaerobes, can cause different diseases in domestic animals and human and some of them are serious and fatal. According to the increasing economic value of the meat and milk-producing animals, the importance of a certain number of such diseases in Iran is unquestionable. Evidence Acquisition: In Iran, and probably in other Near East countries, much attention was formerly paid to control more serious contagious diseases, such as rinderpest, anthrax, etc. resulting in the negligence of diseases such as enterotoxaemia. The epizootiological position has now changed whereby some of the contagious diseases are eradicated or are being methodically controlled.Now it is time to care about the other problems such as clostridial diseases, which threaten the health of the sheep and cattle. It is impossible to eradicate these infectious microorganisms, since they are normally found in the soil and the intestinal contents of apparently healthy animals. Therefore, it is necessary to resort to vaccination which in some cases has given encouraging results. To avoid the losses from such infections it is necessary to have the best possible vaccination information, methodically and regularity of the susceptible animals. Conclusions: This review refers to the veterinary aspects of the anaerobic clostridial diseases and vaccine development concerning the works carried out in Iran and especially at the Razi Serum and Vaccine Research Institute in the last eight decades.