Differential leucocyte responses to various degrees of food restriction in broilers, turkeys and ducks.

1. White blood cell responses of broilers, turkeys and ducks were examined at regular intervals after being subjected to various degrees of food restriction. 2. Restricted-fed broilers showed increases in heterophil and basophil numbers, together with a corresponding decrease in lymphocytes. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was raised. There were no differences between broiler strains. 3. After only one week of feeding restricted diets, heterophils were significantly raised in selected and unselected 2-week-old ducks. At 21 weeks of age, those ducks receiving 50% of food required to achieve their ad libitum-fed body weight had raised heterophils. 4. Ducks receiving food to achieve 25% of ad libitum-fed birds produced a marked basophilia, but no heterophilia. 5. After two weeks of food restriction, turkeys responded with significant heterophil/lymphocyte ratios following two degrees of restricted feeding. 6. It was concluded that in some poultry, a heterophilia may be the response to mild to moderate stress but a basophilia may result after severely stressing birds.     

Estrogen and progesterone receptor status of mammary carcinomas and correlation with clinical outcome in dogs.

Estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) were measured in cytosol fractions from 18 primary canine mammary carcinomas by use of biochemical assays. One or both receptors were detected (> 10 fmol/mg of cytosol protein) in 11 tumors: 5 ER and PR; 2 ER only; 4 PR only. Mean cytoplasmic receptor concentrations (fmol/mg of cytosol protein) were 22.8 +/- 2.9 (SEM) for ER and 51.0 +/- 10.3 for PR in tumors containing ER and PR, 28.8 +/- 12.1 for ER in tumors containing only ER and 13.2 +/- 1.5 for PR in tumors containing only PR. Estrogen or progesterone receptors or both were identified in 6 of 9 tubular adenocarcinomas, 4 of 5 papillary adenocarcinomas, and 1 of 1 squamous cell carcinoma. These receptors were not identified in solid carcinomas (n = 2) or a single spindle cell carcinoma. Although the number of cases was limited, survival times of dogs tended to be longest in those with tumors containing ER alone or in combination with PR, intermediate in those with tumors containing only PR, and shortest in those with tumors without ER or PR. A correlation was not apparent between receptor status and age, presence of ovaries, tumor size, or histologic classification of the tumor. In the analysis of this series, the extent of surgery (mastectomy of the involved gland vs unilateral or bilateral mastectomy) did not appear to influence the outcome of the disease, and metastasis to regional lymph nodes did not appear to be a reliable prognostic indicator.     

Infection of bovine fetuses at 120 days' gestation with virulent and avirulent strains of bluetongue virus serotype 11.

Bluetongue virus infection in sheep and cattle during fetal development causes neuropathology. Two strains of bluetongue virus serotype 11 designated as UC-2 and UC-8 have different virulence patterns in newborn mice. These viruses have distinctly different electropherotype patterns on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicating a genetic difference in these two viruses of the same serotype. Four bovine fetuses each were inoculated intramuscularly with either UC-2 or UC-8, and one fetus was inoculated with placebo. The inoculation was made intramuscularly through the uterine wall at 120 days' gestation, and the bovine fetuses were recovered by cesarean section 12 or 20 days after inoculation. Fetal blood was collected for virus isolation and serology. Virus was reisolated from brain, blood, lung and liver. Both strains, UC-2 and UC-8, cause severe lesions in the 120 day fetuses. The encephalomalacic lesions occurred earlier and were more severe in fetuses inoculated with UC-8 as compared to those inoculated with UC-2. The subtle differences observed in the fetuses inoculated with the two different strains suggest that there is a difference in pathogenic potential of the two viruses. These differences do not appear to be completely dependent upon the host species.     

Induced Maturation and Spawning of the Chinese Catfish Clarias fuscus

Chinese catfish ( Clarias fuscus ) were successfully spawned in Hawaii using human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at dosage rates of two and four international units (IU) per gram body weight. Fish not injected with HCG did not produce viable eggs. Successful spawns with HCG occurred between May and October. Hatch rates of up to 80% were obtained during June, July, and August for those fish given either a 2 or 4 IU per gram body weight injection of HCG. Fish spawned in either May or October yielded significantly higher hatch rates when injected with 4 rather than 2 IU per gram body weight. Fish held at elevated temperatures (28 to 30 C) prior to the normal spawning season developed significantly larger oocyte diameters, 60 days earlier than fish held under ambient temperature conditions (21.5 to 24 C). Photoperiod manipulation at ambient temperature conditions was associated with earlier oocyte maturation, but photoperiod effects were much less important than temperature.     

Variability of serum bile acid concentrations over time in dairy cattle, and effect of feed deprivation on the variability.

Twelve nonlactating dairy cows, free of signs of liver disease and with normal serum activities of liver-derived enzymes and normal liver biopsy tissue, were examined over a 72-hour period for serum total bile acid concentrations. The cattle were fed hay twice daily, and blood samples were obtained every hour for 24 hours, every other hour for 24 hours, then every hour for 24 hours. After 3 weeks, the study was repeated on 6 of the cattle, thus providing data for eighteen 72-hour periods. Serum bile acid concentration varied greatly over the 72 hours, with the range being from one third to 3 times the median. There were variations by as much as 60 mumol/L from 1 hour to the next. After another 3 weeks, 8 of the cattle were deprived of hay for 48 hours and then fed hay morning and afternoon of the third (last) day of the study. There was no significant reduction in bile acid concentration after withholding the hay, but the variability was reduced (P = 0.02) during the last 20 hours of the hay-deprivation period. In 3 ancillary studies, serum bile acid concentrations were examined over a 48-hour period in 2 cows in early lactation, 3 cows in midlactation, and two 6-month-old heifers. The cows were fed hay and grain twice daily, and the heifers were fed only hay twice daily. In comparison with values for the 12 nonlactating cows fed hay twice daily, mean serum bile acid concentration in the recently freshened cows was significantly (P < 0.002) higher (62.9 vs 22.0 mumol/L).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Relationship of common avian pathogen antibody titers in so-called chicken anemia agent (CAA)-antibody-positive chicks to titers in CAA-antibody-negative chicks.

Antibody titers for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), infectious bronchitis virus, Newcastle disease virus, and reovirus from chicks with chicken anemia agent (CAA) antibodies were compared with antibody titers from their CAA-antibody-negative counterparts. These comparisons were made in 396 chickens that were 1 day, 2 weeks, 8-9 weeks, 10 weeks, 17 weeks, or 29-32 weeks old. Only one serum sample was collected from any given chick or chicken. There were no significant differences between the antibody titers at any age for any antigen, with one exception: at 29-32 weeks, the IBDV titers were higher (t = 2.62, df = 142, P less than 0.01) in chickens with CAA antibody. Although not at all likely, we believe that the observation of high IBDV antibody titers in CAA-antibody-positive chicks could have been a spurious one.     

Monoclonal antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus: cross-reactivities to field isolates and hog cholera virus strains.

Monoclonal antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) were examined for binding with a large number of North American BVDV isolates and eight strains of the serologically related pestivirus, hog cholera virus (HCV). No single BVDV monoclonal antibody reacted with all BVDV isolates. The most cross-reactive monoclonal antibody was an anti-p80/p125 antibody which showed a positive reaction with 173 of 180 (96%) North American isolates. From a fewer number of isolates tested, one anti-gp53 monoclonal antibody also showed a high cross-reactivity (94%). All BVDV isolates showed a positive reaction with at least one of the seven monoclonal antibodies in the panel. Thus, the results indicated that a pool of these monoclonal antibodies may be used in place of polyclonal antisera for the detection of BVDV contamination of cell lines or for virus isolation. For HCV, all three anti-p80/p125 monoclonal antibodies reacted positively with all eight virus strains. In contrast, none of the anti-gp53 monoclonal antibodies were reactive to HCV strains. Thus, the anti-gp53 monoclonal antibodies may be useful for distinguishing between usually innocuous BVDV infections and the highly significant HCV infections in swine for foreign animal disease surveillance.     

普通小麦抗白粉病配合力及其与过氧化物酶的关系

选用6个亲本组配成双列杂交设计,对普通小麦抗白粉病的配合力及基因效应进行了分析。结果表明,白粉病病情指数属于数量性状遗传,符合加性—显性遗传模型,由加性效应和非加性效应共同控制,且以加性效应为主。低病情指数为部分显性。不同亲本之间一般配合力效应及含有的有利显性基因数存在明显差别。因此,选配杂交组合应在一般配合力高的基础上,注重其特殊配合力的选择。研究还表明,感病品种过氧化物酶活性高。