2. Materials and methods
2.1. Collection of milk samples
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 60 individual unpasteurized
milk samples (one sample per animal) including 38 bovine
and 22 ovine samples were collected from 4 dairy farms in different
rural areas in Zanjan, Iran from June to August 2014. The
animals whose milk samples collected for this study were clinically
healthy and the milk samples showed physical (color, pH,
and density) consistency. Milk samples were taken under forceful
hygienic conditions and immediately transported to the laboratory
in a cooler with ice packs and stored at −20 ◦C