A Comparison Between Polymerase Chain Reaction and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Methods for Detecting Leptospira in Equine Recurrent Uveitis

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease that affects humans and many species of animals. Leptospiral organisms have long been presumed to be associated with the presence of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). The connection between ERU and leptospirosis can be established using various techniques. In the current study, we used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to help establish a diagnosis of ERU caused by Leptospira infection and compared the results with those of enzyme-linked immune assay (ELISA). A total of 31 and 30 serum samples were taken from horses with ERU (based on clinical diagnosis) and horses that were healthy, respectively, between June 2007 and December 2008. The results showed that from 31 affected horses, a total of seven and five samples were positive for leptospiral infection using PCR and ELISA, respectively, whereas there was no evidence of infection with Leptospira spp. in 30 serum samples of healthy horses. All of the positive samples in ELISA were also positive by PCR, whereas PCR detected two positive cases that were negative by ELISA. Although there was no significant difference between these two methods, it is apparent that PCR may be a more reliable tool for detecting the presence of leptospires in ERU.     

胡柚贮藏保鲜研究

经5年重复实验,筛选出胡柚果实最佳贮藏方法。果实用50ppm2,4-D+0.1％托布津溶液浸果10秒钟,待干耗5.5％左右,用0.025mm厚聚乙稀薄膜袋充氮包装或0.015mm薄膜单果包装,室温贮藏,11月入库至翌年4月中旬,其干烂耗总和分别为1.8％和2.13％,为对照干烂耗总和的10.95％和11.73％。贮藏结束时,枯水果比对照明显减少。氮气包装枯水果3％以下。     

湖南省山茶属红山茶组植物园林应用初探

湖南省山茶属红山组植物种类较多,共13种1变种,约占国产数的23.6%,居全国第二,仅次于四川省.笔者在实地调查和查阅大量文献的基础上认为其为优良的乡土木本花卉,观赏价值高,园林应用前景广阔,值得大力推广.在此基础上,笔者对其园林应用进行了初步探讨.