Nutritional muscular dystrophy in a four-day-old Connemara foal

This report describes a four-day-old, full-term Connemara colt, presented for the evaluation of a progressive inability to rise unassisted. A diagnosis of nutritional muscular dystrophy was made based on muscular weakness, elevated muscle enzymes and low vitamin E, selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity. The foal was treated with intramuscular vitamin E-selenium and made a full recovery.     

Cytopathological and histopathological diagnosis of canine splenic disorders

Objectives To determine (1) the common types of canine splenic disorders, and the breeds affected, that are diagnosed by cytopathological and histopathological examination in Sydney, Australia and (2) the accuracy of cytopathological examination compared with histopathological examination for the diagnosis of canine splenic disorders. Design 69 cytopathological and 51 histopathological diagnoses of canine splenic disorders presented to the Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services, The University of Sydney during 2006 and 2007 were tabulated and analysed; 17 cases examined both cytopathologically and histopathologically during 2001–07 were also analysed. Results The most common cytopathological diagnoses were benign disorders of growth, vascular disturbances and necrosis (29%), followed by no abnormalities detectable (28%), malignant neoplasms (20%), equivocal diagnoses (20%) and inflammatory disorders (3%). The most common breeds were Kelpie crosses and mixed breeds. The most common histopathological diagnoses were benign disorders of growth, vascular disturbances and necrosis (49%), followed by malignant neoplasms (43%) and inflammatory disorders (8%). The most common breeds were German Shepherd Dogs, Boxers and Maltese Terriers. Cytopathological and histopathological diagnoses were in complete agreement in 59% of cases, partial agreement in 29% and disagreement in 12%. Conclusion Benign disorders of growth, vascular disturbances and necrosis were the most commonly diagnosed canine splenic disorders, both cytopathologically and histopathologically. Kelpie crosses presented most frequently for cytopathological examination. German Shepherd Dogs were the most common breed diagnosed histopathologically with haemangiosarcoma. Although cytopathological and histopathological splenic examinations are complementary for diagnosis, this study has shown a high correlation for complete and partial agreement between the two.     

Insect growth regulator effects of azadirachtin and neem oil on survivorship, development and fecundity of Aphis glycines (Homoptera: Aphididae) and its predator, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

BACKGROUND: Aphis glycines Matsumura, an invasive insect pest in North American soybeans, is fed upon by a key biological control agent, Harmonia axyridis Pallas. Although biological control is preferentially relied upon to suppress insect pests in organic agriculture, approved insecticides, such as neem, are periodically utilized to reduce damaging pest populations. The authors evaluated direct spray treatments of two neem formulations, azadirachtin and neem seed oil, under controlled conditions for effects on survivorship, development time and fecundity in A. glycines and H. axyridis. RESULTS: Both azadirachtin and neem seed oil significantly increased aphid nymphal mortality (80 and 77% respectively) while significantly increasing development time of those surviving to adulthood. First-instar H. axyridis survival to adulthood was also significantly reduced by both neem formulations, while only azadirachtin reduced third-instar survivorship. Azadirachtin increased H. axyridis development time to adult when applied to both instars, while neem oil only increased time to adult when applied to first instar. Neither neem formulation affected the fecundity of either insect. CONCLUSIONS: Results are discussed within the context of future laboratory and field studies aimed at clarifying if neem-derived insecticides can be effectively integrated with biological control for soybean aphid management in organic soybeans.     

Application of ozone in grain processing

Ozone is an effective fumigant for insect killing, mycotoxin destruction and microbial inactivation which has a minimal or no effect on grain quality. Studies have demonstrated that ozone which is a natural agent, may offer unique advantages for grain processing along with addressing growing concerns over the use of harmful pesticides. This paper focuses on the efficacy of ozone for preservation of food grains and discusses the possible effects on product quality. Inactivation mechanisms for micro-organisms and mycotoxins are detailed. Critical intrinsic and extrinsic factors governing inactivation are discussed along with potential grain applications.     

Potential enhancement of degradation of the nematicides aldicarb,oxamyl and fosthiazate in UK agricultural soils through repeated applications

BACKGROUND: The potential for enhanced degradation of the carbamoyloxime nematicides aldicarb and oxamyl and the organophosphate fosthiazate was investigated in 35 UK agricultural soils. Under laboratory conditions, soil samples received three successive applications of nematicide at 25 day intervals. RESULTS: The second and third applications of aldicarb were degraded at a faster rate than the first application in six of the 15 aldicarb‐treated soils, and a further three soils demonstrated rapid degradation of all three applications. High organic matter content and low pH had an inhibitory effect on the rate of aldicarb degradation. Rapid degradation was observed in nine out of the ten soils treated with oxamyl. In contrast, none of the fosthiazate‐treated soils demonstrated enhanced degradation. CONCLUSION: The potential for enhanced degradation of aldicarb and oxamyl was demonstrated in nine out of 15 and nine out of ten soils respectively that had previously been treated with these active substances. Degradation of fosthiazate occurred at a much slower rate, with no evidence of enhanced degradation. Fosthiazate may provide a useful alternative in cases where the efficacy of aldicarb and oxamyl has been reduced as a result of enhanced degradation. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Serovar profiling of Haemophilus parasuis on Australian farms by sampling live pigs

Objective Investigate the diversity of serovars of Haemophilus parasuis (Hps) present in Australian pig herds. Design Nasal swabs were used to obtain multiple isolates of Hps, which were grouped first by genotyping and then by serotyping representative isolates. Procedure Swabs were taken from the nasal cavity of just-weaned healthy pigs from multiparous sows on 12 farms and from post-weaned pigs of multiparous sows on 1 farm. On 5 of the 13 farms, nasal swabs were also obtained from pigs showing clinical signs suggestive of Glässer's disease. On a further 7 farms, nasal swabs were obtained only from pigs with clinical signs suggestive of Glässer's disease. Results A total of 556 Hps isolates were genotyped, and 150 isolates were serotyped. Hps was detected on 19 of the 20 farms, including 2 farms with a long history of freedom from Glässer's disease. Isolates of Hps belonging to serovars regarded as potentially pathogenic were obtained from healthy pigs at weaning on 8 of the 10 farms with a history of Glässer's disease outbreaks. Sampling 213 sick pigs yielded 115 isolates of Hps, 99 of which belonged to serovars that were either potentially pathogenic or of unknown pathogenicity. Only 16 isolates from these 213 sick pigs were of a serovar known to be non-pathogenic. Conclusion Healthy pigs contain a range of Hps serovars, even on farms free of Glässer's disease. Nasal swabbing of both healthy and sick pigs seems a useful method of serovar profiling of farms.     

Effects of increasing days of exposure to prepartum diets on the concentration of certain blood metabolites in dairy cows

Objective To evaluate the effect of the number of days exposure to a prepartum transition diet on mineral, energy and protein metabolism in dairy cows. Design A prospective cohort study. Procedures The prepartum transition diet consisted of ryegrass pasture, cereal hay, grain, grain by-product, protein meals, BioChlor®, rumen modifiers, minerals and vitamins and contained 13.9% crude protein, 10.0 MJ metabolisable energy/kg and a dietary cation anion difference of −35 meq/kg dry matter. Forty cows were bled bi-weekly from their introduction to the prepartum transition diet until day 35 of lactation. Blood samples were submitted for estimation of a range of metabolites. Cubic smoothed splines were fitted to scatterplots of metabolite concentration as a function of day relative to calving and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Linear regression modelling determined the effect of days exposed, age, body condition score (BSC) and calving day on AUC. Results The prepartum AUC of blood phosphorus and beta-hydroxybutyrate increased and the AUC of blood calcium and cholesterol decreased with increasing days exposed to the diet. The postpartum AUC of beta-hydroxybutyrate and non-esterified fatty acids decreased with increasing days exposed but increased with days exposed × age and days exposed × BCS, respectively. The AUC of other metabolites did not vary significantly with number of days exposed. Conclusions Increasing exposure to the prepartum diet significantly altered the AUC of blood metabolites associated with mineral, energy and protein metabolism in ways consistent with improvements in production and reproduction previously reported and the result suggests links between energy, protein and skeletal metabolism.     

Effect of short-term exposure to high-temperature on total gene expression in the leaves of four raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars

Summary

The effect of high temperature stress (27ºC or 37ºC for 24 h) on total gene expression profiles in the annual-fruiting raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars ‘Autumn Bliss’, ‘Autumn Treasure’, ‘Erika’, and ‘Polka’ were evaluated at the floral initiation stage using a customised Rubus microarray. Significantly affected genes were obtained by pairwise t-tests using ‘volcano plots’ for each cultivar × treatment. A 10ºC elevation in temperature altered levels of expression, in at least one cultivar, of 644 differentially expressed genes in total, with ‘Erika’ and ‘Autumn Treasure’ showing elevated expression of 38 genes compared to ‘Autumn Bliss’ and ‘Polka’. We identified 12 common candidate genes that were modulated differentially in ‘Autumn Bliss’ and ‘Erika’ at 37ºC compared to 27ºC. In addition, two aquaporin genes (PIP1 and TIP2) were down-regulated in ‘Autumn Bliss’, but up-regulated in ‘Autumn Treasure’, ‘Polka’, and ‘Erika’ at 37ºC. Other down-regulated genes from the list of 38 genes included those encoding major latex-like proteins, plasma membrane proteins, cysteine rich proteins, and other stress-related proteins. Validation by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) indicated subtle changes in differential gene expression, suggesting a mild response to heat stress. This study used molecular tools to increase our understanding of, and to identify candidate genes involved in, the heat stress response of four annual-fruiting raspberry cultivars.     

Heterozygote detection for maple syrup urine disease in cattle

SUMMARY The clinical, pathological and biochemical manifestations of maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) are similar in Poll Hereford and Poll Shorthorn X Poll Hereford calves. No significant differences were observed in branched-chain amino acid concentrations in plasma, or of branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase activity in fibroblasts, between Poll Herefords homozygous normal and heterozygous for the mutation responsible for MSUD. Haemopoietic chimerism resulted in incorrect diagnosis of the MSUD genotype in 30% of non-identical twins when blood DNA was analysed using allele-specific amplification. Hair roots are shown to be a suitable source of target DNA for genotyping Poll Hereford cattle for the MSUD mutation. Twelve of 203 (5.8%) aged Poll Hereford bulls, sampled at saleyards during the last 4 months of 1993, were found to be heterozygous for the mutation. In contrast, the mutant sequence was detected in only 1 of 150 (0.7%) 2- and 3-year-old Poll Hereford bulls offered for sale at 2 stud sales held during 1993, suggesting that the prevalence of the disease may decline over the next few years.