Faecal shedding detected earlier than immune responses in goats naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Paratuberculosis was diagnosed in a goat herd that participated in a sanitation program against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The aim of this study was to characterise the development of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and antibody responses as well as the occurrence of faecal shedding. Faecal culture appeared surprisingly sensitive as about 18% and 40% of the goats were positive at 9 and 15-17 months of age, respectively, and shedding was often seen prior to peripheral immune responses. Peripheral IFN-γ responses were not related to protection as clinical and high shedding goats often had high responses. An IFN-γ response usually preceded a humoral response. However, positive antibody titers could sometimes be seen simultaneously with, and even prior to, IFN-γ responses. In conclusion, faecal culture appeared as sensitive as IFN-γ testing. Furthermore, the antibody ELISA and the IFN-γ assay may perform equally well in an infected herd if surveillance is conducted annually.     

Field evaluation of phenology and success of hardy,micro-propagated old shrub roses in northern Finland

Abstract

Five old shrub rose taxa were studied in field experiments in northern Finland during the years 1993–1999. The plant material was micro-propagated from woody plants selected for their ornamental value and hardiness for northern areas of Finland. The observations in the experiments were based on phenological monitoring and survey of plant success. The results revealed significant differences in the success of the different rose genotypes, and the most valuable genotypes were identified. Micropropagation was successfully used as a propagation method and these in vitro propagated roses grew naturally under harsh field conditions. The Rosa ‘Tornedal’ origins, R. ‘Poppius’ and R. ‘Sipi’ were ranked the most suitable cultivars for northern landscaping. Overall, all of the studied roses succeeded fairly well.     

Isolation of Thermophilic Campylobacters from Norwegian Dogs and Cats

A total of 147 dogs and 85 cats was surveyed for faecal carriage of thermophilic Campylobacters. Isolates were obtained from 33 (22.4 %) of the dogs and from 10 (11.8 %) of the cats investigated. The isolation rates recorded for diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic dogs and cats were not significantly different. Likewise, Campylobacters were isolated with about equal frequencies from puppies and mature dogs as well as from bitches and male dogs. Nineteen canine and 7 feline strains were biotyped and serotyped. A large majority (88.5 %) of these 26 strains belonged to serotypes previously recovered from human G. coli and C. laridis constituted 7.7 % and 3.8 %, respectively. Three strains belonged to serotypes previously recovered from human patients in Norway.     

Horse Activity is Associated with Degraded Subalpine Grassland Structure and Reduced Habitat for a Threatened Rodent

Feral (wild) horses present significant challenges for landscape managers. A major effect of horses is trampling, which erodes soil and alters vegetation cover, which is often critical habitat for threatened animals. We examined the direct and indirect impacts of horses, kangaroos, and rabbits on the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus), a threatened rodent in subalpine grasslands in Kosciusko National Park, which contains a large wild horse population. Our objective was to examine the relationship between the activity of different herbivores and 1) structural attributes of the vegetation (cover and density of different plant groups) and 2) length of broad-toothed rat runways and the presence of scat along these runways as proxies of broad-toothed rat activity. We assessed herbivore activity and measured vegetation cover, structure, and richness and total length of runways used by broad-toothed rats as a measure of activity. We used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesis that horse activity would lead to reductions in rat habitat directly, by increasing disturbance, and indirectly, by altering vegetation structure. Quadrats showing no evidence of horse activity had longer broad-toothed rat runways, taller but fewer grasses, double the shrub cover, and lower plant richness than quadrats showing evidence of horse activity. Structural equation modeling showed that there were no significant direct associations between horse activity and rat activity. However, increasing horse activity was associated with an indirect negative effect on broad-toothed rat activity by suppressing the positive relationship between grass height and rat activity. There were no significant effects of rabbits on any environmental variables, and kangaroo grazing was associated with an increase in shrub cover only. Disturbance by horses likely alters vegetation structure, by reducing grass height, making it less suitable for broad-toothed rats, thereby reducing their populations. Horses should be restricted from accessing critical broad-toothed rat habitat.     

Rapid and non-invasive measurements of fat and pigment concentrations in live and slaughtered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The aim of this study was to non-invasively determine fat and pigment concentrations in salmon muscle based on visible and near infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy measurements of live/whole fish and fillets, and by means of digital photography (DP) of fillets. The fish used were two populations of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) consisting of 46 salmon averaging 0.7 kg (range 0.17–1.7 kg, Group S) and 30 salmon averaging 2.3 kg (range 1.4–4.1 kg, Group L). Chemical analyses (fat and pigment content) and computerized tomography, CT (fat content) were used as reference methods. Group L was analysed in the live state (VIS/NIR), after gutting (VIS/NIR and CT), and as fillets (VIS/NIR and DP). Group S was analysed in the gutted state (VIS/NIR) and as fillets (VIS/NIR and DP). VIS spectroscopy predictions of pigment in whole salmon from Group S were obtained with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.9 mg kg^− 1 astaxanthin, and a correlation between VIS spectroscopy predicted and chemically measured pigment of r = 0.85 (p < 0.0001). The fat concentration was determined by the NIR spectroscopy in live fish with RMSEP = 1.0 fat% unit, and a correlation with chemical reference values of r = 0.94 (p < 0.0001). Fat predictions from NIR spectroscopy correlated also well with predictions from CT analyses, r = 0.95 (p < 0.0001). VIS spectroscopy and DP were equally well suited to determine pigment concentrations in salmon fillets, with prediction errors of only 0.4 mg kg^− 1 astaxanthin, and a correlation with chemically determined pigment of r = 0.92 (p < 0.0001). The results obtained in the present study are the first to demonstrate successful non-invasive pigment predictions in whole salmon using VIS/NIR spectroscopy, and the possibility for simultaneous, rapid and non-destructive quantification of fat and pigment concentrations.     

Norwegian reference strains of Vibrio anguillarum

Strains of Vibrio anguillarum isolated from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and saithe (Gadus virens) have been studied and compared, and strains to be used for further investigations are described.     

Differentiation of Seed Germination and Early Seedling Growth in Ten Provenances of Eucalyptus Microtheca

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Productivity of single-grip harvesters in clear-cutting operations in the northern European part of Russia

A field-based study was carried out to broaden our knowledge of fully mechanized cut-to-length harvesting productivity in naturally grown forests in the northern European part of Russia (NEPR). The recorded data comprised 38 midsized single-grip harvesters (JD 1270D) in clear-cutting operations in the Karelia, Komi, Vologda, Leningrad, Tver, and Kirov regions in NEPR, 4.3 million felled trees, and 1.4 million m³ u.b. (under bark) of processed timber. Harvesting operations were conducted in forest stands composed of spruce (48% on average), pine (19%), birch (22%), and aspen (11%), with an average stem volume 0.31 m³ u.b. The cut-to-length harvesters produced from 4.3 to 14.9 m³ u.b./productive machine hour (PMH) and 16.0–49.5 m³ u.b./stem processing machine hour (S _proc MH). A machine evaluation analysis and a regression analysis were used to formulate models for predicting cutting productivity of modern single-grip harvester. The regression models were developed to estimate the productivity of the harvesters in the regions taking into account two significant factors influencing the productivity: the stem volume and tree species of the felled trees. Productivity/cubic meter u.b. of processed timber/PMH was calculated according to stem volume and tree species distributions in most forest-covered NEPR regions. Further research is suggested to improve the developed productivity models and to allow prediction of system performance over a broad range of stand and site conditions.