Detection of Torque teno sus virus types 1 and 2 by nested polymerase chain reaction in sera of sows at parturition and of their newborn piglets immediately after birth without suckling colostrum and at 24 hr after suckling colostrum

This study was performed to clarify the sow-to-fetus transmission pathway of Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) types 1 (TTSuV1) and 2 (TTSuV2). For this purpose, detection of TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 (TTSuVs) in sera of 6 sows (Sows 1-6) at parturition and in sera of their newborn piglets immediately after birth without suckling colostrum was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). These sows were bred using semen that had tested negative for TTSuVs. In a TTSuV1- and TTSuV2-positive sow (Sow 1), TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 were detected in 4 and 5 of 12 newborn littermates, respectively. In a TTSuV1-positive sow (Sow 2), TTSuV1 was detected in 1 of 8 newborn littermates. In 4 TTSuV1- and TTSuV2-negative sows (Sows 3-6), TTSuV1 was detected in 6 out of the 25 newborn piglets of 3 sows (Sows 3-5), while TTSuVs were not detected in all 13 piglets of 1 sow (Sow 6). In addition, to investigate the possibility of a sow-to-piglet transmission pathway of TTSuV via colostrum, TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 in sera of 12 newborn piglets from Sows 1-3 were examined by nPCR. Immediately after birth without suckling colostrum, TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 were not detected in 10 and 8 of 12 newborn piglets, respectively; however, at 24 hr after suckling colostrum, TTSuV1 was detected in 6 piglets, while TTSuV2 was not detected in any piglets. These results confirmed the existence of a sow-to-fetus transmission pathway of TTSuV during normal pregnancy and suggested a possibility of sow-to-piglet transmission of TTSuV via colostrum.     

Soil development on Late Quaternary river terraces in a high montane valley in Bhutan,Eastern Himalayas

We examined the geochemistry and micromorphology of the soils on a suite of morphologically well-defined and visually distinct fluvial terraces, up to 40 m elevation above the current riverbed, at Thangbi in the upper Bumthang Valley, Bhutan. The alluvia forming each of the terraces are lithologically and structurally similar, with shallow or moderately deep, clast-free sandy loam overbank deposits capping deep clast-supported beds of rounded boulders and interstitial sand. The topsoils on the 40 m terrace have more silt than those on the lower terraces. The soils are interpreted mainly as a monoclinal post-incisive chronosequence. Features that indicate progressive pedogenesis with increasing elevation include subsoil rubefaction, crystallinity of free Fe sesquioxides, and weathering of susceptible primary minerals, such as biotite and hornblende. However other soil attributes show no systematic trends and the overall impression is of limited pedogenesis, even in the soils on the higher terraces. We examine possibilities that the immaturity of the soils is due to pedogenic rejuvenation by post-incision additions to the soil parent materials.     

Regolith and soils in Bhutan, Eastern Himalayas

Bhutan lies at altitudes of 100–7500 m on the steep, long and complex southern slopes of the Eastern Himalayas. Soil surveys show that, despite steep gradients, there are many moderately or deeply weathered soils. Many slopes are mantled with polycyclic, layered drift materials, so soil horizons owe as much to regolith heterogeneity as to pedogenesis. In the limited arable areas soil profiles are further complicated by rice cultivation and the construction, maintenance and irrigation of flat terraces on steep slopes. Some natural pedogenic horizonation is apparent, and there is an altitudinal zonation of soil types. Although the climate is warm and seasonally wet, most soils on the subtropical southern foothills are not particularly weathered and leached. The foothills are seismically active, and many soils are formed in unstable landslide debris. Elsewhere the regoliths are more stable. The main soils up to about 3000 m in the inner valleys are moderately weathered and leached, and have bright subsoil colours and thin dark topsoils. Above these there is a zone of bright orange‐coloured non‐volcanic andosolic soils. Further upslope there are acid soils with thick surface litter, stagnogleyic topsoils, and drab brown subsoils with organic cutans. These grade to weak podzols, which extend from about 3500 m up to the treeline, around 4000 m. Above this, alpine turf soils, with deep, dark, and friable topsoils and yellowish friable subsoils, are intermixed with unweathered glacial deposits. The interactions between pedogenesis and the deposition of the varied and layered drift materials complicate mapping and classification of the soils.     

A Japanese Black breeding herd exhibiting low blood urea nitrogen: A metabolic profile study examining the effect on reproductive performance

Ten reared cows of a Japanese Black cattle herd in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, exhibited extremely low blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration (2.6 ± 0.6 mg/dL). Examination of dietary feed nutrition and relevant pastureland soil content suggested a correlation with crude protein (CP) deficiency or unbalanced nutritional dietary feeds. Thirteen months after the introduction of a dietary remedial measure (bean cake supplementation), BUN, total cholesterol and albumin concentration from five of the original 10 cows increased significantly compared with their values of before the dietary remedy. The postpartum day open period was significantly lower after the dietary remedial measure than that before it. The abnormally low BUN levels of the cattle herd may be due to inadequate dietary nutritional content, primarily from the imbalance of total digestible nutrient and CP of the feed and far lower han average CP value. In conclusion, routine examination of serum biochemical parameters in Japanese Black breeding cattle may be a useful strategy for determining subclinical metabolic failure of cattle herds, and consequently, its effect on reproductive performance of the herd.     

Soil aggregate stability and aggregate-associated organic carbon under different land use or land cover types

Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is an indicator for soil condition and is greatly influenced by land use or land cover (LULC) type and other soil and environmental attributes. This study investigated the soil aggregate-size distribution, SAS, aggregate-associated organic carbon (AAOC) and the relative importance of factors affecting SAS and AAOC. Based on conditioned Latin hypercube sampling, soil aggregate samples were collected from the “A” horizon and wet sieved into large macroaggregates (>2.0 mm), small macroaggregates (0.25–2.0 mm), microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) and mineral fraction (<0.053 mm). The large macroaggregates accounted for 86% to 93% of the total aggregates under all LULC types except under dry land (64%) and paddy land (35%). The SAS under different LULC decreased in the order fir > shrubland > natural grassland > orchard > blue pine > broadleaf > mixed conifer > dry land > paddy land. The AAOC of the large macroaggregates constituted for 76%–90% of the total AAOC under all LULC types except under dry land (65%) and paddy land (38%). While SAS was largely influenced by the AAOC of small macroaggregates, microaggregates and large macroaggregates and LULC type, the AAOC of different aggregate fractions was mostly affected by LULC type, altitude and slope. SAS did not exhibit any significant relationship with the AAOC of different aggregate fractions under the natural LULC types but showed a strong relationship under the agricultural land indicating that AAOC is more critical for SAS under the agricultural land than under the natural LULC.     

Seroprevalence of Torque teno sus virus types 1 and 2 in postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome-suspected pigs and porcine circovirus type 2-vaccinated normal pigs in southern Japan

We investigated the seroprevalence rate of Torque teno sus virus types 1 (TTSuV1) and 2 (TTSuV2) in the sera of 38 post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)-suspected pigs and 43 porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-vaccinated normal pigs on 3 commercial pig farms in southern Japan by using nested polymerase chain reaction. High seroprevalence rate of TTSuVs was observed in both PMWS-suspected pigs (100%) and PCV2-vaccinated normal pigs (90.7%). The seroprevalence rate of TTSuV2 was significantly higher in the PMWS-suspected pigs than in PCV2-vaccinated normal pigs (97.4% versus 81.4%, P<0.05), whereas no such difference was observed for TTSuV1 between the 2 groups of pigs. In both pig groups, the seroprevalence rate of TTSuV2 was significantly higher than that of TTSuV1 (P<0.01-0.05). These results show that TTSuVs are highly seroprevalent in both PMWS-suspected pigs and PCV2-vaccinated normal pigs with TTSuV2 being more seroprevalent in the former than in the latter.     

Natural contamination of dietary rice straw with zearalenone and urinary zearalenone concentrations in a cattle herd

The present study was conducted to 1) identify the natural source of feed contamination by zearalenone (ZEN), which was suspected to have caused persistently increased urinary ZEN concentrations in one of our experimental cattle herds, and 2) evaluate the effects of intervention against this source of contamination. As an experimental model, a fattening Japanese Black cattle herd showing persistently increased urinary ZEN concentrations was identified. Urinary ZEN concentrations of cows fed with new rice straw (experimental group, n = 6) vs. cows that continued to feed on the old rice straw (control group, n = 4) were measured at the start (d 1) and at 2 wk (d 14) after the onset of feeding with straw. In addition, the ZEN concentration in feed and water samples was measured by using both the ELISA and HPLC methods. Furthermore, isolation and identification of fungi from rice straw and concentrate feed samples were performed. The urinary ZEN concentration [ZEN (pg/mL)/creatinine (mg/mL) = pg/mg of creatinine] of cows fed with new rice straw was significantly (P < 0.05) less (843 pg/mg of creatinine) than that of cows fed with old rice straw (15,951 pg/mg of creatinine). On both d 1 and 14, the ZEN concentrations of old rice straw were greater than those of new rice straw. In addition, fungal colonies were observed in the culture media that was obtained from the old rice straw suspected of ZEN contamination, but not in the culture media from new rice straw or other feed samples. In conclusion, our field trials clearly indicate that the rice straw fed to the cows was naturally contaminated with ZEN, and that the monitoring of urinary ZEN concentrations could prove to be a useful tool for detecting the exposure of cattle to ZEN contamination at the farm level.     

Acute colic possibly caused by phytobezoar derived from napier grass in 5 Japanese black cows reared in the same farm

For 6 years, 5 Japanese Black cows of the same herd showed anorexia, depression, and dehydration with no feces in the rectum. Biomedical examination of 3 animals showed severe hypokalemia and hypochloremia. Although the first 3 animals died or were slaughtered (causes unknown), necropsy results showed that the cow in case 4 had intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoar derived from napier grass, fed mainly to the cattle as roughage. Therefore, farmers were recommended to avoid the hard root-stem portion of napier grass as roughage. Consequently, less phytobezoar was recovered from the fifth cow, and no similar clinical case of intestinal obstruction was observed thereafter. This is the first report on intestinal obstruction caused by phytobezoars derived from napier grass.