Canine bartonellosis: serological and molecular prevalence in Brazil and evidence of co-infection with Bartonella henselae and Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii

The purpose of this study was to determine the serological and molecular prevalence of Bartonella spp. infection in a sick dog population from Brazil. At the S?o Paulo State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Botucatu, 198 consecutive dogs with clinicopathological abnormalities consistent with tick-borne infections were sampled. Antibodies to Bartonella henselae and Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii were detected in 2.0% (4/197) and 1.5% (3/197) of the dogs, respectively. Using 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) primers, Bartonella DNA was amplified from only 1/198 blood samples. Bartonella seroreactive and/or PCR positive blood samples (n=8) were inoculated into a liquid pre-enrichment growth medium (BAPGM) and subsequently sub-inoculated onto BAPGM/blood-agar plates. PCR targeting the ITS region, pap31 and rpoB genes amplified B. henselae from the blood and/or isolates of the PCR positive dog (ITS: DQ346666; pap31 gene: DQ351240; rpoB: EF196806). B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (pap31: DQ906160; rpoB: EF196805) co-infection was found in one of the B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii seroreactive dogs. We conclude that dogs in this study population were infrequently exposed to or infected with a Bartonella species. The B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii strains identified in this study are genetically similar to strains isolated from septicemic cats, dogs, coyotes and human beings from other parts of the world. To our knowledge, these isolates provide the first Brazilian DNA sequences from these Bartonella species and the first evidence of Bartonella co-infection in dogs.     

Phylogenetic characterization of rabies virus isolates from Carnivora in Brazil

The incidence of canine rabies has been widely reported in Brazil, and new rabies virus (RV) variants, genetically similar to canine RV, have recently been isolated from foxes. In order to derive the epidemiological characteristics of Brazilian Carnivora RV, Brazilian RVs isolated from dogs, cats, and foxes were genetically analyzed. Brazilian Carnivora RV isolates were divided into 2 main lineages. The predominant lineage was found in dogs and cats, which included the Argentinean and Bolivian Carnivora RV isolates, and was extensively distributed throughout Brazil and surrounding countries. The other lineage consisted of three sublineages containing Brazilian dog and fox RV isolates, with the dog sublineages located on an internal branch of 2 fox sublineages, suggesting that RV transmission events might have occurred between foxes and dogs in the past. These results suggest that contact between dogs and wildlife has the potential to generate new rabies variants and that it is important to control RV infection cycles in both dogs and wildlife to prevent spread of rabies infection.     

Canine squamous cell carcinoma: Electrochemotherapy association with surgery and correlation with overall survival

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an important malignancy in dogs, due to its incidence and clinical presentation, which can be of locally aggressive single or multiple lesions with a metastatic potential. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate SCC response to treatment, anatomopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics, disease-free interval and overall survival time. 54 dogs with histopathologically diagnosed SCC were included in this study. Their mean age was 9.16 years with a range of 1–14 years. Of the 54 animals in the study, 34 (65.4%) had white skin and white fur coats. There was a significant correlation between fur coat colour and the development of tumours in areas of sun exposure (p = .001). Animals with tumours in areas of the body exposed to the sun had longer overall survival time than animals with tumours in areas not associated with sun exposure (p = .001). Surgery combined with electrochemotherapy (ECT) yielded a survival rate 32% higher than using a surgical approach alone (HR = 0.32, p = .038, IC = 0.11–0.94). ECT, with or without surgery, had an objective response rate of 90.9%. Local lymph node and/or distant site metastasis at diagnosis, or at some point during follow-up, occurred in 34.6% (18/52) of animals. Animals with tumours in sun exposed locations had more aggressive histopathological characteristics but had longer overall survival time. This is probably due to individualised therapeutic treatment with both surgery and ECT.     

Quality and maximum profit of industrial tomato as affected by distribution uniformity of drip irrigation system

The tomato industry reformed its system of payment by weight of tomato, introducing a corrective system based on percent level of fruit dry matter produced. Such a decision implies significant changes in the management of irrigation systems, with a need to emphasize the technological quality of the marketable product. Three levels of distribution uniformity of the irrigation system are analysed, and related production functions of crop yield and percent of dry matter are presented as well as their use on the optimisation of dry matter, expected revenues and seasonal applied water. Results are critically influenced by the distribution uniformity. They demonstrate the inter-relationship between crop production, percent fruit dry matter and irrigation management, and the importance of considering non-uniformity in the economic analysis of industrial tomato production. Decreases in uniformity lead to a reduction in dry matter production per unit land. Decreases in dry matter are also observed with increasing levels of seasonally applied water, with the optimal level always lower than the required for maximum yield. Such interaction suggests a continuous and inverse relationship between profit and water applied. However, due to the corrective system of payment, by levels of percent of dry matter produced, for some uniformity, the expected revenue follows the yield-water production function instead of the dry matter function. This fact introduces disturbances in the optimal water applied inducing higher than expected levels of water applied for profit maximisation. The simulated data also show that incentives to switch to new systems or management practices able to raise the distribution uniformity result more from profit losses than increases in water price.     

Measuring versus estimating net radiation and soil heat flux: Impact on Penman–Monteith reference ET estimates in semiarid regions

The standardized ASCE Penman–Monteith and FAO-56 equations were used to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) using estimated and measured net radiation (R_n) and soil heat flux (G), based on hourly and daily meteorological data. The estimates were evaluated against lysimeter measurements. The results indicate that using measured or estimated values of R_n and G can have significant effect on the accuracy of the ET₀ estimations, especially when calculations were made on an hourly basis. The FAO-56 version performed very well during the irrigation season on a daily basis. The use of measured R_n and G did not improve ET₀ estimation on a daily basis, therefore, the use of estimated R_n and G appears to be dependable when calculations are based on 24-h weather data. When daily ET₀ was calculated from hourly estimations, the results were different depending on the version used. The ASCE version was more accurate, especially when R_n and G were measured. Therefore, measurement of R_n and G may have potential to improve estimation only when daily ET₀ is calculated from hourly estimations. The PM FAO-56 version was always a little less accurate than the ASCE version. For hourly calculations, using a constant surface resistance (as in FAO-56 version), the PM method underpredicted for high evaporative demand and vice versa. The ASCE version performed better than PM FAO-56 version when R_n and G were measured and estimated. Therefore, ASCE version tended to provide quite accurate values of hourly ET₀, even using estimated values of R_n and G. As conclusion, the methods proposed by FAO-56 for estimating R_n and G tended to produce accurate estimates for daily and hourly ET₀ under semiarid conditions and can be used with some degree of confidence for estimating ET₀. In addition, results suggest that the ASCE standardized equation on an hourly basis improved the accuracy of ET₀ estimation with respect to the FAO-56 version.     

Outbreak of shoot blight and dieback of Eucalyptus spp., caused by Pseudoplagiostoma eucalypti in Brazil

An outbreak of a new and severe disease was observed in Eucalyptus plantations of Bahia state, Brazil. An Ascomycota fungus has been frequently associated with the main symptoms of the disease namely leaf spot, branch cankers, shoot blight, defoliation, and dieback. Based on morphological characteristics, phylogenetic analysis (ITS and TEF-1α genes), and pathogenicity test on Eucalyptus plants, Pseudoplagiostoma eucalypti was identified as the causal agent of the disease. Although P. eucalytpi has been known from in Brazil since 1998, this is the first report of it causing severe disease and die-back on Eucalyptus spp. and we also record new symptoms associated with the pathogen.     

Characterization of symptoms of senescence and chilling injury on inflorescences of Heliconia bihai (L.) cv. Lobster Claw and cv. Halloween

Inadequate temperatures during the shipping and commercialization of cut tropical flowers may accelerate the senescence process and cause chilling injury, leading to symptoms that have not yet been described for Heliconia bihai. The aim of the present study was to evaluate physiological responses in cut inflorescences of H. bihai cv. Lobster Claw (LC) and cv. Halloween (HW) as well as symptoms of senescence and chilling injury. For such, changes in fresh weight, bract color (L*, a* and b*), percentage of absolute integrity (PAI) of cell membranes and leakage of potassium ions (LPI) were determined. The flowering stems were evaluated at five different intervals after harvest (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 d). A refrigerated treatment (RT) with a temperature of 6.5 °C and 85% relative humidity was compared to a control treatment (CT) at room temperature of 24 °C and 66% relative humidity. Both cultivars stored at 6.5 °C exhibited dryness of bract tissue (symptom of senescence) and dark stains that became brownish and evolved to necrosis (symptom of chilling injury). The visual quality of inflorescences decreased with time in both cultivars maintained without refrigeration. The severity of chilling injury increased with the length of storage time in both cultivars. There was a significant reduction in the fresh weight of inflorescences in both treatments (RT and CT) and both cultivars (LC and HW). Bract color changed in both cultivars at 6.5 °C. There was no change in PAI throughout the evaluation period in the inflorescences stored at room temperature, whereas those stored at 6.5 °C for 6 and 8 d had lower PAI values. The inflorescences in the control treatment underwent no change in LPI values, whereas those stored under refrigeration had increased LPI values after the sixth day of storage. The physiological responses of cut Heliconia flowers were influenced by storage period and temperature, as demonstrated by visual symptoms of chilling injury and senescence.     

水产饲料中的霉菌霉素

霉菌毒素是霉菌产生的次级代谢产物.霉菌在农作物收获前、收获后及运输和仓储的过程中都可生长并产生霉菌毒素.     

Effect of glyphosate on the tripartite symbiosis formed by Glomus intraradices,Bradyrhizobium japonicum,and genetically modified soybean

Most soybeans grown in North America are genetically modified (GM) to tolerate applications of the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate; as a result, glyphosate is now extensively used in soybean cropping systems. Soybean roots form both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and rhizobial symbioses. In addition to individually improving host plant fitness, these symbioses also interact to influence the functioning of each symbiosis, thereby establishing a tripartite symbiosis. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the effects of glyphosate on the establishment and functioning of AM and rhizobial symbioses with GM soybean, and (2) to estimate the interdependence of the symbioses in determining the response of each symbiosis to glyphosate. These objectives were addressed in two experiments; the first investigated the importance of the timing of glyphosate application in determining the responses of the symbionts and the second varied the rate of glyphosate application. Glyphosate applied at recommended field rates had no effect on Glomus intraradices or Bradyrhizobium japonicum colonization of soybean roots, or on soybean foliar tissue [P]. N₂-fixation was greater for glyphosate-treated soybean plants than for untreated-plants in both experiments, but only when glyphosate was applied at the first trifoliate soybean growth stage. These data deviate from previous studies estimating the effect of glyphosate on the rhizobial symbiosis, some of which observed negative effects on rhizobial colonization and/or N₂-fixation. We did observe evidence of the response of one symbiont (stimulation of N₂-fixation following glyphosate) being dependent on co-inoculation with the other; however, this interactive response appeared to be contextually dependent as it was not consistent between experiments. Future research needs to consider the role of environmental factors and other biota when evaluating rhizobial responses to herbicide applications.