Bacterial and fungal pathogens isolated from corneal ulcerations in domesticated elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) in Sri Lanka

Infective corneal diseases are common among the domesticated elephants in Sri Lanka, causing morbidity including blindness leading to loss of revenue to their owners. From 140 elephants of different ages and both sexes, 36 animals (25.7%) had evidence of keratitis, corneal ulcers, corneal opacities, and some had foreign bodies in their eyes. Nine elephants (6.4%) had lesions in both eyes (6.41%). Cultures for both bacteria and fungi were obtained from 26 corneal ulcers, including the nine elephants with bilateral lesions. The other 10 animals could not be restrained for sample collection. Swabs from the normal corneas of an additional 20 elephants without signs of any ophthalmic diseases were also collected. Twenty-three of the 35 (65.71%) samples from affected corneas yielded bacterial pathogens, and 14 (40%) also had fungal isolates. None of them yielded a fungal isolate alone. The predominant bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus , beta hemolytic streptococci and coliforms. Fusarium , Cladosporium , Curvularia and Aspergillus species were the primary fungal isolates. No bacteria or filamentous fungi were isolated from the eyes with the normal corneas. Microbial identification including fungal isolations is suggested in the management of infective corneal diseases in elephants.     

Molecular and biological characterisation of Cryptosporidium in pigs

OBJECTIVE: Genetic and biological characterisation of 12 isolates of Cryptosporidium from pigs and comparing them with Cryptosporidium isolates from humans and cattle. DESIGN: Cryptosporidium isolates from pigs were compared with those obtained from human and cattle using rDNA sequence analysis. The infectivity of two of the porcine isolates was determined in neonatal mice and the clinical history of the infected pigs recorded. RESULTS: Pig-derived isolates of Cryptosporidium exhibited two distinct genotypes; a porcine genotype and a bovine genotype, which is common to cattle and other livestock. The porcine genotype did not produce any infection in neonatal mice whereas the bovine genotype did. CONCLUSION: Two distinct genetically and biologically differing strains of Cryptosporidium appeared to be associated with acute diarrhoea in pigs. Whether Cryptosporidium was a primary or secondary pathogen is unclear but warrants further investigation. As the bovine genotype is known to infect humans, the results suggest that pigs can act as reservoirs of cryptosporidial infections for humans and other live-stock. The zoonotic potential of the pig-adapted genotype is uncertain and requires further study.     

鸡(土从)菌生活史的研究

通过孢子分离,小白球分离都在人工合成培养基上萌发成菌丝,形成小白球,证实小白球是鸡(土从)菌生活循环中的一个发育阶段.鸡(土从)菌担孢子萌发的单核菌丝,经过锁状联合发育成双核菌丝,继而形成小白球,但难以在培养基上长出子实体,而在蚁巢上合轴交叉的菌丝交织成小白球,再发育成原基,在适宜的环境条件下鸡(土从)菌破土而出形成子实体.本研究从无性循环及有性循环两方面初步阐明了鸡(土从)菌的生活史.     

三种橡胶树乙烯利刺激剂对柑桔褐腐疫霉的毒力测定

通过含毒介质和橡胶叶片接种的试验方法,测定三种不同载体的乙烯利涂剂(含2％乙烯利)对柑桔褐腐疫霉的抑菌率,结果表明三种乙烯利涂剂均有不同程度的抑菌能力,其中抗病增胶灵抑菌能力最高,效能稳定,持效期长;而以淀粉和甲基纤维素为载体的涂剂抑菌能力较低,效能不稳定,持效期短。     

菌根性食用菌栽培研究进展

对目前菌根性食用菌栽培研究的进展进行了综述。重点介绍了菌根性食用菌与共生植物的相互作用,几种主要菌根性食用菌的培养条件、接种方法和栽培方法,以及种植园管理技术的研究现状。     

Monitoring of atrazine treatment on soil bacterial,fungal and atrazine-degrading communities by quantitative competitive PCR

We report the development of quantitative competitive (QC) PCR assays for quantifying the 16S, 18S ribosomal and atzC genes in nucleic acids directly extracted from soil. QC-PCR assays were standardised, calibrated and evaluated with an experimental study aiming to evaluate the impact of atrazine application on soil microflora. Comparison of QC-PCR 16S and 18S results with those of soil microbial biomass showed that, following atrazine application, the microbial biomass was not affected and that the amount of 16S rDNA gene representing 'bacteria' increased transitorily, while the amount of 18S rDNA gene representing fungi decreased in soil. In addition, comparison of atzC QC-PCR results with those of atrazine mineralisation revealed that, in response to atrazine treatment, the amount of atzC gene increased transitorily in soil pre-treated with atrazine, suggesting that accelerated atrazine biodegradation in soil could be due to a transient increase in the size of the atrazine mineralising community.     

少孢节丛孢菌超微结构的观察研究

观察了捕食线虫性真菌——少孢节丛孢菌的超微结构，以探讨捕食线虫性真菌的杀虫机理。结果显示，少孢节丛孢菌属于隔膜类真菌，隔膜中央有孔，菌丝细胞一般呈长形竹节状；菌株的捕食器为黏性菌环和菌网，形成捕食器的菌丝细胞结构不同于一般的营养菌丝，胞质中含有许多电子密集体，呈大小不等的黑色类圆形颗粒状，多数排列在捕食器菌丝细胞的边缘区域，这是捕食线虫性真菌捕食器菌丝细胞的一个重要特征。     

猪IL-18基因的原核表达及重组蛋白的纯化

以pcDNA3．1-pIL-18为模板，采用PCR技术扩增到了猪白细胞介素18（IL-18）的成熟蛋白基因，通过KpnⅠ＋SacⅠ双酶切及连接反应，构建了pET32c—pIL—18原核表达质粒。经过限制性内切酶分析、PCR鉴定及DNA序列测定证实，重组质粒中的基因片段连接正确。之后，重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3），于37℃、1．0mmol／L IPTG条件下诱导表达。菌体裂解产物经SDS—PAGE分析，在分子质量约为33ku处出现了预期的目的蛋白。用8mol／L脲对表达产物变性，经Ni^2＋NTA柱纯化，透析复性，得到了纯化的IL-18蛋白。Western—blot分析证实，纯化的重组IL-18蛋白具有反应活性。上述研究结果为重组IL-18的应用奠定了基础。     

PET/CT FOLLOWING INTENSITY-MODULATED RADIATION THERAPY FOR PRIMARY LUNG TUMOR IN A DOG

A primary lung tumor in a dog treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy was imaged approximately 6 weeks and 1-year posttreatment with combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography, utilizing the radiotracers 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 18F-fluorothymidine. These two tracers allowed discrimination of tumor from inflammation, and demonstrated spread of tumor along airways over time after treatment. Fusion of functional imaging with anatomic imaging is a useful tool, particularly in the field of oncology, with the potential for PET markers that delineate tumor from normal or reactive tissue, and potential or actual response to therapy.     

18S rRNA／rDNA序列分析技术在瘤胃原虫分类学研究中的应用

作者指出了反刍动物瘤胃原虫分类学研究中的难点，介绍了原虫分类学中新兴的分子生物学指标(18S rRNA／rDNA序列同源性)，综述了18S rRNA／rDNA序列分析技术在瘤胃原虫分类研究中的应用。