Decreased transport of orally administered protein into the blood circulation of developing juveniles of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

ABSTRACT: To clarify the quantitative changes in the transport of orally intubated protein into the blood circulation as macromolecules in development, immunoglobulin Y (IgY) extracted from chicken eggs was administered orally to juvenile Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica . For the first experiment, which was performed before the commencement of artificial feeding, the oral delivery of 2.0 μg/0.1 g bodyweight of IgY resulted in a rapid increase in plasma IgY to a maximum of 2.30 μg/mL. However, the transport of IgY into the blood decreased significantly in the experiments that followed, which were performed after 12, 25 and 42 days. During this period, bodyweight increased approximately by a factor of eight, and rapid growth of the stomach was observed histologically. Possible contributions for the development of the alimentary canal to the diminishment of intestinal protein assimilation are discussed.     

Growth performance,carcass traits,physiochemical characteristics and intramuscular fatty acid composition of finishing Japanese black steers fed soybean curd residue and soy sauce cake

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary soybean curd residue (SCR) and soy sauce cake (SSC) on the growth performance, carcass traits and physiochemical and intramuscular fatty acid (FA) characteristics in Japanese Black steers. Ten steers (29.7 ± 0.3 months old, 856.6 ± 24.4 kg body weight) were assigned to either treatment C, fed a conventional concentrate or T, fed the test diet including dried SCR and SSC for 3 months. In growth performance, dry matter (DM) intake and average daily gain, and carcass traits did not differ significantly between the treatments. Color of beef was affected by the dietary treatments and meat samples from T showed higher a^* value and chroma than those in C. On FA composition, there was no significant difference between the treatments in neutral lipids, whereas in polar lipids, meat samples from T had higher C16:1 (P < 0.05) and tended to have higher C16:0 (P = 0.05) and C18:1 (P = 0.08), but lower C17:0 (P = 0.098), C18:2 (P = 0.06) and C20:4 (P = 0.07) than those from C. The study suggested that SCR and SSC could be used as a substitute for conventional concentrate and would influence meat color and intramuscular FA composition of polar lipids.     

Epidemiological and bacteriological survey of buffalo mastitis in Nepal

A total of 355 Murrah cross buffaloes, consisting of 23 subclinical and 332 clinical mastitis cases brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Chitwan, Nepal from 2002 to 2005, were analyzed to determine the organisms involved, the seasonal occurrence of mastitis, and antibiotic susceptibility of mastitis pathogens. Coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS) such as Staphylococcus albus and S. epidermidis were the predominant organisms associated with subclinical cases, and CNS and Coliforms in clinical cases. The maximum number (16%) of clinical cases of mastitis were observed in the month of July, when temperature and humidity are highest. The incidence of clinical mastitis was higher in animals during 1st calving and during the 1st month of parturition. Resistance to antibiotics was determined for 55, 23 and 149 isolates of Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. and Coliforms, respectively. In vitro drug sensitivity testing revealed that enrofloxacin had the highest average sensitivity (91%) for all types of bacteria. The effectiveness of other drugs detected were gentamicin (87%), tetracycline (83%) and chloramphenicol (82%). The antibiogram showed that both gentamicin and enrofloxacin are slowly becoming resistant. Mastitis pathogens have developed resistance to ampicillin and penicillin.     

Identification of bovine serum albumin as an IgE-reactive beef component in a dog with food hypersensitivity against beef

IgE-reactive beef components were examined by an immunoblot analysis using a serum from a dog with food hypersensitivity against beef. The immunoblot analysis revealed a distinct band at approximately 66 kDa and a faint band at approximately 50 kDa. The immunoblot analysis for serum IgE reactivity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) also revealed a positive band at 66 kDa. Serum IgE reactivity to the 66-kDa protein of beef was diminished by pre-incubating the serum sample with BSA. Furthermore, a positive reaction to BSA was detected in intradermal testing in the dog. These results clearly indicated that BSA was an IgE-reactive beef component in the dog with food hypersensitivity against beef.     

Estrone sulfate and progesterone profiles during late gestation in recipient cows transferred embryos produced by nuclear transfer and in vitro fertilization

The aim of present experiment was to evaluate the plasma concentrations of estrone sulfate (E(1)S) and progesterone (P(4)) during late gestation in recipient cows transferred embryos produced by nuclear transfer (NT) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Blood samples were collected from recipients transferred embryos produced by NT (n=9) and IVF (n=13) at 160, 220, 240, 260 and 270 d of gestation and then at 5 d intervals until parturition. Plasma samples were analyzed for E(1)S and P(4) by ELISA. One NT and three IVF cows aborted between days 220 and 260 of gestation. Two NT and one IVF cow had prolonged gestation (over 290 d). One IVF cow had an overweight fetus (50 kg) after abortion (257 d). The patterns of changes in the concentrations of E(1)S during late gestation in the NT and IVF cows were almost identical. The NT and IVF cows that aborted had prolonged gestation and much higher E(1)S concentrations than the average. One NT cow aborted after 220 d of gestation and had a sudden high increase in its E(1)S concentration from 160 d to 220 d of gestation. The NT and IVF cows that had prolonged gestation also had significantly higher (P<0.05) P(4) concentrations than the average. These results raise the possibility that the E(1)S and P(4) profiles can be used to monitor some late gestational problems, such as higher birth weight, abortion and prolonged gestation.     

Trail antigen in Eimeria stiedai sporozoites associated with a thrombospondin-related motif and the entry of cultured cells

In order to examine the antigenic similarity and specificity of the trail antigen of Eimeria stiedai and Etp 100, a microneme protein of Eimeria tenella, monoclonal antibodies to the trail antigen of E. stiedai sporozoites were selected by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody method. The monoclonal antibody of one clone, 3D10, reacted with the anterior portion of non-fixed sporozoites. By immunoblotting, the monoclonal antibody was found to react with a 100 kDa antigen of E. stiedai sporozoites, and a 117 kDa antigen of E. tenella sporozoites and merozoites. It was also found to react with a recombinant protein with thrombospondin-/properdin-like motifs homologous to E. tenella microneme protein Etp 100. The monoclonal antibody significantly inhibited the penetration of E. stiedai sporozoites into cultured rabbit hepatobiliary epithelial cells. These results suggest that E. stiedai sporozoites have a trail antigen, located in the anterior region on the outer surface of the sporozoites, which has an epitope with thrombospondin-/properdin-like motifs similar to E. tenella microneme protein Etp 100. This protein may play an important functional role in the process of penetration of host cells.