SUMMARYType 19 Diplococcus pneumoniae was identified as the organism responsible for an outbreak of pneumonia.

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A wide range of mammals and birds are prone to infection with sarcocysts. It has been widely reported in sheep, cattle, horses, pigs and goats. They parasitise the muscle fibres and range from microscopic size to as much as several centimetres in length. At inspection of sheep carcases sarcocysts are found mostly in the oesophageal, abdominal, intercostal and tongue muscles and are more common in older sheep.The increasing importance of sarcosporidiosis in meat animals led to an appraisal of the problem. Investigations described in this paper were undertaken to determine the incidence of sarcosporidiosis in sheep from major sheep raising areas of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe survey was carried out for a period of I year, commencing in August 1972. A total of 6,120 sheep was examined. Infected sheep were identified on the basis of the results obtained from abattoir survey of sheep carcases (post-mortem inspection) and by means of microscopic and histological examinations of muscle samples. Abattoir surveyA line of 20-25 sheep carcases were examined daily, at the points on the chain where routine inspection procedures were carried out.From negative cases or apparently healthy carcases, samples of oesophageal and diaphragmatic muscles were collected and examined at the Food Hygiene Department of the Veterinary Faculty. Laboratory (microscopic) surveyAt the Meat Laboratory smears prepared from extracts of compressed muscle samples were stained by Giemsa. After microscopic examination of stained smears, positive cases were recorded and negative muscle samples were submitted to the Veterinary Pathology Department for further examination by histological methods. RESULTSFrom 6,120 sheep carcases, which had passed post-mortem inspection, sarcocysts were identified by the naked eye in 708 cases grossly (11-56 per cent). Microscopic and histological examinations of muscle samples from the remaining 5,412 carcases revealed a further 5,364 positive cases. In only 48 muscle samples (about 0.78 per cent) were cysts not found.The results obtained from this survey suggest a very heavy contamination of the Iran sheep raising environments.

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