Three-year rabies duration of immunity in dogs following vaccination with a core combination vaccine against canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus type-1, canine parvovirus, and rabies virus

Thirty-two seronegative pups were vaccinated at 8 weeks of age with modified-live canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type-2 (CAV-2), and canine parvovirus (CPV) vaccine and at 12 weeks with a modified-live CDV, CAV-2, CPV, and killed rabies virus vaccine. An additional 31 seronegative pups served as age-matched, nonvaccinated controls. All test dogs were strictly isolated for 3 years after receiving the second vaccination and then were challenged with virulent rabies virus. Clinical signs of rabies were prevented in 28 (88%) of the 32 vaccinated dogs. In contrast, 97% (30 of 31) of the control dogs died of rabies infection. These study results indicated that no immunogenic interference occurred between the modified-live vaccine components and the killed rabies virus component. Furthermore, these results indicated that the rabies component in the test vaccine provided protection against virulent rabies challenge in dogs 12 weeks of age or older for a minimum of 3 years following vaccination.     

The inheritance and association of resistance to rust,common bacterial blight,plant habit and foliar abnormalities in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Summary No antagonistic or synergistic interaction was found between isolates of Uromyces appendiculatus var. appendiculatus and Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli when inoculated to the same plant. A single dominant gene was suggested to control resistance to three isolates of rust in the crosses Pompadour Checa × Chichara and Pompadour Checa × NE W-4. A two-gene model was confirmed for the reaction to the three rust isolates for the crosses Pompadour Checa × GN Tara and Pompadour Checa × San Cristobal; a dominant (Ur _p) gene determined resistance and was epistastic to a dominant gene (Ur _t) for susceptibility. (Ur _t) was expressed only in the presence of recessive (ur _p) alleles. The reaction to common bacterial blight was quantitatively inherited and an association was detected with plant habit but not with rust reaction and leaf variegation. Plants with leaf variegation and crippled growth, were detected in the progeny of the cross Pompadour Checa × GN Tara and were controlled by duplicate recessive genes (mutatorunstable genes) and three genes, acting additively, respectively. The developmental expression of the latter trait varied considerably. Linkage was detected between genes controlling the variegated and the crippling traits.Published as Paper No. 7839, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. Research was conducted under project No. 20-036.     

Identification of QTL controlling high levels of partial resistance to Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi in pea

Fusarium root rot is a common biotic restraint on pea yields, and genetic resistance is the most feasible method for improving pea production. This study was conducted to discover quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling genetic partial resistance to Fusarium root rot caused by Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. f.sp. pisi (F.R. Jones) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans (Fsp). A RIL population was screened in a Fusarium root rot field disease nursery for 3 years. Composite interval mapping was employed for QTL detection using the means of disease severity from three growing seasons. Five QTL were identified, including one QTL identified in all three years. The multiyear QTL Fsp‐Ps2.1 contributed to a significant portion of the phenotypic variance (22.1–72.2%), while a second QTL, Fsp‐Ps6.1, contributed 17.3% of the phenotypic variance. The other single growing season QTL are of additional interest as they colocate with previously reported pea–Fusarium root rot resistance QTL. QTL Fsp‐Ps2.1, Fsp‐Ps3.1, Fsp‐4.1 and Fsp‐Ps7.1 are flanked by codominant SSRs and may be useful in marker‐assisted breeding of pea for high levels of partial resistance to Fsp.     

SSR Diversity of Vegetable Soybean [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glycine max</Emphasis> (L.) Merr.]

Edamame [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a type of soybean selected for fresh or frozen vegetable use at an immature stage. Since edamame has a similar protein content, milder flavor, nuttier texture, and is easier to cook when compared to grain soybean, it is being promoted as a new vegetable for global consumption. Global production will require breeding programs for local adaptation; however, limited research has been published on genetic diversity of edamame varieties for the assessment of genetic resources. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used to study the genetic diversity among 130 accessions, including edamame cultivars and landraces from Japan, China and the US, and also the new breeding lines in the US. Although it is assumed that elite edamame cultivars would have narrow genetic diversity, seventeen SSRs detected polymorphism to distinguish 99 of the 130 accessions. The cluster analysis generated nine clusters and 18 outliers. Genetic diversity within Japanese edamame was lower than that within Chinese vegetable soybean accessions (maodou), even though only 10 Chinese maodou were analyzed compared to 107 Japanese edamame. Cluster analysis revealed that the patterns of SSR diversity in edamame can generally distinguish maturity classes and testa color. We concluded that Japanese edamame have a narrow genetic base different from others and that SSRs can describe the patterns of genetic diversity among the elite vegetable soybean.     

Evaluating a Rapid On-Farm Nutrient Determination Model for Use in Implementing Nutrient Management Plans

Government regulatory agencies recommend nutrient management plans (NMPs) for animal operations to reduce non-point source pollution. These plans require manure analysis for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), and use indices to determine nutrient availability. This study evaluated a rapid on-farm method to predict TN and TP concentrations of swine slurries. A field investigation based on this rapid assessment procedure was used to evaluate the effect of a NMP on corn yield and soil fertility. Manure grab samples were collected to validate the rapid on-farm model for predicting TN and TP. A corn crop was raised on two phosphorus (P) soil test levels (medium and excessive) using three randomized complete blocks with two replications of three treatments. Rapid on-farm models were accurate (P ≤ 0.05) for predicting manure TN and TP. The rapid model manure application rate produced grain yields that were significantly higher than inorganic-N fertilization treatments (13,000 kg ha^?1 versus 9,000 kg ha^?1) (P ≤ 0.05). Potassium chloride extractable soil P and ammonium were not significantly different (P ≥ 0.05) in manure treatments compared with the inorganic-N treatment. Analysis of ear leaf N, P, and K and grain yields demonstrated that the rapid model manure application developed by a NMP met crop requirements.     

The precision and robustness of published protocols for disc diffusion assays of antimicrobial agent susceptibility: an inter-laboratory study

The precision of the disc diffusion protocols previously published by Alderman and Smith (Aquaculture 196 (2002) 211) was analysed in a seven-laboratory trial using Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 as the test strain. Discs containing seven antimicrobial agents were employed and 2899 zone size measurements were generated. The total data generated in the trial was used to quantify the intra- and inter-laboratory precisions. The study design also facilitated the investigation of the influence of the source of media and the source of discs on zone sizes. A smaller two-laboratory trial was employed to investigate the influence of incubation time of zone size.

The intra-laboratory precision was relatively high with the mean of the coefficients of variation calculated for each laboratory and each agent being 4.7%. In contrast, the inter-laboratory precision was very much lower with the mean of the values for each agent being 11.1%. Significant influences on zone size were detected for all three parameters of the protocol. Media source effects were particularly notable with respect to oxytetracycline and oxolinic acid discs, disc source effects with respect to ampicillin and sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim discs and incubation times with the ampicillin and amoxycillin discs. ANOVA analysis of the total data set confirmed that inter-laboratory variation was the major factor influencing the low precision of the protocol.

The overall precision of the protocols used here was found to be significantly lower than that implied by the control limits associated with the same bacterium in other validated disc diffusion protocols. The implications of these results, for the further development of the protocols under investigation, are discussed.     

Extraction, radioiodination, and in vivo catabolism of equine fibrinogen

Equine fibrinogen was isolated and aliquots were stored frozen at -70 C before radiolabeling with 125I (half-life = 60.2 days; gamma = 35 keV, using monochloroiodine reagent. Radioiodination efficiencies were 49% to 53%, resulting in a labeled product with 98% protein-bound activity and 91% clottable radioactivity. In 6 equine in vivo investigations, plasma half-lives of 125I-labeled fibrinogen were from 4.1 to 5.2 days, corresponding to a mean daily plasma elimination rate of approximately 15%.     

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy in a dog.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is a well-recognized syndrome in human patients following injury to an extremity. The syndrome may include hyperesthesia and autonomic changes. The autonomic changes are initial vasodilatation followed by vasoconstriction (e.g., edema followed by cyanosis, and cool skin); hyper- or hypohydrosis; atrophic changes in the skin, subcutis, and muscles; and osteoporosis. Early treatment with a short course of steroids and infiltration of the painful site with lidocaine may alleviate symptoms. If that fails, sympathetic ganglionic block with lidocaine (and possibly steroids) or surgical sympathectomy may provide resolution. A case of reflex sympathetic dystrophy in a dog is presented, involving bilateral distal hind-limb edema and hyperesthesia.     

Molecular markers linked to genes for specific rust resistance and indeterminate growth habit in common bean

Bulked segregant analysis was utilized to identify random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers linked to genes for specific resistance to a rust pathotype and indeterminate growth habit in an F2 population from the common bean cross PC-50 (resistant to rust and determinate growth habit) × Chichara 83-109 (susceptible to rust and indeterminate growth habit). Six RAPD markers were mapped in a coupling phase linkage with the gene ( Ur-9) for specific rust resistance. The linkage group spanned a distance of 41 cM. A RAPD marker OA4.1050 was the most closely linked to the Ur-9 gene at a distance of 8.6 cM. Twenty-eight RAPD markers were mapped in a coupling phase linkage with the gene ( Fin) for indeterminate growth habit. The linkage group spanned a distance of 77 cM. RAPD markers OQ3.450 and OA17.600 were linked to the Fin allele as flanking markers at a distance of 1.2 cM and 3.8 cM, respectively. The RAPD markers linked to the gene for specific rust resistance of Andean origin detected here, along with other independent rust resistance genes from other germplasm, could be utilized to pyramid the different genes into a bean cultivar for durable rust resistance.