Epidemiological survey of Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs in eastern Japan

To determine the distribution of Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs in the eastern part of Japan, an epidemiological survey of dogs suspected of having B. gibsoni infection was attempted using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Thirty-five of 115 such dogs (30.4%) were positive by PCR and/or ELISA. The 35 positive dogs consisted of 28 Tosa dogs, 4 American Pit Bull Terriers, and 3 mongrel dogs in Aomori, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Nagano Prefectures. The positive dogs had a significantly lower rate of tick exposure and a higher rate of bites by other dogs. Twenty-two of 35 B. gibsoni-positive dogs were infected with hemoplasma, and the rate of infection was significantly higher than that of B. gibsoni-negative dogs.     

The pattern of ovarian development in the prepubertal antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

This study describes the morphological and morphometrical changes associated with prepubertal ovarian development in the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Ovaries were harvested from 94 immature minke whales caught in the Antarctic Ocean during the summer feeding season (December-March). Notable differences in ovarian size and morphology were found among animals. Up to 10 folds difference in ovarian weight was found among prepubertal whales of similar body size. During the prepubertal period, ovaries grew slowly and approximately doubled their weight. The morphologies of right and left ovaries were almost identical while the growth of the ovary appears to occur preferentially on the right side. The most striking morphological feature was numerous small antral follicles less than 5 mm in diameter found in ovaries of younger immature whales. The occurrence of these ovaries was highest in whales less than 6 m long and gradually decreased as body length increased. In larger whales, the occurrence of ovaries with a smaller number of follicles up to 10 mm and thick tunica albuginea increased. Thus, the ovary of the Antarctic minke whale experiences bursts of small follicular development during the early prepubertal period before becoming a more developed ovary with fewer but larger follicles, and thick tunica albuginea.     

Protective effect of botulinum C/D mosaic toxoid against avian botulism

Avian botulism is a paralytic disease caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum type C. Since type C isolates from cases of avian botulism produced a neurotoxin consisting of a mosaic form of parts of type C and D neurotoxins, we examined the antitoxin titers in the convalescent sera of botulism-affected birds which belonged to family Anatidae. ELISA using the C/D mosaic neurotoxin as an antigen revealed that the antibody was detected in the sera at 2 weeks, but not at 5 weeks after the onset, suggesting that the antibody only appeared for a short period in the convalescent phase. However, we failed to detect the antibody titers with anti-chicken IgG instead of anti-duck IgG. We therefore examine the immunological properties of IgG among different families and species. The results revealed that different species of IgG in the same family exhibited strong cross-reactivity. Ducks immunized once with the toxoid together with a commercial oil-adjuvanted vaccine were found to develop sufficient antibody to protect against a challenge with a lethal toxin dose. The ELISA titers did not correspond to the neutralization titers in the sera of immunized ducks at the early stage during immunization. These findings suggest that the neutralizing titer was more useful than the ELISA titer for evaluating the protection against the toxin, but the ELISA technique may be applicable for detecting the occurrence of botulism.     

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva-like condition in a cat

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP)-like condition was diagnosed in a Japanese domestic cat with stiffness, marked atrophy of the muscles, and limited mobility of all joints in both the pelvic limbs. Etretinate, a retinoid, was used for medical management; however, no improvement in the clinical signs was observed. Inheritance of the disorder has not yet been demonstrated. Furthermore, the clinical signs and histopathological findings of feline FOP-like condition in the present case differed from those of the previously reported cases.     

Characterization of a new Maillard type reaction product generated by heating 1-deoxymaltulosyl-glycine in the presence of cysteine

The reaction between Amadori compounds and cysteine was investigated. When 1-deoxymaltulosyl-glycine (glycyl-fructosyl-glucose) was heated at 100 degrees C with cysteine in a neutral aqueous solution, a novel intermediate composed of 1-deoxyosone and cysteine was detected. NMR and mass spectrometry studies revealed the structure of the isolated intermediate to be 7,8a-dihydroxy-4a-methyl-8-(alpha-d-glucopyranosyloxy)hexahydro-5-oxa-4-thia-1-azanaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid. This intermediate easily generated isomaltol and acetylfuran as volatile compounds in 1 mol/L HCl at 100 degrees C.     

PCB 118 and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Immunoassays for Screening Dioxins in Retail Fish

The efficacy of a combination of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits was examined for screening the toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations of dioxins in retail fish. The coplanar PCB-EIA system, which is a competitive immunoassay specific for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 118, was tested as a screening method for mono- ortho PCBs. The Ah immunoassay (Ah-I), which is an ELISA-based aryl hydrocarbon receptor binding assay, was analyzed for its screening ability for non- ortho PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins (PCDDs), and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Dilution and recovery tests using purified fish extracts revealed no major interference of the matrix in the PCB-EIA and suggested that the matrix effect was minimized in the Ah-I. Finally, the results for the fish samples ( n = 20) showed a strong correlation between this method and high-resolution gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry for the determination of the TEQ concentrations of mono- ortho PCBs ( r = 0.99) and non- ortho PCBs and PCDD/Fs ( r = 0.97). These data indicate that our method is suitable for screening retail fish to determine the TEQ concentrations of dioxins.     

Selection of ethylene-resistant carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) by video recording system and their response to ethylene

We used conventional cross-breeding techniques to develop a carnation with low ethylene sensitivity. A time-lapse video recording system for evaluating ethylene sensitivity of flowers, developed in our earlier study, proved useful for this breeding. We selected 10 new ethylene-resistant lines, in addition to the previously selected line 64–54. Lines 902–48a, 234–43S, and 234–36S showed extremely low ethylene sensitivity. The response time to 10 μL L⁻¹ ethylene of these three lines exceeded 50 h in two independent experiments (2004 and 2005), whereas that of three sensitive control cultivars (‘White Sim’, ‘Excerea’, and ‘Scania’) was 6.2–8.0 h. The mean vase life of the ethylene-resistant lines ranged from 7.6 to 12.7 days (1.4–2.3 times that of ‘White Sim’). The application of ethylene to carnation flowers induced autocatalytic ethylene production in both petals and gynoecia of 9 of the 11 ethylene-resistant lines without petal wilting, indicating that the autocatalytic ethylene production was regulated independently of the petal wilting reaction. This result further suggests that these lines have normal ethylene receptors and produce ethylene autocatalytically, but their petal wilting reaction stops at a point beyond the receptor. Two lines (118–64S and 120–69S) showed extremely low ethylene production at flower senescence and very low autocatalytic ethylene production from petals and gynoecia.     

Improvement of diagnostic markers for resistance to Globodera pallida and application for selection of resistant germplasms in potato breeding

Occurrence of pale potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida (Stone) Behrens, was first recorded in Japan in 2015. Among several control measures, cultivation of resistant potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties is the most effective in cost and environmental impact. As no G. pallida-resistant varieties have yet been developed in Japan, great emphasis is being placed on screening of germplasm possessing the resistance and development of the resistant varieties. In this study, we first improved previously reported DNA markers linked to the G. pallida resistance loci (GpaIV^s_adg and Gpa5) and then used these to screen more than 1,000 germplasms to select several candidate germplasms with resistance. We performed inoculation testing on the selected candidates and identified several resistant germplasms to the Japanese G. pallida population. Furthermore, we developed a simultaneous detection method combining three DNA markers linked to G. pallida and Globodera rostochiensis (Wollenweber) Behrens resistance loci. We validated the ability of C237-I marker to select resistant allele of GpaIV^s_adg and predict the presence of resistance in a Japanese breeding population. Resistant germplasms identified in this study could potentially be used to develop G. pallida-resistant varieties. The marker evaluation methods developed in this study will contribute to the efficient development of resistant varieties.     

Water adsorption process of bamboo heated at low temperature

Water adsorption capacities were evaluated for moso bamboo samples that were heated at 200°C for various times and conditioned in a closed container at 97% relative humidity at 20°C. Logistic regression analysis was used for curve fitting to the adsorption data and its parameters were analyzed. These parameters were compared with those derived previously from the Dubinin and Radushkevich theory. The properties of the heat-treated samples changed after 5 h of heating. With less than 5 h of heating, hydroxyl groups provided the main adsorption sites but their numbers decreased on heating. After 5 h, gasifi cation of the bamboo increased and capillaries formed. Part of this article was presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Hiroshima, August 2007     

Investigation of lactic acid bacterial strains for meat fermentation and the product's antioxidant and angiotensin‐I‐converting‐enzyme inhibitory activities

In the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains screened from our LAB collection, Lactobacillus (L.) sakei strain no. 23 and L. curvatus strain no. 28 degraded meat protein and tolerated salt and nitrite in vitro. Fermented sausages inoculated strains no. 23 and no. 28 showed not only favorable increases in viable LAB counts and reduced pH, but also the degradation of meat protein. The sausages fermented with these strains showed significantly higher antioxidant activity than those without LAB or fermented by each LAB type strain. Angiotensin‐I‐converting‐enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity was also significantly higher in the sausages fermented with strain no. 23 than in those fermented with the type strain. Higher ACE inhibitory activity was also observed in the sausages fermented with strain no. 28, but did not differ significantly from those with the type strain. An analysis of the proteolysis and degradation products formed by each LAB in sausages suggested that those bioactivities yielded fermentation products such as peptides. Therefore, LAB starters that can adequately ferment meat, such as strains no. 23 and no. 28, should contribute to the production of bioactive compounds in meat products.