Strong top-down control in southern California kelp forest ecosystems

Global-scale changes in anthropogenic nutrient input into marine ecosystems via terrestrial runoff, coupled with widespread predator removal via fishing, have created greater urgency for understanding the relative role of top-down versus bottom-up control of food web dynamics. Yet recent large-scale studies of community regulation in marine ecosystems have shown dramatically different results that leave this issue largely unresolved. We combined a multiyear, large-scale data set of species abundances for 46 species in kelp forests from the California Channel Islands with satellite-derived primary production and found that top-down control explains 7- to 10-fold more of the variance in abundance of bottom and mid-trophic levels than does bottom-up control. This top-down control was propagated via a variety of species-level direct and indirect responses to predator abundance. Management of top-down influences such as fishing may be more important in coastal marine ecosystems, particularly in kelp forest systems, than is commonly thought.     

Enrofloxacin assay validation and pharmacokinetics following a single oral dose in chickens

The pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin (ENRO), a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent, was studied in male broiler chickens (Cobb) after single oral administration of 10 mg of ENRO/kg b.w. A high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector (DAD) (HPLC-DAD) method was developed and validated and used for quantitation of ENRO and its major metabolite ciprofloxacin in plasma. The HPLC analyses were carried out using a cationic-octadecyl mixed column and 0.05 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 2.5)/acetonitrile as mobile phase. The sample preparation of plasma consisted of the precipitation of proteins followed by solid phase extraction on cationic-octadecyl mixed cartridges. The method was validated considering linear range, linearity, selectivity, sensitivity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), intra- and inter-day precisions and accuracy. The LOD and LOQ for both fluoroquinolones were 60 and 200 ng/mL for plasma. The plasma concentration vs. time graph was characteristic of a two-compartment open model. The maximal plasma concentration of 1.5 +/- 0.2 mg/mL was achieved at 9 +/- 2 h. The elimination half-life and the mean residence time of ENRO were 1.5 +/- 0.2 and 15.64 h, respectively. The area under the concentration-time curve was calculated as 35 +/- 4 mgxh/mL.     

Biofilm-forming ability profiling of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis mastitis isolates

Biofilm-forming ability has been increasingly recognized as an important virulence factor in Staphylococci, facilitating their persistence in the host, evading its defences and allowing bacterial survival at high antimicrobial concentrations. Staphylococcus aureus remains a major pathogen of chronic mastitis, but in the last years Staphylococcus epidermidis has emerged as a relevant mastitis pathogen. The present work aimed at the evaluation of the biofilm-forming ability of Staphylococci field isolates from bovine subclinical mastitis and at the development of a fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) protocol that would allow the direct observation of biofilm formation in milk samples. The analysis of phenotypic expression in Congo Red Agar (CRA) and by FISH, showed that 37.5% of the S. aureus isolates produced biofilm, while by optical density measurement only 18.75% isolates revealed this phenotype. The results showed a fair agreement according to the kappa coefficient test (kappa = 0.259). Regarding S. epidermidis mastitis isolates, 37.5% revealed the ability to produce biofilm, but only four isolates were positive by all methods. This agreement was moderate (kappa = 0.467). The application of FISH to artificially contaminated milk samples allowed the direct observation of biofilm production by 37.5% isolates, showing total agreement with the CRA results. This method better mimics the in vivo conditions, especially in terms of the presence of calcium and iron, which in high concentrations, respectively, are known to inhibit or induce biofilm production.     

Education and the food-systems veterinarian: the impact of new information technologies

Food systems educators face a double challenge: (1) the inherent change in scope and perspective from raising animals to producing safe food in an environmentally conscientious manner; and (2) the unprecedented demand for higher education, both nationally and internationally. In the modern world, small numbers of producers are capable of feeding a growing population. As demographics have shifted from rural to urban areas, more global livelihoods are derived from manufacturing and services than from agriculture. Education, as one of those services, is accounting for an increasing percentage of world trade, through the physical translocation of students and, more recently, through online education. Within the veterinary realm, colleges outside the United States seek accreditation to better compete for students, and there is increasing pressure from private schools. Today's food systems require a high level of veterinary expertise, with specialization in a particular production system as well as the ability to contribute as part of a larger team that can address economic, bio-security, biological-waste, animal-welfare, food-safety, and public-health concerns. The need for different expertise from food systems specialists (indeed, shortages of all types of veterinary specialists), combined with global competition in education, is a call to action for the veterinary profession. This is an opportunity to revisit and reorganize the delivery of veterinary education, making use of new collaborative technologies for greater efficiency and effectiveness.     

Septicaemia secondary to infection by Corynebacterium macginleyi in an Indian python (Python molurus)

A seven-year-old female Indian python (Python molurus) weighing about 35kg was euthanased after several clinical episodes of stomatitis, pneumonia, ophthalmitis and dystocia over a period of four years. The animal had been maintained in a terrarium in a circus truck at an adequate temperature. During shows, however, the snake was considered to be exposed to stressful conditions for several hours at a time at low temperatures and with noise and bright lights. A post-mortem examination indicated ulcerative stomatitis, osteomyelitis, severe pneumonia and numerous granulomata and multifocal necrosis in stomach and spleen. Corynebacterium macginleyi was isolated in pure culture from the ulcerative stomatitis, and mixed with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from the lungs and spleen. The findings indicated that the snake had died from a septicaemic process caused by C. macginleyi, probably originating from the stomatitis. The role of S. maltophilia as a secondary agent is discussed. The stress of the circus show and poor husbandry may have predisposed the animal to infection and septicaemia. This is the first report of C. macginleyi causing disease in a snake.     

Depletion study and estimation of the withdrawal period for oxytetracycline in tilapia cultured in Brazil

Defining pharmacokinetic parameters and depletion intervals for antimicrobials used in fish represents important guidelines for future regulation by Brazilian agencies of the use of these substances in fish farming. This article presents a depletion study for oxytetracycline (OTC) in tilapias (Orechromis niloticus) farmed under tropical conditions during the winter season. High performance liquid chromatography, with fluorescence detection for the quantitation of OTC in tilapia fillets and medicated feed, was developed and validated. The depletion study with fish was carried out under monitored environmental conditions. OTC was administered in the feed for five consecutive days at daily dosages of 80 mg/kg body weight. Groups of ten fish were slaughtered at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days after medication. After the 8th day posttreatment, OTC concentrations in the tilapia fillets were below the limit of quantitation (13 ng/g) of the method. Linear regression of the mathematical model of data analysis presented a coefficient of 0.9962. The elimination half-life for OTC in tilapia fillet and the withdrawal period were 1.65 and 6 days, respectively, considering a percentile of 99% with 95% of confidence and a maximum residue limit of 100 ng/g. Even though the study was carried out in the winter under practical conditions where water temperature varied, the results obtained are similar to others from studies conducted under controlled temperature.     

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis by Serum Progesterone and Ultrasound in Sheep Carrying Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer-Derived Pregnancies

Early pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring play an important role following embryo transfer in sheep. The aims of the current study were to investigate (i) the pattern of serum progesterone profiles in sheep carrying somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)‐derived (clone) pregnancies, and (ii) the frequency of pregnancy loss during development following SCNT embryo transfer. Sheep SCNT embryos were made using standard nuclear transfer techniques. Day 7 embryos were surgically transferred to oestrus‐synchronized recipients (n = 27). As a control, normal fertile ewes (n = 12) were bred by natural breeding. Serum was collected from all the ewes on the day of estrus (day 0 sample), 7 days post‐estrus (day 7 sample) and 19 days post‐estrus (day 19 sample) and every 10 days thereafter until lambing or pregnancy loss occurred. Serum progesterone (P4) was assessed using enzyme immunoassay. Pregnancy was confirmed by ultrasound scanning on day 35 of pregnancy followed by subsequent scanning every 10 days. In control ewes, pregnancy rate on day 35 was 83.3% (10/12), whereas in the ewes that received SCNT embryos, it was 22.2% (6/27; p < 0.05). The day 45 pregnancy rate in the control ewes was 83.3%, whereas in the SCNT embryo recipients it was 11.0% (p < 0.05). Hormone analysis revealed that SCNT embryo recipients exhibited a significantly lower P4 profiles at different time points in pregnancy compared to controls (p < 0.05). This study highlights the use of serum progesterone in combination with ultrasound for the investigation of embryo loss and crucial times during development of normal and SCNT embryos in sheep. Further, the serum P4 levels directly reflect the degree of placental development in these two groups.