Marek's disease in turkeys. II. Characterization of the viral glycoprotein B gene and antigen of a turkey strain of Marek's disease virus

Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes immunosuppression and tumors in chickens. As sporadic cases of Marek's disease (MD) were recorded in turkeys, the antigenic and genomic characteristics of the MDV glycoprotein B (gB) gene and antigen of turkeys were compared to the chicken MDV gB. The whole chicken and turkey gB genes were sequenced and found identical. By immunoblotting of infected-cell culture lysates using chicken convalescent and gB monoclonal antibodies, the antigenic epitopes of the chicken and turkey viruses were found to differ. The turkey MDV had a unique epitope, compared to the chicken MDV and compared with our previous findings. While the chicken MDV had two epitope types, heat-labile but dithiothreitol (DTT)-stable and heat-stable but DTT-labile, the turkey MDV gB epitope is both heat and DTT-labile.     

Advances in the application of neuropeptides in insect control

The development of a new approach for the generation of a novel type of putative insect control agents based on backbone cyclic peptidomimetic antagonists of insect-neuropeptides is reported. The approach, termed the backbone cyclic neuropetide based on autogonist (BBC-NBA) was applied to the insect pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) family as a model, and led to the discovery of a potent linear lead antagonist and several highly potent, metabolically stable BBC peptidomimetic antagonists, devoid of agonistic activity, which inhibited in vivo PBAN-mediated activities in moths.     

Amending Soil with Sludge,Manure, Humic Acid,Orthophosphate and Phytic Acid: Effects on Infiltration,Runoff and Sediment Loss

Application of organic wastes to cultivated lands can replace mineral fertilizers but may also alter soil physical properties and enhance pollution potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biosolids [composted manure (MC) and activated sludge (AS)] and specific biosolid component [orthophosphate (OP), phytic acid (PA) and humic acid (HA)] application on soils differing in texture [loamy‐sand (Ramat‐HaKovesh, RH), loam (Gilat, GL) and clay (Bet‐Dagan, BD)], infiltration rate, runoff volume and soil sediment loss. The soils were packed in erosion boxes (400 × 200 × 40 mm) and subjected to six consecutive simulated rainstorms, each of 186 mm deionized water. The results showed that runoff volume and sediment loss from untreated soils increased with increasing clay contents. In treated soils, the response to AS application differed from the response to other amendments; in the BD clay and GL loam, it was the only amendment that caused a decrease in sediment removed by runoff. In the RH loamy‐sand, all amendments reduced the final infiltration rate, but only AS and HA increased the measured runoff. It is proposed that the difference in the response of the soils to the amendments is associated with the soil's ability to attenuate changes in the negative charge on the clay edges following the increase in the specific adsorption of charged anions, thus controlling clay swelling and maintaining aggregate integrity. The effects of amending soils with a source of organic matter in order to control runoff and soil erosion are not straight forward and depend on soil and amendment properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inheritance of resistance against Phytophthora infestans in Lycopersicon pimpenellifolium L3707

Summary Lycopersicon pimpenellifolium L3707, resistant to the late blight oomycete Phytophthora infestans was crossed with the susceptible Lycopersicon pimpenellifolium 14377 or the susceptible Lycopersicon esculentum ZH. Progeny F1 and F2 generations were scored at the 5-leaf stage for resistance against 175 field and recombinant isolates of the pathogen. F1 plants exhibited various levels of moderate resistance and F2 plants segregated 3:6:7 resistant/moderately resistant/susceptible. The data support the hypothesis that race-non-specific resistance in L3707 is controlled by two independent genes: a partially-dominant gene and a dominant epistatic gene.     

Cloning and expression of pigeon IFN-γ gene

This is the first paper describing the cloning of pigeon IFN-γ gene (PiIFN-γ) and the analysis of the in vitro expressed recombinant protein. The PiIFN-γ gene was identified by RT-PCR as a 498 bp, fragment coding for a precursor protein of 165 amino acids instead of 164 amino acids, as observed in the other avian species. The recombinant protein was expressed in vitro by an eukaryotic system and the biological properties of the cytokine were tested using a chicken macrophage cell line. The high degree of amino acid and nucleotide identity, shared with the ChIFN-γ, and the fact that the pigeon protein was functional on chicken cells, indicates a cross-reactivity between pigeon and chicken IFN-γ. The detection of the PiIFN-γ could represent an useful instrument in understanding the role played by this cytokine in immune response related to vaccinations and infectious diseases in the pigeon.     

Detection of Helicobacter spp. in gastric, fecal and saliva samples from swine affected by gastric ulceration

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter (H.) spp. in swine affected by gastric ulceration. Stomachs from 400 regularly slaughtered swine were subjected to gross pathological examination to evaluate the presence of gastric ulcers. Sixty-five samples collected from ulcerated pars esophagea and 15 samples from non-ulcerated pyloric portions were submitted to histopathological and molecular analyses, to detect Helicobacter spp., H. suis and H. pylori by PCR. Feces and saliva swabs were also collected from 25 animals in order to detect in vivo the presence of Helicobacter spp.. Gastric ulcers were detected in 373 cases (93%). The presence of ulcers in association with inflammatory processes was further confirmed by histological examination. Forty-nine percent (32/65) of the ulcerated esophageal portions as well as 53% (8/15) of the non-ulcerated pyloric portions were positive for Helicobacter spp. by PCR. The Helicobacter spp. positive samples were also positive for H. suis, while H. pylori was not detected. These results were confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis. With regard to feces and saliva samples, 15/25 (60%) and 16/25 (64%) were positive for Helicobacter spp. PCR, respectively but all were negative in H. suis and H. pylori specific PCR.     

Complex dynamics may limit prediction in marine fisheries

Complex nonlinear dynamics in marine fisheries create challenges for prediction and management, yet the extent to which they occur in fisheries is not well known. Using nonlinear forecasting models, we analysed over 200 time series of survey abundance and landings from two distinct ecosystems for patterns of dynamic complexity (dimensionality and nonlinear dynamics) and predictability. Differences in system dimensionality and nonlinear dynamics were associated with time series that reflected human intervention via fishing effort, implying the coupling between human and natural systems generated dynamics distinct from those detected in the natural resource subsystem alone. Estimated dimensionality was highest for landings and higher in abundance indices of unfished species than fished species. Fished species were more likely to display nonlinear dynamics than unfished species, and landings were significantly less predictable than abundance indices. Results were robust to variation in life history characteristics. Dynamics were predictable over a 1‐year time horizon in seventy percent of time series, but predictability declined exponentially over a 5‐year horizon. The ability to make predictions in fisheries systems is therefore extremely limited. To our knowledge, this is the first cross‐system comparative study, and the first at the scale of individual species, to analyse empirically the dynamic complexity observed in fisheries data and to quantify predictability broadly. We outline one application of short‐term forecasts to a precautionary approach to fisheries management that could improve how uncertainty and forecast error are incorporated into assessment through catch limit buffers.     

Seroprevalence and Rate of Infection of Equine Influenza Virus (H3N8 and H7N7) and Equine Herpesvirus (1 and 4) in the Horse Population in Israel

Equine influenza and equine rhinopneumonitis are among the Office International des Epizooties or the World Organisation for Animal Health notifiable, contagious respiratory diseases. Although vaccination of horses in Israel against equine influenza virus (EIV) and against equine herpesvirus (EHV) is routinely performed, information regarding the occurrence and the epidemiology of the diseases is lacking. We hereby attempt to determine seroprevalence and rate of infection for EHV-1 and 4 and for EIV in horses distributed throughout Israel and describe demographic and environmental risk factors associated with seroprevalence. Despite the fact that last reported isolation of EIV in Israel occurred in 2007, we found a 26.4% (29/110) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.18–34.62) seroprevalence for H3N8, a 16.4% (18/110) (95% CI: 9.49–23.31) for H7N7, and a 6.4% (7/110) (95% CI: 1.83–10.97) rate of seroconversion for H3N8, suggesting current and active circulation of EIV in horses in Israel. Age, housing management type, and type of farm activity were significantly associated with seroprevalence, with activities allowing exposure to new horses positively associated with seroprevalence to EIV and an only pasture housing management negatively associated with seroprevalence. No association was detected between other demographic variables (gender, breed, and color) and environmental factors (climatic regions). Seroprevalence to EHV-1 and 4 were very low (<1%) and very high (>99%), respectively, raising questions regarding the appropriate vaccination guidelines. Our findings of the occurrence of EIV in horses in Israel imply an underdiagnosis of this virus in this country and warrant further investigation as to the strains that circulate in this region and their accordance with the current vaccine strains.