Al-Muthanna Province Research Articles

Prevalence, Haematological and Molecular Studies of Haemonchus contortus Isolated from Goat at AL-Muthanna Province, Iraq.

Parasitic infections, especially helminthes infections of the gastrointestinal tract due to the latent symptoms, play a vital role in the growth and efficiency of ruminants. The current research was performed to determine the prevalence of haemonchosis in goats and the effect of some risk factors, such as age, sex, and months on the infection rate. Also, our study includes investigating the haematological and biochemical changes in the haemonchosis-infected goat, then utilizing the PCR technique to confirm the H. contortus diagnosis in goats. The result of the epidemiological study revealed that only 73 out of 693 examined goats were positive to infect with Haemonchus spp. at an infection rate of 10.53%. The incidence of Haemonchosis was related to climatic conditions, with the highest (23.07 %) and lowest (4.34 %) percentages occurring in October and June, respectively. Furthermore, the highest (14.01 %) and lowest (4.76 %) infection percentages were recorded in goats aged > 5 years and 9 months to 2 years old, respectively. According to sex, infection percentages were (14.24%) and (7.02 %) for females and males, respectively. Haematological and biochemical parameters results revealed that infected goats suffered from a gradual decline in Hb concentration, pocket cell volume, total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count, lymphocyte, neutrophil, total serum protein and albumin, while eosinophil count was increased significantly. Also, serum enzymes ALP, ALT, and AST showed significant increases in infected goats. The result of PCR showed that specific primers (HcI-F, HcI-R) successfully amplify the ITS-2 rDNA gene with 295bp -long fragment to H. controtus. Due to the effect of age, sex and season on H. contortus infection, it is crucial to have control and prevention programs and treatment schedules in the herd.

Bacteriological Identification and Molecular Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Pneumonic Camels in Al-Muthanna Province

Bacteriological Identification and Molecular Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Pneumonic Camels in Al-Muthanna Province

Biochemical and Histopathological Changes Associated with Fasciola spp. in Slaughtered Buffaloes at Al-Muthanna Province, Iraq

Biochemical and Histopathological Changes Associated with Fasciola spp. in Slaughtered Buffaloes at Al-Muthanna Province, Iraq

Assessments and Historical Changes the Water Quality of Sawa Lake, Southern Iraq for the Period 1977-2020

This investigation pertains to the evaluation of water quality in SAWA Lake, located in the Al-Muthanna province of Southern Iraq, from 1977 to 2020. Understanding the water quality and assessments of this Lake is of great importance. The Lake is home to small, transparent, blind fish measuring approximately 10 cm and is often referred to as the "wonderful" or "strange" Lake due to its many unique features. The study focuses on several elements to represent water quality, including total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and temperature (T), which were measured directly in the field. Additionally, scientific concepts such as K+, Ca2+, Cl-, HCO3, and KSO4 were used in each sample. Scientists have analyzed the density and salinity of the lake water and found that its water density exceeds that of seawater, and its salinity exceeds that of the Gulf of Arabia by about 1.5 times. The water is salty, surrounded by natural lime, and is automatically renewed by nature when it is broken. Its hardness also characterizes it, and its water volume fluctuates depending on the wet and dry seasons. The Lake is roughly 4.74 km in length, and all the elements under study showed an increase in concentration during the periods of 1977, 1983, and 2003 with NaSO4, which later changed to MgCl between 2007 and 2011. The study found that Sawa Lake water was unsuitable for drinking or irrigation purposes between 2016 and 2020 due to the increased concentration of certain elements. This increase in concentration is attributed to the Lake's location, nutrition, and the lack of rain, which means it relies solely on groundwater.

Response of Bread Wheat Crop to the Spray of Alcoholic Sugars and A balanced Mineral Fertilizer in the Central Region of Iraq

Two field experiments were conducted during the season 2021-2022 in central Iraq represented by the Al-Muthanna governorate - Al-Majd District and Al-Qadisiyah governorate / Al-Nouriah Research Station to determine the productivity of the Baghdad 3 cultivar from spray foliar fertilization of Macro and Micro elements with alcoholic sugars and half the fertilizer recommendation for addition floor, three treatments were used for fertilization: T1 as the control treatment and T2 with alcoholic sugar fertilization at a concentration of 20 g.L-1 + the fertilizer combination of Macro and Micro elements, and T3 with alcoholic sugar fertilization at a concentration of 40 g.L-1 + the fertilizer combination of Macro and Microelements, at irrigation 55% of the water is depleted available water. The results showed that the seasonal water consumption was 437.5 and 425 mm in Al-Muthanna and AL-Qadisiyah locations, respectively and spraying with alcoholic sugars and fertilizer combination (balanced mineral fertilizer and micro-elements) during the different growth stages achieved significant differences in plant height, leaf area, number of branches plant-1 and chlorophyll content and it showed the success of the integrated fertilizer combination to spray nitrogen, potassium and microelements in the presence of alcoholic sugars with sorbitol with fertilization with triple superphosphate before planting 20 kg ha-1, and urea fertilizer 156 kg ha-1 under the conditions of the current experiment. The total yield of wheat was (4000 kg ha-1) and (5300 kg ha-1) at T2 and T3 fertilization treatment, respectively, compared to T1 treatment (5780 kg ha-1) in Al-Muthanna province. In Al-Qadisiyah Governorate location, the weight of the total yield increased with the fertilization treatments T2 (3768 kg ha-1) and T3 (4332 kg ha-1) compared to the treatment of T1 fertilization (3264 kg ha-1).

Molecular detection of norovirus and TNF-α polymorphism in children with acute gastroenteritis infection in Samawa, Iraq

Human Norovirus is the leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in children worldwide, and research into it is critical for outbreak prevention and infection control. The multiplex real time PCR technique was evaluated in this study using 100 specimens (stool and blood) collected from children in Al-Muthanna province. RT-Qpcr for NVGI and NVGII was used to test all samples for Norovirus. The overall incidence rate of human Norovirus infection was 26%, with the first genogroup G1 accounting for only one case (2%) and the second genogroup accounting for 12 cases (24%). The findings revealed a high prevalence of previous virus infection in the age group (1-10) months. Infections occurred equally among males and females, with no significant difference in infection rates; females were infected at a rate of 42%, while males were infected at a rate of 58%. Males were infected at a higher rate (53.8%) than females (46.2%). The results of Tetra ARMS -PCR after DNA extraction for patients and amplification using the previous method show that there are three genotypes for G/G among patients compared to two results for A/A in the control groups. As a result, association and both homozygous as risk factors for HNV infection development.

Histopathological and immunological study of rats liver hydatid cysts isolated from human, sheep, goat and cows.

In endemic places, liver hydatidosis is a life-threatening health issue. Many consequences such as hepatomegaly, infiltration with inflammatory cells and histopathological changes might arise as a result of liver hydatidosis. This study aimed to look into pathogenic changes in the livers of the rats that experimentally infected with hydatid cysts. These hydatid cysts were isolated from naturally infected humans, sheep, goats and cows. Liver hydatid cysts were collected from the main abattoir of Al-Muthanna province while human hydatid cysts were collected from Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Al-Muthanna province. The hydatid cysts were grossly and histology examined for inspection of hydatid cysts. The in vivo experiments were done by injection of hydatid protoscoleces or sand (fluid) in rats intraperitoneally. The results showed that the gross signs were same in all infected livers which range from paleness, hepatomegaly, hemorrhage and calcification. The hydatid cysts isolated from sheep and goat livers were highly fertile compared to others isolated from humans and cows. Injection of hydatid protoscoleces and hydatid fluid isolated from sheep and goat livers in rats induced the highest immune response compared to that isolated from humans and cows. The liver sections of rats that were injected with human, goat and sheep hydatid protoscoleces and fluids showed hyperplasia in the bile duct, aggregation nonnuclear cells with congested blood vessels. While liver sections of rats were received goat hydatid fluid, cow hydatid protoscoleces and hydatid fluid showed normal liver tissue. These findings suggested that the immunogenicity of hydatid materials is different according to the host and the component of hydatid cysts.

Subsurface Structures Delineation to Evaluate the Possibility of Groundwater Gathering Using Gravity Data Interpretation in Salman Basin, Iraqi Southern Desert

Background:
 The study area is located in the Southern Part (SD) of Iraq, between the Southwestern part of Al-Samawah city and northeastern part of Dhi-Qar Governorate. The lack of surface water for different usages requirements has led to search for new groundwater resources. The study area is characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate with little rains and increase evaporation.
 Materials and Methods:
 Gravity methods and using GIS environment were used to delineate the subsurface structural lineaments in Salman Basin (SB) within Al-Muthanna province in Iraqi southern desert (SD). The Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) was applied to gravity data; we were used CET technique to find any fractures, contact or faults that may occur within the study area. The data processing was carried out by using the OASIS montaj TM. Data is extracted from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a spatial resolution of 90 m, and (land-sat 8) Image are used with Arc GIS Environment for delineation of the secondary basins (Abu-Hadeer, Al-kasir, Ashali, Kor al-tair, Shuwija, Abu marys).
 Results:
 The interpretation of the gravity data shows two prominent sets of lineaments. The first set is taken NW-NE direction perpendicular to the extensional structures, while the second set has NS-EW direction. Areas with high lineament density have the highest permeability, which means they have a higher possibility of gathering groundwater.

Study of Morphological and Diagnostic of Two Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Al-Muthanna Province

The study was conducted in Al-Muthanna Governorate during the year 2018 for the presence of two species of beetles belonging to the sacrabeidae family, namely Oryctes elegans (Prell, 1914) and Kheper aegyptiorum (Latreille, 1823), and the study also showed the presence of two species of beetles. Clear morphological differences between the parts of the two species in terms of body length and head composition, wings, legs and abdomen.

Effect of zinc deficiency on hair loss in pregnant women

Zinc and iron, for example, are crucial trace elements for pregnant women's health. This study has been conducted for the evaluation of zinc and ferritin status of pregnant women since these elements have significant effects on health of the pregnant women as well as the growing embryo in Al Muthanna Province/ Iraq. Seventy five samples of this study were gathered from the three studied groups (Control, pregnant women with Hair Losing and non-pregnant women with Hair Losing) in the Central Health Laboratory of Al Muthanna Province through the period from November 2020 to May 2021, blood samples were collected for further analysis Conclusions : According to the findings of this study, serum zinc and ferritin levels are frequently low in pregnant women who complain of hair loss. Overall, zinc and ferritin insufficiency in Iraq is a major public health concern. Improving nutritional diversity aids in solving the risk among the study participants.

Molecular Detection of Aspirjillus Ochraceus Isolated from Air Condition Unite in Al Muthanna Province

The current study dealt with the isolation and diagnosis of fungi contaminating air condition AC in the laboratories of the Technical Institute in Al-Muthanna, the laboratories of the College of Agriculture at the University of Al-Muthanna during the period from August 14/08/2020 to 28/2/2022 , This study included isolating and diagnosing a fungus from the refrigeration systems and the total number of samples is 400 isolated samples from the refrigeration systems in the city of Muthanna, After the sample was diagnosed phenotypically and microscopically on the medium of Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, it was molecularly diagnosed after extracting DNA for five isolates from the fungus, where all the isolates showed a positive result373bp for molecular. Keywords: air-conditioning (AC), A.ochraceus, molecular, fungi

Measuring of D-dimer and other biochemical parameters as an early markers of severity in COVID-19 Patients with/without Diabetes Mellitus type II in Al Muthanna Province

Backgrounds: Since December 2019, when the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) first appeared in Wuhan and quickly spread throughout China, data on the clinical characteristics of the infected patients have been needed (Guan et al. 2020). Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic alteration characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. DM is considered one of the most common comorbidities in COVID-19 patients (Conget 2002). Aim: To identify the clinical variance between Covid-19 patients with and without DM (type II). Methods: The study contain 132 patients divided into four groups, there was 66 patients of them infected by COVID-19 with or without diabetic. The study was started from September 2021 to February 2022. Results: The results of the study appeared elevation the values of the most parameters measured for patients with/without diabetic such as D-dimer, ALT, AST, Blood Glucose, and Ferritin. But no change in Bilirubin and Alkaline phosphate (ALP). Conclusion: The COVID-19 patients with DM (type II) may be have the highest risk factors, which can increase the mortality, elevate the inflammation markers and affect the life enzymes (ALT, AST).

A Comparative Study of Parasitic Infections in Domestic and Wild Pigeons in Iraq.

Parasitic infections in pigeons are very important due to their adaptability to different environmental conditions, as well as their relationship with human society. In this study, 250 samples of domestic and wild pigeons (<i>Columba livia</i>) were collected from different areas in Samawah, Al-Muthanna province, Iraq, from March 2020 to January 2021. Clinical examination of external parasites was conducted by screening fecal samples for intestinal parasitic infections and preparing direct swabs from the beaks. Out of the 250 pigeon samples (125 domestic and 125 wild pigeons), 65 pigeons were found infected (26%), including 40 domestic (32%) and 25 wild pigeons (20%) (P≤0.05). The results showed that these parasitic infections belong to three major groups of bird parasites: 1) Protozoa, such as <i>Eimeria species</i> (spp.) oocyst, <i>Cryptosporidium</i> spp., and <i>Trichomonas gallinae</i>, with prevalence rates of 21 (16.8%), 14 (11.2%), 19 (15.2%), 11(8.8%), 7 (5.6%), and 2 (1.6%), 2) Helminths, such as cestodes (<i>Raillietina tetragona</i>) and nematodes (Ascaridia columbae) with prevalence rates of 5 (4%), 4 (3.2%), 4 (3.2%), and 2 (1.6%), as well as Arthropods, including lice (<i>Menacanthus stramineus</i>) with prevalence rates of 5 (4%) and 3 (2.4%) in domestic and wild pigeons, respectively. Additionally, no significant difference was found between male and female pigeons in their infection rate (<i>P</i>≤0.05). The findings also revealed that the highest percentage of infection in both genders of domestic and wild pigeons was caused by one spp. of parasites (62.5% and 64% in domestic and wild pigeons, respectively), followed by two spp. (24% and 27.5% in domestic and wild pigeons, respectively), and three spp. of parasites (10% and 12% in domestic and wild pigeons, respectively). However, there was no significant difference between domestic and wild pigeons regarding their infections with one, two, or three spp. of parasites (<i>P</i>≤0.05). It is thus concluded that differences in the prevalence of these parasites in different regions are partly due to differences in nutrition, feeding habits, and geographical environment.

Hematological and histopathological changes of rat's hearts experimentally infected with protoscoleces.

Hydatidosis; is a zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus and characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells. This study was investigated the hematological and histopathological changes in the hearts of rats injected with protoscoleces. Rats were injected with protoscoleces collected from either liver of sheep, goats, and cows (from the abattoir of Al-Muthanna province, south of Iraq) or isolated from infected humans from Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital. Sheep protoscoleces showed a significant increase of lymphocytes that refer to the induction of a high response of the immune system in rats. The numbers of WBC, RBCs, and platelets were generally increased in rats injected with protoscoleces isolated from sheep and goats. These changes could refer to the activation of defense mechanisms against the hydatid injected materials. However, the levels of MCV, MCH, MCHC, MPV and PDW were less than normal values. Heart sections of rats injected with protoscoleces isolated from humans showed clear histological changes. While TSP, TGP and TCP exhibited variant histopathological changes such as infiltration of inflammatory cells, pink glass appearance and congestion of arteries. Thus, these alterations can be considered as additional evidence of how the immune response reacts against the injected materials in the heart.

CORRELATION BETWEEN UDDER CONFORMATION WITH DAILY MILK YIELD OF BUFFALOES

The study field was conducted to correlate milk yield with the udder dimensions of buffaloes, during lactate season 2019, a total of 72 lactating buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were chosen randomly from Baghdad (25 female) and Al-Muthanna province (47 female) (270km south of Baghdad). Parameters such as front teat length (FTL), front teat diameter (FTD), distance between front teats (FTDIS), rear teat length (RTL), rear teat diameter (RTD), distance between rear teats (RTDIS), distance between front and rear teats (FRDIS) and daily milk Yield (DMY) were calculated. Correlation coefficients between various udder measurements (FTL, FTDIS, RTDIS and FRDIS) with DMY were positive and highly significant (P≤0.01). On the other hand FTD, RTL and RTD showed non-significant correlation with DMY. We conclude from this study that udder measurements could be taken into account in buffalo improvement programs.

Study of Sawa lake fauna, Holocene deposits, Al-Muthanna Province, Southern Iraq

Sawa Lake is an abnormal lake in Iraq. It was characterized by the high degree of salinity among the Iraqi marshes. It is a euhyline water body of no inflow and outflow. The lake is an elongated closed basin with no channel of surface water available to it. The results of the present study are showed three types of fauna, the biggest numbers of fauna belong to Ostracods. The other fauna are represented in type of algae (Charophyta) and one genus of Gastropods. The SEM analysis indicated that the organisms are affected with water lake chemistry, the element S exists in the wall of Charophyta and Ostracoda, while the gastropods does not contain this element. They concluded that these organisms were affected with the salinity except gastropods genus which transport by bird feet from Caspian Sea. There are many fauna that occurred in Sawa Lake, these are reflect of fresh water sources enter to the lake.

The Effect of Location and Parity in The Body, Udder Conformation and Milk Production Traits in Buffaloes

Seventy two adult lactating Iraqi buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were chosen randomly from two regions of Iraq, Baghdad (Abu Ghraib Ruminants Researches Station in the west of Baghdad, Iraq) and AL-Muthanna province (Alhilal township), during 2018/2019 lactating season. The effect of location and parity in the body, udder conformation and milk production traits were studied. The body conformation, body weight, udder measurements, and milk production traits were significant to high significant effected by both the location and the parity except there is the non-significant effect of location on body height at the shoulder, front teat diameter, rear teat length and rear teat diameter. Similarly non-significant effect of parity was observed on front teat diameter, rear teat length, distance between front and rear teats, fat%, lactose%, and SNF%.

Sulfate (SO4 2−) removal by electrocoagulation process under combined electrical connection of electrodes

Inorganic compounds in water can have detrimental effects on human health and the environment due to the high toxicity level of these ionic contaminants. This study assessed the efficiency of electrocoagulation process for removing sulfate (SO4 2−). The technology of electrocoagulation depends mainly on electrical applied that produce coagulant species in a certain position via electro-dissolution of sacrificial anodes which are often made of iron or aluminum. EC process illustrated great potential as a vital method in eliminating numerous types of contaminants including inorganic contaminants at a lesser cost, and ecologically friendly technique. In the present study, aluminum materials were utilized in both cathode and anode electrodes. Water samples were obtained from Sawa Lake, Al-Muthanna Province located in Iraq. Electrocoagulation formations with static electrodes were used under mutual electrical connection. The effects of the different variables such as pH, current density, inter electrode distance, reaction time and stirring speed were scrutinized to obtain a higher removal of SO4 2−. Preliminary outcomes exhibited the following optimal and functional conditions; pH = 8, current density = 0.8A, reaction time (RT) = 80 min, IED = 1 cm, temperature = 27 °C and agitation speed = 500 rpm. The maximum removal efficiency of SO4 2− is 88 %. The present statistical rates proved the effectiveness of EC method in terms of removing salts from lake water.

Mapping Sandy Areas and their changes using remote sensing. A Case Study at North-East Al-Muthanna Province, South of Iraq

&lt;p&gt;Sandy areas are the main problem in regions of arid and semi-arid climate in the world that threaten urban life, buildings, agricultural, and even human health. Remote sensing is one of the technologies that can be used as an effective tool in dynamic features study of sandy areas and sand accumulations. In this study, two new indices were developed to separate the sandy areas from the non-sandy areas. The first one is called the Normalized Differential Sandy Areas Index (NDSAI) that has been based on the assumption that the sandy area has the lowest water content (moisture) than the other land cover classes. The second other is called the Sandy Areas Surface Temperature index (SASTI) which was built on the assumption that the surface temperature of sandy soil is the highest. The results of proposed indices have been compared with two indices that were previously proposed by other researchers, namely the Normalized Differential Sand Dune Index NDSI and the Eolain Mapping Index (EMI). The accuracy assessment of the sandy indices showed that the NDSAI provides very good performance with an overall accuracy of 89 %. The SASTI can isolate many sandy and non-sandy pixels with an overall accuracy about 86 %. The performance of the NDSI is low with an overall accuracy about 82 %. It fails to classify or isolate the vegetation area from the sandy area and might have better performance in desert environments. The performing of NDSAI that is calculated with the SWIR1 band of the Landsat satellite is better than the performing of NDSI that is calculated with the SWIR2 band of the same satellite. EMI performance is less robust than other methods as it is not useful for extracting sandy surfaces in area with different land covers. Change detection techniques were used by comparing the areas of the sandy lands for the periods from 1987 to 2017. The results showed an increase in sandy areas over four decades. The percentage of this increase was about 20 % to 30 % during 2002 and 2017 compared to 1987.&lt;/p&gt;

Case Report: Reinfection of COVID-19, with second infection less severe

There is concern that an individual may contract COVID-19 twice, either as a result of being a viral carrier that was not entirely cleared from the body in the first instance or as a result of reinfection. The recurrent infection may be qRT-PCR positive, which must be distinguished from post-COVID-19 symptoms that are qRT-PCR negative. Although it is known that recovered patients of viral diseases can be immune for the next infection, recurrent infections of COVID-19 have been recorded in Brazilian healthcare workers. We report a case of recurrent COVID-19 infection in a 34-year-old man working in the Gynecology and Children Hospital in Al-Muthanna Province, south of Iraq. The patient suffered from a sharp and noticeable rise in the body temperature at 39 ºC and cough on the 16th of July 2020. Then, the patient was symptomized with another course of COVID-19 on the 27th of August 2020, which was contracted from the patient’s workmate. Nose swab PCR test and CT scan were performed to confirm the second infection. The clinical signs of repeated infection with coronavirus were obviously less than the first infection of the same patient. It is clear that the first infection symptoms of COVID-19 are more severe than the signs of recurrent disease.