华南乡土树种在松杉林下生长及林下植物多样性研究

研究了11种华南乡土阔叶树种幼树在广东增城市林科所松杉人工林林下的生长表现,结果表明:4种壳斗科植物黎蒴、米锥、甜锥和槟榔青冈在移植后5 a均具有较高的树高和冠幅生长量,可作为人工林改造优良树种;香椿在前期生长表现良好,而移植后45 a生长速度有所下降,反映该树种随着年龄增长,其需光性加强,该树种仅适用于低密度人工林的改造;石笔木生长虽然稍慢,但其耐荫性较强,在林下生长良好,可作为次生林改造树种;樟树、枫香和火力楠等树种在林下生长不良.样方调查结果表明:松杉林下植物以耐荫性和鸟播植物为主.     

青海不同产区大黄的X-射线衍射图谱研究（摘要）

[目的]为区分不同产地大黄药材的质量及鉴别提供依据。[方法]将供试材料青海玉树掌叶大黄（样品1）、青海海南唐古特大黄（样品2）与青海果洛唐古特大黄（样品3）分别粉碎成粉末,过100目筛,即可供X射线衍射试验用。设定管压30 kV,管流20 mA,2θ扫描范围3°～90°,扫描速度0.06°/s,每种样时间0.5 s,获得3种不同产区大黄的X-射线衍射图谱。试验数据以晶面间距d与特征峰相对强度L/Io表示,记为d/（I/Io）。将试验数据导入中药指纹图谱相似度计算软件,经选峰,设定匹配模板,将谱峰自动匹配,然后设定标准模板,进行谱峰差异性评价和整体相似性评价。[结果]样品1中所含的化学成分与样品2相同,但峰的强度（I/Io）不同,表明相同成分在两种样品中的含量不相等。同样把样品3的图谱与其他两个样品进行比较,也会得到相同的衍射峰值。表明不同产区的大黄中各化学成分的含量有差异,但其衍射图谱及衍射峰值具有一定的指纹特征。[结论]X-射线衍射法是鉴别不同产区的大黄及其他中药材的一种快捷有效的方法。     

中国美利奴羊育种信息管理系统开发

以提高育种资料管理和利用效率为目的,提出基于Visual FoxPro6.0软件开发中国美利奴羊育种信息管理系统的设计思路,阐述了系统的结构和所具备的基本功能.     

Comparison of media used for the primary isolation of Mycobacteriurm bovis by veterinary and medical diagnostic laboratories

Veterinary and medical laboratories engaged in the cultural diagnosis of bovine or human tuberculosis were requested to supply samples of the media that they routinely use for the primary isolation of M. bovis. Fourteen laboratories supplied 7 basic media types; these were Lowenstein-Jensen, Stonebrink's, modified Middlebrook 7H11 agar, tuberculosis bovine blood agar, egg yolk agar, Gerloff's egg and Herrold's egg yolk. Two strains of M. bovis were used to test the media, strain AN5, a glycerol-tolerant laboratory strain and M86/90 a glycerol-sensitive wildtype strain. AN5 grew well on all media with the exception of Herrold's and strain M86/90 did not grow on media containing glycerol and grew poorly on Herrold's medium. It is recommended that Lowenstein-Jensen with pyruvate (but without glycerol), Stonebrink's, modified Middlebrook 7H11 and tuberculosis bovine blood agar should be considered the media of choice for the primary isolation of M. bovis. Egg yolk agar also proved adequate for this purpose in the trial. This medium may be suitable for routine use but to date experience with its use is limited.     

Prevalence and spatial distribution of cattle herds infected with Theileria orientalis in New Zealand between 2012 and 2013

AIM: To describe the prevalence and spatial distribution of cattle herds infected with Ikeda and non-Ikeda types of Theileria orientalis in New Zealand between November 2012 and June 2013.

METHODS: Pooled serum samples collected historically between November 2012 and June 2013 were obtained from cattle herds throughout New Zealand. Each pooled sample consisted of approximately 20 individual cattle samples from that herd, and was provided with details of the spatial location of the herd (n=722). DNA from all samples was tested using two quantitative PCR assays for the detection of T. orientalis (all types) and the Ikeda type. The proportion of herds that were positive for T. orientalis and Ikeda type, or that were positive for T. orientalis but negative for Ikeda type (non-Ikeda positive) was determined for different regions of New Zealand.

RESULTS: The highest prevalence of herds infected with Ikeda type was detected in the Northland (33/35; 94%) and Auckland and the Waikato (63/191; 33%) regions. Only 2/204 (1%) herds were positive for the Ikeda type in the South Island. A high percentage of herds that were positive for non-Ikeda types was detected in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay (23 (95%CI=13–37)%), Auckland and Waikato (22 (95%CI=16–29)%) and Bay of Plenty (24 (95%CI=10–44)%) regions.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The high prevalence of Ikeda type detected in cattle herds in the Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions represents a risk to naive cattle being introduced into these regions. There is also the potential for resident cattle herds in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions to experience increased infection with the Ikeda type.

The overall impact experienced by regions will depend on other factors such as the number of herds present and the predominant type of farming, as well as the interplay between tick ecology, cattle immunity and movement patterns of cattle.     

Application of quantitative PCR assays for diagnosing Ikeda and other Theileria orientalis types to examine associations between severity of anaemia and parasitaemia in bovine anaemia outbreaks

AIMS: To use quantitative PCR assays to detect Theileria orientalis Ikeda type in cattle presumed infected with T. orientalis, to examine the relationship between theilerial piroplasm count and haematocrit (HCT), and the relationship with quantification cycle threshold (Cq) values.

METHODS: Blood samples in EDTA (n=1,024), derived from herds affected by anaemia associated with T. orientalis infection (TABA) between April and October 2013, were submitted for testing using quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for T. orientalis and Ikeda type. Nucleotide sequencing of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene was performed on 16 samples to identify T. orientalis types. Blood smear and/or HCT results were supplied with most samples. For data analysis, the number of theilerial piroplasm per 1,000 erythrocytes counted was categorised as negative (0), low (1–9), moderate (10–100) or high (>100). HCT was categorised as severely anaemic (<0.15 L/L), mildly anaemic (0.15–0.24 L/L) or not anaemic (>0.24 L/L). Differences between categories in proportion of samples positive for Ikeda type or mean Cq value were examined using χ² tests or analysis of variance, respectively.

RESULTS: Of 1,022 samples containing amplifiable DNA, 916 (90%) were positive for T. orientalis and 789 (77%) were positive for Ikeda type. Nucleotide sequencing of MPSP amplicons also identified the presence of Chitose and Buffeli types in 11 samples without Ikeda. Ikeda was detected in a greater proportion of severely anaemic (288/302; 95%) than mildly anaemic (227/252; 90%) cattle (p=0.02). In non-anaemic cattle, 344/406 (85%) were positive for T. orientalis and 247/406 (60%) were positive for Ikeda type. In samples from cattle that were piroplasm-positive, a greater proportion of anaemic (483/505, 96%) than non-anaemic (211/307; 69%) cattle were positive for Ikeda type (p<0.001). In piroplasm-negative cattle, 20/37 (54%) anaemic and 25/78 (32%) non-anaemic cattle were Ikeda-positive (p<0.05). The distributions of Cq values differed between piroplasm count and HCT categories (p<0.001). Mean Cq differed between high and negative, and low piroplasm categories (p<0.001), but not between high and moderate categories (p=0.81), and differed between severely anaemic and mildly anaemic (p<0.001), and non-anaemic categories (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The Ikeda type was found in a high proportion of cattle during outbreaks of TABA in New Zealand. Analysis of Cq values suggested a relationship of Ikeda parasitaemia with severity of anaemia, but further investigation is required to better understand the role of parasitaemia in the pathogenesis of TABA.     

Epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated with Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) between August 2012 and March 2014

AIMS: To describe the epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated with Theileria orientalis infection (TABA) in New Zealand between 30 August 2012 and 4 March 2014.

METHODS: Blood samples and associated data were obtained from cases of TABA. The case definition for TABA was met when piroplasms were present on blood smears and the haematocrit was ≤0.24?L/L. Samples were analysed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for the detection of T. orientalis Ikeda type. Only cases that were positive in the qPCR assays were included in the analysis. A case herd was defined as a herd that had ≥1 animal positive for T. orientalis Ikeda.

Movement records for farms were accessed through the national animal identification and tracing scheme. The OR for cattle movements onto a case farm compared to a non-case farm was estimated using a generalised estimating equation model and the geodesic distance for movements onto case and non-case farms compared using Student's t-test. The kernel-smoothed risk of disease at the farm level was calculated using an extraction map and the clustering of diseased farms in time and space was measured using the spatial temporal inhomogeneous pair correlation function.

RESULTS: In the first 18 months there were 496 case herds; 392 (79%) were dairy and 104 (21%) beef herds. Of 882 individual cases, 820 (93.0%) were positive for T. orientalis Ikeda in the qPCR assays. Case herds were initially clustered in the Northland, then the Waikato regions. The OR for a case farm compared to a non-case farm having ≥1 inward cattle movements was 2.03 (95% CI=1.52–2.71) and the distance moved was 26 (95% CI=20.8–31.3) km greater for case farms. The risk of disease was highest in a north, north-eastern to south, south-western belt across the Waikato region. The spatial-temporal analysis showed significant clustering of infected herds within 20–30 days and up to 15?km distant from a case farm.

CONCLUSIONS: Theileria orientalis Ikeda type is likely to have been introduced into regions populated with naïve cattle by the movement of parasitaemic cattle from affected areas. Local spread through dispersed ticks then probably became more important for disease transmission between herds once the disease established in a new area.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dairy and beef farming in the North Island of New Zealand will be significantly changed in the coming years by the incursion of this new disease.